{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_29773/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_29773","id":"gutenberg_29773","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29773","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- Hawaii","Legends -- Hawaii"],"text":"Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at\nhttp://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images\ngenerously made available by The Internet Archive/American\nLibraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n_LEGENDS\nOF THE\nWAILUKU_\n\n_SECOND EDITION_\n\n_Copyright 1920-1921 by_\nTHE CHARLES R. FRAZIER COMPANY\nHONOLULU\n\n_Paradise of the Pacific Print_\n\n\n    [Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig.      Paradise Eng.\n\n    Hina's Spirit Still Lives in the Mists of Rainbow Falls.]\n\n\n\n\nLEGENDS\n\nOF THE\n\nWAILUKU\n\n\n_As told by old\nHawaiians and\ndone into the\nEnglish tongue\nby Charlotte\nHapai_\n\n\n_Illustrated\nby\nWill Herwig_\n\n\n\n\n    _To remember our happy\n    hours of story-telling,\n    this printed fragment\n    is in gratitude dedicated\n    to my grandmother,\n    Harriet Kamakanoenoe Hapai._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WAILUKU.\n\n\nFed from the great watershed of Hawaii far up the densely wooded\nflanks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea--often snow-capped in winter--the\nWailuku River roars through the very center of Hilo, principal town of\nthe Island of Hawaii.\n\nThere are many vague stories as to why the Wailuku River was so named.\nIn the Hawaiian tongue Wailuku means literally \"destroying water.\"\n\nIn olden times before there were bridges and other safeguards the\nriver wrought considerable damage to property and during the rainy\nseason it took its toll of human lives. Legends connected with the\nWailuku tend to confirm the belief that it was named for its violent\nhabits.\n\nLong ago, so one legend goes, the much dreaded Kuna (dragon) blocked\nthe gorge below Rainbow Falls with intent to back the waters up and\ndrown the goddess Hina, who dwelt in the great cave for which the\nfalls form a curtain. How her son, the demi-god Maui, came to the\nrescue, saved his mother, and finally hunted Kuna from his lair up the\nriver and slew him, is told in the legend, \"The Last of Kuna.\"\n\nWhen Paoa, a very powerful god from Tahiti, came to visit Hawaii he\nbuilt a grass hut and made his home on the long, low rock--now known\nas Maui's canoe--in the Wailuku near its mouth.\n\nLocal gods viewed this selection of a homesite as foolhardy, but Paoa\nwas unaware of the sudden and rapid rise the river made when heavy\nrains and cloud-bursts loosed their torrents high upon the slopes of\nMauna Kea. Hina, goddess of the river, warned the visitor of his\ndanger and told him how the angry waters would sweep everything before\nthem. In the legend, \"The Coming of Paoa,\" you will find his answer.\n\nIn those days there must have been much more water in the river than\nthere is today, for a certain amount is now diverted above Rainbow\nFalls for water power.\n\nIn spite of the decreased volume the river is still very violent and\ntreacherous. At high water big boulders are clumsily rolled down\nstream and when the river is unusually high even trees are torn from\nthe banks and carried out to sea.\n\nSo the Wailuku still lives up to its name, Destroying Water.\n\n\n\n\nHOW HILO WAS NAMED.\n\n\nKing Kamehameha the Great was a very famous warrior. His chief\nambition, which he lived to realize, was to become sole ruler of all\nthe Hawaiian Islands. Naturally he had numerous enemies, and he never\nremained long in one place for fear some of them might learn of his\nwhereabouts and attack him.\n\nOne time, when he was encamped near the mouth of the Wailuku, he\nplanned a quiet visit to what is now known as Reed's Island, where\nlived a particular friend of his. As this friend was a powerful chief,\nKamehameha felt safe in going to him without his usual warrior\nbodyguard.\n\nBefore leaving camp he called his servants to him and told them to\nstand watch over his canoe, that it might not be stolen or carried\naway by the tide. This they promised faithfully to do.\n\nAs time passed and the king did not return or send word to his\nservants they grew uneasy about him. Perhaps he might have been\nambushed, they reasoned; or more likely fallen into one of the caverns\nformed by ancient lava flows and which are often treacherously\nconcealed by a thin, brittle crust that a man of Kamehameha's bulk\nmight easily break through. Much as they feared for the king's safety,\nthe servants dared not leave the canoe unguarded. They were in a\nquandary indeed.\n\n\"I know what we can do!\" cried one of the men. \"We can make a rope of\nti leaves and tie the canoe so it cannot drift away.\"\n\n\"Make a rope,\" queried another, \"how can we do that?\"\n\n\"Simple enough,\" answered the first speaker. \"I'll show you. Take the\nti leaves and fasten them together. First you make two chains of\nleaves--like this--and then twist each one. When you place them\ntogether they will naturally twine about each other and you have a\nvery strong rope. Such twisting is called hilo.\"\n\n\"I've never seen it done,\" admitted his fellow sentry, \"but it looks\nvery simple.\"\n\n\"And so it is,\" went on the resourceful one, as he rapidly twisted the\nti leaves into serviceable ropes. \"Now,\" he concluded, \"these are\nplenty long enough. Let us make the canoe fast to the beach.\"\n\nAnd taking their ropes to the canoe they tied it securely to that\npoint of land--known to the old Hawaiians as Kaipaaloa--near the mouth\nof the river where the lighthouse stands today. Then they set out in\nsearch of the king.\n\nOnly a short way up the river they met Kamehameha returning unharmed.\nIgnoring the spirit of their intent in absenting themselves from their\npost of duty, the king demanded:\n\n\"But where is my canoe? What have you done with my canoe? You promised\nto guard it. By now it may have drifted out to sea or been stolen!\"\n\n\"We tied it with ti ropes,\" answered the servant who had woven them.\n\n\"Ti ropes!\" roared his majesty. \"Why, no one here knows how to make\nropes like that. The only place they do know is at Waipio. How did you\nlearn?