Wā ‘Akahi

Pe‘a
Ka Makua

Hānau ka Pe‘a,
ka Pe‘ape‘a kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

Pe‘a
The Parent

The Pe‘a gives birth,
the Pe‘ape‘a emerges

Ka ‘A‘awa Kōkua Kanaka

Na Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

“MA HEA KO‘U ‘UPENA!!! E HO‘IHO‘I MAI ‘OE I KA‘U ‘UPENA?”

“E ‘o ‘oe ala! ‘O wai lā ho‘i ‘oe? No ke aha ‘oe e ‘uwā nei i ke kai?”

“‘O wai lā ho‘i ‘oe,” wahi a ke kanaka.

“‘O wai lā ho‘i au?! ‘o au ‘o ‘A‘awa, kai noho ma ‘ane‘i.”

“‘O ia kā, mai ho‘opilikia ‘oe ia‘u e ka ‘A‘awa, ua ‘aihue ‘ia ko‘u ‘upena e ka i‘a manamanalima.”

“Ka i‘a hea?”

“Ka i‘a manamanalima!”

“He aha lā kēlā,” a ho‘omaka ‘o ‘A‘awa e ‘aka‘aka. “Auē e ke kanaka hūpō, ‘o ka pe‘ape‘a kāu i‘a,” a ‘aka‘aka hou ‘o ‘A‘awa.

“No ke aha ana ‘oe e ‘aka‘aka mai ai ia‘u,” a me kēlā ua lālau a‘ela ke kanaka i ka ‘A‘awa.

“Auē, auē e ho‘oku‘u mai ia‘u! Auē, auē e make ana au i ke kanaka pupuka!”

“E kulikuli! E ho‘i ana au iā ‘oe i ka hale i mea‘ai no ko‘u ‘ohana.”

“‘A‘ole, mai ‘ai aku ia‘u, e ki‘i nō au i kou ‘upena, mai ho‘omake ia‘u!”

“E? Hiki anei iā ‘oe ke ki‘i hou i ko‘u ‘upena? Inā pēlā e ho‘oku‘u au iā ‘oe akā pono ‘oe e ho‘iho‘i mai i ka ‘upena ma mua o ka nāpo‘o ‘ana o ka lā!” I ke kanaka nō a kauoha aku i kona ‘ōlelo i ka ‘A‘awa ua ho‘oku‘u ‘o ia i ka ‘A‘awa a noho ma ka lihi kai e kali i ka ‘A‘awa.

‘O ka ‘A‘awa ho‘i ua holo ‘o ia i ‘ō a i ‘ane‘i, i loa‘a ka pe‘ape‘a iā ia, akā nō na‘e ‘a‘ole ‘o ia i ‘ike i kekahi pe‘ape‘a ‘aihue. No‘ono‘o ka ‘A‘awa iā ia iho, “e hele aku au i ke ana limu kahi i noho ai nā pe‘ape‘a.” A i kona hele ‘ana i laila ua ‘ike ‘o ia i ka pe‘ape‘a e huki ana i ka ‘upena i loko o ke ana. Inā ‘a‘ole ‘oe i ‘ike mua, ‘o ka pe‘ape‘a ka mea‘ai punahele o ka ‘A‘awa, a i ka manawa a ‘A‘awa i ‘ike aku i ka Pe‘ape‘a ua holo aku ‘o ia a ‘ai piha i ka pe‘ape‘a. “Hū ka ono!” Ki‘i a‘e ‘o ‘A‘awa i ka ‘upena a ho‘iho‘i aku i ke kanaka. Pīpī holo ka‘ao.

The ‘A‘awa Who Helps Man

By Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

“WHERE'S MY NET!!! YOU GIVE ME BACK MY NET!!!”

“Eh you! Who are you and why are you yelling at the sea?”

“‘And who are you,” asked the man.

“‘Who am I?! I am ‘A‘awa, the one who lives here.”

“‘For real!?, Don't bother me, ‘A‘awa, My net was stolen by the Finger fish.”

“What fish?”

“The Finger fish!”

“What kind of fish is that?” ‘A‘awa starts to laugh. “Hehehe you stupid man, the starfish is your fish” and ‘A‘awa laughs again.

“Why are you laughing at me” and with that the man grabbed ‘A‘awa.

“Oh no, oh no! Let me go! Oh no, Oh no, the ugly man is going to kill me!”

“Be quiet! I'm going to return you to my house and feed you to my family.”

“‘Noooo, don't eat me, I'll get your net, just don't kill me!”

“Eh? You can get my net? In that case I'll release you but you have to return the net before the setting of the sun!” As the man gave his orders to ‘A‘awa he released him and sat at the waters edge to wait for ‘A‘awa.

‘A‘awa searched high and low for the starfish, however he didn't find the starfish thief. ‘A‘awa thought to himself, “I'll go to the seaweed cave where all the starfish live.” And as he reached the cave he found the starfish pulling a net into the cave. If you didn't already know the starfish is ‘A‘awa's favorite food, and at the time ‘A‘awa saw the fish he swam quickly and ate the starfish in the cave.

“Oh how delicious!” ‘A‘awa then took the net and gave it back to the man.

The end.

‘O Hina ho‘i, Hina ‘uki‘uki

Mai loko mai ‘o Na Pule Kahiko, na June Gutmanis

Kaumaha ia, kaumaha ia,
Ka papa i kai, ke ko‘a pānoa,
Ka hālelo, ka he‘e kū koholā, ka pe‘ape‘a,
Ka ‘a‘ala‘ihi, ka palani,
Ka‘a i ka ‘ōnini he i‘a paoa nui,
Na Hina ia i‘a,
Kai nā mai i uka, unuhia mai i ka‘a walu,
Ka i‘a Hina makua kala,
‘Ai Hina i ka i‘a makamaka maika‘i,
‘Au e Hina ē! Na Hina kā ho‘i ua i‘a.

‘O Hina ho‘i, Hina ‘uki‘uki

From Na Pule Kahiko, by June Gutmanis

Sacrifice, sacrifice
The seaward flat, the bared coral rock,
The Hālelo, the squid of the reef, the Pe‘ape‘a,
The ‘A‘ala‘ihi, the Palani,
Hold the ‘Ōnini, the unlucky fish,
It is Hina's fish,
Pull, from shoreward, drive into the net,
The Kala is elder Hina's fish,
Hina eats the good fresh fish,
It is yours O Hina! For Hina is the fish.