The Legend of Night Marchers in Hawaiʻi

This spine-tingling tale is rooted in Native Hawaiian history.

Years ago, I went on a ghost tour with Native Hawaiian storyteller Lopaka Kapanui, visiting haunted spots on Oʻahu.

It was early evening, the sun had long set. We were standing in a remote area on the windward side of Pali Highway. And this is when Kapanui, who runs Mysteries of Hawaiʻi ghost tours, tells us the story about night marchers.

Like most folks born and raised in the Islands, I’ve heard of night marchers, the ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors who are said to roam the Islands at night. Kapanui tells us that from here, where we’re standing, people have heard the sound of distant drumming and have even seen the procession of torch lights coming down the mountain.

I shuttered.

This is the stuff of my childhood nightmares.

According to Kapanui, the night marchers are most often described as a group of warrior ghosts, marching in a haunted procession, typically with torches and accompanied by drumming. Sometimes you can hear the sound of the pū, or conch shell, or their stomping feet. Some even say they can smell a faint scent of sulphur.

If you are in their path, you’re supposed to run, get away. If it’s too late to escape, you’re supposed to strip naked, lay prone on the ground, cover your head and shut your eyes until they pass. Breaking these rules meant death. (Unless you’re related to one of the warriors, then your life will be spared.)

I’ve seen the torch lights of the night marchers and heard the ominous drumming before. The first time was decades ago. I had been hanging out with my friends at the Pali Lookout in Nuʻuanu—incidentally the site of a bloody battle in 1795 where hundreds of warriors were forced off the Pali’s sheer cliffs. The sun had already set, the lookout was deserted. And that’s when we heard the drumming, faint at first, then growing louder. We didn’t wait around; we got in our cars and raced out.

The night marchers are said to frequent areas that are sacred to Native Hawaiians—including the Pali. Other Oʻahu sites include Yokohama Bay, Mākaha Valley Plantation, Kaʻena Point and Kalama Valley. They often march on the last four Hawaiian moon phases, before the moon goes completely dark.

That phase is now. (Nov. 1 is the new moon.)

You’ve been warned.