A Kapu Aloha is an order of restraint placed by kahuna (Hawaiian priests) or other Hawaiian cultural practitioners, to act with only kindness, love and empathy. During the ceremonial period (enactment proceedings), alcohol, drugs and tobacco are prohibited. This separates the secular from the sacred and begins the ritual process collectively. Total purity is not attained but enacts a separation of ordinary life to mark the activities as sacred. Manulani Aluli Meyer, in a University of Hawaii panel discussion and commentary states: "A Kapu Aloha is a multidimensional concept and practice inspired by our kupuna. It has been used within a Hawaiian cultural context for many years". The practice initiates a discipline to remain compassionate and for those involved to use only aloha towards others.
Activists and Native Hawaiians use the practice while demonstrating against development on Mauna Kea.