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

Wā ‘Akahi

‘Opihi
Ke Keiki

Hānau ka Makaiauli,
‘o ka ‘Opihi kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

‘Opihi
The Child

The Makaiauli gives birth,
the ‘Opihi emerges

Ka Ulu Lehua ‘o Hōpoe

Mai loko mai ‘o ka Nūpepa Home Kula, na Joseph M. Poepoe

[Na Hi‘iakaikapoliopele e ha‘i mo‘olelo ana.]
“I kekahi lā, 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 kū ana i ka makalae e nānā ana i wahi no‘u e iho ai, aia ho‘i pi‘i mai ana nei kaikamahine u‘i ‘ōpiopio mai lalo mai me kāna ‘eke lau hala, ua hele nō ho‘i a piha i ka ‘opihi kō‘ele, ka he‘e pali, ka limu, ka ‘ina a me ka wana. A kau maila kēlā ma kahi a‘e e kū ana, pane maila ‘o ia ia‘u i ka ‘ī ‘ana mai, ‘Kā, maka malihini?’

‘Ae akula nō ho‘i au me ko‘u ‘ōlelo ‘ana aku iā ia, ‘‘Ae, he malihini au, mai kēlā kuahiwi au i iho mai nei. Noho mai nei kō ā uka a ‘ono mai nei i nā wahi mea makamaka hou o kahakai nei.’
I ko‘u ho‘opuka ‘ana aku i kēia mau hua‘ōlelo, ‘o ko ia lā pane maila i ka hua o ke ola: ‘Inā pēlā, ‘eā, eia ka ‘i‘a. E lawe ‘oe e like me ka nui me kāu i makemake ai, a koe iho ke koena, ‘o ka‘u ho‘i ia. Inā lawe aku ‘oe i kēia ‘eke lau hala ‘oko‘a, ‘o ka ‘oi loa aku ia o ka maika‘i.’

‘O ko‘u ‘ae akula nō ho‘i ia i kā ia lā mau ‘ōlelo o ke ola, a ‘o ko‘u lālau akula nō ia i ke ‘eke lau hala a ua kaikamahine nei. Ia wā nīnau akula au i ua kaikamahine nei i kona inoa. A laila, hō‘ike maila ‘o ia ia‘u i kona inoa me ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana mai, ‘‘O ko‘u inoa, ‘o Nānāhuki nō ia. Akā, kāhea kekahi po‘e ia‘u, ‘o Hōpoe ko‘u inoa ma muli o ko‘u pi‘i mau i ka ‘ako lehua i kēlā ulu lehua e ulu maila. ‘O ka inoa o kēlā ulu lehua, ‘o ia nō ‘o Hōpoe.’

Ia wā ‘ōlelo akula au iā ia i ka ‘ī ‘ana aku, ‘E lawe au iā ‘oe i ‘aikāne ‘oe na‘u, a he mau loa aku ho‘i kou inoa ‘o Hōpoe.’ Ua ‘ae maila nō ho‘i kēlā i ka‘u nonoi ‘ana aku iā ia i ‘aikane ‘o ia na‘u, a lawe nō ho‘i ‘o ia i ka inoa a‘u i ‘ōlelo aku ai iā ia, ‘o kona inoa ia.”

Hōpoe, The Lehua Grove

From the Nūpepa Home Kula, by Joseph M. Poepoe

[Narrated by Hi‘iakaikapoliopele to Wahine‘ōma‘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 kō‘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 Nānāhuki, but some people call me Hōpoe because I am always gathering lehua from the ‘ōhi‘a lehua forest, that grows over here. The name of that lehua grove is Hōpoe.’

I told her, ‘Let’s be friends and your name will forever be Hōpoe.’ 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 Kēia

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

Le‘a wale ho‘i ka wahine lima ‘ole, wāwae ‘ole,
E ha‘a nei kāna i‘a,
Ku‘iku‘i ana i kāna ‘opihi,
Wa‘uwa‘u ana i kāna limu,
A ‘o Manamanaiakaluhea,
Kūpākūpā‘eli ka hoe a ka lawai‘a i ka ‘ino,
‘Ō‘ili ka lae ‘o Kamanō,
Auē! Pau wau i ka manō ē,
Auē! Pau wau i ka manō ē,
ua manō nui o ke kai ē!

Kau Helu 72- Na Manamanaiakaluea Kēia

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
Kamanō 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!