The Story of Kahahana.
Within the wonderful and often charming domain of History, from classic to modern times, among so called cultured and so called barbarous peoples, few episodes are marked with greater pathos, or, if better known, would elicit greater interest, than the fall and death of Kahahana, King of Oahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands, about the years 1783–85.
Kahahana was high-born and royally connected. His father was Elani, one of the highest nobles in the Ewa district on Oahu, a descendant, on the Maweke-Lakona line, of the ancient lords of Lihue. His mother was Kaionuilalahai, a daughter of Kalanikahimakeialii, and a sister of Peleioholani, King of Oahu, and a cousin of Kahekili, King of Maui. Through his mother’s connections with the royal house of Maui Kahahana was brought up from his earliest youth on Maui and became a special favorite with his uncle Kahekili. Educated in all the athletic and warlike exercises, which it became a chief of that period to know, Kahahana was remarkable for his personal beauty and manly bearing. Handsome, brave and gallant, he was the idol of the Maui court and the pride of the Oahu aristocracy, his father’s peers, who chafed under the heavy yoke of their own King Peleioholani, and had but small confidence in his son and prospective successor Kumahana.
Though Kahekili was too reserved, some say too morose, to often share in the festivities and entertainments which, through the presence of his sisters, his nieces and other relatives, had made his court at Wailuku, where he mostly resided, a gathering place and a focus for the gallant and gay of all the other isles in the group, yet Kahahana was his alter ego, his rex convivii, whose prudence and popularity harmonized, or at least neutralized, the rival pretensions of Kahekili’s half sister Namahana to be the leading star and the oracle of fashion among the Hawaiian noblesse at her lately acquired domain in Waiehu.
At these princely reunions, these royal feasts, whether at Waiehu or at Wailuku, the palm of beauty and of woman grace was by universal accord awarded to Kekua-poi-ula-o-ka-lani, the youngest sister of Namahana and of Kekuamanoha, of whom we shall hear more hereafter. The legends and narratives handed down from that time have but one expression of her surpassing beauty and winning charms, and the present writer has had the fortune to meet more than one octogenerian Hawaiian who remembers seeing her while still, as Queen of Oahu, she was as remarkable for her incomparable beauty, as in the days, ten or twelve years before, when Kahahana first wooed and won her young affections.
Between Kahahana and Kekuapoi it was an affair of the heart. They loved each other like the commonest mortals and, as at that time no political or social considerations of convenience stood in the way, the union was allowed by Kahekili, whose wards they may be said to have been. They loved each other and, according to the custom and institutions of the land, they became man and wife. Nothing more natural, simple or [[283]]straightforward. But the anomalous part of their married life was that in those days of social as well as political profligacy, when a chief or a chiefess took as many wives or husbands as he or she fancied or could maintain, Kahahana and Kekuapoi remained true to each other with undivided affection to the end of their lives.
In A.D. 1770 Peleioholani,—son of Kualii, hereditary Sovereign of the island of Oahu, hereditary lord of several districts on Southern Kauai, and, by the grace of his god and the strength of his spear, master and conqueror of the island of Molokai—died, at the advanced age of ninety and upward, and was succeeded by his son Kumahana.
The character of Peleioholani has been variously described in the traditions that have come down from his time. The Hawaii and Maui traditions, or reminiscences, of Peleioholani describe him as proud, arrogant, overbearing—proud, even beyond the most exacting Hawaiian etiquette. Molokai traditions acknowledge his prowess as a warrior, but are merciless in the condemnation of him as a tyrant, whose cruelty went even a step beyond what those cruel times considered admissible. Against those two sources of information we have the Oahu traditions which,—though they acknowledge that he was proud, and justly so, because no bluer blood flowed in anybody’s veins than in his and in his sister Kukuiaimakalani’s—yet assert that his cruelty towards the Molokai chiefs was but a just punishment for their wanton and unprovoked murder of his daughter Keelanihonuaiakama. But whatever his reputation on the other islands, on Oahu he was feared as a stern monarch, but also respected as a just man, under whom the husbandman prospered, priests and artisians were protected, and the naturally turbulent character of the feudal nobles kept under salutary, though at times summary, restraint. As sovereign of his island he made the customary circuits, for political and religious purposes, at stated times; but his favorite residence, when not otherwise occupied, was at Waikiki in the known district, where a perfect forest of coconut trees enclosed his dwelling or palace on three sides, and the pleasant grove of kou trees which his father had planted, threw its delicious shade on the heated sea-beach.
Stern but just, Peleioholani’s reign was a blessing to his kingdom of Oahu, which probably had never since the days of Mailekukahi stood higher in population, wealth, and resources, than at the time of his death.
The contrast between Peleioholani and his son Kumahana had no doubt been apparent to thoughtful men long before the black kapa covered the mortal remains of the father. Chiefs and commoners alike knew the man to whom their fealty now would be pledged. Indolent of body, weak, fickle and avaricious of mind, Kumahana was a failure as a sovereign, and it did not take long to ripen the public mind to that conviction. Feal and loyal as the Oahu chiefs had always been to the Kakuhihewa family, whom for six generations they had looked upon as their representative on the Oahu throne, yet the weaknesses and extravagancies of Kumahana were enough in three short years to alienate chiefs, priests, and commoners to such an extent that when Pupuka, Elani, Makaioulu and other chiefs, in conjunction with the High-priest Kaopulupulu, called a public meeting of chiefs and commoners, to consider the situation of the country and for the avowed purpose of deposing Kumahana, not a voice was heard nor a spear raised in defence of the unfortunate man who then and there was publicly decreed [[284]]incompetent and unworthy to rule the Oahu kingdom. That meeting and the manner of the execution of its decree find few parallels in the most civilized of modern countries, where the people had to resort to revolution to protect the best interests of their country and their own well-being. It was a public declaration of the national non possumus any longer to suffer the rule of Kumahana. Its execution, through the wonderful unanimity of the national voice, required neither “National Guards,” nor spears, nor clubs, nor barricades to enforce it. It was a veritable vox populi, vox Dei, and the only trait of wisdom recorded of Kumahana was that he quietly submitted to the inevitable and left for Kauai, where the relations of his mother and sister provided a refuge for him and his family at Waimea. And to the lasting credit of those, whose kindred only six years later were stigmatized by civilized Europe as “barbarians,” “savages,” “cannibals,” not a drop of blood was shed in this mighty upheaval of an entire people.
