Legend of Hoamakeikekula.

Hoamakeikekula was a very beautiful woman and was very pleasant to look upon. Her skin was like the covering of the young banana shoot;1 her eyes were like the weleweka2 blossom and her form was erect and faultless. Hooleipalaoa was the father, and Pili was the mother, and the land of [Hoamakeikekula’s] birth was Oioiapaiho in Kohala. Hooleipalaoa and Pili were of very high chief rank of Kohala in ancient time. Pili conceived and gave birth to a son Waikuaala by name. After he was grown up Pili again conceived and gave birth to the faultless one, Hoamakeikekula. Hoamakeikekula upon her birth was in the form of an ala (taro),3 and not having human form was thrown aside with a lot of sugar-cane trash by Pili the mother.

Makapailu, the mother of Pili who was a great fortune-teller, in a vision saw the spirit of Hoamakeikekula standing before her; and on being asked: “What does this beautiful young woman, whom I have not seen before, want?” Hoamakeikekula answered: “I am your granddaughter who has been thrown away by your daughter Pili. I am the younger child, next to Waikuaala, therefore I want you to come for me. I am in a pile of sugar-cane trash in the form of a taro bulb. Make haste or I shall be devoured by dogs.” When Makapailu heard this call from her grandchild, she rose and started on her journey, weeping. When Makapailu arrived at the pile of sugar-cane trash, she looked it over and lo she beheld a small rainbow in a thick fog, which moved toward her until it stood in her very presence. As she kept gazing thereon, her eyes grew dim and after a while she closed them. When she looked again she saw a taro bulb; she took it up and wrapped it in a red kapa4 and returned home. Upon arriving at her home, she told her husband, Hawaimake by name of what she [534]had done. At the end of twenty days the outside covering of the package was removed and Makapailu looked and saw that the taro had changed and was in the form of a very beautiful female child, one without a blemish and very pleasant to look upon. The grandparents from this time on brought her up with great surveillance under very strict kapu.5 This was maintained until she was twenty years of age, without the knowledge of anybody, even her own parents. After she grew up it was her usual custom to go with her attendant in the woods to string lehua blossoms into leis, without the knowledge of any one. On their fourth day out in the woods to string wreaths of lehua, they reached a section6 in the thick woods, a place to them unknown where the lehua was plentiful. While they were picking the lehua there came Elepaio, the messenger of Kalamaula, the lizard king of Keawewai. Elepaio7 was a bird that changed at times into a human form. It called out:

Hoamakeikekula said to her companion: “Say, there is a bird calling.” The attendant answered: “Perhaps it is the squeak of a tree rubbing one against another, or it may be the wind. Let us listen.” The bird again sang out:

Hoamakeikekula upon hearing the call the second time said: “There you see, it is a bird.” So the two looked more closely. While they continued watching the bird, it changed its form and assumed that of a human being. There stood a young man of handsome appearance who said: “My greetings to you two.” But when he saw the beauty of Hoamakeikekula he chanted and interpreted the following mele:

Upon hearing this the attendant said to Hoamakeikekula: “Let us return home; the time for stringing wreaths is ended. Your grandparents will be worried if we remain much longer.” As they were about to return, Elepaio spoke to the fog:

[536]

At this the fog came down and covered the shrubs, and the attendant was separated from Hoamakeikekula. In this separation Hoamakeikekula was enveloped in the thick fog and mist until she arrived at Keawewai, a place in the uplands of Kawaihae. The way was indicated by a colored cloud.9 At this time Kalamaula the high chief was living with his parents. Kaholeiwai was the father, Kekoolauwahineolalo was the mother and Kanaheleikaukawaokele was the sister. They were chiefs of Kawaihae at this time. Kalamaula was a handsome youth but was not in the same rank with Hoamakeikekula.

Upon their arrival at the house, the sun had set and darkness was approaching. They then entered the house where Kalamaula was living. When Kalamaula saw this beautiful woman coming in he greeted her; and Hoamakeikekula returned the greeting in a very low voice saying: “My greeting to you my lord.” Soon after this Elepaio related the way he found Hoamakeikekula.

Then Kalamaula seized hold of Hoamakeikekula and drew her to him. Hoamakeikekula then said: “My lord don’t defile me, your maid servant, for it would be a wrong I would suffer from later in life. If you really desire that I become your wife, then allow me thirty days, possibly the response will arise within me during that time.”

On hearing this reply Kalamaula was much impressed and agreed to the conditions. Hoamakeikekula remained there, but she would not touch the food placed before her, nor did she go out of the house.

