Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds
Ma'alaea, Maui, Hawai'i
20/X/01

Wā ‘Akahi

Pūleholeho
Ke Keiki

Hānau ka Leho,
‘o ka Pūleholeho kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

Pūleholeho
The Child

The Leho gives birth,
the Pūleholeho emerges

He Ka‘ao no ‘Iwa

Ha‘i hou ‘ia e Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

‘O Kea‘au kekahi kanaka lawai‘a no Puna, Hawai‘i a nāna ka leho kaulana ‘o Kalokuna. Hō‘ike ‘o ia i kāna leho i kai a lele ka i‘a i loko o ka wa‘a. Ua lohe ke ali‘i ‘o ‘Umi no kēia leho kaulana, a ho‘ouna ‘o ia i nā ‘elele e ‘aihue i ka leho ‘o Kalokuna. Ma hope o ka ‘aihue ‘ia ‘ana o kāna leho ua ho‘opiha ‘o Kea‘au i kona wa‘a me nā pono waiwai a pau e like ho‘i me ka pua‘a, ka ‘awa, ke kapa ‘Ō‘ūholowaiola‘a a me ke ‘eleuli e hā‘awi aku i ka ‘oi o nā ‘aihue ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o ‘Iwa.

I ka hō‘ea aku ‘ana i Makapu‘u kahi noho ‘o ‘Iwa ua ‘ike ‘o ia i kekahi keiki lole ‘ole e holo ana ma kahakai, nīnau ‘o ia i ke keiki, “Aloha, ‘O ‘Iwa ‘oe?” Pane aku ke keiki, “‘A‘ole, aia ‘o ‘Iwa ma ka hale.” Pi‘i ‘o Kea‘au i ka hale o ‘Iwa a ‘ike ‘o ia ‘o ke keiki lole ‘ole, ‘o ‘Iwa. Ho‘i hou ‘o Kea‘au i ke kai a ha‘awi aku i nā makana iā ‘Iwa, “Ua ‘aihue ‘ia ka‘u leho e ‘Umi ke ali‘i ‘o Hawai‘i, e kōkua paha ‘oe ia‘u ma ka loa‘a hou?” “‘Ae, hiki nō, e ‘ai a hiamoe kāua.”

I ke kakahiaka nui, ho‘olele lāua i ka wa‘a ma kai, a me ka hoe ho‘okalakupua o ‘Iwa, kāhea aku ‘o ia, “Kapahi ka moana i kai e ‘Iwa,” a hō‘ea aku lāua ma waena ‘o Kaua‘i a me Ni‘ihau. Nīnau aku ‘o ‘Iwa, “Ua hiki kāua i Hawai‘i?” Pane aku ‘o Kea‘au, “‘A‘ole.” A ho‘ā‘o hou ‘o ‘Iwa a hiki aku lāua i Hawai‘i. Aia lā ke lawai‘a nei ‘o ‘Umi me ka leho ‘o Kalokuna. Lu‘u ‘o ‘Iwa i loko o ke kai a ho‘ohemo iā Kalokuna, a nāki‘i ‘o ia i ke aho i ka ‘āko‘ako‘a o lalo. Lele koke ‘o ‘Iwa ma ka wa‘a, a ho‘i lāua i Puna. Ua ho‘iho‘i ‘ia ka leho iā Kea‘au, a ua ho‘i ‘o Kea‘au i ka hale akā ‘a‘ole i pau ka le‘ale‘a o ‘Iwa.
Ho‘i hou ‘o ‘Iwa i ke ali‘i ‘o ‘Umi a ha‘i aku iā ia, “‘O wau ka mea nāna i ‘aihue i kā Kea‘au leho maiā ‘oe.” “‘O ia kā,” wahi a ‘Umi, “inā makemake ‘oe e ola e pono ana ‘oe e ho‘okūkū me nā kānaka ‘aihue o‘u.” ‘Ae aku ‘o ‘Iwa, “Hiki nō.” “Eia ka ho‘okūkū e huaka‘i ana ‘oukou i ka pō a ‘aihue i nā mea he nui wale i hiki ke ‘aihue ‘ia, a ke ao ka pō, ‘o ke kanaka nāna ka mea waiwai he nui, ‘o ia ka lanakila,” wahi a ‘Umi.