\"\n\n\"I came to you from there,\" the man answered.\n\n\"Oh, and that is where you learned. Well and good. Hereafter this\nplace shall be called Hilo.\"\n\nAnd so it has been. The town at the mouth of the Wailuku has since\nthat day been known by the Hawaiian word meaning \"to twist.\"\n\n\n\n\nMAUI CONQUERS THE SUN.\n\n\nHina, the goddess who in the long ago made her home in the great cave\nbeneath Rainbow Falls, was especially gifted in the art of tapa\nmaking. So wonderfully artistic and fine were the tapas of Hina that\npeople journeyed from all parts of the Island to view them and to\ncovet. Even across the mighty shoulders of Mauna Loa from Kona and\nKailua and down the rugged Hamakua Coast from Waipio they came, and\nfrom the other islands as well.\n\nIt was hard, laboring over the tapa every day, and especially hunting\nfor the olona which Hina sometimes used. But she used also the bark of\nthe mamake and wauke trees, which were more plentiful and very good\nfor tapa.\n\nInterested though he was in the manufacture and decoration of this\nbeautiful paper-cloth, Hina's son, the demi-god Maui, held aloof from\nthe work. In the making of tapa man's hand was tabu, yet he could not\nforbear an occasional suggestion when his mother created mystic\ndesigns for decoration of her work.\n\nAfter the tapa was made it had to be placed for the Sun to dry, but by\nthe time Hina would reach the drying frames, the Sun was far up in the\nsky. All too soon long shadows would creep across the stream below\nRainbow Falls, warning her that night approached and that it was time\nto take in her tapa.\n\n    [Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig.      Paradise Eng.\n\n    As Maui Reached the Eastern Rim the Sun Was Disappearing.]\n\nQuite often the dyes with which the designs were painted on the tapa\nwere not entirely dry when the tapa was taken in, and many fine pieces\nwere smeared and ruined. Days were short in the narrow walled-in river\ngorge and the Sun shone directly on the tapa for only a few hours,\npassing then beyond the high western wall, and gloom would settle\nabout the cave, growing deeper with oncoming night.\n\nIt grieved Maui to see his mother's tapa so often spoiled, so he\nbesought the Sun to go more slowly. For one or two days he did\nmoderate his pace and Hina rejoiced in the lovely tapas she was able\nto make. But soon the heedless Sun hurried past again as fast as ever,\nentirely forgetting his promise to Maui.\n\nSo Maui determined to exact a lasting agreement with the Sun, and set\nout in his canoe for Maui, the Island which bears his name and on\nwhich is situated Haleakala, today the greatest extinct crater in the\nworld and in olden time the Home of the Sun. Maui hoped to catch him\nthere.\n\nAs Maui reached the eastern rim of Haleakala the Sun was just\ndisappearing over the other side; but Maui knew he would return in the\nmorning, so he prepared to spend the night in waiting.\n\nAs the Sun returned to his home next morning Maui caught him by his\nrays, which the Sun used as legs, and, wielding the magic club which\nhe always carried on his many expeditions, broke several of them. Thus\ncrippled, the Sun was forced to stay for parley, though crying out in\nalarm that he must be let go, as there was no time to waste. Day must\nbe carried westward. But Maui hung on and reminded the Sun of his\npromises.\n\nAfter much argument they agreed to compromise; so the Sun promised to\ngo slowly six months in the year and then, for the remaining six\nmonths, to hurry as fast as before.\n\nMaui was content with this arrangement and sure also that the Sun\nwould not again forget, for he had crippled him considerably. It would\ntake some time, he thought, for the Sun's broken rays to mend.\n\nSo, very well pleased with his success, Maui permitted the Sun to\nproceed on his journey, while himself he prepared to return with all\nspeed, bearing the good news to his mother.\n\n\n\n\nKUNA, THE DRAGON.\n\n\nFar above Rainbow Falls there lived a powerful kupua named Kuna. Kuna\nhad the form of a monstrous dragon, unlike anything in these islands\ntoday.\n\nKuna often tormented the goddess Hina in her rocky cave behind Rainbow\nFalls by sending over great torrents of water or by rolling logs and\nboulders down the stream. Quite often he would block the stream below\nthe falls with sediment sent down by freshets during the rainy\nseasons.\n\nBut Hina was well protected. Her cave was large and the misty cloud of\nspray from the falling waters helped to conceal it. So in spite of the\nfrequent floods and many threats from Kuna, Hina paid him not the\nslightest attention, but with her songs and gay laughter lightly\nmocked him as she worked.\n\nOn many days Hina was quite alone, while her eldest son, the demi-god\nMaui, was away on one of his numerous expeditions. Even then she did\nnot mind this, for should any danger befall her she had a peculiar\ncloud servant which she called \"ao-opua.\" If Hina were in trouble this\nao-opua would rise high above the falls, taking an unusual shape. When\nMaui saw this warning cloud he would hurry home at once to his\nmother's side.\n\nOne night while Maui was away from home on the Island of Maui, where\nhe had gone to bargain with the Sun, a storm arose. The angry waters\nroared about the mouth of Hina's cave. They hissed and tossed in ugly\nblackness down the narrow river gorge; but Hina heard naught of the\nwildness without. Being used to the noisy cataract, her slumbers were\nnot disturbed by the heightened tumult of its roar.\n\nBut Kuna, quite aware of the situation, was quick to take advantage\nand to act. Hina's apparent indifference annoyed him. He recalled\nseveral failures to conquer her, and rage overwhelmed him. Calling\nupon his powers he lifted an immense boulder and hurled it over the\ncliffs. It fitted perfectly where it fell between the walls of the\ngorge and blocked the rush of the hurrying torrent.\n\nLaughing loudly at his success, Kuna called on Hina and warned her of\nher plight, but, still unknowing, Hina slept on until the cold waters\nentered the cave, rapidly creeping higher and higher until they\nreached her where she slept. Startled into wakefulness she sprang to\nher feet, and her cries of panic resounded against the distant hills.