Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands - Moloka' i (Part 3)

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Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands
" Keepers of the Culture "
A study in time of the Hawaiian Islands
Moloka' i -- part 3
by Darlene E. Kelley
October 23, 2000

http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374

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Part 3 -- As told by the ancient Hawaiians.

Moloka'i -- 17th Century

Kalanipehu --- 

Kalanipehu was the most potent chief of Moloka'i in the beginning of the
17th century. Previous to his reign, the island had been ruled by his
ancestors, who were descendants of Keolo'ewa and Nu'akea.

Kalanipehu's daughter, Kumakakaha, married Kuikai, a chief of Puna who
had moved to Moloka'i. He was closely related to the ruling chief or
ali'i of Hawaii. Kumakakaha and Kuika
became the ancestors of the Kaiakea family.

At the end of the 17th and the early part of the 18th century, the seeds
of disintegration were sown. The next two reigns destroyed the
independence and autonomy of the island of Moloka'i. whose chiefs in
their internal divisions and quarrels began to seek outside support,
some from Maui and some from Oahu.

Kalaipahoa--

Before the time of Kane'alai. there appeared on Maunaloa, trees which
were believed to have been entered by gods. It is said that one of these
gods instructed a certain man, Kaneiakama, as to how the trees were to
be cut down, and also the offerings to be made to them. The god-images
from these trees were to be called Kalaipahoa, meaning " cut with the
pahoa actz." Kalaipahoa were invoked to produce fatal illnesses. Their
wood is said to have been deadly poisonous.

Several generations after Kaneiakama, gods of the same group as the
Kalaipahoa appeared to Kaiakea and instructed him as to their use for
sorcery.

Kaiakea, a prominent man of Kala'e and its vicinity, was said to have
been a man without a god. He built a large new household below Kahanui
and provided all kinds of food, such as poi, pig, 'awa [kava], bananas,
fish, and everything else necessary for a " house-warming." When the day
came, Kaiakea's wife and the other women were at the hale noa, the
common house, and Kaiakea and the other men and the servers were at the
hale mua, which was surrounded by a lanai. Kaiakea was in the doorway of
the hale mua, and while the feast was being prepared, he saw a long
procession of women coming over the plains of Ho'olehua to Pala'au. They
were dressed in yellow tapa skirts and yellow tapa shoulder coverings,
with variegated leis of ma'o and 'ilima crowning their heads. There was
one man among them. The procession went down to the spring, named
Piliwale, and left their things there. These were a puniu hulihuli, or
coconut-shell container, and the women's 'alae hale lau, was built for
them. Then they would eat of his food,  This man revealed that they were
not humans, but angels, and he told Kaiakea their names. Pua was his
name, and Kauluimaunaloa [ the grove at Maunaloa, that is, Kapo] was the
name of the chieftess who led the procession. He said they would become
Kaiakea's gods if the hale lau was finished that day, and would give
into his charge the puniu hulihuli, their visible form, and all the
paraphernalia to do their work, which was inside it. The 'alae birds
were their bodies which they showed abroad. After reveiling these things
to Kaiakea, the being vanished. Kaiakea went to the spring to look for
the puniu, and got it, the 'alae birds were resting there at the spring.
That very day Kaiakea erected the hale lau and filled it with poi, 'awa,
bananas. and tapas appropriate to these gods, the same evening it was
dedicated. The food offerings and the 'awa were all consumed by the
'alae birds, and they were well content with the food provided for them.

It was in this way that Kaiakea became the kahu [ servent ] of gods, and
he became known as a man who had gods, He was the kahu of Kopo
[Kauluimaunaloa] and Pua, Kaiakea, however just took care of these gods,
He did no harm to others, and did not send his gods to bring death to
any man or to any chief. He just took care of his akua ho'ola'a [ the
spirits who had been made gods by his consecration and offerings]. Upon
his death he commanded his children to take care of the gods against the
trouble ahead. The gods would repay them with life. But they were not to
seek wealth from the gods through sorcery.

Sometime after Kalakea's death, Moloka'i gained the reputation of having
one of the strongest schools of sorcery, which instilled fear in the
other islands. From this came the saying " Moloka'i' pule o'o [ Moloka'i
of the potent prayers], " a figurative reference to Moloka'i's fame in
sorcery.

The Kalaipahoa god-images remained in the keeping of the Moloka'i chiefs
until after the death of Kane'alai and her son, Kumuko'a. She did not
give even the least piece of Kalaipahoa to her husband [ Keawe ].
Sometime afterwards the Kalaipahoa god-images came into the possession
of Kamehameha.

Kane' Alai --

In the beginning of the 18th century, Kane'alai. a chieftess of
Moloka'i, married Keawe, the king of Hawaii. They had four children.
After Keawe died, Kane' alai became a wife of Kekaulike, the king of
Maui. With him she had one daughter, Luahiwa, who married her
half-brother, Kahekili. the successor of his brother, Kamehameha-nui, as
king of Maui.

It is probably because of Kane'alai that Kamehameha-nui, the son of
Kekaulike and Keku'iapoiwanui, was raised as a young boy at
Waialua,Moloka'i, and because of her connection with Kekaulike that her
son and grandson's and other chiefs of Moloka'i went to the help of
Kamehameha-nui in his fight with Kalaniopu'u.