Mikihala Mahi
Ma'alea, Maui, Hawai'i
20/X/01

Wā ‘Akahi

Unauna
Ke Keiki

Hānau ka Nahawele,
‘o ka Unauna kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

Unauna
The Child

The Nahawele gives birth,
the Unauna emerges

No ka Unauna Noho Mehameha

Na Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

Ma ka moana nui ākea i hānau ‘ia ai kekahi unauna li‘ili‘i. I kona hānau ‘ana ua ‘au ‘o ia i ‘ō a i ane‘i e loa‘a kekahi ‘ano home a pūpū paha iā ia.

‘Au aku ‘o ia i ke kai nui a komo i loko o ke ko‘a. Nui ‘ino ka mea‘ai o ia wahi, akā na‘e ‘a‘ole i hiki iā ia ke ne‘e nui ma muli o ke kaumaha o ke ko‘a, no laila ‘au hou ‘o ia i kahi o ka puhi.

A hiki akula ‘o ia i kahi o ka puhi, ‘ike ‘ia nā pūpū like ‘ole a pau loa ma kahi o kona home, eia na‘e i ko ka unauna komo ‘ana i loko o kekahi pūpū ua nui ‘ino nā pukapuka o ka pūpū! ‘A‘ohe wahi koe o ka pūpū i komo ‘ia e ka wai. ‘A‘ohe mehana o ia pūpū, no laila ‘au hou ‘o ia i kahi o ke kanaka e ku‘i ana i ka ‘opihi.

E ku‘i ana ke kanaka i ka ‘opihi a e kiola aku ana i nā pūpū i ke kai. ‘Ike ‘o unauna i nā iwi ‘opihi like ‘ole a pau, mai ka li‘ili‘i a i ka nunui. ‘Au ‘o ia ma lalo o kekahi iwi ‘opihi kūpono no kona kino, eia na‘e ‘a‘ohe mea e pa‘a ai ka unauna i ke iwi. Ne‘e aku ka unauna i kekahi ‘ao‘ao, ‘a‘ole ne‘e pū aku ka iwi. Noho pa‘a ia mea ma ia wahi no ka mea ‘a‘ole i hiki i ka unauna ke pa‘a pono i ia mea, no laila ‘au hou ‘o ia i kahi o ke kāheka kahakai.

Komo aku ‘o ia i ka ‘olē‘olē, eia na‘e nunui ka pūpū, komo aku ‘o ia i ka iwi ‘ōlepe a pāpaua, eia na‘e ua nui ka pō‘ele‘ele ke pa‘a ka waha o ia pūpū. ‘Au aku ‘o ia i kahi o ke ko‘e o ke kai a wili aku ‘o ia i kona kino i loko o ia mea, eia na‘e hana nui ke komo ‘ana i kēia pūpū.

A pau kona huli ‘ana i pūpū nāna, noho mehameha ‘o ia ma kahi o kekahi ‘ano mea ‘ele‘ele. ‘A‘ole ‘o ia i ‘ike i ke ‘ano home āna e koho ai. Noho ‘o ia a uē no ka loa‘a ‘ole ka home iā ia. Lohe ‘ia ka uē e ka mea nāna ka mea ‘ele‘ele. He pipipi ia. Ha‘i aku ‘o ia i ka unauna, “E ka unauna mai hopohopo ‘oe, eia ka‘u wahi pūpū ‘u‘uku nei. Ua nui a‘e ko‘u kino a ‘ano hāiki nō ka noho ‘ana i kēia pūpū. E hā‘awi aku au iā ‘oe i kēia pūpū.” A lohe aku ka unauna i kēia, komo ka hau‘oli i loko ona a komo ‘o ia i ka pūpū pipipi. He home maika‘i ia! ‘A‘ohe pukapuka, ‘a‘ole i nui loa, a ‘a‘ole i pō‘ele‘ele loa. He home maika‘i ia na ka unauna.

The Solitary Hermit Crab

By Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

In the wide blue ocean was born a small hermit crab. When he was born he swam all over the places looking for a home or a shell that he might live in.

He swam in the big sea and entered the coral. There was lots of food in the coral, but he couldn’t move a lot because the coral was so heavy, so he swam away to where the eel lied.

As he reached the eel, he saw all kinds of shells around his home, however when the hermit crab entered one of the shells it was full of holes! There was no place in the shell that wasn’t filled with water and there was no warmth in the shell, so he swam away again to where man was pounding ‘opihi.

The man was cleaning the ‘opihi and throwing the shell of the ‘opihi back to sea. Unauna saw all sizes of ‘opihi shells, from small to big. He swam under an ‘opihi shell that was just right for his body, however there were no ridges where the hermit crab could anchor himself. When the hermit crab moved one way, the shell didn’t move with it. It just stayed there because the hermit crab couldn’t find somewhere to anchor, so he swam away again to the tide pools of the sea.

He entered the conch shell but it was too big. He entered the oyster and the Pāpaua but it was so dark in those shells when the mouth’s closed. He swam away to where the sea worm lived and winded his body inside of the shell, however it was too much work to get in the shell.

When he was tired from finding a shell, he sat lonely on the side of something black. He had no idea what kind of home he was going to get to live in. He sat and cried because he didn’t have a home. Unauna’s crying was heard by the one who occupies the black shell, it was a Pipipi. He tells the hermit crab, “Eh hermit crab, don’t worry, here is my little shell, my body is too big and it’s kind of tight living in this shell. I will give you this shell.” When the hermit crab heard this he was filled with joy and entered the pipipi shell. It was a good home! There were no holes, it wasn’t too big, and it wasn’t too dark. It was a good home for the hermit crab.

E Lonoikapo

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

I ke one i hanana,
O pipipi, o unauna,
O ālealea, o naka,
O he‘e, o kualakai,
O ka pāki‘i moe one ‘ula,
O ka ‘ulae niho wakawaka ‘oi;
O kama a ‘opihi kaupali,
O kūlele po‘o; o helele‘i ke oho
O Wahalauali‘i; o Polihala;
O kahi i waiho ai o ka hua‘ōlelo.

E Lonoikapo

From Na Pule Kahiko, by June Gutmanis

At the sand that was overflowed,
of pipipi, of unauna,
Of ‘ālealea, of naka,
Of octopus, of sea slug
Of the pāki‘i flounder that lies on red sand;
Of the ‘ulae with serrated sharp teeth;
Of offspring of the kaupali limpet
Of head that scatters, of scattered hair
Of Wahalauali‘i, of Polihala
Of the place that the word is left.