Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds
Laehala, Keaukaha, Hawai'i
12/VI/01

Wā ‘Akahi

Pipi
Ke Keiki

Hānau ka Pī‘oe,
‘o ka Pipi kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

Pipi
The Child

The Pī‘oe gives birth,
the Pipi emerges

Ka Pipi o Pu‘uloa

Ha‘i hou ‘ia e Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

I ka wā i hala i lawe mai ai kekahi mo‘o i ka Pipi mai Kahiki i Hawai‘i nei, ma Pu‘uloa. Ma laila lākou i ulu ai ma muli o ko lākou wā kapu. I kekahi lā, ua ‘ohi nei kekahi luahine i ka limu a me nā pūpū o ke kai a ‘ike ‘o ia i kekahi pipi. No‘ono‘o ihola ‘o ia, “‘Ono loa au i ka pipi, eia na‘e he wā kapu kēia, e ‘ohi nō wau i kēia pipi, ‘a‘ole kekahi e ‘ike ana i ko‘u hana.” ‘A‘ole kēia luahine i ‘ohi wale i ho‘okahi pipi, ua ‘ohi ‘o ia i kekahi mau pipi. Iā ia i mākaukau e ho‘i hou i ka hale, ua hui ‘o ia me ke konohiki o ia wahi. ‘Ōlelo aku ‘o ia, “Ua aha kāu hana ma Pu‘uloa?”

Pane aku ka luahine, “ Ua ‘ohi limu a me nā i‘a li‘ili‘i ka‘u hana ma ‘ane‘i,” a hō‘ike aku ‘o ia i ka ‘ie i piha me ka limu. Lawe aku ke konohiki i ka ‘ie a ‘ike aku i ka pipi i loko. “Ua ‘a‘e ‘oe i ke kapu!” Me kēlā ua kiloi ‘o ia i ka pipi a ha‘i i ka luahine e ho‘i i ka hale.

I kona ho‘i ‘ana i ka hale ua hahai ke konohiki iā ia a ‘ōlelo aku iā ia, “E hā‘awi mai ia‘u i ke kālā!” ‘A‘ole ka luahine i hiki ke piliwi i kāna mea i lohe ai. Ua kiloi ‘ia kona ‘ai a i kēia manawa makemake ke konohiki e lawe aku i kona kālā. Ho‘okahi ona kenikeni a ‘o ia ka mea i makemake ‘ia e ke konohiki. ‘A‘ole ke konohiki i ha‘alele a hā‘awi ‘ia ke kālā ho‘okahi a ka luahine no laila ua hā‘awi wale aku ka luahine i ke kenikeni i ke konohiki.

Ma hope o kēlā, ua ‘ike ‘ia ka hana o ke konohiki e ka mo‘o nui nāna i lawe mai ai i ka pipi i Hawai‘i nei a ho‘oholo ‘o ia e ho‘i hou i ka pipi i Kahiki. Ua ho‘opa‘i ‘ia ka luahine i ho‘okahi manawa, ‘a‘ole i pono e ho‘opa‘i hou ‘ia. Ma muli o kēia hana kaulike ‘ole a ke konohiki i li‘ili‘i ka heluna o nā pipi ma Pu‘uloa i kēia manawa.

The Pipi of Pu‘uloa

Retold by Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

Long ago a mighty mo‘o brought to Hawai‘i the pipi from Kahiki to Pu‘uloa. They grew numerously there because of the kapu’s put upon them. One day while an old woman was gathering limu and food from the sea she saw a pipi. She then thought to herself, “I’m very hungry for pipi, however it is a time of kapu, I will gather this pipi and no one will know of what I’ve done.” This old woman didn’t just gather one pipi. she gathered lots of pipi. When she was ready to return home, she met with the overseer of the place and he said, “What are you doing in Pu‘uloa old woman?”

She then answered, “I have been gathering limu and small fishes here,” and she showed him her basket full of seaweed. He grabbed her basket and saw the pipi inside of it. “You broke the kapu!” With that he threw the seaweed and the pipi back into the sea and told the woman to go home.

When she went home she was unaware that the overseer was following her home and when she got there he said, “Give me your money!” The woman couldn’t believe what she just heard. Her food was thrown back into the sea and now the overseer wanted to take her money. She only had one coin and that is what the overseer wanted. The overseer wouldn’t leave the house until her money was given to him, so the old woman gave her last money to the overseer.

After that, the mo‘o who brought the pipi over to Hawai‘i saw what the overseer did to the old lady and decided to take the pipi back to Kahiki. The woman was already punished once she didn’t need to be punished a second time. Because of the unfair deed done by the overseer is why the number of pipi in Pu‘uloa are so small now days.

He Inoa no Naihe

Mai loko mai ‘o Nā Mele ‘Aimoku, na Hawaiian Historical Society

Ua ‘ino Kahiki ua malolo ka ‘ōpū,
Ua pouli ke ao makani kaiko‘o
Ke kumu nō ia o ka nalu o Wākea
Noho iā Wākea o Papa lā ka wahine,
Lāua i pipili lāua i momoe,
Momoe Wākea iā lāua o Papa,
Hānau Hawai‘i kupu laha kanaka,
Hānau ho‘ohōkū ka lani,
E ke kaikamahine, wahine āu e Wākea,
Na ‘Ī ho‘i au na kā ha‘i kanaka,
‘O Pa‘aka‘ālana ka unu, ‘o ka‘ao ke akua,
Pā nō ia‘u i ka pipi wai ē
He hai kanaka kahiko,
‘O Kalakaua mai laila mai.

He Inoa no Naihe

From Nā Mele ‘Aimoku, by Hawaiian Historical Society

Kahiki is storming as the stomach is resting
Day darkened as the strong forceful wind blew
The reason for the waves of Wākea,
She lived with Wākea, Papa is the wife,
As they connected and slept together,
Wākea and Papa sleep together,
Hawai‘i was born, widespread of people emerged
Ho‘ohōkūkalani was born,
To the girl, wife to you Wākea,
I belong to the great one, the other’s man,
Pa‘aka‘ālana is the heiau, ka‘ao is the god,
I was touched by the sprinkled water,
And old sacrifice,
From there is Kalakaua.