Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands - As told by the Ancient Hawaiians (Part 3)

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Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands
" Keepers of the Culture "
A study in time of the Hawaiian Islands
by Darlene E. Kelley
October 8, 2000

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

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Part 3-- As told by the Ancient Hawaiians.

Hawai'iloa and The Discovery of Hawai'i

Hawai'i Loa, or Ke Kowa i Hawai'i was one of the four children of Aniani
Ka Lani. The other three were Ki, who settled in Tahiti: Kana Loa, who
settled the Marquesas; and Laa-Kapu. The ocean was called Kia
Holo-o-ka-l'a [ Ocean where the fish run ]. Only two islands existed and
both were discovered and settled by Hawai'i Loa. The first he named
Hawai'i after himself; the second Maui, after his eldest son.
The other islands were created by volcanoes during and after the time of
Hawai'i Loa.

Hawai'i Loa and his brothers were born on the east coast of a land
called Ka 'Aina kai melemele a Kane, [ the land of the yellow or
handsome sea of Kane]. Hawai'i Lo was a distinquished man and was noted
for his fishing excursions which would occupy months, sometimes a whole
year, during which time he would roam about the ocean in his big canoe
[wa'a] called also an island [moku], with his crew and officers and
navigators.[poe ho'okele and kilo-hoku].

One time when they had been at sea for a long time, Makali'i, the
principal navigator said to Hawai'i Loa, " Let's steer the canoe in the
direction of loa, The Eastern Star, the discoverer of land. There is
land to the eastward, and there is a red star, to guide us, and the land
is there in the direction of those big stars which resemble a bird." And
the red star, situated in the lap of the goats [ a constellation], was
called Makali'i after the navigator. Some other red star's in the circle
of the Pleiades were called the Huhui- a-Makali'i.
[ " Cluster of Makali'i"].

So they steered straight onward and arrived at the eastenmost island of
the Hawaiian chain. They went ashore and found the land fertile and
pleasant, filled with 'awa, coconut trees, and so on, and Hawai'i Loa,
the Chief, gave that land his name. [ ancient's version states that the
canoe made landfall at the western end of the archipelago, and first he
saw the island of Kaua'i, but he kept on sailing and found O'ahu and
then the islands of the Maui group, then, seeing the mountains of
Hawai'i, he kept on until he reached that island. There he lived and
named the island after himself. The other islands from Maui to Kaua'i
were named for his children and for some who sailed with him. Here are
the names of his children; Maui was the eldest, O'ahu yo unger, and
Kaua'i the youngest. Those names he gave to the three large islands, but
the smaller islands were perhaps named for those who accompanied him.]
Here they dwelt a long time and when their canoe was filled with
vegetable food and fish, they returned to their native country with the
intention of returning to Hawai'i-nei, which they preferred to their own
country.  They had left their wives and children at home; therefore,
they returned to get them. When Hawai'i Loa and his men arrived at their
own country and among their relatives, they were detained a long time
before they set out again for Hawai'i.

At last Hawai'i Loa sailed again, accompanied by his wife and his
children.  He settled in Hawai'i and gave up all thought of ever
returning to his native land. He was accompanied on this voyage by a
great crowd of men, [ steersmen, navagators, shipbuilders, and others.]
Hawai'i nui sailed to Hawai'i with his eight steersmen, their names ;
Makali'i, a famous steersman and great farmer; Lao; Kahiki-Nui; Hoku
'Ula; Maiao; Kiopa'a; Unulau; and Polohilani. And because of their skill
of observing the stars, each one called the stars he observed after his
own name.  One steersman, Kahiki-Nui, has a land district on Maui named
after him. Hawai'i Loa was chief of all these men. He alone brought his
wife and children; all others came singly, without women, so he was the
progenitor of this nation. On their voyage there, the Morning Star [ ka
Hoku Loa] was the special star they steered by. And Hawai'i Loa called
the islands after the names of his children and the stars after his
navagators and steersmen. The island of Maui was called after his first
born son. The island of O'ahu was called after his daughter,and her
foster parent was Lua, hence the name O'ahu-a-Lua. Kaua'i was called
after his younger son; his wife's name was Waialeale, and they lived on
Kaua'i, and the mountain was called after her because there she was
buried. And thus other islands and districts were called after the first
settlers.

After Hawai'i Loa had been some time in Hawai'i-nei, he made another
voyage to find his brothers to see if they had any children who might
become husbands or wives to his own. They left from Lae O Kalae, in
Ka'u, and followed the stars Ke Ali'i-o-Kona-i-k a-Lewa 
[ Canopus ] and the stars of Hoku-kea o ka Mole Honua [ star-cross of
the bottom of the earth, or Southern Cross ] to Tahiti and other islands
to the south. On Tahiti, he found his brother Ki who had settled there
and called the island after one of his own names. They sailed together
southward [ i ka mole o ka honua ] and found an uninhabited island,
which Hawi'i Loa gave his name, and another smaller island, which he
named for his daughter O'ahu.

When they finished there business there. they returned to Hawai'i, to
Lae o Kalae, steering by Hoku-'lwa stars and the Hoku Poho ka 'Aina. On
his return voyage, he brought Tu-nui-ai-a-te Atua, the first born son of
his brother Ki, who had became the husband of Hawai'i Loa's favorite
daughter O'ahu. The couple had a child called Kunuiakea, who was born at
Keauhou in Puna, Hawai'i. Puna was a fertile and fine land and it was
called Puna by Kunuiaiakeakua 
[ Tu-nui-ai-a-te-Atua ] after his own birthplace, 
Puna-Auia, in Tahiti.

Kunuiakea, on both his father's and mother's side, became a chief of the
very highest rank.
[kapu loa]. From him spang the race of chiefs there in Hawai'i [welo
ali'i] and from Makali'i spang the race of common people [ welo kanaka].
The first has been kept separate from the time of chaos [ mai ka Po mai
]. But the priestly race [ welo kahuna ] was one and the same wih the
race of chiefs from the beginning.