\nAs the waters rose higher her cries became more terrified until they\nreached the Island of Maui and the ears of her son.\n\nThrough the darkness Maui could see the strange warning cloud,\nunusually large and mysterious. With his mother's cries ringing in his\nears he bounded down the mountain to his canoe, which he sent across\nthe sea to the mouth of the Wailuku with two strong sweeps of his\npaddle. The long, narrow rock in the river below the Mauka Bridge,\ncalled Ka Waa o Maui (The Canoe of Maui), is still just where he ran\nit aground at the foot of the rapids.\n\nSeizing his magic club with which he had conquered the Sun, Maui\nrushed to the scene of danger. Seeing the rock blocking the river he\nraised his club and struck it a mighty blow. Nothing could resist the\nmagic club! The rock split in two, allowing the strong current to rush\nunhindered on its way.\n\nHearing the crash of the club and realizing his attempt on the life of\nHina had again failed, Kuna turned and fled up the river.\n\nThe remains of the great boulder, now known as Lonokaeho, overgrown\nwith tropical plants and with the river rushing through the rift, lies\nthere to this day as proof of Maui's prowess.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LAST OF KUNA.\n\n\nSo great was the wrath of the demi-god Maui at the fell intent of Kuna\nto drown his mother that he vowed never to relent in his search for\nthe monster, and to kill him on sight.\n\nKuna evidently sensed Maui's intentions, for as soon as he saw his\ngreat mischief undone he fled to a hiding-place far up the river. He\nrealized then how great had been his folly and trembled at the thought\nof capture by the mighty demi-god. In spite of his magic powers Kuna\nknew Maui's anger to be far greater than all of them put together;\nstill, he had countless secret hiding-places where it would be\ndifficult to find him.\n\nHe did not have long to wait in his secret lair before he heard the\nthundering voice of Maui commanding him to come forth. The earth shook\nwith the heavy tread of the vengeful demi-god and the dreadful blows\nhe dealt all obstacles he passed which might possibly conceal the form\nof his enemy.\n\nThe thundering voice and quaking earth became more horrible and\nterrifying as Maui approached. Soon he stood before the hole in which\nKuna lay hiding. Catching sight of the ugly monster within, Maui let\nout a deafening yell, poised his magic spear, and with one sweep of\nhis mighty arm hurled it into the depths of Kuna's hiding-place. But\nthe dragon was sly and agile, notwithstanding his huge bulk, and\nslipped out in time to save himself.\n\nEven today you can see the long hole--puka o Maui--which the\ndemi-god's spear made through the lava beyond the cavern; sufficient\nevidence of the Herculean strength with which the weapon was driven.\nSmall wonder Kuna so feared a meeting with this outraged son of the\ngoddess he had sought to drown.\n\nWasting no time, Kuna started down stream, with Maui in hot pursuit.\nOften the dragon tried to conceal himself in some sheltered spot, or\nevade his pursuer by hiding behind a rock, but Maui gave him no rest,\nspearing him from one hole to another.\n\nDiving into one of several deep pools in the river, Kuna hoped that at\nlast he was safely hidden. Maui was not to be thus easily fooled. He\ncould see the grotesque bulk of his enemy far below the surface of the\ngloomy water. Kuna was cornered.\n\nCalling upon Pele, goddess of the Volcano, to send him hot stones and\nmolten lava, Maui cast these into Kuna's retreat until the waters\nboiled furiously, sending a vast column of steam far above the rim of\nthe gorge.\n\nKnown today as the Boiling Pots, although time has cooled their\nwaters, they still bubble and surge as vigorously as ever, especially\nwhen the heavy rains come and remind them of the time when Kuna the\nDragon sought refuge within their depths.\n\nTough as the hide of Kuna was, it could not save him from the terrific\nheat generated by the red-hot rocks and lava cast into the pool by\nMaui. Nearly exhausted, the monster managed to drag himself from the\ncauldron and, shrieking horribly, he again took up his flight down\nstream. Maui sent torrents of boiling water after him, scalding at\nlast the life from his ugly body.\n\nThen Maui rolled the huge carcass down the river to a point below\nRainbow Falls, within sight of his mother's home, where she could view\ndaily the evidence that none might threaten her and live. And there\nthe ungainly form lies today--a long, black-rock island known as Moo\nKuna, between the rapids--where every freshet, every heavy rain, beats\nupon it as though in everlasting punishment for plotting the death of\nHawaii's beloved goddess, Hina.\n\n\n\n\nTHE COMING OF PAOA.\n\n\nMany years ago there lived on the Island of Tahiti several brothers,\nall very gifted and powerful gods of that land. One was by name Paoa.\n\nNow Tahitian customs were very like those of Hawaii at that time, in\nthat the Tahitians offered human sacrifices when a canoe or a heiau\nwas in process of construction. How the observance of this custom\ncaused the flight of Paoa to Hawaii, you shall see.\n\nIt so happened that one of the brothers was having a canoe built, and\nthey were all undecided as to whom should be offered in sacrifice. A\nquarrel ensued. Paoa and the owner of the new canoe grew very bitter\ntowards each other over it. When the time came for the sacrifice\nPaoa's only son was taken and offered to the flames.\n\nGrief-stricken at the loss of his son and furious at the cruelty of\nhis brother, Paoa decided to leave it all and seek peace on some other\nisland. In preparation for the long journey by canoe he took only\nthree things with him: two kinds of fish--the aku and opelu--and some\npili grass.\n\nJourneying northward he encountered a terrific storm which grew more\nterrible as the days passed until it seemed the low canoe could no\nlonger breast the great mountains of angry water that bore down upon\nit as though to drive it under and swallow it into the black depths.\n\n    [Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig.      Paradise Eng.\n\n    Paoa Stood Upon the Little Plot of Pili Grass As He Answered Her.]