Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds
Waiakea, Hawai‘i
17/X/02

Wā ‘Akahi

‘Olē
Ka Makua

Hānau ka ‘Olē,
‘o ka ‘Olē‘olē kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

‘Olē
The Parent

The ‘Olē gives birth,
the ‘Olē‘olē emerges

‘Apu no ka Lani no Pai‘ea no Līloa ē

Mai loko mai ‘o Nā Mele ‘Aimoku, na Hawaiian Historical Society

‘Apu no ka lani no Pai‘ea no Līloa ē,
He ‘ula koa‘e koa he koa‘e mai Nihoa mai,
Ho‘olono ‘ia kū kani a ka pū aleale ē,
Kani ka pū e ho‘ānoano,
Ko ke kapu o ke ali‘i,
Kapu kāhea i kona ka ‘awa,
Ka ‘awa kopu lani pe‘ape‘a ke ali‘i,
Ka ‘awa ko‘o mākolokolo mākua lima,
Ono, hiku, walu, iwa, ka lani Wai‘ale‘ale,
A inu ka ‘awa o ke ali‘i.

‘Apu no ka Lani no Pai‘ea no Līloa ē

From Nā Mele ‘Aimoku, by Hawaiian Historical Society

The heavens snatch up Pai‘ea and Līloa,
A red warrior koa‘e is a koa‘e from Nihoa,
The call is summoned for the aleale shell,
The pū is blown so that they may be awe-struck,
For the sacredness of the kings,
The sacred call for his ‘awa,
The heavenly ‘awa surrounding the king,
The crawling reaching ‘awa for the fifth,
Six, seven, eight, nine to the heavens of Wai‘ale‘ale,
To drink the ‘awa of the king.

Kekahi ‘Ike Hou A‘e

Inoa Hawai‘i: ‘Olē, ‘Olē‘olē, Pūkani

Inoa Pelekānia: Triton’s Trumpet

Inoa ‘Epekema: Charonia tritonis

Kona ‘ano: He pūpū loloa a nui ko kēia i‘a. Ua ho‘ohālikelike ‘ia nā waiho‘olu‘u o ka ‘olē me nā hulu o ka manu kolohala. ‘Alani ‘o loko o kēia pūpū akā palaunu a ke‘oke‘o ‘o waho. ‘Ai kēia pūpū i nā pe‘ape‘a palupalu a ‘ōkala.

‘Ikepili Hoihoi: Ho‘ohana ‘ia kēia pūpū ma ke ‘ano he pū kani, ke ho‘opuka ‘ia ka pūpū hakahaka a puhi ‘ia e kekahi kanaka, kani maila a ho‘ohana ‘ia kēia kani e ho‘ākoakoa i ka po‘e.

More Information

Hawaiian Name: ‘Olē, ‘Olē‘olē, Pūkani

English Name: Triton’s Trumpet

Scientific Name: Charonia tritonis

Description: This shell is long and big. The colors of the ‘olē have been compared to the feathers of the pheasant. The inner color of this shell is orange and the outside is white and brown. This shell eats starfish both soft and hard and spiky.

Interesting Fact: This shell is used as a trumpet. When a hole is made into the empty shell and someone blows into it a sound is made by the shell. This is the sound used to gather people.