I ia pō, ua ‘aihue nā kānaka ‘aihue o ‘Umi i nā mea he nui a piha ka hale, a ho‘i lākou e hiamoe. Akā na‘e ma mua pono o ka puka ‘ana o ka lā, hele ‘o ‘Iwa i ka hale a ‘aihue i nā mea waiwai a pau mai nā kānaka ‘aihue mai! Ke ao ka pō ala mai nā kānaka a pau a ua ‘ike ‘ia ‘o ‘Iwa ka lanakila, a ua ‘ae ‘ia kona ho‘i ‘ana i Makapu‘u.

The Legend of Iwa

Retold by Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

Kea‘au is a fisherman from Puna, Hawai‘i and he owns the famous cowry Kalokuna. All he has to do is show his cowry to the sea and the fish will jump into this boat. ‘Umi heard of this great cowry so he sent his men to steal the Kalokuna, the cowry. After Kea‘au’s cowry was stolen he filled his canoe with all kinds of valuables such as pig, ‘awa, ‘Ō‘ūholowaiola‘a the kapa and the ‘eleuli as offerings to the greatest thief of them all, ‘Iwa.

Once he arrived in Makapu‘u where ‘Iwa lived he saw a naked child running on the beach, so he asked the child, “Hello, are you Iwa?”
The child answers, “No, ‘Iwa is at home.”

Kea‘au then climbs to the home of ‘Iwa and finds out that the naked child was indeed ‘Iwa. Kea‘au returns to the sea and gives the presents to ‘Iwa, “My cowry was stolen by ‘Umi the king of Hawai‘i. Will you help me to get it back?” “Yeah, sure lets eat and sleep.”

In the early morning, they set the canoe into the water and with ‘Iwa’s famous paddle, he called out, “Kapahi go,” and they were between Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. ‘Iwa asked, “Did we reach Hawai‘i?”

Kea‘au answered, “no.” And ‘Iwa tries again until they reach Hawai‘i. ‘Umi is fishing with Kalokuna the cowry. ‘Iwa dives into the water and unties Kalokuna from the line, and ties the line to the corals on the bottom. Iwa then quickly jumped back into the boat and they return to Puna. The cowry was returned to Kea‘au and he returned home but Iwa’s fun isn’t over just yet.

Iwa returns to the king, ‘Umi, “I am the one who stole back Kea‘au’s cowry from you.”

“Oh really?” said ‘Umi, “If you want to live you’re going to have to challenge my thieves.”

‘Iwa agrees. “Here is the challenge, you are to go out at night and steal everything valuable that can be stolen, and when it is no longer dark, the thief who has the most valuables is the winner,” said ‘Umi.

That night, ‘Umi’s thieves stole everything they could and filled a house, and they returned home to sleep. However, ‘Umi did not sleep, before sunrise, ‘Iwa went to the house of the thieves and stole all the valuables that the thieves had only stole hours before. When it was morning everybody seen that ‘Iwa was the winner and he was allowed to return to Makapu‘u.

Eia ka Leho

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

Eia ka Leho,
He leho ‘ula no ka he‘e ho‘opa‘i,
Eia ke kao, he lā‘au,
He lama no ka he‘e mahola, he‘e pālaha.
E Kanaloa i ke Kū,
Kūlia i ka papa,
Kūlia i ka papa he‘e!
Kūlia ‘ia ka he‘e o kai uli
E ala, e Kanaloa
Hō‘eu! Hō‘ala! E ala ka he‘e!
E ala ka he‘e pālaha! E ala ka he‘e mahola!

Eia ka Leho

From Na Pule Kahiko, by June Gutmanis

Here is the cowry,
A red cowry to attract the squid to his death,
Here is the fish spear, a mere stick,
A spear of lama wood for the squid that lies flat.
O Kanaloa of the kapu nights,
Stand upright on the solid floor,
Stand upon the floor where lies the squid!
Stand up to the squid of the deep sea!
Rise up O Kanaloa!
Stir up! Agitate! Let the squid awake!
Let the he‘e pālaha, the he‘e mahola awake!