\n\nFearing for his safety, Paoa took the two kinds of fish and threw them\noverside. Almost at once the mighty waves were calmed and the canoe\nwent safely on its way surrounded by an area of calm, peaceful water\nwhile the storm raged on all sides a little distance away.\n\nEven today if you see a smooth area of water in the midst of a rough\nsea you will know that there is a school of aku or opelu very near the\nsurface.\n\nSo Paoa sailed safely through the storm. As soon as it subsided he\ncalled back the fish and placed them in his canoe once more. They had\nbeen very helpful and might be of use should the storm arise again.\n\nAt last Paoa came to an island which appeared very large and was\ncovered with vegetation. Paddling his canoe into a great\ncrescent-shaped bay, he observed a river emptying into it and turned\nthe nose of his tiny craft that way. Not far up the river he came to a\nlong, low rock which he called Waa Kauhi, and landed on the\nsoutheastern side of its point.\n\nSo great was the joy of Paoa upon reaching this beautiful island that\nhe decided to make it his home. To commemorate his safe landing he at\nonce planted on the rock the pili grass he had brought with him. Also\nhe liberated his aku and opelu fish in the new waters, where today\ntheir progeny teem in countless millions.\n\nVery soon he built himself a grass hut for a home, and was careful to\nprotect the pili grass, which grew rapidly and before long spread to\nother parts of the big island, where it throve even better than on the\nscant soil of the pahoehoe rock.\n\nHawaiians soon learned to use the pili grass in house building, as it\nmade a tighter thatch and lasted longer than the lauhala or the\ngrasses to which they had been accustomed. The stems of the flowers\nwere later used in weaving hats, as they, too, were firm and strong.\n\nFarther up the river, which Paoa learned was called the Wailuku, there\nlived the goddess Hina. Soon after the arrival of this stranger from\nTahiti, Hina heard of him and his chosen home. Evidently he had not\ncome to wage war or do harm to the people, for he had already made\nfriends with many of the fishermen living near him.\n\nSo Hina decided to see him for herself and went down to his home. She\nwas surprised to find that he really had established himself on that\nlow rock.\n\n\"Why,\" she exclaimed, \"you must not stay on this rock! Can't you see\nthe waters above here are high? When the rains come you will be washed\naway and drowned. It is not safe!\"\n\nPaoa stood upon the little plot of pili grass as he answered her. \"No,\nI will not go away, for no matter how high the waters come they shall\nnever cover this spot.\"\n\nFrom that day Paoa's word has held true. No matter how high the\nWailuku rises, it never has covered the little plot of pili grass\nwhich still grows on the long, low rock at the river's mouth.\n\n\n\n\nMAUI AND THE ALAE BIRDS.\n\n\nMaui, the eldest son of the goddess Hina, lived with his mother and\ntwo brothers in the cave behind Rainbow Falls, in the Wailuku River\nGorge, a short distance mauka of what is today the town of Hilo. Often\nthe brothers would go fishing in the harbor.\n\nAt this time the Hawaiians knew nothing about fire. All their food was\neaten raw. Occasionally Maui had found in his various wanderings some\nbits of cooked banana and pondered over their delicious flavor. He\ncould not understand what had been done to them until one day he came\nupon a group of little alae birds cooking bananas over a fire.\n\nHe was so amazed at the scene that the birds had plenty of time to put\nout their fire and take wing before he could bring himself to action.\nThis only aroused his ambitious nature and he vowed he would learn the\nsecret of fire.\n\nIn the days that followed he devised many cunning schemes to trap one\nof the alae birds, but they, too, were cunning and carefully refrained\nfrom building any fire when Maui was near. Once or twice while he was\nout fishing he had seen white puffs of smoke among the trees and knew\nthe birds were preparing a feast, but he could never reach the place\nin time to catch any of them.\n\nOne day he thought of a clever trick and took his brothers into his\nconfidence. They fixed up a kalabash covered with tapa to resemble a\nman and placed it in the middle of Maui's canoe. Then the two brothers\ntook their seats at either end of the canoe and paddled out into the\nharbor while Maui ran back and concealed himself in the woods.\n\nSoon the alae birds came circling overhead and Maui heard them say,\n\"At last we can make our fire and have a good feast. Maui and his two\nbrothers are out for a day's fishing.\"\n\nQuivering with excitement, Maui crouched in his hiding-place and\nwaited. Soon he heard the birds talking quite near him and, peeping\nout, saw them pushing fresh bananas into a blazing fire. Rushing into\ntheir midst he caught one of the birds.\n\n\"Tell me how you make fire or you shall never go free!\" he demanded.\n\nAt first the bird was sullen and refused to answer, but at Maui's\nrough treatment resorted to trickery and replied, \"Rub two taro stalks\ntogether and you shall have fire.\"\n\nHolding the bird closely, Maui did so, but only little drops of water\ncame from the stalks. Very angry, Maui punished the bird again and\ndemanded the truth. Helpless and exhausted, the poor alae told Maui to\ntake two hau sticks and rub them together.\n\nMaui found the hau sticks, but fearing the bird was not telling the\ntruth, he rubbed its head with one of the sticks until a drop of blood\ntrickled out, staining the tuft of feathers on its crest. But the bird\npersisted in this statement, so Maui began rubbing the sticks\ntogether. Little sparks appeared and caught fire to the dead leaves on\nwhich they fell.\n\nOverjoyed at his discovery, Maui set the bird free. But to this day\nevery alae bird wears the symbol of punishment for telling its\nsecret--a tuft of red feathers on the top of its head.\n\n\n\n\nMAUI'S KITE.\n\n\nMaui, the great demi-god of Hawaii, was restless. Time hung heavy on\nhis hands. Uneventful days of quiet had fallen upon the land.\nAdventure seemed to be in hiding, and no exploit invited to service\nthis active youngster's shining spear or magic club. Idleness grew\nmore and more unbearable.