Wā ‘Akahi

Naka
Ka Makua

Hānau ka Naka,
‘o ke Kupekala kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

Naka
The Parent

A Naka gives birth,
a Kupekala emerges

Nā ‘Uhane ‘Alu‘alu

Mai loko mai ‘o Ka Mo‘olelo Ka‘ao o Hi‘iakaikapoliopele,
Na Joseph M. Poepoe

Pane hou akula ‘o Wahine‘ōma‘o iā Hi‘iaka, “E ki‘i a‘e ho‘i ‘oe i kēlā mau wahi kānaka a ka ho‘omano nui wale i ke noi. Inā nō paha he mau akua lāua, e hana aku nō ‘oe e like me ka hiki iā ‘oe ke hana aku no lāua. Hele kā ho‘i au a uluhua i ka wala‘au mai a kēlā mau wahi ‘e‘epa.”

Ia wā huli maila ‘o Hi‘iaka i hope a pane maila i ke ‘aikāne, “‘Auhea ‘oe, e ho‘oluhi aku ana au iā ‘oe i nei hana nui āu e makemake nei, e ke ‘aikāne, e hana aku au. ‘O ia ho‘i nou kēia makemake ia‘u e ki‘i e ho‘ōla i kēlā mau wahi ‘alu‘alu. No laila, e ho‘i ‘oe a kēlā pali nui a kākou i ha‘alele aku nei ma hope o kākou, a laila, hakihaki mai i ka ‘au kī a kū ka hā‘awe, a laila, lawe mai ‘oe a hō‘ea i ‘ane‘i. A ‘o ko‘u wā ia e ho‘ā‘o aku ai e ho‘okō aku ai i kou makemake. ‘O ua pali lā, ‘o Waipi‘o ia.”

‘O ko Wahine‘ōma‘o hele nō ho‘i ia a e like me kā Hi‘iaka kuhikuhi, pēlā ‘o ia i ho‘okō ai. ‘Emo ‘ole nō ia miki ‘ana aku a Wahine‘ōma‘o hō‘ea ‘ana ia i ke kualapa ‘o Waipi‘o, a ‘o kona manawa nō ia i noke aku ai i ka uhaki i ke ‘au kī. ‘O ka hele nō ho‘i ia a kū ka hā‘awe, pū‘ā nō ho‘i a pa‘a, ‘o kona ho‘i akula nō ia a hō‘ea i kahi a Hi‘iaka mā e kakali mai ana iā ia.

‘Ike akula ‘o Wahine‘ōma‘o e noho mai ana nā wahi kānaka a ke ‘aikāne i ‘ōlelo mai ai he mau akua lāua. ‘A‘ole nō ho‘i i kana mai o ka ‘aluhe‘e o ko lāua mau kino, ua like me ka naka o kahakai a i ‘ole ua like nō me ka he‘e. Iā ia nei nō ho‘i a kū me kā ia nei ‘ope ‘au‘au kī, ‘o ka wā ia a Hi‘iaka i nīnau mai ai iā ia nei, “Ke ‘ike maila ‘oe i nā wahi kānaka kāhea o ke alaloa.”

‘Ae akula nō ho‘i ‘o Wahine‘ōma‘o me ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana aku, “Ke ‘ike akula ho‘i au. ‘O ke kino wailua paha kēia e ‘ōlelo ‘ia nei lā.”
‘Ae maila ‘o Hi‘iaka a ho‘omau maila ‘o ia i ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana, “‘O kahi ola auane‘i i ka pū‘ā lau‘ī, ‘o ia ka‘u e hā‘awi a‘e iā lāua nei i kō kou makemake, e ka ‘aikāne. Hō mai ko ‘au‘au kī o ka hele ‘ana aku nei o ka loa.”

Hā‘awi akula nō ho‘i ‘o Wahine‘ōma‘o. A laila, hana ihola ‘o Hi‘iaka i ua mau ‘au kī nei ma ka ho‘okomokomo ‘ana i nā ‘au kī i loko o nā ‘alu‘alu o ua mau wahi kānaka nei. Pa‘a nā iwi o lalo, pa‘a nā iwi o luna, kō nā lima, kō ka iwi kuamo‘o, kō nā iwi ‘ao‘ao, a pēlā aku. ‘O ia hele a pau kēia hana a Hi‘iaka, ‘o ka ikaika maoli a‘ela nō ia o ua mau wahi kānaka ‘alu‘alu nei. Kū a hele. Ia wā na‘e, pane akula ‘o Hi‘iaka i ua mau wahi kānaka nei ma ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana aku, “Nani ia ua ola a‘ela ‘olua. Eia ka‘u kauoha iā ‘olua, e noho mālie ‘olua i loko o ka ulu lā‘au nei a hala ke anahulu ho‘okahi, a laila, ‘o‘ole‘a pono nā wahi iwi o ‘olua. ‘O ko ‘olua manawa ia e ho‘i kauhale ai. Ho‘olohe ‘olua i ka‘u, ola ‘olua. Ho‘okuli ‘olua i ka‘u, make nō ‘olua. ‘O ko ‘olua make ‘ana aku ia, ‘a‘ohe kahuna nui nāna e ho‘ōla iā ‘olua.”

The Wrinkled Spirits

From Ka Mo‘olelo Ka‘ao o Hi‘iakaikapoliopele,
by Joseph M. Poepoe

Wahine‘ōma‘o told Hi‘iaka, “Go and get those men who are begging for help. If they are spirits, do what you can for them. I am growing annoyed by their talk.”

Hi‘iaka turned back and said to her friend, “You are tiring me with this chore you want me to do, dear friend. Just remember, you are the one that wants me to revive these wrinkled spirits. Go over to that large cliff that we just left, break off the stems of the ti-leaf plant and fill your pack before coming back. I will try to fulfill your wishes. That cliff is Waipi‘o.”
Wahine‘ōma‘o went to fulfill Hi‘iaka’s order. In no time at all Wahine‘ōma‘o arrived at Waipi‘o’s ridge to break off some ti-leaf stems. When her parcel was filled she bundled it securely and returned to the area where Hi‘iaka and the men were waiting.
Wahine‘ōma‘o saw that the men her friend called were sitting down and were spirits. Their bodies were extremely flabby, like the naka sea creature from the sea or a squid. As she was standing with her ti-leaf stem bundle, Hi‘iaka asked her, “Are you looking at the men who called on the path?”

Wahine‘ōma‘o confirmed and said, “I see them. Perhaps that is his spirit that is talking.”

Hi‘iaka agreed, saying, “Perhaps there is life in the bundle of ti-leaf stems, that is what I will give them to grant your wish, dear friend. Give me the stems that you got.”

Wahine‘ōma‘o gave the stems to Hi‘iaka. Hi‘iaka inserted the stems into the wrinkles of the men. The bones below were secured, the bones above were secured, the hands were massaged, the spine was massaged, the ribs were massaged, etc. When Hi‘iaka finished her task, the wrinkled spirits became strong. They stood to leave. Hi‘iaka said to the men: “You have been revived. Here are my orders for you; stay patiently in this forest for a period of ten days, by then your bones will be stiff. Then you can return to your houses. If you obey my orders, you will live. If you don’t pay attention to my orders, you will die. You will die and no priests will be able to resurrect you.”

E Lonoikapo

Mai loko mai ‘o Nā 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.

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.