The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 49

When Ku and Hina are living at Waiakea, Hilo, they have two children, a boy called Hookaakaaikapakaakaua and a lovely girl named Kapuaokaoheloai. They are brought up apart and virgin, without being permitted to see each other, until one day the sister discovers the brother by the bright light that shines from his house, and outwits the attendants. The two are discovered and banished. Attendants of the king of Kuaihelani find the girl and, because she is so beautiful, carry her back with them to be the king's wife. Her virginity is tested and she slips on the platform, is wounded in the virgin's bathing pool, and slips on the bank getting out. Her guilt thus proved, she is about to be slain when a soothsayer reveals her high rank as the child of Hina, older sister to the king, and the king forgives and marries her. His daughter, Kapuaokaohelo, who is ministered to by birds, hearing Kapuaokaoheloai tell of her brother on Hawaii, falls in love with him and determines to go in search of him. When she reaches Punahoa harbor at k.u.mukahi, Hawaii, where she has been directed, she finds no handsome youth, for the boy has grown ill pining for his sister. In two days, however, he regains his youth and good looks, and the two are married.

D. GHOST STORIES AND TALES OF MEN BROUGHT TO LIFE

1. OAHU STORIES

KAHALAOPUNA

During the days of Kakuhihewa, king of Oahu, there is born in Manoa, Oahu, a beautiful girl named Kahalaomapuana. Kauakuahine is her father, Kahioamano her mother. Her house stands at Kahoiwai. Kauhi, her husband, hears her slandered, and believing her guilty, takes her to Pohakea on the Kaala mountain, and, in spite of her chant of innocence, beats her to death under a great _lehua_ tree, covers the body with leaves, and returns. Her spirit flies to the top of the tree and chants the news of her death. Thus she is found and restored to life, but she will have nothing more to do with Kauhi.[1]

[Footnote 1: This story is much amplified by Mrs. Nakuina in Thrum, p.

118. Here mythical details are added to the girl's parentage, and the ghost fabric related in full, in connection with her restoration to life and revenge upon Kauhi. The Fornander version is, on the whole, very bare. See also Daggett.]

KALANIMANUIA

The son of Ku, king of Lihue, through a secret amour with Kaunoa, is brought up at Kukaniloko, where he incurs the anger of his supposed father by giving food away recklessly. He therefore runs away to his real father, carrying the king's spear and malo; but Ku, not recognizing them, throws him into the sea at Kualoa point. The spirit comes night after night to the temple, where the priests worship it until it becomes strong enough to appear in human form. In this shape Ku recognizes his son and snares the spirit in a net. At first it takes the shape of a rat, then almost a.s.sumes human form. Kalanimanuia's sister, Ihiawaawa, has three lovers, Hala, k.u.muniaiake, and Aholenuimakiukai. Kalanimanuia sings a derisive chant, and they determine upon a test of beauty. A cord is arranged to fall of itself at the appearance of the most handsome contestant. The night before the match, Kalanimanuia hears a knocking at the door and there enter his soles, knees, thighs, hair, and eyes. Now he is a handsome fellow. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning attend his advent, and the cord falls of itself.

PUMAIA

King Kualii of Oahu demands from the hog raiser, Pumaia, of Pukoula, one hog after another in sacrifice. At last Pumaia has but one favorite hog left. This he refuses to give up, since he has vowed it shall die a natural death, and he kills all Kualii's men, sparing only the king and his G.o.d. The king prays to his G.o.d, and Pumaia is caught, bound, and sacrificed in the temple Kapua. Pumaia's spirit directs his wife to collect the bones out of the bone pit in the temple and flee with her daughter to a cave overlooking Nuuanu pali. Here the spirit brings them food and riches robbed from Kualii's men. In order to stop these deprivations, Kualii is advised by his priest to build three houses at Waikiki, one for the wife, one for the daughter, and one for the bones of Pumaia. (In one version, Pumaia is then brought back to life.)

NIHOALAKI

Nihoalaki is this man's spirit name. He is born at Keauhou, Kona, Hawaii, and goes to Waianae, Oahu, where he marries and becomes chief, under the name of Kaehaikiaholeha, because of his famous _aku_-catching hook called Pahuhu (see Aiai). He goes on to Waimea, Kauai, and becomes ruler of that island, dies, and his body is brought back to Waianae.

The parents place the body in a small house built of poles in the shape of a pyramid and worship it until it is strong enough to become a man again. Then he goes back to Waimea, under the new name of Nihoalaki.

Here his supernatural sister, in the shape of a small black bird, Noio, has guarded the fishhook. When Nihoalaki is reproached for his indolence, he takes the hook and his old canoe and, going out, secures an enormous haul of _aku_ fish. As all eat, the "person with dropsy living at Waiahulu," Kamapuaa, who is a friend of Nihoalaki's, comes to have his share and the two go off together, diving under the sea to Waianae. A Kauai chief, who follows them, is turned into the rock Pohakuokauai outside Waianae. Nihoalaki goes into his burial house at Waianae and disappears. Kamapuaa marries the sister.