\n\nNow Laamaomao, god of the winds, dwelt not far above Rainbow Falls in\nthe beautiful gorge of the Wailuku and to him Maui confided his\ndiscontent. The old fellow admitted that times were dull. Not for a\nlong time had he been called upon for blasts from his greater windpot,\nIpunui. On the heels of this remark came inspiration, and he suggested\nthat Maui fashion a large kite. He, Laamaomao, would see to it that a\nsuitable wind be forthcoming and excitement sufficient to break the\ndull monotony of too peaceful days.\n\nSo Maui set about the construction of an enormous kite. His mother,\nthe goddess Hina, made for him a beautiful and strong tapa, and\ntwisted fibres of the olona into a stout cord. From the rich red wood\nof the koa expert and willing hands put together a graceful frame, and\nin due time the big plaything was ready. Laamaomao, having fathered\nthe idea, manifested a keen interest in the proceedings and had his\nwindpots in readiness for the initial flight.\n\nCalling Ipuiki, smaller of his two windpots, into action, Laamaomao\ndirected a steady, gentle breeze up the gorge against the breast of\nthe great kite, cautioning those who held it to be in readiness to let\ngo at the proper moment and reminding Maui to have a care lest the\nolona cord slip through his hands.\n\nGracefully the birdlike thing rose into the brilliant turquoise\nsky--that same sky which today so enchants the malihini--and as it\ntugged at the line, dipped, rose again and circled about, the thrill\nof it came down the cord to Maui's hands and his delight knew no\nbounds.\n\nOften in the quiet days that followed did Maui amuse himself with the\nbig kite. As he grew more familiar with its handling the impetuous\ndemi-god would ask Laamaomao for winds from Ipunui and glory in the\ntussle his kite gave him when buffeted by these stronger blasts--even\nthough wise old Laamaomao was careful to moderate their power.\n\nSometimes Maui would tire of his sport and, drawing its cord through a\nround hole in a rock which lay in the center of a small lake near the\nwind caves, would leave his kite to its own devices while he slept.\n\n    [Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig.      Paradise Eng.\n\n    Old Laamaomao, the Wind God, Admitted That Times Were Dull.]\n\nOn one such occasion Laamaomao, having received an order for a great\nstorm, forgot all about Maui's kite and turned loose his most powerful\nwind from Ipunui. All night long it howled through the creaking trees,\ndriving the rain before it in lashing sheets. Stout as it was, the\nolona cord with which Maui's big kite was moored could not long\nwithstand the strain and finally parted, leaving the kite to the mercy\nof the winds. Tossed madly about in the storm, it was carried far\nacross the flank of Mauna Loa and dropped into the sea off the shore\nof Kau.\n\nNow Puuanuhe, the much-dreaded lizard-woman, made her home on the\nshores of the Kau desert, and to her ears had come the wonderful story\nof Maui's kite, fanning an already hot jealousy of the young demi-god\nand his doings. Puuanuhe was the only creature of those days who had\nfiery red hair, and her temper was none the less caloric.\n\nSo when she saw this strange object floating in the water near her\nhome on the morning after the storm she recognized it as Maui's kite.\nChuckling in vicious satisfaction at this chance opportunity to make\ntrouble for the handsome son of Hina, Puuanuhe hid the kite in the\nrough hills back of Hilea.\n\nGreat was Maui's surprise and consternation when he found his kite\ngone. He at once set out in search of it. Days passed without trace of\nit, but one day news came to him that Puuanuhe had been seen with a\nlarge kite. He knew it must be his, as there was none other so big.\n\nArriving at Hilea he discovered the hideous red-headed lizard-woman,\nwho admitted she had found his kite, but refused to enlighten him as\nto its whereabouts. This same creature had lured many a poor fisherman\nto death on the rocky coast of Kau, and Maui thought it high time to\nput an end to such a pest, so he killed her.\n\nOnce more he took up his search for his beloved kite and soon found it\ncleverly hidden in the hills. Ironically he named the spot Puuanuhe,\nand returning home with his precious toy he fastened it securely to\nits moorings again.\n\nEven today you can see the immense kite, now turned to stone, just as\nMaui hauled it in for the last time and left it. It is seventy-five\nfeet long and about forty-five feet wide, narrowing to eighteen feet\nat one end. At the narrow end is a crystal-clear lake, very deep and\nsmooth as glass. In its center is a large, round stone projecting\nabove the surface with a two-inch aperture in the middle where Maui\nused to make his kite string fast.\n\nNear this lake are the two windpots, Ipunui and Ipuiki, and a little\nway below are three very distinct foot-prints, each fifteen inches\nlong, showing where Maui stood while flying his great kite.\n\n\n\n\nMAUI'S FISH-HOOK.\n\n\nMaui, the powerful young demi-god who dwelt with his mother, the\ngoddess Hina, in the great cave behind Rainbow Falls, had succeeded in\nso many hazardous undertakings, and had the welfare of his people so\nmuch at heart, that he resolved upon what was to be his greatest deed\nof prowess and beneficence.\n\nNow Maui had a magic fish-hook which he cleverly used while fishing\nwith his brothers. Maui was very sly and quick, but he was never a\ngood fisherman. He would sit in the canoe and drag his hook through\nthe water, catching no fish himself but snagging those his brothers\ncaught and laughing merrily at their bewildered expressions when they\npulled in their lines and found nothing.\n\nThey distrusted Maui, for he would never let them see his hook, yet\nthey knew it was shaped differently from theirs. It was more\ncomplicated and had a double barb, while the common fish-hook had but\none. But his brothers could never catch him at his tricks.\n\nAt last they no longer allowed him to accompany them on their fishing\ntrips, as he took all the fish and honors, and they all knew--Maui\nincluded--that he did not deserve them. So Maui would go alone to the\nbay, but the hook remained idle in the bottom of his magic canoe\nwhich, as related in the legend of Kuna, he drove from the shores of\nthe Island of Maui to the mouth of the Wailuku with two sweeps of his\npaddle.