Had I the powers of a Walter Scott to give the reader a description of that remarkable assembly of Oahu notables that then and there convened for high national objects, I gladly would do so. I would describe the preliminary meeting of the District Chiefs, the (Ai-moku), with the High Priest (Kahuna-nui), presiding. I would tell of the dispatch of the High Priest’s messenger or herald, elele, around the island, convoking the chiefs and commoners to the projected assembly, a kind of Hawaiian “Fiery Cross,” speeding from feudal hall to lowliest hamlet; his functions, his privileges, his insignia of office, his formula of convocation. I would describe the meeting of those thus convened; the appearance of the chiefs dressed in their ahu-ula (feather cloaks), their mahiole (feather helmets), their niho palaoa (necklace of whale’s tooth and human hair), their kupee or pupu houka (bracelets of glittering precious shells); carrying their pololu (long spears), in their right hand, their pahoa (dagger of hardened wood), in their malo, or belt, and their newa or war-club looped up under their cloak. I would describe the sturdy makaainana, the commoners or freemen of the land, mustering behind their chiefs, armed with their ihe, javelins, and maa, slings. But abler hands, at some not far distant day, will doubtless weave a pleasant tale from those materials; and I proceed with the main story, from my work, “An Account of the Polynesian Race,” Vol. II, on pages as shown:
Kahahana, son of Elani, of the Ewa line of chiefs, was elected Moi of Oahu in place of Kumahana, son of Peleioholani and grandson of Kualii, who had been deposed by the Oahu chiefs as an incompetent, indolent, penurious and unlovable chief. This occurred about the year 1773 (pp. 65, 290, 154).
It is not improbable that the influence of Kahekili, King of Maui, was in Kahahana’s favor, for in the war between Hawaii and Maui wherein the invading forces of Kalaniopuu were all but annihilated in the battle of Waikapu commons, Kahahana and his Oahu troops were joined with Kahekili in the defence of Maui (p. 154).
In a subsequent attempt of Kalaniopuu to wrest honors from Kahekili, Kahahana is found an ally in the defence of Lahaina, accompanied by Keaulumoku, bard and prophet who, a few years later, composed his famous “Haui Ka Lani” chant foretelling the success and glory of Kamehameha I (p. 156).
Kaeo, King of Kauai, sent two messengers to acquaint Kahahana of Cook’s visit, [[285]]whereupon Kaopulupulu the high priest of Oahu said: “These people are foreigners; they are surely the people that will come and dwell in this land” (p. 169).
In 1779 Kahahana, the Oahu King, had but lately returned from Maui where he assisted Kahekili in his wars against Kalaniopuu of Hawaii. The rupture between Kahekili and Kahahana did not occur till afterward, in 1780–81 (pp. 197–8).
Kauhi, of Maui, landing at Waikiki on an expedition against Oahu, was met by the chiefs of Oahu, defeated and slain, his body exposed at the Apuakehau (Waikiki) heiau[1], and great indignities were committed with his bones. The memory of this great outrage instigated his descendant, Kahekili, to the fearful massacre of the Oahu chiefs, when, after the battle of Niuhelewai, he had defeated Kahahana and conquered the island (p. 208).
The death of Kahahana closed the autonomy of Oahu (p. 269).
In order to understand the political relations between Kahekili and Kahahana, the king of Oahu, and the causes of the war between them, it is necessary to go back to the year 1773, when Kumahana, the son of Peleioholani, was deposed by the chiefs and makaainana of Oahu. Though Kumahana had grown-up children at the time, yet the Oahu nobles passed them by in selecting a successor to the throne, and fixed their eyes on young Kahahana, the son of Elani, one of the powerful Ewa chiefs of the Maweke-Lakona line, and on his mother’s side closely related to Kahekili and the Maui royal family. Kahahana had from boyhood been brought up at the court of Kahekili, who looked upon his cousin’s child almost as a son of his own. What share, if any, indirectly, that Kahekili may have had in the election of Kahahana, is not known; but when the tidings arrived from Oahu announcing the result to Kahekili, he appears at first not to have been overmuch pleased with it. The Oahu chiefs had deputed Kekelaokalani, a high chiefess, a cousin to Kahahana’s mother and also to Kahekili, to proceed to Wailuku, Maui, and announce the election and solicit his approval. After some feigned or real demurrer, Kahekili consented to Kahahana going to Oahu, but refused to let his wife Kekuapoi-ula go with him, lest the Oahu chiefs should ill-treat her. Eventually, however, he consented, but demanded as a price of his consent that the land of Kualoa in Koolaupoko district should be ceded to him, and also the palaoa-pae (the whalebone and ivory) cast on the Oahu shores by the sea.
Hampered with these demands of the crafty Kahekili, Kahahana started with his wife and company for Oahu, and landed at Kahaloa in Waikiki. He was enthusiastically received, installed as Moi of Oahu, and great were the rejoicings on the occasion.
