[Contents]

Legend of Kawaunuiaola.

Kaao no Kawaunuiaola.

There once lived in Kula, Maui, a woman by the name of Kawaunuiaola and her husband Hoeu. After they had lived together as husband and wife for some time, Hoeu left her and took unto himself another wife. Because of this, Kawaunuiaola became so overcome with sorrow, being greatly attached to Hoeu her husband, that she decided to resort to strategy in order to make him come back to her. After her husband had deserted her, she lived at their home all by herself. She then placed a kapu around her home, allowing no one to come to it and keeping herself entirely within doors: she thus lived in lonely seclusion.

O Kula ma Maui, ka aina o Kawaunuiaola i noho ai me kana kane me Hoeu. A hala he mau anahulu o ko laua noho pu ana, haalele o Hoeu i kana wahine a lilo i ka wahine e. Nolaila, ae ia o Kawaunuiaola i ke aloha ia Hoeu, kana kane, a imi iho la i mea e hoi mai ai o Hoeu a pili iaia. Nolaila hana maalea o Kawaunuiaola. Noho iho la i ko laua hale oia wale no, hookapu ia ia waho o ka hale, aole maalo i waho, aole kanaka hele ilaila, hoomalu iho la ia me ka noho mehameha loa.

At meal time she petitioned Hoeu her husband, as her god, in the following words:

A hiki i kona wa ai, kaumaha ae la ia ia Hoeu kana kane i akua nona:

Here is the food Hoeu,

Here is the fish,

Here is the water,

Accept them all, they are free from restrictions.

Eia ka ai e Hoeu,

Eia ka ia,

Eia ka wai,

Amama ua noa,

Then Kawaunuiaola would cunningly say:

Olelo maalea iho la o Kawaunuiaola, penei:

May I eat? You may.

Which food shall it be?

Say, Laalaawale,

Which food shall it be?

Shall it be your poi?

Proceed and partake of the food.

[554]

E ai paha wau?

O ai paha.

O kuu wahi ai hea la auanei?

E Laalaawale.

O ko wahi ai hea auanei?

O ko wahi poi paha.

O ai hoi ha.

[555]

In this conversation, she asked and answered the questions herself. People passing by who heard it were made to believe that Kawaunuiaola had a new husband. She also often used the following prayer:

Ma keia olelo a Kawaunuiaola, oia wale iho no, kuhi na mea a pau loa he kane ka Kawaunuiaola, i ke kamailio mehe mea ala elua ka walaau.

Here is the food, O god.

May the love that is beating within me fall.

Say, Muki! Here is the food.

The food is for Muki,

The god that flies at night.

Fall toward the upland,

Fall toward the sea,

Fall toward the froth of the ocean,

Fill it to satisfy the craving within,

Calling from the network within.

Bind it fast

The hair of the god,

Not the binding that is loose and open

But the binding that is tight and in a knot

For the great knot that is within me is love.

Paddle away! Paddle away!

Like the paddling of the fishermen in the ocean,

The husbandman cultivates1 in the field,

Like the paddling of the god along the way.

Oh, what must it be?

Along the path trodden by you two

From Kula to Hamakua.

Like the game of hide and seek is the rain of Hamakua,

The rain where one hides in the ti-leaf,

Hide thou the object of my love there.

Eia ka ai la e ke akua,

E hina mai ka lani kui aloha i loko,

E muki e! Eia ka ai.

Na muki ka ai,

Na ke akua lele po,

E hina i uka,

E hina i kai,

E hina a ka alualu moana,

E uhao no ka pololi i loko,

A hoehoene ana i loko o ka hei,

O ka hikii paa no,

Ka huluhulu o ke akua,

Aohe ka paa a okole hakahaka,

O ka paa no a okole puu.

Ina ka puu nui i loko la he aloha.

Hoeahoe, Hoeahoe-a.

Ka ka lawaia hoe la i ka moana,

Ka ka mahiai hoe la i waena.

Ka ke akua hoe la i ke ala.

Pehea la auanei ka pono?

Ma kahi no a olua e hele ai,

Mai Kula a Hamakua,

Peepee puhala ka ua o Hamakua,

Ka ua o Hunahuna-lauki,

E huna aku oe i kuu mea ilaila.

In all these conversations, Kawaunuiaola showed great cunning. When those who heard her went on their way, they told others that Kawaunuiaola must have obtained a new husband. This was carried to Hoeu her husband one day in the following way: “Say, Hoeu, your wife, Kawaunuiaola acts in a very strange way; she must have obtained a new husband, for we have heard two voices talking; one in the voice of a female and the other in the voice of a man. It must be a new husband.” When Hoeu heard this from the people, he stood up and deserted the woman he was living with, the woman who enticed him away from Kawaunuiaola and he returned to his wife, at Kula. Upon his arrival at their home he asked his wife as to the rumors he had heard, which the wife denied, saying: “I have no husband, I am all alone.” They again made up and lived on as husband and wife. She was indeed cunning. [553]

Ma keia mau hana a Kawaunuiaola, i imi ai me ka maalea, hele aku la ka poe i lohe i keia mau olelo a hiki i ke kane ia Hoeu, olelo aku la: “E Hoeu! Kupanaha ko wahine o Kawaunuiaola, he kane paha ko wahine e walaau ana, elua leo, he leo wahine, he leo kane, he kane hoao paha na ko wahine?” A lohe o Hoeu i keia olelo a kela poe, ku ae la ia a haalele i kana wahine e noho pu ana, ka wahine nana i kaili iaia mai a Kawaunuiaola mai. Hele aku la ia e hui me Kawaunuiaola ma Kula, a hiki ia i mua o kana wahine, ninau aku la ke kane e like me kona lohe, hoole mai ka wahine: “Aohe a’u kane, owau wale no.” Hoi ae la laua a noho pu e like me mamua, he kane a he wahine. Nani ka maalea o kana wahine. [554]

1 The resemblance of a husbandman to a paddler is in the way they use their implements, always towards themselves in their work. ↑