Totem for a Hawaiian shaman

Hey, gang,

I'm playing around with a troll shaman from Hawaii. I'm thinking about a good mentor spirit, and I've come down to one of the following:

Crab
Whale
Volcano

I'm working to get the following advantages:

+2 manipulation spells
+2 Counterspelling

I think Volcano would work best for this (Manipulation as the generation of new minerals/elements from lava and Counterspelling similar to the Mountain spirit), but I'm looking for ideas for good disadvantages (-1 air spirits? Some sort of Rage caused by insult?).

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Paradox

The ancient Hawaiians actually believed that Mt. Kilauea held a goddess within it, so it would be the best. A Hawaiian shaman was known as a "kahuna," and were known as shamans and healers. I believe tiki spirits and carvings played a role as well.

There was a Shadowrun novel written that was set in Hawai'i, featuring Dirk Montgomery, a private investigator and Shadowrunner. I'll pick it up and see if it didn't say anything about Kahunas in SR.

T_Hawk wrote:

There was a Shadowrun novel written that was set in Hawai'i, featuring Dirk Montgomery, a private investigator and Shadowrunner. I'll pick it up and see if it didn't say anything about Kahunas in SR.

I think that was House of the Sun. I have to admit I got the idea partially from that, though only superficially...

I have the book, Paradise Lost, and I might be able to answer some questions for you if they are in the book. It lists these totems:
Honu (Turtle): +2 dice for illusion spells, +2 for conjuring sea spirits, -2 for combat spells
Kohola (Whale): +2 for combat spells, +2 for conjuring sea spirits, -1 for illusion spells
Mo'o (Gecko): +2 for manipulation or illusion spells, +1 to resist effects of poison, -1 for combat spells
Nene (Goose-"volcano" if you will): +1 for combat spells, +3 for conjuring mountain spirits, "Goose shamans suffer a +2 modifier to all target numbers for tests made when not standing on the earth of the Hawai'ian islands." Yep.
The book is really just a few runs based in Hawai'i (and 2055) [and 2nd edition]. It does mention the word "kahuna" meaning shaman. Some excerpts: "Groups of kahunas (shamans) engaged the diminished Civil Defense Force..." "[King Kamehameha V's] chief advisor is a kahuna named Ke-one-poko ("the short sand"), an aging yet powerful man who also served as advisor to King Kamehameha IV. Ke-one-poko is widely believed to be a Nene shaman, though he has never publicly revealed his totem. The ali'i [king] regards the kahuna as a friend and mentor, as well as political advisor."

Loa is the word for spirit.

Ethereal wrote:

Loa is the word for spirit.

Yes but that is not a word used by traditional kahuna.

kahuna

The Loa (also Lwa or L'wha) are the spirits of the voodoo religion practiced in Louisiana, Haiti, Benin, and other parts of the world.
Loa

I don't know if the book lists the word for spirit, but magic is listed as ho'okalakupua, and from reading online I've found an 'aumakua is a protective family spirit. From Wiki:

Quote :

Traditionally, the ʻio (hawk) is regarded as the special ʻaumākua for the aliʻi (nobility). Consequently, to see a hawk flying overhead was considered a good sign for nobles, and harming one was very bad luck.
Nā ʻaumākua were thus animals, places or rocks, and people. Ancient Hawaiians would have seen no contradiction in a powerful spirit being able to appear as all three, switching from form to form as convenient—as is indeed seen in many stories of gods and demigods.
A symbiotic relationship exists between person and ʻaumakua, the personal guardians of each individual and their family and the ancient source gods from whom Hawaiians were descended.
ʻAumakua can manifest in nature. The form varies family to family. Whatever its form, the ʻaumakua is one specific shark, owl, etc. However, all members of the species are treated with respect of family members.
If family ʻaumakua, these manifestations were not harmed or eaten; in turn, ʻaumakua warned and reprimanded in dreams, visions, and calls.
"ʻAumākua are intimate members of the human family, spiritual relationships with them are especially close and their presence is sought for feast and festivity, as well as in time of crisis. They act as healers and advisors, counteracting troubles and punishing faults." -J. Gutmanis