Shortly after his installation, Kahahana called a great council of the Oahu chiefs and the High Priest Kaopulupulu, and laid before them the demands of Kahekili regarding the land of Kualoa and the palaoa-pae. At first the council was divided, and some thought it was but a fair return for the kindness and protection shown Kahahana from his youth by Kahekili; but the high priest was strongly opposed to such a measure, and argued that it was a virtual surrender of the sovereignty and independence of Oahu, Kualoa being one of the most sacred places on the island, where stood the sacred drums of Kapahuula and Kaahu-ulapunawai, and also the sacred hill of Kauakahi-a-Kahoowaha; [[286]]and that the surrender of the palaoa-pae would be a disrespect to the gods; in fact, if Kahekili’s demands were complied with, the power of war and of sacrifice would rest with the Maui king and not with Kahahana. He represented strongly, moreover, that if Kahahana had obtained the kingdom by conquest, he might do as he liked, but having been chosen by the Oahu chiefs, it would be wrong in him to cede to another the national emblems of sovereignty and independence. Kahahana and all the chiefs admitted the force of Kaopulupulu’s arguments, and submitted to his advice not to comply with the demands of Kahekili.
Kahekili was far too good a politician to display his resentment at this refusal of his demands, knowing well that he could not have the slightest prospects of enforcing them by war so long as the Oahu chiefs were united in their policy, and that policy was guided by the sage and experienced high priest Kaopulupulu. He dissembled, therefore, and kept up friendly relations with Kahahana, but secretly turned his attention to destroy the influence of Kaopulupulu in the affairs of Oahu, and create distrust and enmity between him and Kahahana. In this object he is said to have been heartily advised and assisted by his own high priest, Kaleopuupuu, the younger brother of Kaopulupulu. Kaleopuupuu envied his brother the riches and consideration which his wisdom and skill had obtained for him. Moreover, the warlike preparations of his brother-in-law, the Hawaii king Kalaniopuu, cautioned him against precipitating a rupture with so powerful an ally as the Oahu king; and Kahekili was but too glad to obtain the assistance of Kahahana and his chiefs in the war with Kalaniopuu, 1777–78, Kahahana’s forces arriving from Molokai just in time to share the sanguinary battle on the Waikapu common,[2] related on page 153, [Fornander, Polynesian Race, II] and the subsequent events of that war.
After the return of Kalaniopuu to Hawaii in January, 1779, Kahahana went over to Molokai to consecrate the heiau called Kupukapuakea at Wailau, and to build or repair the large taro patch at Kainalu known as Paikahawai. Here he was joined by Kahekili, who was cordially welcomed and royally entertained. On seeing the fruitfulness and prosperity of the Molokai lands, Kahekili longed to possess some of them, and bluntly asked Kahahana to give him the land of Halawa. Kahahana promptly acceded to the request, not being moved by the same considerations regarding the Molokai lands as those of Oahu, Molokai having been conquered and subjected as an appanage or tributary to the Oahu crown by Peleioholani. At this meeting, while discussing Kahahana’s previous refusal to give Kahekili the Kualoa land and the palaoa-pae on Oahu, Kahekili expressed his surprise at the opposition of Kaopulupulu, assuring Kahahana that the high priest had offered the government and throne of Oahu to him (Kahekili), but that out of affection for his nephew he had refused; and he intimated strongly that Kaopulupulu was a traitor to Kahahana.
The poisoned arrow hit its mark, and Kahahana returned to Oahu filled with mistrust and suspicion of his faithful high-priest. A coolness arose between them. Kahahana withdrew his confidence from, and slighted the advice of the high-priest, who retired from the court to his own estate in Waialua and Waimea, and caused himself [[287]]and all his people and retainers to be tatooed on the knee, as a sign that the chief had turned a deaf ear to his advice. It is said that during this period of estrangement Kahahana became burdensome to the people, capricious and heedless, and in a great measure alienated their good-will. It is said, moreover, that he caused to be dug up dead men’s bones to make arrow-points wherewith to shoot rats—a favorite pastime of the chiefs; and that he even rifled the tombs of the chiefs in order to make kahili handles of their bones, thus outraging the public sentiment of the nation. That Kahahana was imprudent and rash, and perhaps exacting, there is no doubt; and that conquered chieftains’ bones were the legitimate trophies of the victors is equally true; but that Kahahana would have violated the tombs of the dead—an act of the greatest moral baseness even in those days—is hardly credible, and is probably an after exaggeration, either by the disaffected priestly faction or by the victorious Kahekili plotters.
While such was the condition on Oahu, Kahekili reconquered the district of Hana, as already related, and, hearing of the death of Kalaniopuu and the subsequent contentions on Hawaii, he felt secure in that direction, and seriously turned his attention to the acquisition of Oahu. He first sent some war canoes and a detachment of soldiers under command of a warrior chief named Kahahawai[3] to the assistance of Keawemauhili[4], the then independent chief of Hilo, in his contest with Kamehameha. He next sent his most trusted servant Kauhi to Kahahana on Oahu, with instructions to inform Kahahana in the strictest confidence that Kaopulupulu had again offered him the kingdom of Oahu, but that his regard for Kahahana would not allow him to accept it, and exhorting Kahahana to be on his guard against the machinations of the high-priest. Credulous as weak, Kahahana believed the falsehoods sent him by Kahekili, and, without confiding his purpose to any one, he resolved on the death of Kaopulupulu. Preparations were ordered to be made for a tour of the island of Oahu, for the purpose of consecrating heiaus and offering sacrifices. When the king arrived at Waianae he sent for the high-priest, who was then residing on his lands at Waimea and Pupukea, in the Koolau district, to come to see him. It is said that Kaopulupulu was fully aware of the ulterior objects of the king, and was well convinced that the message boded him no good; yet, faithful to his duties as a priest and loyal to the last, he started with his son Kahulupue to obey the summons of the king. Arrived at Waianae, Kahulupue was set upon by the king’s servants, and, while escaping from them, was drowned at Malae.[5] Kaopulupulu was killed at Puuloa, in Ewa. [[288]]
Thus foolishly and cruelly Kahahana had played into the hand of Kahekili, who, with his high-priest Kaleopuupuu, had for a long time been plotting the death of Kahahana’s ablest and wisest counsellor.