\n\nWhile drifting about Maui watched some of his people who were not\nblessed with magic canoes, and considered the hard paddling required\nto send them through the water.\n\nOne day as he sat in his canoe watching another pass by, evidently on\nits way to a neighboring island, the demi-god wondered if it might not\nmake things easier to have all the islands joined together, so people\ncould travel to any part of the kingdom without the laborious canoe\nvoyages.\n\nCalling a meeting of Hawaii's chiefs and strong men Maui informed them\nof a plan to draw all the islands together. He told them he would need\ntheir help in pulling the islands, but no matter how hard or how long\nthey pulled they must never look back to see how much was being\naccomplished until the islands were firmly joined together.\n\nThe men solemnly promised to obey Maui and at once proceeded to their\nnew task. The island now known as Maui was selected for the first\nattempt. Maui fastened his magic fish-hook into that part of the land\nnearest Hawaii, and at his command the strong men and chiefs paddled\nwith all their might. Slowly the island moved behind them.\n\nNo one dared look around, though all were burning with curiosity to\nsee the result of their struggles. Long and steadily they paddled\nuntil the two islands were only a few feet apart. Then one of the\nchiefs could no longer control his curiosity and looked around.\n\nIn an instant the charm was broken. The island slid back through the\nsea to its former position in spite of all that Maui, chiefs and\nstrong men could do to stop it. Only a small piece of land was\nleft--that in which the fish-hook was still deeply imbedded. Today\nthat bit of land is covered with lauhala trees and coconut palms, and\nis known as Coconut Island.\n\nSo great was Maui's disappointment at this his first failure in any\nimportant enterprise that he would not try again. He said his\nfish-hook had lost its charm and sorrowfully he took it away with him\nin his canoe. He carried it up the Wailuku River to his home behind\nRainbow Falls, where he grieved for many days over the unsuccessful\nattempt. Later, having no more use for the hook, he carried it away\nfrom the cave and threw it into the forest near his home, where it lay\nundisturbed until the haole came.\n\nTo those early settlers the magic fish-hook of Maui was of less\ninterest as such than as material for masonry, and not a piece of it\nremains. At the forks of the Piihonua-Kaumana road one may, however,\nsee the peculiar-shaped depression where it lay for so long before\ncivilization's vanguard swept the tangled jungle of Maui's time from\nits hiding-place.\n\n    [Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig.      Paradise Eng.\n\n    But the Strange Woman Smiled and Told Them to Uncover the Imu.]\n\n\n\n\nHINA KEAHI.\n\n\nJust mauka of the Hilo Boarding School are three large, rounded hills\nwhich, centuries ago, were mud craters. Covered with the green of\nrustling cane-tops, at a distance they appear to be soft, grassy\nmounds. Many a tourist, gazing from the deck of an incoming ship, has\nyearned to \"stroll over those smooth, rolling hills,\" only to find the\npastime quite impossible on nearer view, which revealed the \"velvety\ngrass\" as lusty sugar cane stalks ten to fifteen feet high and closely\ninterwoven.\n\nBut now the last crop of cane has been harvested from these graceful\nmounds and their slopes are being prepared to receive the\ndwelling-houses of any who choose--and can afford--to live in the\nrarified atmosphere of romance that hangs about this Hawaiian Olympus.\n\nNor is the term Olympus as applied to these hills a redundant flight\nof fancy. Long ago--many, many years before the haole came to plant\nhis sugar cane in their deep, rich soil--these hills were the homes of\nseveral beautiful goddesses.\n\nThe makai and largest hill, called Halai, was the home of Hina Keahi,\neldest daughter of the goddess Hina, who lived at Waianuenue--the cave\nbehind Rainbow Falls in the Wailuku River--and sister of Maui the\ndemi-god. To Hina Keahi was given power over fire.\n\nIn many ways this young goddess aided her people, bestowing upon them\nthe blessing of protection from fire while teaching them many ways in\nwhich to use it. The remarkable fact has often been noted, by the way,\nthat although the Hawaiians always lived in grass houses, seldom was\none known to be destroyed by fire. Hina Keahi was well beloved by her\npeople and her lightest commands were obeyed meticulously.\n\nFood had always been plentiful in Hawaii. The people cultivated their\nfields, which yielded bountifully. But one time the crops failed--grew\nsmaller and smaller--and began to shrivel up and die. Soon a famine\nspread over the land. Crops were allowed to wholly perish because none\nwas strong enough to tend them.\n\nHina Keahi saw that unless something was done at once her beloved\nfollowers would all die. Calling them about her she commanded that an\nimmense imu be dug in the top of Halai Hill. \"Prepare a place for each\nkind of food as though you were ready to fill the imu, then bring as\nmuch firewood as you can,\" she ordered.\n\nThe starving people summoned new strength at this promise and worked\nfor many days preparing the enormous imu. Knowing a human sacrifice\nwould be offered as the only possible result of their labors, they\nlived in fear and wondered who would be chosen. Still, they never once\nthought of deserting their work and finally everything was in\nreadiness.\n\n\"Fill the imu with wood and heat it,\" commanded Hina.\n\nAs soon as this was done she turned to the wondering people and said:\n\"Listen to what I tell you, and follow my instructions. It is the only\nway you can be saved from starvation. I will step into the imu and you\nmust quickly cover me with earth. Do not stop throwing earth over me\nuntil the last puff of smoke disappears. In three days a woman will\nappear at the edge of the imu and tell you what to do.