Wā ‘Akahi

Kūpe‘e
Ke Keiki

Hānau ka Pipipi,
‘o ke Kūpe‘e kāna keiki, puka

First Epic

Kūpe‘e
The Child

The Pipipi gives birth,
the Kūpe‘e emerges

Ka‘ūpūlehu

Mai loko mai ‘o In The Lee of Hualālai, na Jocelyn Fujii

Ma kai ‘o Ka‘ūpūlehu, i kanu a mālama ‘ia ke kauna‘oa melemele a ‘alani ikaika i kanu ‘ia a puni o ka pūnāwai ‘o Waiakauhi. Ma laila pū i hāli‘i ‘ia nā kapa moe o ka pōhinahina, he mea kanu ‘ōiwi o kahakai, ka pōhuehue, he lā‘au hihi ‘ōiwi o ka ‘āina, a me ka nehe, e uhi ana i ka ‘āina e like ho‘i me ka lole veleveka uliuli a ‘ōma‘oma‘o.

Mau nō ka ola o ka ‘ōpae ‘ula ma loko o ka pūnāwai, e like ho‘i me kā Joe Maka‘ai wā kamali‘i. Ma nā pō malama ‘ole, mai ko lākou home iho, i puka aku ai nā pūpū ‘ono a ‘ele‘ele ‘o ia ho‘i ke kūpe‘e ma ‘ō a ‘ō o ke kapa kai, e like ho‘i me kā lākou i hana ai mai ka ho‘omaka ‘ana.

Mau nō ka hoene o ka ‘Eka a me ka Ho‘olua ma loko o nā mau‘u lō‘ihi. Mau nō kā ‘ō o ka ‘Ōlauniu i nā lau niu. Ke kio palupalu o ka ‘ūlili, komo aku ka ‘ūlili i ke ao me ka hō‘ike aku i kona ho‘i hou ‘ana i kēia ho‘oilo a‘e.
Ma kai o ia wahi, hui aku ka napo‘o ‘ana o ka lā me ka maka akā mau nō kona noho ‘ana i ka ‘alihi lani. Kū nā wahi pana ‘o Ka‘ūpūlehua i loko o kona ‘ena melemele a ‘o Ka‘ūpūlehu kāna mea wale nō: ka pū‘o‘a kaulua ‘o Kū‘ili, nā kahawai hinahina a ‘ele‘ele o ka pāhoehoe, ka pu‘u, nā alahele, nā loko i‘a, ke kapa kai, a me nā ulu lā‘au o ka ‘ōhi‘a a me ke kauila kekahi o ia mau mea.

Mai ka wēkiu mai, helele‘i kona mau ihona e pūliki leo ‘ole i ke kai, a mālama ‘o Hualālai i kona wikilia.

Ka‘ūpūlehu

From In The Lee of Hualālai, by Jocelyn Fujii

At the Ka‘ūpūlehu seashore, the brilliant yellow-orange kauna‘oa is planted and nurtured around Waiakauhi Pond. Where blankets of pōhinahina, a native beach shrub, pōhuehue, the indigenous beach morning glory, and the native sunflower called nehe cover the ground like blue and green velvet.

‘Ōpae‘ula still swarm in the pond, as they did in Joe Maka‘ai’s youth. On moonless nights, from their sandy depths, the delicious black shells called kūpe‘e appear here and there at the shoreline, as they have since the beginning.

The ‘Eka and Ho‘olua still rustle through the bulrushes. The ‘Ōlauniu still pierces the coconut fronds. The fragile chirp of the wandering tattler, ‘ūlili penetrates the dawn with a promise to return next winter.

Seaward, the glorious sunset greets the gaze but remains a symbol that belongs to the horizon. Awash in a golden glow, the landmarks of Ka‘ūpūlehu belongs to her alone: the double-domed Kū‘ili, the silver-black rivers of pāhoehoe, the hills, trails, ponds, shoreline, the distant stands of ‘ōhi‘a and kauila.
From the summit, her slopes sweeping to the sea in a silent embrace, Hualālai keeps her vigil.

Kekahi ‘Ike Hou A‘e

Inoa Hawai‘i: Kūpe‘e

Inoa Pelekānia: Polished Nerite

Inoa ‘Epekema: Nerita polita

Kona ‘ano: Ola ke kūpe‘e i loko o ke one ma kahi o ka palena kai nui. I ka pō, pi‘i aku kēia mau kūpe‘e ma ka pōhaku e ‘ai i ka limu o ia wahi. He pūpū mānoanoa a ‘āhinahina kona akā i kekahi manawa he melemele, ‘ula‘ula, kahakaha, ke‘oke‘o, ‘alani, ‘ākala a kikokiko ka waiho‘olu‘u. Ulu kēia pūpū a ho‘okahi ‘īniha me ka hapalua.

‘Ikepili Hoihoi: Ua ho‘ohana ‘ia kēia pūpū no ka ho‘onaninani ‘ana i ka lole a i ‘ole i ke kino o nā kānaka. Ua mālama ‘ia nā kūpe‘e ma‘amau ‘ole no nā ali‘i.

More Information

Hawaiian Name: Kūpe‘e

English Name: Polished Nerite

Scientific Name: Nerita polita

Description: The kūpe‘e lives in the sand near the high tide line. At night, the kūpe‘e climbs up on rocks and eats the seaweed that grows there. The shell has a thick gray shell, sometimes it is yellow, red, striped, white, orange, pink and spotted. This shell grows up to an inch and a half in length.

Interesting Fact: This shell was used for decorating clothes and the body of men. The rare kūpe‘e were kept for the chiefs.