Though executions de par le roi of obnoxious persons for political reasons were not uncommon in those days throughout the group, and by the proud and turbulent nobility generally looked upon more as a matter of personal ill-luck to the victim than as a public injustice, yet this double execution, in the necessity of which few people except the credulous Kahahana believed, greatly alienated the feelings of both chiefs and commoners from him, and weakened his influence and resources to withstand the coming storm.
The death of Kaopulupulu took place in the latter part of 1782 or beginning of 1783.
As soon as Kahekili heard that Kaopulupulu was dead, he considered the main obstacle to his acquisition of the island of Oahu to be removed, and prepared for an invasion. He recalled the auxiliary troops under Kahahawai which he had sent to the assistance of Keawemauhili in Hilo, and assembled his forces at Lahaina. Touching at Molokai, on his way, he landed at Waikiki, Oahu. Among his chiefs and warriors of note on this expedition are mentioned Kekuamanoha, Kaiana, Namakeha, Kalaikoa, Kamohomoho, Nahiolea, Hueu, Kauhikoakoa, Kahue, Kalaninuiulumoku, Peapea, Manono-Kauakapekulani, Kalanikupule, Koalaukane.[6] Besides his own armament, he had several double canoes furnished him by Keawemauhili of Hilo, and by Keouakuahuula of Kau.
Kahahana was at Kawananakoa, in the upper part of Nuuanu valley, when the news came of Kahekili’s landing at Waikiki, and hastily summoning his warriors, he prepared as best he could to meet so sudden an emergency.
As an episode of this war the following legend has been preserved and may prove interesting: When the news of the invasion spread to Ewa and Waialua, eight famous warriors from these places, whose names the legend has retained, concerted an expedition on their own account to win distinction for their bravery and inflict what damage they [[289]]could on Kahekili’s forces. It was a chivalrous undertaking, a forlorn hope, and wholly unauthorized by Kahahana, but fully within the spirit of the time for personal valor, audacity, and total disregard of consequences. The names of those heroes were Pupuka,[7] Makaioulu, Puakea, Pinau, Kalaeone, Pahua, Kauhi, and Kapukoa. Starting direct from Apuakehau in Waikiki, where Kahekili’s army was encamped and organizing preparatory to a march inland to fight Kahahana, the eight Oahu warriors boldly charged a large contingent of several hundred men of the Maui troops collected at the heiau. In a twinkling they were surrounded by overwhelming numbers, and a fight commenced to which Hawaiian legends record no parallel. Using their long spears and javelins with marvellous skill and dexterity, and killing a prodigious number of their enemies, the eight champions broke through the circle of spears that surrounded them. But Makaioulu, though a good fighter was a bad runner, on account of his short bow-legs, and he was overtaken by Kauhikoakoa, a Maui chief. Makaioulu was soon tripped up, secured, and bound by Kauhikoakoa, who swinging the captive up on his own shoulders, started off with him for the camp to have him sacrificed as the first victim of the war. This affair took place on the bank of the Punaluu taro patch, near the coconut grove of Kuakuaaka. Makaioulu, thus hoisted on the back of his captor, caught sight of his friend Pupuka, and called out to him to throw his spear straight at the navel of his stomach. In hopes of shortening the present and prospective tortures of his friend, and knowing well what his fate would be if brought alive into the enemy’s camp, Pupuka did as he was bidden, and with an unerring aim. But Makaioulu, seeing the spear coming, threw himself with a violent effort on one side, and the spear went through the back of Kauhikoakoa. Seeing their leader fall, the Maui soldiers desisted from further pursuit, and the eight champions escaped.
In the beginning of 1783—some say it was in the month of January—Kahekili, dividing his forces in three columns, marched from Waikiki by Puowaina, Pauoa, and Kapena, and gave battle to Kahahana near the small stream of Kaheiki. Kahahana’s army was thoroughly routed, and he and his wife Kekuapoi-ula fled to the mountains. It is related that in this battle Kauwahine, the wife of Kahekili, fought valiantly at his side.
Oahu and Molokai now became the conquest of Kahekili, and savagely he used his victory.
For upwards of two years or more Kahahana and his wife and his friend Alapai[8] wandered over the mountains of Oahu, secretly aided, fed, and clothed by the country people, who commiserated the misfortunes of their late king. Finally, weary of such a life, and hearing that Kekuamanoha, the uterine brother of his wife Kekuapoi-ula, was residing at Waikele in Ewa, he sent her to negotiate with her brother for their safety. Dissembling his real intentions, Kekuamanoha received his sister kindly and spoke her fairly, but having found out the hiding-place of Kahahana, he sent messengers to [[290]]Kahekili at Waikiki informing him of the fact. Kahekili immediately returned preemptory orders to slay Kahahana and Alapai, and he sent a double canoe down to Ewa to bring their corpses up to Waikiki. This order was faithfully executed by Kekuamanoha; and it is said that the mournful chant which still exists in the Hawaiian anthology of a bygone age under the name of “Kahahana” was composed and chanted by his widow as the canoe was disappearing with her husband’s corpse down the Ewa lagoon on its way to Waikiki.