\"\n\nBidding them farewell, Hina Keahi stepped quickly into the red-hot\nimu. Immediately a dense white cloud of smoke surrounded and concealed\nher. For a moment the people stood transfixed at the sight; but\nremembering instructions they at once began covering the imu with\nearth.\n\nFollowed then three long days of waiting fraught with mingled hopeful\nexpectancy and anxiety for their goddess. On the third day everyone\nrepaired to the edge of the imu and awaited the appearance of the\nwoman of whom Hina Keahi had spoken.\n\nIn the meantime Hina Keahi had not remained in the imu for long. The\nfire had not harmed her, for she had complete power over it. Going\nunderground she made her way toward the sea, coming to the surface of\nthe earth somewhere near the spot on which the Hilo Boarding School\nstands today. The place was marked by a bubbling spring.\n\nOnce more she disappeared underground and again came to the surface,\ncreating another spring near the present location of the Hilo Hotel. A\nthird time the goddess followed her subterranean route, coming up in a\nthird spring at the place now occupied by the American Factors' lumber\nyard. Refreshing herself in the clear waters, she started back to her\nhome, this time traveling above ground.\n\nThus on the third day from the disappearance of Hina Keahi those\ngathered about the imu saw a strange woman approaching from the\ndirection of the sea. As she drew near they noticed a striking\nresemblance to their own goddess, yet she, they knew, was buried in\nthe imu. In fear they drew away, but the strange woman smiled and told\nthem to uncover the imu.\n\nReluctantly they set to work, dreading the sight which all had in\nmind. But when the imu was uncovered they found it filled with cooked\nfood--enough to supply their needs until the rains came and new crops\ncould be grown and harvested. In gratitude they turned to thank the\nstrange woman, but she had vanished.\n\nAnd to this day one may see the immense imu in the top of Halai Hill,\nnow overgrown with a thicket of feathery bamboo, which the people left\nopen in memory of their timely deliverance.\n\n\n\n\nHINA KULUUA.\n\n\nHina Kuluua was the second daughter of the goddess Hina, who lived\nbehind Rainbow Falls. Hina Keahi, the elder sister, had received the\nbest of the gifts which their mother could bestow--power over fire and\nownership of the largest of the Halai hills. Known as the goddess of\nfire, Hina Keahi was indeed very powerful and one time gave\nspectacular evidence of it in saving her people from starvation, as\ntold in the legend, Hina Keahi.\n\nNaturally everyone looked upon her thereafter as the most wonderful\ngoddess in the Islands. Even her sister's little band of followers did\nnot refrain from open admiration of the beautiful fire goddess.\n\nThis made Hina Kuluua exceedingly angry. Her jealousy overwhelmed her;\nshe could not bear to let her sister claim so much glory, and she have\nnone at all.\n\nIt was not long after this that another famine swept the land. Hina\nKuluua thought fortune was at last coming her way. Here was the very\nopportunity she craved. Now she would prove her power superior to her\nsister's and all the people would sing her praises and worship her\nalone.\n\nIn her excitement she entirely overlooked the fact that she was\ngoddess of rain, and not of fire. She ordered an immense imu to be dug\nin her own hill, Puu Honu. Comprehending her intentions the people at\nonce realized the utter futility of her proposed action and pleaded\nwith her against it; but to no avail.\n\n\"Do you mean to tell me that my power is less than Hina Keahi's?\" she\ndemanded angrily. \"Do you think that I, Hina Kuluua, cannot do as much\nfor my people in their time of need? I will show you! Then you shall\nrecognize Hina Kuluua as the greatest goddess in Hawaii.\"\n\n\"You can help as well and perhaps better than your sister,\" they\nargued, \"but you cannot do it in the same way. Your power, though it\nmay be as great, is nevertheless entirely different from hers.\"\n\nThen Hina Kuluua would order them out of her sight and command them to\nhurry the completion of the imu.\n\nAt last all was ready. A group with tear-stained faces were gathered\nabout the smoking imu. Hina Kuluua approached, her head held high in\nan air of triumph. She stepped to the edge of the imu, cast a glance\nof disdain toward the wailing women and said, \"Cover me quickly. Watch\nnear the imu and in three days a young woman will appear. She will\ngive you further instructions.\"\n\nStepping into the imu she was quickly covered with soil. The people\nhad expected a cloud of smoke to appear, but were somewhat surprised\nto see the little there already was become even thinner and dwindle\naway to mere nothingness.\n\nSlowly the long days of waiting passed. The third day dawned. All\nmorning the people watched for signs from the imu. Late in the\nafternoon found their vigilance unbroken; night closed in and still no\nsign. Dawn once more, another day of anxiety. On the fifth day they\ncould no longer restrain themselves and cautiously uncovered the great\noven.\n\nA dark greyish cloud rose over the imu--that was all. Within, the\npeople could distinguish the charred remains of their proud goddess.\nWith reverence they covered the imu once more and carefully smoothed\nit over.\n\nThat is why today you cannot see a deep crater in Puu Honu as in\nHalai, and why the dark, gloomy cloud--a sure sign of rain--often\nhangs low over the one-time home of Hina Kuluua.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIRST LAW.\n\n\nFollowing one of his great victories King Kamehameha I established his\ncourt on the largest island of the Hawaiian group, Hawaii, and\nprepared to make his headquarters there for the time. Of course a\nheiau must be built, and he ordered construction to begin immediately,\nselecting a site near the mouth of the Wailuku where today stands the\narmory of the National Guard of Hawaii.\n\nThis heiau was unusually large and considerable time was consumed in\nbuilding it. Finally it was completed, but before it could be used the\ncustomary human sacrifice had to be offered. Not willing to take one\nof his own men, the king went in search of another.\n\nEarly one morning, accompanied by a small body of his warriors,\nKamehameha set out in his canoe, sailing along the coast in the\ndirection of Puna. As the royal party neared Leleiwi Point, two\nfishermen in a small outrigger were discovered, busy with their nets.