Kuulei Higashi
Kamokuna, Keaukaha, Hawai‘i
4/II/00

Wā ‘Akahi

Kalo Manauea
Ma Uka

‘O kāne iā Wai‘ololī, ka wahine iā Wai‘ololā
Hānau ka Manauea noho i kai
Kia‘i ‘ia e ka Kalo Manauea 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

Kalo Manauea
Uplands

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

No ka ‘ōwāwā o ka Hā Kalo

Na Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

Noho ‘o Maui, he kāne iā Hina, he wahine, hānau maila iā lāua he ‘ehā keiki kāne, ‘o Mauimua, Mauihope, Mauikiikii, a me Mauiokalana. ‘O ka hana o kēia po‘e keiki ‘o ia ho‘i ka lawai‘a. I kēlā me kēia lā, holoholo nā keiki kāne ‘ehā i ke kai. Iā lākou e holoholo ana ua ‘ike ‘ia kekahi ahi ma ka ‘āina. Ho‘oholo ka po‘e keiki e hele i laila e pūlehu i ka i‘a. Ma hope o kekahi manawa pōkole, ua loa‘a maila ka i‘a iā lākou. Pae aku lākou i kahakai a holo a‘e ‘o Mauimua i kahi o ke ahi a ‘ike ‘ia ‘o ia e Ka‘alaehuapī.

‘O Ka‘alaehuapī ho‘i, ua ‘ike mua ‘o ia i nā keiki kāne a iā lākou e hoe aku ana i kahakai ua helu ‘o ia, “Eia lā ‘o Mauimua, Mauihope, Mauikiikii a me Mauiokalana, e ‘eleu ho‘i ‘oukou a kuehu a‘e i ka lepo e ho‘opio i ke ahi.” ‘A‘ole ‘o Mauimua i hiki aku i ia wahi, ua ho‘opio ‘ē ‘ia a‘ela ke ahi a ua lele pū nā ‘alae mai ia wahi. Ho‘oluhi ‘ia nā keiki kāne i ka loa‘a ‘ole o ke ahi, a ho‘oholo ‘o Mauiokalana e noho ma ka ‘āina. Ha‘i aku ‘o ia i kona mau kaikunāne, “E noho ana au ma ‘ane‘i a ma ko‘u noho wa‘a e ho‘okau i nā ‘umeke i mea e no‘ono‘o ai ‘o Ka‘alaehuapī he ‘ehā nō po‘e keiki ma ia wa‘a.”

‘Ae aku nā kaikunāne a hele aku i ka lawai‘a. ‘O Mauiokalana ho‘i ua hele aku ‘o ia i kahi o ke ahi, a ma laila ‘o ia i ‘ike i nā ‘alae e ho‘omo‘a ana i ka mai‘a. A ‘ike ‘o Ka‘alaehuapī i ka wa‘a o nā Maui, ho‘omaka ‘o ia e helu, “‘O Mauimua, Mauihope, Mauikiiki a me Mauiokalana.” I ia manawa, lele mai ‘o Mauiokalana e hopu a pa‘a a‘ela iā Ka‘alaehuapi ma ke ‘ā‘ī, a ‘ōlelo aku, “Make ‘oe ia‘u e ka ‘alae, Aia i hea ke ahi a ‘oukou e hūnā nei?”

Pane aku ‘o Ka‘alaehuapī, “Aia i loko o ka hā o ka ‘ape.” Ho‘omaka ‘o ia i ka ‘ānai, eia kā, ‘a‘ole i ‘ā. Hopu hou aku ‘o Maui i ka ‘ā‘ī, a pane aku ka ‘alae, “Aia i loko o ka hā kalo.” ho‘omaka hou ‘o Maui i ka ‘ānai, eia kā, ‘a‘ole i ‘ā. Mai ia mua aku penei i loa‘a ai nā ‘ōwāwā ma ka hā ‘ape a me ka hā kalo, ma muli o ka ‘ānai ‘ana o Maui i ke ahi. Ho‘omau a‘e ‘o Maui i ka ‘ānai ‘ana i nā mea kanu like ‘ole. I kona loa‘a ‘ana o ka lā‘au mālo‘o iā ia, a penei i loa‘a ai ke ahi iā ia. Ma muli o ka pilikia o ka ‘alae, ua ‘ānai ‘ia ka lae o ka manu, a ‘o ia ke kumu i ‘ike ‘ia nā ‘alae ‘ula, ‘o ia ho‘i nā ‘alae lae ‘ula‘ula.

The Groove in the Kalo Stem

Retold by Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

Maui, a man lives with Hina, a woman, to them four sons are born, Mauimua, Mauihope, Mauikiikii and Mauiokalana. The occupation of these children was fishing. Everyday the four boys would go out fishing in the sea. As they were fishing they saw a fire burning on land and they decided to go there and roast their fish. After a short time they caught some fish and paddled out to the beach. Mauimua ran to where the fire was but Ka‘alaehuapī saw him.

Ka‘alaehuapī however, knew of these boys and as they were paddling he counted, “There is Mauimua, Mauihope, Mauikiikii and Mauiokalana, quickly throw dust on the fire to smother it.” Mauimua didn’t even reach the area when the fire was put out and the ‘alae flew away from that place. The boys were troubled because they weren’t able to get the fire so Mauiokalana decided to stay on land. He told his brothers, “I’m going to stay here and on my place in the canoe place a bunch of calabashes so that Ka‘alaehuapī will think there are four boys on the canoe.”

The brothers agreed and went out fishing. Mauiokalani however went to where the fire was, and that’s where he saw the ‘alae cooking bananas. When Ka‘alaehuapī saw the canoe of the boys, he started to count, “There is Mauimua, Mauihope, Mauikiikii and Mauiokalana.” At that time, Mauiokalana jumped out and grabbed Ka‘alaehuapī around the throat and said, “I will kill you ‘alae, where is the fire that you guys are hiding?”

Ka‘alaehuapī answered, “It is in the stem of the ape.” Maui then proceeded to rub and dig, but it didn’t ignite. He squeezed the ‘alae’s neck even harder, and the ‘Alae replied, “It is in the stem of the kalo.” Maui proceeded to rub and dig into the stick, but it didn’t ignite. From then on that is how the groove in the ‘ape and kalo stems were formed, because of Maui’s rubbing for fire. Maui continued to rub different plants, when he got to dry wood, that’s where he got fire. Because of the trouble the ‘alae caused him, he rubbed the forehead of the ‘alae until it was red, and that is why we see the red mudhen or in other words. The red-foreheaded mudhen.

E kū, E Lī

Mai loko mai ‘o The Lesser Hawaiian Gods, na J.S. Emerson

E Kū, e Lī
Ka‘ina mai kou honua nei e hua,
E hua i hea?
E hua i ka ‘āina,
Ka ‘uala i laila,
Ke kalo i laila,
Ka ipu ia laila,
Ka niu i laila,
Ka milo i laila.

E kū, E Lī

From The Lesser Hawaiian Gods, by J.S. Emerson

Oh Kū and Lī
Direct your land to produce
Produce where?
Produce on land,
Where one can find ‘uala,
Where one can find kalo,
Where one can find ipu,
Where one can find niu,
Where on can find milo.