The cruel treachery practised on Kahahana and his sad fate, joined to the overbearing behaviour and rapacity of the invaders, created a revulsion of feeling in the Oahu chiefs, which culminated in a wide-spread conspiracy against Kahekili and the Maui chiefs who were distributed over the several districts of Oahu. Kahekili himself and a number of chiefs were at that time living at Kailua; Manonokauakapekulani, Kaiana, Namakeha, Nahiolea, Kalaniulumoku, and others, were quartered at Kaneohe and Heeia; Kalanikupule, Koalaukane, and Kekuamanoha were at Ewa, and Hueu was at Waialua.
The Oahu leaders of the conspiracy were Elani, the father of Kahahana, Pupuka and Makaioulu, above referred to, Konamanu, Kalakioonui, and a number of others. The plan was to kill the Maui chiefs on one and the same night in the different districts. Elani and his band were to kill the chiefs residing at Ewa; Makaioulu and Pupuka were to kill Kahekili and the chiefs at Kailua; Konamanu and Kalakioonui were to dispatch Hueu at Waialua. By some means the conspiracy became known to Kalanikupule, who hastened to inform his father, Kahekili, and the Maui chiefs at Kaneohe in time to defeat the object of the conspirators; but, through some cause now unknown, the messenger sent to advise Hueu, generally known as Kiko-Hueu, failed to arrive in time, and Hueu and all his retainers then living at Kaowakawaka, in Kawailoa, of the Waialua district, were killed. The conspiracy was known as the “Waipio Kimopo” (the Waipio assassination), having originated in Waipio, Ewa.
Fearfully did Kahekili avenge the death of Hueu on the revolted Oahu chiefs. Gathering his forces together, he overran the districts of Kona and Ewa, and a war of extermination ensued. Men, women, and children were killed without discrimination and without mercy. The streams of Makaho and Niuhelewai in Kona, and that of Hoaeae in Ewa, are said to have been literally choked with the corpses of the slain. The native Oahu aristocracy were almost entirely extirpated. It is related that one of the Maui chiefs, named Kalaikoa, caused the bones of the slain to be scraped and cleaned, and that the quantity collected was so great that he built a house for himself, the walls of which were laid up entirely of the skeletons of the slain. The skulls of Elani, Konamanu, and Kalakioonui adorned the portals of this horrible house. The house was called “Kauwalua,” and was situated at Lapakea in Moanalua, as one passes by the old upper road to Ewa. The site is still pointed out, but the bones have received burial.
The rebellion of the Oahu chiefs appears to have had its supporters even among the chiefs and followers of Kahekili. Kalaniulumoku, the son of Kamehamehanui and nephew of Kahekili, took the part of the Oahu chiefs, and was supported by Kaiana, [[291]]Namakeha, Nahiolea, and Kaneoneo,[9] the grandson of Peleioholani. Their struggle was unsuccessful, and only added to the long list of the illustrious slain. Kalaniulumoku was driven over the Pali of Olomana and killed; Kaneoneo was killed at Maunakapu, as one descends to Moanalua; Kaiana, Nahiolea, and Namakeha escaped to Kauai. A number of chiefesses of the highest rank—“Kapumoe”—were killed, mutilated, or otherwise severely afflicted. Kekelaokalani, the cousin of Kahahana’s mother and of Kahekili, made her escape to Kauai. As an instance of deep affection, of bitterness of feeling, and of supreme hope of return and revenge at some future day, it is said that she took with her when she fled some of the Oahu soil from Apuakehau, Kahaloa, Waialua, and Kupalaha at Waikiki, and deposited it at Hulaia, Kaulana, and Kane, on Kauai (pp. 217–227). [[292]]
[1] Helumoa was the name of this temple. [↑]
[2] They arrived on the evening of the day that the famous “Alapa” regiment of Kalaniopuu was annihilated by Kahekili, and joined in the next day’s general battle. [↑]
[3] Kahahawai was from Waihee, Maui. He was a special friend of Kahekili (an “Aikane”), and was the father of Keaholawaia and Haia. [↑]
[4] It is related by S. M. Kamakau, that when Kahekili heard of the defeat and death of Kiwalao, and that Kamehameha had assumed the sovereignty of the Kona, Kohala, and Hamakua districts on Hawaii, he then sent Alapai-maloiki and Kaulunae, two sons of Kumaa-iku (w) and half-brothers of Keeaumoku-papaiahiahi, to ask Kamehameha to assist him with some double canoes in his projected war against Kahahana, and that Kamehameha had refused, replying that when he had subdued the chiefs of Hilo and Kau he then would consider Kahekili’s request; and that when Keawemauhili, the chief of Hilo, heard of this refusal, he hastened to send some double canoes and other costly presents to Kahekili; and that this was the reason why Kahekili sent Kahahawai and some soldiers to assist Keawemauhili against Kamehameha. [↑]
[5] The legend relates that when Kaopulupulu saw his son set upon and pursued by Kahahana’s retainers, he called out to him, “I nui ke aho a moe i ke kai! No ke kai ka hoi ua aina.” This was one of those oracular utterances in which Hawaiian priests and prophets were as adept as any of their brethren in other lands. Its literal meaning is—“It is far better to sleep in the sea; for from the sea comes life, or the means of living.” Those who heard it and reported it found the fulfillment of the prophecy when Kahekili, coming over the sea from Maui, conquered Oahu and caused Kahahana to be slain. Others sought the fulfillment in the conquest of the group by Kamehameha coming from Hawaii; others found it in the arrival of the foreigners, coming over the ocean with new ideas, knowledge, and arts. [↑]
[6] Kekuamanoha was a son of Kekaulike, king of Maui, and his wife, Haalou. He was thus a half-brother to Kahekili. His son was the celebrated Kalaimoku, prime minister during the regency of Kaahumanu. His other son was Boki, at one time governor of Oahu.