\nThe king's big war canoe bore down upon them, but recognizing the\nroyal craft from afar, they paddled lustily for the shore. Knowing the\nheiau was nearing completion the fishermen guessed the reason for the\nking's early morning visit and had no intention of remaining to\nreceive him.\n\n    [Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig.      Paradise Eng.\n\n    \"Mamalahoa Kanawai o na Alii\" Kamehameha Called After Them.]\n\nLanding safely, yet with the prow of the big canoe not a spear's\nlength behind, the poor fellows made all speed over the open lava beds\nthat lie between the shore and the jungle at this point. The king,\nstanding in the bow of his canoe, was first ashore and in hot pursuit,\nbut, unfamiliar with the footing there, made poor progress. These lava\nbeds are full of treacherous pukas and into one of them Kamehameha\nstumbled, sinking to his armpits. There chanced to be a sizeable stone\nwithin reach of his hand, and this he hurled after the fleeing men,\nbut his aim was bad and he missed them. This very stone, and the hole\ninto which the king fell, may still be seen just mauka of Leleiwi\nPoint.\n\nGlancing over his shoulder, the hindmost fugitive observed the king\nwas trapped and that his retainers were still some distance to the\nrear. Here was a chance for revenge. Swinging his heavy canoe paddle,\nwhich he had been too frightened to drop, the fisherman turned and\ndealt his majesty a cruel blow on the head and, leaving him for dead,\nmade off at top speed after his companion.\n\nWhen his men came up, the king was just regaining consciousness. One\nlook at their wounded monarch sent them like a pack of hungry wolves\nafter the fishermen.\n\n\"Mamalahoa Kanawai o na alii!\" Kamehameha called after them. \"Whoever\npurposely murders a fellowman shall be hanged.\"\n\nAnd thus the very first law was made in Hawaii.\n\n\"Let them go,\" he said, as his men reluctantly abandoned the chase. \"I\nam not much harmed and they are badly frightened now. They may never\ndo violence again to anyone. If any man hereafter wilfully take the\nlife of another he shall be hanged. Come, let us go back. My heiau\nwill not require a human sacrifice, for it shall never be used.\"\n\nSo it happened that this was the first heiau ever built without its\nhuman sacrifice, and the last one constructed on the Island. Once the\nlaw forbidding murder was enforced heiaus were no longer needed.\n\nFor the first time on Hawaii trails became safe for travelers. Always\ntheretofore one never knew at what moment an enemy in ambush might rob\nhim or take his life. Women and children could now go abroad at all\ntimes in safety.\n\nPeace reigned in the land and the people became more prosperous and\nprogressive. Years passed before the law was broken, and, true to his\nword--for the king's word was law--Kamehameha ordered the murderer\nhanged. The scene of his execution was the unusually crooked coconut\ntree which until recent years stood near the present site of a cracker\nfactory on what is now Kamehameha Avenue.\n\nToday a careful observer may, by peering beneath the Armory Hall, make\nout the few remaining stones which were once a part of the foundation\nof the last heiau built on Hawaii.\n\nPAU.\n\n\n\n\nHOW TAPA IS MADE.\n\n\nThis volume of Hawaiian Legends is bound in genuine tapa, a cloth--or\nmore properly speaking a strong paper--made by hand from the inner\nbark of the wild mulberry. Briefly, the process of manufacture is as\nfollows:\n\nWhen full of glutinous sap, the bark of the mulberry is stripped and\nsteeped in running water until the outer layer is softened. This is\nscraped away and the inner bark beaten with corrugated paddles of palm\nwood until strips two or three inches broad are widened to ten or\ntwelve inches.\n\nThe edges of these strips are then pasted together with a strong\nvegetable glue and laminated with more beating. So skillfully is this\ndone that it is impossible to detect the lines of jointure.\n\nThe tapa used in binding this book is of the stout, heavy grade; but\nthat used for clothing and scarfs is often as sheer as fine muslin.\n\nTapa making is confined entirely to the women, men never occupying\nthemselves with any of its processes.\n\n\n\n\nGLOSSARY\n\n\nHawaiian words may be easily pronounced correctly by using the Spanish\nalphabet. There are no silent letters, and all syllables are stressed\nequally.\n\nAlae (Hawaiian gallinule): Native bird figuring largely in Hawaiian\nlegends.\n\nAo-opua: Talisman, guardian spirit.\n\nHaleakala: House (hale) of the Sun (la).\n\nHaole: White man.\n\nHau: Native tree much favored for lanais (arbors) and the wood for\noutriggers on canoes and floats for its cork-like lightness. (Hibiscus\narnottianus).\n\nHeiau: Ancient Hawaiian temple.\n\nHonu: Turtle, turtle-shaped.\n\nImu: Underground stove made by scooping a hole in the ground, lining\nit with rocks, and building a fire in it. The food to be cooked is\nplaced in the heated cavern, which is then covered tightly with leaves\nand earth.\n\nKaipaaloa: Inlet or estuary where the sea is quiet.\n\nKeahi: Of the fire.\n\nKuluua: Of the (gentle) rain.\n\nLauhala: Leaf (lau) of the puhala tree (Pandanus odoratissimus).\n\nMakai: Toward the sea.\n\nMalihini: Stranger, foreigner.\n\nMamake: Shrub about ten feet high (Pipturus albidus).\n\nMamalahoa kanawai o na alii: Your king proclaims this the law of the\nland (free translation).\n\nMauka: Toward the mountains.\n\nOlona: Native flax (Touchardia latifolia).\n\nPahoehoe: The sterile, flintlike lava as distinguished from aa, the\nfriable and highly fertile lava.\n\nPau: The end, finished.\n\nPili: Grass yielding stout fibres (Andropogon contortus).\n\nPuka: Doorway, entrance, hole.\n\nPuu: Small hill, usually of rounded form.\n\nTi (formerly written ki): Plant of lily family having bright green\nleaves three feet long and six inches wide (Cordyline terminalis).\n\nWaianuenue: Shimmering waters, as a rainbow effect.\n\nWauke: Native mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera).","title":"Legends of the Wailuku","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":8629}