Kuulei Higashi
Laehala, Hawai‘i
14/IX/00

Wa&_macron; ‘Akahi

‘Opihi
Ke Keiki

Ha&_macron;nau ka Makaiauli,
‘o ka ‘Opihi ka&_macron;na keiki, puka

First Epic

‘Opihi
The Child

The Makaiauli gives birth,
the ‘Opihi emerges

Ka Ulu Lehua ‘o Ho&_macron;poe

Mai loko mai ‘o ka Nu&_macron;pepa Home Kula, na Joseph M. Poepoe

[Na Hi‘iakaikapoliopele e ha‘i mo‘olelo ana.]
“I kekahi la&_macron;, iho malihini maila au i kai o Kea‘au i wahi lau limu, wahi hua ‘opihi, wahi he‘e pali me ona mau wahi hua ‘ina a me ka wana. A ‘oiai au e ku&_macron; ana i ka makalae e na&_macron;na&_macron; ana i wahi no‘u e iho ai, aia ho‘i pi‘i mai ana nei kaikamahine u‘i ‘o&_macron;piopio mai lalo mai me ka&_macron;na ‘eke lau hala, ua hele no&_macron; ho‘i a piha i ka ‘opihi ko&_macron;‘ele, ka he‘e pali, ka limu, ka ‘ina a me ka wana. A kau maila ke&_macron;la&_macron; ma kahi a‘e e ku&_macron; ana, pane maila ‘o ia ia‘u i ka ‘i&_macron; ‘ana mai, ‘Ka&_macron;, maka malihini?’

‘Ae akula no&_macron; ho‘i au me ko‘u ‘o&_macron;lelo ‘ana aku ia&_macron; ia, ‘‘Ae, he malihini au, mai ke&_macron;la&_macron; kuahiwi au i iho mai nei. Noho mai nei ko&_macron; a&_macron; uka a ‘ono mai nei i na&_macron; wahi mea makamaka hou o kahakai nei.’
I ko‘u ho‘opuka ‘ana aku i ke&_macron;ia mau hua‘o&_macron;lelo, ‘o ko ia la&_macron; pane maila i ka hua o ke ola: ‘Ina&_macron; pe&_macron;la&_macron;, ‘ea&_macron;, eia ka ‘i‘a. E lawe ‘oe e like me ka nui me ka&_macron;u i makemake ai, a koe iho ke koena, ‘o ka‘u ho‘i ia. Ina&_macron; lawe aku ‘oe i ke&_macron;ia ‘eke lau hala ‘oko‘a, ‘o ka ‘oi loa aku ia o ka maika‘i.’

‘O ko‘u ‘ae akula no&_macron; ho‘i ia i ka&_macron; ia la&_macron; mau ‘o&_macron;lelo o ke ola, a ‘o ko‘u la&_macron;lau akula no&_macron; ia i ke ‘eke lau hala a ua kaikamahine nei. Ia wa&_macron; ni&_macron;nau akula au i ua kaikamahine nei i kona inoa. A laila, ho&_macron;‘ike maila ‘o ia ia‘u i kona inoa me ka ‘o&_macron;lelo ‘ana mai, ‘‘O ko‘u inoa, ‘o Na&_macron;na&_macron;huki no&_macron; ia. Aka&_macron;, ka&_macron;hea kekahi po‘e ia‘u, ‘o Ho&_macron;poe ko‘u inoa ma muli o ko‘u pi‘i mau i ka ‘ako lehua i ke&_macron;la&_macron; ulu lehua e ulu maila. ‘O ka inoa o ke&_macron;la&_macron; ulu lehua, ‘o ia no&_macron; ‘o Ho&_macron;poe.’

Ia wa&_macron; ‘o&_macron;lelo akula au ia&_macron; ia i ka ‘i&_macron; ‘ana aku, ‘E lawe au ia&_macron; ‘oe i ‘aika&_macron;ne ‘oe na‘u, a he mau loa aku ho‘i kou inoa ‘o Ho&_macron;poe.’ Ua ‘ae maila no&_macron; ho‘i ke&_macron;la&_macron; i ka‘u nonoi ‘ana aku ia&_macron; ia i ‘aikane ‘o ia na‘u, a lawe no&_macron; ho‘i ‘o ia i ka inoa a‘u i ‘o&_macron;lelo aku ai ia&_macron; ia, ‘o kona inoa ia.”

Ho&_macron;poe, The Lehua Grove

From the Nu&_macron;pepa Home Kula, by Joseph M. Poepoe

[Narrated by Hi‘iakaikapoliopele to Wahine‘o&_macron;ma‘o]
“One day I visited Kea‘au to gather limu, ‘opihi, he‘e pali, ‘ina, and wana. While standing on the point looking for a place to go down to the beach, a beautiful girl walked toward me carrying a lau hala bag filled with ‘opihi ko&_macron;‘ele, he‘e pali, limu, ‘ina, and wana. She asked me: ‘Are you a visitor?’

I nodded and said, ‘Yes, I am a visitor from those mountains. Upon my decent, I became hungry for fresh seafood.’

When I said this, she answered, ‘If that’s so, here’s some seafood. Take as much as you want and I’ll keep the leftovers. However, nothing would please me more than if you would take the entire lau hala bag.’

I agreed and took her bag, that’s when I asked her for her name. She told me, ‘My name is Na&_macron;na&_macron;huki, but some people call me Ho&_macron;poe because I am always gathering lehua from the ‘o&_macron;hi‘a lehua forest, that grows over here. The name of that lehua grove is Ho&_macron;poe.’

I told her, ‘Let’s be friends and your name will forever be Ho&_macron;poe.’ She agreed to my request that she become my friend and she took the name that I called her until this day.’”

Kau Helu 72- Na Manamanaiakaluea Ke&_macron;ia

Mai loko mai ‘o Ka Mo‘olelo Ka‘ao o Hi‘iakaikapoliopele

Le‘a wale ho‘i ka wahine lima ‘ole, wa&_macron;wae ‘ole,
E ha‘a nei ka&_macron;na i‘a,
Ku‘iku‘i ana i ka&_macron;na ‘opihi,
Wa‘uwa‘u ana i ka&_macron;na limu,
A ‘o Manamanaiakaluhea,
Ku&_macron;pa&_macron;ku&_macron;pa&_macron;‘eli ka hoe a ka lawai‘a i ka ‘ino,
‘O&_macron;‘ili ka lae ‘o Kamano&_macron;,
Aue&_macron;! Pau wau i ka mano&_macron; e&_macron;,
Aue&_macron;! Pau wau i ka mano&_macron; e&_macron;,
ua mano&_macron; nui o ke kai e&_macron;!

Kau Helu 72- Na Manamanaiakaluea Ke&_macron;ia

From the Story of Hi‘iakaikapoliopele

The woman enjoys herself with no hands and no legs,
Being among her fish,
Pounding her ‘opihi,
Gathering her limu,
Manamanaiakaluhea,
The paddle of the fisherman moves slowly in the storm
Kamano&_macron; Point comes into view,
Oh no! I will be killed by the shark,
Oh no! I will be killed by the shark,
By the big shark of the sea!