Kaiana, also called Keawe-Kaiana-a-Ahuula, was the son of Ahuula-a-Keawe, who claimed Keawe of Hawaii as his father and Kaolohaka-a-Keawe as his brother. Kaiana’s mother was the famous Kaupekamoku, a granddaughter of Ahia (w) of the I family of Hilo, Hawaii. This was the same Kaiana who went to China in 1787 with Captain Meares, returned to Hawaii, and was finally killed in the battle of Nuuanu, 1796. His cousin, Kaiana Ukupe, the son of Kaolohaka, was the father of the late Kaikioewa, governor of Kauai.
Namakeha was son of the above-mentioned Kaupekamoku and Kanaluihoae, a brother or cousin of Kekaulike of Maui. In after-life Namakeha rebelled against Kamehameha I., and was slain in battle, 1796.
Nahiolea was another son of the same above-mentioned Kaupekamoku and Kuimiheua II., a cousin of Kekaulike of Maui. Nahiolea was father of the late M. Kekuanaoa, governor of Oahu, father of their late majesties Kamehameha IV. and V., and of her highness Ruth Keelikolani.
Kamohomoho is always called a brother of Kahekili in the native accounts, but I have been unable to learn who his mother was.
Kauhikoakoa was a son of Kauhiaimokuakama, the elder brother of Kahekili, who rebelled against his brother, Kamehamehanui, and was drowned after the battle near Lahaina. Kauhikoakoa’s mother was Luukia, of the Kaupo Koo family of chiefs.
Kalaninuiulumoku was the son of Kamehamehanui of Maui, and Kekumano (w), and thus a brother of Kalanihelemailuna, the grand-father of Hon. Mrs. Pauahi Bishop.
Peapea was another son of Kamehamehanui of Maui. He was subsequently killed at Hana by the explosion of a keg of gunpowder.
Manonokauakapekulani, also called Kahekilinuiahunu, was the son of Kahekili of Maui and Luahiwa, a daughter of Kekaulike of Maui and Kane-a-Lae (w).
Kalanikupule, son and successor of Kahekili of Maui. His mother was Kauwahine.
Koalaukane, another son of Kahekili and Kauwahine.
Kalaikoa, Hueu, and Kahu, unknown to me. [↑]
[7] Pupuka, an Oahu chief of considerable importance, was father of Inaina, the wife of Nahiolea, and mother of Kekuanaoa, late governor of Oahu. Tradition is silent on the descent and connections of the other heroes of this band. They and theirs were probably all exterminated, and not being maritally connected with the victorious side, no scions were left to chant their names. [↑]
[8] I have been unable to learn who this Alapai was, and of what family. [↑]
[9] In 1779 we have seen that Kaneoneo was on Kauai. He had been contending with his cousin Keawe for the supremacy of Niihau and the possession of the goats left there by Captain Cook, and he had been worsted in the contest. What brought him to Oahu, and what part he played there during those troublous times, is not well known. After the overthrow and death of Kahahana he probably returned to Oahu in the hope that the chapter of accidents might prepare a way for him to recover the throne that his father had lost. [↑]
A Lamentation for Kahahana.[1][2]
BY KALAWELA.[3]
| Thou and thy companion[4] have fled to Ewa, 1. | O pililua oe, o helelua i Ewa, 1. |
| Thou dids’t go and also my chief,[5] | O ka hele oe a ka’u lani, |
| Both fled hastily[6] in destitution— | O kaapikikolo olua ia lua mea— |
| Fled poverty-stricken[7] to the plain, | Omeamea wale ia iho i ke kula e, |
| To the solitude[8] in Kawailele. 5. | I ka oneanea i Kawailele. 5. |
| Lo! there was the sacred drum— | Nolaila ka! o Kahapuulono, o Kapaikaualulu— |
| The drum[9] in the temple of Kekeleaiku. | O ka pahu i loko o Kekeleaiku. |
| Thou art Hiolani,[10] the war-sounding bird[11] | O Hiolani oe, o ka pueo kani kaua |
| Of Halaulani at Hanapouli,[12] | No Halaulani i Hanapouli, |
| Through the torn hau,[13] seaward at Kupahu, 10. | No ka welu hau i ke kai, i Kupahu, 10. |
| There was Kalohai. | Nolaila ka o Kalohai. |
| Puanakau[14] was the month; | O Puanakau ka malama; |
| The month of Hikilei is quite certain. | O ka malama o Hikilei akaka lea, |
| Hionalele, Kamaka, Kemilia,[15] | O Hionalele, o Kamaka, o Kemilia, |
| Hikimauelemauele[16] his companion, 15. | O Hikimauelemauele kona lua e. 15. |
| They two borne upon the ocean, | Elua laua i ka moana e, |
| From the many harbors[17] of Puuloa, | Oia kai ke awalau o Puuloa, |
| On the chief’s canoe Kaiolohia.[18] | Iluna o Waakaiolohia lani. |
| Speak! the many paddles[19] bearing the chief | E i! lau hoe ia ana ka lani, |
| Who is upon the canoe platform.[20] 20. | Oia kai luna i ka pola waa e. 20. |
| Leahi[21] rises beautifully in the calm; | Kupu maikai Leahi i ka malie; |
| It is separated, it is cut asunder. | Iaea e ke kai, a moku okoa. |
| The people on the canoes thought a sea lay between, | Kuhi ka waa holo, he kai ko waena, |
