Kuulei Higashi
Pana'ewa, Hawai‘i
27/II/02

Wā ‘Akahi

‘Ēkahakaha
Ma Uka

‘O kāne iā Wai‘ololī, ‘o ka wahine iā Wai‘ololā
Hānau ka ‘Ēkaha noho i kai
Kia‘i ‘ia e ka ‘Ēkahakaha noho i uka
He pō uhe‘e i ka wawā
He nuku, he wai ka ‘ai a ka lā‘au
‘O ke Akua ke komo, ‘a‘oe komo kanaka

First Epic

‘Ēkahakaha
Mountainside

Wai‘ololī the product of males, Wai‘ololā of females
The ‘Ēkaha gives birth, it is found in the sea
Guarded by the ‘Ēkahakaha in the uplands
The night becomes tumultuous
Ranting, plants are sustained by water
The Gods enter, man does not have access

No ka Manu Anuanu

Na Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

Ma nā makahiki ma mua loa ma Hawai‘i nei, ma mua na‘e o ka hānau ‘ia ‘ana o ke kanaka ua ola nā manu ma ia ‘āina. ‘A‘ohe holoholona i holoholo ma ka ‘āina. ‘O nā i‘a o ke kai, ka mea kanu o uka a me nā manu o ka lani wale nō nā mea e ola ana ma Hawai‘i i ia manawa. Ua hiamoe kēia mau manu ma nā lālā lā‘au, a i ka puhi ‘ana o ka makani, ua ha‘ulili lākou i ka makani anuanu. I kekahi pō ua pi‘i ka huhū o kekahi o nā manu ma muli o ka hu‘ihu‘i a ua iho ‘o ia i ka honua e ‘ohi aku i ka maile. Ua lele hou ‘o ia i luna o ke kumulā‘au a hilu i ‘ano paia me ka maile. Eia na‘e ma muli o ka li‘ili‘i o nā lau, ua pā mai ka mākani me ka hō‘anu‘anu hou ‘ana i ka manu. Ua ho‘ohenehene nui nā manu ‘ē a‘e iā ia. “Kio, Kio, he manu ‘ūlala ‘oe, ‘a‘ohe kōkua o ka maile lau li‘i!”

Ua iho hou ka manu i ka ‘āina e ki‘i i lau hau mai ke kai mai, a lele hou ‘o ia i ke kumulā‘au e kūkulu i paia me ka lau, eia na‘e ma muli o ke ākea o ka lau, ua pā mai ka makani a lilo ka lau i ka makani. Ua ho‘omaka hou nā manu ‘ē a‘e i ka ho‘ohenehene. “ Kio, Kio, he manu ‘ūlala ‘oe, ‘o ka hau! He lau mānoanoa ia, lilo ia mea i ka makani, ‘a‘ohe kōkua o ia mea!”

Ma muli o ko ka manu hilahila, ua lele ‘o ia i ka honua a ma laila ‘o ia i loa‘a ai ka lau ikaika a wīwī. Lele hou ‘o ia i luna e kūkulu i paia, i ia pō ua kūpa‘a ka lau. Ua pā mai a pā mai ka makani akā ‘a‘ole ka lau i hā‘ule, ma hope o kekahi manawa ua ho‘omaka ka lau e ulu ma luna o ke kumulā‘au. Ua ulu nā lau he nui a puni ka manu iā ia e hiamoe ana a mālama aku iā ia mai ka makani hu‘ihu‘i. Ma hope o kēia ua iho nā manu ‘ē a‘e i ka honua e ki‘i i kēia lau, ‘o ia ho‘i ka ‘ēkaha, eia na‘e ‘a‘ole kēlā mau lau i ulu ma ke kumulā‘au. I kēia mau lā ma muli o ka manu hu‘ihu‘i ua hiki iā ‘oukou ke ‘ike i ka ‘ēkaha e ulu ana ma ka ‘āina a me nā kumulā‘au.

The Cold Birds

By Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

In the very first years in Hawai‘i, before the birth of man, lived a lot of birds. There were no animals that walked on the land. The fish in the sea, the plants on land, and the birds in the sky were the only living things in Hawai‘i at that time. These birds, slept in the branches of trees, and when the wind blew, they shivered from the cold wind. One night one of the birds got angry because of the cold and went down to earth to collect maile. He flew back into the tree and built a type of wall with the maile. However because the leaves were so sparse, the wind blew in chilling the bird. The other birds noisily teased. “Chirp, Chirp you are a silly bird, the mailelauli‘i, is of no help!”

The bird went down to land again and got a hau leaf from sea. He went back to built a wall with the leaf but because it was so wide the wind blew it away. The birds started again, “Chirp, Chirp, you are a silly bird, hau, it is a wide leaf, blown by the wind it flies, it is of no help!”

Because he was so ashamed the bird flew down to the land and found a strong thin leaf. He flew back up and built a wall, that night the fern stayed still, the wind blew and blew but it didn’t fall, after a while the fern started to grow on the tree. Its leaves surrounded the bird while he was sleeping and protected him from the cold wind. The other birds, went down to collect the fern as well, which was the ‘ēkaha, however those didn’t stay on the tree. These days the ‘ēkaha grows on land and because of the cold bird it was lifted and now grows in the trees.

Kekahi ‘Ike Hou A‘e

Inoa Hawai‘i: ‘Ākaha, ‘Ēkaha, ‘Ēkaha Kuahiwi, ‘Ēkahakaha

Inoa Pelekānia: Bird’s Nest Fern

Inoa ‘Epekema: Asplenium nidus

Kona ‘ano: He ‘ano kupukupu kēia i ulu ma luna o nā kumu lā‘au. Like kona nānā ‘ana me ka pūnana manu me nā lau e kupu mai ana mai ka pūnana. He nī‘au ‘ula‘ula ko nā lau a he ‘ano ‘ōma‘ōma‘o a melemele ke kala o nā lau. Like ka nānā ‘ana o ka lau me nā pahi lō‘ihi, He pūnana palauna a ‘ele‘ele ko kēia mea kanu.

‘Ikepili Hoihoi: Ho‘ohana ‘ia kēia mea kanu no ka hano a me ka ‘ea.

More Information

Hawaiian Name: ‘Ākaha, ‘Ēkaha, ‘Ēkaha Kuahiwi, ‘Ēkahakaha

English Name: Bird’s Nest Fern

Scientific Name: Asplenium nidus

Description: This is a type of fern that grows on trees. It looks just like a bird’s nest with leaves protruding from the nest. The leaves are yellow-grenn with a red midrib. The leaves look like long blades. The nest is brown and black.

Interesting Fact: This plant is used to treat asthma and thrush.