Question #81080. Asked by tragic_flawed.
Last updated Jun 24 2021.
callie_ross
Answer has 11 votes
callie_ross 18 year member
44 replies
Answer has 11 votes.
The base form of the word you have in mind is kahuna, as it is usually spelled. This is from the Hawaiian word kahuna meaning 'a priest; wise man; sorcerer; witch doctor'. In this sense it is found in English sources from the 1870s onwards.
Response last updated by zorba_scank on Aug 24 2016.
May 27 2007, 1:30 PM
zbeckabee
Answer has 13 votes
Currently Best Answer
zbeckabee Moderator 19 year member
11752 replies
Answer has 13 votes.
Currently voted the best answer.
The "West" often uses the word kahuna as a generic term meaning "witch doctor" or "shaman" or "occult priest." However, the ancient kahunas were a select group of experts, in each local Polynesian community or extended family, who were recognized as the acknowledged masters of their particular fields.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/kahuna