| But there was no sea; it was deceiving, | Aole ka he kai; he hoopunipuni, |
| There was a joining indeed upland of Huewa. 25. | He pili ka no uka o Huewa. 25. |
| Scorched by the summer[22] sun | Ua ehu wale i ka la o Makalii |
| Is the brown grass of Mauuenaena, | Ke oho kukai o Mauuenaena, |
| Browned[23] by the sea of Kalehuawehe | I enaena i ke kai o Kalehuawehe |
| In the surf-riding villages[24] at Aiohi. | I na kulana heenalu i Aiohi. |
| Greeting![25] companions of the first winter’s surf, 30. | Aloha! na hoa o ka nalu mua kau, 30. |
| Uncertain[26] is the sea for the double canoe[27] | O kulana kai o ke kaulua e— |
| An endeared canoe[28] to the memory of Moholekinau, the chief. | He kaulua aloha keia e Moholekinau, ka lani. |
| O Laauli, O Lanikele, O Kamahukeleaola, | O Laauli, o Lanikele, o Kamahukeleaola, |
| The man of the pali[29] now enters Peapea; | O ke kanaka o ka pali komo i Peapea; |
| Enters the house[30] of braided coconut leaves; 35. | Komo i ka hale pea lau niu; 35. |
| The unthatched[31] house on the beach there thou dwellest. | Hale pili ole o ke kaha ke noho oe, |
| Whose is the right of residence, | Owai la ke kuleana o ka noho ana, |
| That you may be at ease[32] on this shore? | I nanea’i oe i ke kaha nei? |
| Kona [people] have gone;[33] Koolau has forsaken [you];[[293]] | Ua hele Kona; he ole Koolau;[[293]] |
| You are friendless[34] at that shore— 40. | Ua kuleana ole ua kaha la— 40. |
| That friendly shore[35] where you two are sleeping, | Ua kaha aloha la a olua e moe maila, |
| Benumbed[36] in the forbidden sea devoted to Keawe, | E kamaele kai kapu, laahia Keawe, |
| Thou with very dark chin, whose eyes are black;[37] | E ka auwae ele lua, i ele ka maka; |
| Friends[38] are they to the sacredness of the chief. | O ka makamaka ia o ke kapu o ke ’lii. |
| The chief is a flower, a flower not scattered[39] for the islands. 45. | He pua ka lani, he pua laha ole nei no na moku. 45. |
| Wonderful[40] is the chief of Oahu, | He kamahao ka lani na Oahu, |
| The chief rests comfortable[41] at Kona in the calm— | I walea ka lani i Kona, i ka lulu— |
| The perfect calm[42] of the heavy rain | I ka pohu wale o ka ua waahia, |
| Beating down the grass. | Ke halii maila i ke pili. |
| The resident laughs,[43] the surfs break 50. | Akaaka ke kupa, haki na nalu 50. |
| In the processions of Kauahui.[44] | I na huakai o Kauahui. |
| Thou art perhaps united[45] with him in sleep | I hui ia paha oe e moe mai la |
| Till the sickening wind abates, calmed by the Kaunulau.[46] | A manawaohua ka makani, pahola iho la Kaunulau. |
| Stop![47] let the canoe be roped, | E ku! e kaula ka waa, |
| A canoe rope fastened to the cliff, 55. | He waa huki kaula i ka pali. 55. |
| To the cliff, thou![48] to the salt pond! | I ka pali la oe! i ke alia! |
| To the maomao[49] [trees] at Kinimakalehua.[50] | I ka maomao la i Kinimakalehua. |
| Men[51] are dwelling in the wilderness | Noho ana kanaka i ka nahelehele |
| Until the soldier[52] becomes red— | A hiki moano ka lehua— |
| The soldier[53] stretched out in the sun. 60. | Ke koa i kau i ka la. 60. |
| Erect the haka[54] with the insignia of a high chief! | E kau ae i ka haka weloula lani! |
| Perhaps thou hast seen[55] [him] O rain, and thou sun! | Ua ike paha oe, e ka ua, e ka la! |
| This is the chief who lies here, | Ea ke lani e moe nei. |
| Lying naked,[56] without covering— | E loloaikulani wale ana, aohe kapa— |
| Sleeping in the rain of the winter. 65. | E moe wale ana i ka ua o hooilo. 65. |
| O thou chief of ill-looking face in the heavens[57] | E ka lani nui maka hakuma i ka lani. |
| Powerful is the chief that disregards the kapu | Makolukalanimakahakumaikekapu |
| Of the dark blue[58] of Lono, the ill-looking face in the heavens. | O ke kahiwa o Lono, ka hakuma lani. |
| The chief has gone, a soul without a body; | Ua hele uhane ka lani, aohe kino; |
| The chief has become a shriveled,[59] thin soul. 70. | Ua uhane ololi wale ka lani. 70. |
| The voice of the spirit calls to his companion in sleep, Alapai; | Ua hanehane ka leo, ke hea i kona hoa moe o Alapai; |
| Kepookukahauhanaokama.[60] | O Kepookukahauhanaokama. |
| A child indeed was he, a nurtured, fondled[61] child, | He kama la hoi ia, he kamalei, |
| He was his bosom companion, of the extreme end of the long pali[62] of Koolau.[[294]] | O kona hoa moe no ka ia, o ka pali welau loloa o Koolau.[[294]] |
| Koolau is also entitled to sympathy,[63] 75. | No Koolau hoi kekahi aloha, 75. |
| Ye traveling companions[64] with ti-leaf malos, | E ka huakai malo lauki, |
| Seen only during soft,[65] frequent rains, | Ike wale e ka ua haao, |
| That nourish the makahala,[66] | Ua hanai ka makahala; |