2. MAUI STORIES

ELEIO

Eleio runs so swiftly that he can make three circuits of Maui in a day.

When King Kakaalaneo of Lahaina is almost ready for a meal, Eleio sets out for Hana to fetch fish for the king, and always returns before the king sits down to eat. Three times a spirit chases him for the fish, so he takes a new route. Pa.s.sing Kaupo, he sees a beautiful spirit, brings her to life, and finds that she is a woman of rank from another island, named Kanikaniaula. She gives him a feather cape, until then unknown on Maui. The king, angry at his runner's delay, has prepared an oven to cook him in at his return, but at sight of the feather cape he is mollified, and marries the restored chiefess. Their child is Kaululaau.

(See under Trickster stories.)

PAMANO

In Kahikinui, Maui, in the village of Kaipolohua, in the days of King Kaiuli, is born Pamano, child of Lono and Kenia. His uncle is Waipu, his sisters are spirits named Nakinowailua and Hokiolele. Pamano studies the art of the _hula_, and becomes a famous dancer, then comes to the uplands of Mokulau in Kaupo, where the king adopts him, but places a taboo between him and his daughter, Keaka. Keaka, however, entices Pamano into her house. Now Pamano and his friend, Hoolau, have agreed not to make love to Keaka without the other's consent. Koolau, not knowing it is the girl's doing, reports his friend to the king, and he and his wife decide that Pamano must die. They entice him in from surf riding, get him drunk with _awa_ in spite of his spirit sisters'

warnings, and chop him to pieces. The sisters restore him to life. At a _kilu_ game given by Keaka and Koolau. Pamano reveals himself in a chant and orders his three enemies slain before he will return to Keaka.

3. HAWAII STORIES

KAULANAPOKII

Kaumalumalu and Lanihau of Holualoa, Kona, Hawaii, have five sons and five daughters. The boys are Mumu, Wawa, Ahewahewa, Lulukaina and Kalino; their sisters are Mailelaulii, Mailekaluhea, Mailepakaha, Mailehaiwale, and Kaulanapokii, who is endowed with gifts of magic. The girls go sight-seeing along the coast of Kohala, and Mailelaulii weds the king of Kohala, Hikapoloa. He gets them to send for the supernatural pearl fishhook with which their brothers catch _aku_ fish, but the hook sent proves a sham, and the angry chief determines to induce the brothers thither on a visit and then kill them in revenge. When the five arrive with a boatload of _aku_, the sisters are shut up in the woman's house composing a name song for the first-born. Each brother in turn comes up to the king's house and thrusts his head in at the door, only to have it chopped off and the body burnt in a special kind of wood fire, _opiko_, _aaka_, _mamane_, _pua_ and _alani_. The youngest sister, however, is aware of the event, and the sisters determine to slay Hikapoloa. When he comes in to see his child, Kaulanapokii sings an incantation to the rains and seas, the _ie_ and _maile_ vines, to block the house. Thus the chief is killed. Then Kaulanapokii sings an incantation to the various fires burning her brothers' flesh, to tell her where their bones are concealed. With the bones she brings her brothers to life, and they all return to Kona, abandoning "the proud land of Kohala and its favorite wind, the Aeloa."

PUPUHULUENA

The spirits have potatoes, yam, and taro at Kalae Point, Kau, but the Kohala people have none. Pupuhuluena goes fishing from Kohala off Makaukiu, and the fishes collect under his canoe. As he sails he leaves certain kinds of fish as he goes until he comes just below Kalae. Here Ieiea and p.o.o.pulu, the fishermen of Makalii, have a dragnet. By oiling the water with chewed _kukui_ nut, he calms it enough to see the fishes entering their net, and this art pleases the fishermen. By giving them the nut he wins their friendship, hence when he goes ash.o.r.e, one prompts him with the names of the food plants which are new to him. Then he stands the spirits on their heads, so shaming them that they give him the plants to take to Kohala.

HIKU AND KAWELU[1]

The son of Keaauolu and Lanihau, who live in Kaumalumalu, Kona, once sends his arrow, called Puane, into the hut of Kawelu, a chiefess of Kona. She falls violently in love with the stranger who follows to seek it, and will not let him depart. He escapes, and she dies of grief for him, her spirit descending to Milu. Hiku, hearing of her death, determines to fetch her thence. He goes out into mid-ocean, lets down a _koali_ vine, smears himself with rancid _kukui_ oil to cover the smell of a live person, and lowers himself on another vine. Arrived in the lower world, he tempts the spirits to swing on his vines. At last he catches Kawelu, signals to his friends above, and brings her back with him to the upper world. Arrived at the house where the body lies, he crowds the spirit in from the feet up. After some days the spirit gets clear in. Kawelu crows like a rooster and is taken up, warmed, and restored.

[Footnote 1: See Thrum, p. 43.]

E. TRICKSTER STORIES

1. THEFTS