At the end of three days, she saw in a dream a man approaching her with a war club in his right hand, who said: “Your grandmother promised me that you were to be mine and I have, therefore, waited many days for you until my spirit within me has fainted because that promise has not been fulfilled. Therefore, prepare yourself to go on a strange journey.” Hoamakeikekula replied: “I did not come here with the consent of my people, nor were my footsteps that led me here as a stranger bargained for, therefore, I shall take your words as a mantle and wear it over my shoulders at all times.”

She then woke up and discovered that she had been dreaming. She then tried to fathom the meaning of the dream but it was beyond her understanding. Her mind, however, seemed to dwell on the forests. On retiring the next night she again dreamed of the same person and held the same conversation. She then fell in love with the person in her dreams so much so that she woke up startled and cried. She then folded her arms,10 lamenting. When Kalamaula heard her weeping he asked her: “What are you weeping for? You have never done this before, not since the first day you arrived here.” Hoamakeikekula did not, however, make answer. Very early that morning just before dawn, the mountain clouds began to thicken; drops of rain began to fall one by one; the wind began to rise; the fog began to come creeping over the mamane; a rainbow appeared and stood before her. She was then entirely enveloped in a thick fog which hid everything from view.

She then rose and went out of the house and wandered over the deserted hills and plains until she arrived in the uplands of Pahulumoa, a place entirely uninhabited. She lived here without tasting food and spent her days picking and stringing lehua [538]blossoms. At night she would retire and dream of the same person. Thus they were united in love, which became steadfast in Hoamakeikekula.

It was because of her suffering and lonesomeness in the forest that she was called, Hoamakeikekula.11 After leading the life of a wanderer for some days, she was at last found by a man called Puuhue who was after some house timber. He found her in the following manner: On coming to an olapa12 tree he saw something bright at noon time, up in this tree. When he looked up the tree he saw a very beautiful woman hiding in the ieie13 vines; so he stood under the tree and called out: “Say, come down that I may fondle you and that I may speak to you.”

Hoamakeikekula then climbed down from the tree. When she stood on the ground, Puuhue sprang forward, lifted up and kissed the bottom of her feet and said: “I am indeed blessed in beholding your eyes and your face. I humbly beg of you that if in your goodness and beauty, I would be so fortunate as to please you my princess,14 that I offer you my noble lord, whose spirit you have often seen in your dreams.” This person was Puuonale, the king of Kohala, whose spirit Hoamakeikekula had so often seen in her dreams and for whom she already had a deep attachment. He was as handsome as she was beautiful, both were without blemish.

As soon as Puuhue ended, the heart of Hoamakeikekula was changed by his words, so that she left Pahulumoa and accompanied him. When they arrived at a place called Keolewa, they found Puuonale the king living there. When Hoamakeikekula looked on and saw the object of her dreams, she was unable to withhold her tears which flooded her eyes.

At seeing this Puuonale asked: “Why these tears from the eyes of my queen?” “I have seen some one like you in my dreams constantly during the past days in a form without bones for whom I am paying my debt of love with these tears; hence my sadness and tears.”

After pondering the matter over for a while, Puuonale asked: “Whom did he resemble?” “He looked just like you; your voice sounds just like his; he, however, carried a war club and wore a feather cape and a feather helmet.” Puuonale then took up his war club, the feather cape and helmet and placed them before Hoamakeikekula. She then took them up kissed them and wept over them.

Puuonale then took Hoamakeikekula as his wife. At their union the thunder was heard; the lightning flashed; eight rainbows arched the heavens; the pools of Kahoolana on Kahua were flooded; red rain passed in procession on the ocean; the hills were covered with fog; and a thick mist covered the land for ten days. These were the signs [of recognition].15 The two lived on happily as husband and wife.

In due course of time Hoamakeikekula conceived and gave birth to child to whom the name of Alelekinana was given. It did not have a human form but that of a wooden image; hence the saying: “In the upland is Hookukekii, in the lowland is Kahua.” [540]The saying originated from this child image, and it is used to this day. This image gave the people of Kohala the idea of making idols, from which the worshiping of idols throughout Kohala in ancient time originated.

The word Hoamakeikekula was also derived from the fact that Kohala is a rolling country and has plains, and because of this the people of Kohala have a fond attachment for the land of their birth. Therefore, Kohala is noted as the proud land with lonesome loving meadows. Such is the place of this legend obtained by me, which I have narrated. [533]