| That scattereth the budding[67] leaves of the lehua | Ke lu la i ka muo o ka lehua |
| Which salutes[68] thee, O Kalauli. 80. | I ui wale ae ia oe, e Kalauli. 80. |
| A small hog-bearing canoe[69] | He waa puaa Kahuoi |
| [Is] thy witness;[70] my director in the wilderness, | Kuu hoike, kuu hoikeike o ka nahele, |
| My guide in the deep ravines, | Kuu alakai o ka pali loa e. |
| Thou wast an inhabitant, but hast gone.[71] | Akahi o nohoia a hala aku la. |
| I thought[72] my chief had departed. 85. | Kai noa ua hala kuu lani. 85. |
| The koa-canoe bore him hence— | Ua lawe la koa waa— |
| Mahuka carried him away[73] to a place of safety, [there] perhaps he will live. | Ua ahai la o Mahuka i ke ola, ola la paha. |
| What is the offence of the man[74] | O ke aha la ka hala a ke kanaka |
| That he has grievously[75] done against that sea? | I hana ino ai ua kai la? |
| The sea that bears away the ako, and the ama! 90. | O ke kai lawe i ako, lawe ama e! 90. |
| Canoe floating[76] on its bosom by this means reached there; | Waa ua umauma, ke ala e hiki ai; |
| Landed shriveled,[77] weak and cold on that shore. | Pae maeele i ke ka honua e. |
| Finished is the fatigue;[78] compassion for you. | Kuu ka luhi, aloha ia oe. |
| The eyes of his friend were fixed upon him. | Kau mai ana ka maka hoaloha. |
| O my sacred girdle[79] of Liloa, 95. | E kuu kaai kapu au o Liloa e, 95. |
| The outside[80] girdle when Umi was king, | O ke kaai mawaho, o Umi he ’lii, |
| That is the offence for which his property was taken. | O ka hala ia kui papa mokumoku i ke au |
| He sits by the sea,[81] a resident by the ocean, the warrior, | Noho i ke kai, kamaaina aku la ka moana e; o ke koa-i-a-. |
| Lonokaeho[82] of projecting forehead. | O Lonokaeho lae wakawaka. |
| The red kapas of the two chiefs, 100. | O na kapa ula o na lani a elua e, 100. |
| You are two,[83] we are two; | Elua olua, elua maua; |
| Unite together[84] in the path [ye men] of Apua, | Paiha oukou i ke ala e Apua, |
| Revealed you by the risen sun of Waianae[85] | O ko kaina ala liu ka la o Waianae. |
| The gentle wind[86] loosens the leaves of the coconut, | Wehe ke kaiaulu i ke oho o ka niu, |
| It enters directly[87] into the house, 105. | Komo okoa iloko o ka hale, 105. |
| Grateful for warmth is the house, | Aloha ka hale i ka mehana e, |
| Chilled by the mountain breeze, sleeping in the cold— | Hai i ke hau, moe i ke anu— |
| In the cold waikaloa wind.[88] | I ka makani anu he waikaloa e. |
| Long[89] is the path on traveling it;[[295]] | Loa ke ala ke hele ia;[[295]] |
| [He] went astray[90] in the wilderness of Halemano, 110. | Hele hewa i ka nahele o Halemano, 110. |
| In the uplands of Wahiawa, far inland | I ka uka o Wahiawa, i ka uka lilo e |
| Where dwelt the clouds, there resting, | Noho i ka ao, noho ihola e, |
| Residing in quietness. | Nanea ka noho ana. |
| The wind whispers and gathers the clouds together— | Ia kuololo ololo pua i ka makani ke ao— |
| Whispers,[91] for the stream slumbers. Love be to the water! 115. | Ololo, ua nopa ke kahawai. Aloha ka wai! 115. |
| The cold water of the wilderness you two frequented, | A olua e hele’i i ka wai anu o ka nahele, |
| [Yea,] the mountain climbers are shivering with the cold. | Ua li wale i ke koekoe ka huakai hele pii mauna e. |
| . . . . . | . . . . . |
| The procession[92] is ascending the mountain | Ka huakai hele, hele pii mauna—e— |
| To that far distant[93] place, O chief![94] | Haele i ka uka lilo, e ka lani! |
| Reaching[95] for that tender bud[96] of heaven. 120. | Loua i kela muo o ka lani. 120. |
| The heaven[97] is perhaps revealing the chief | O ka lani hoikea ka mea paha ia nei |
| Sleeping | E moe ana |
| The sacred sleep of niolopua,[98] | I ka hiamoe kapu o niolopua. |
| He slept all day until night; | E moe ana a po ka la—e— |
| Through the night also. 125. | Po wale ho-i— 125. |
| Pierced[99] is my chief by the a’u. | Moku i ke a’u la kuu lani. |
| He has gone in the short path of Kanaloa, | I haele i ke ala muku a Kanaloa, |
| The length[100] of whose body is like that of Kana | O ka kino loa e like me Kana |
| Who fathomed[101] an indefinite length— | I anana ia a puehu ka loa— |
| That, indeed,[102] is the length of the chief. 130. | Hoi ha ka nui o ka lani—e—. 130. |
| There is perhaps not his like.[103] | Like ole paha. |
| Long time[104] the chief lay in the road, | I loa ka lani i moe i ke ala—e— |
| The chief lay motionless[105] in the dust, | Moe oni ole ka lani i ka ea—e— |
| That is the dust of Kanenuhonua,[106] | Oia ke ea na Kanenuhonua. |
| But he is concealed[107] in the sky of heaven; 135. | Huna aku la i ke aouli ka lani; 135. |
| Dim[108] were the eyes [in looking] for he had quite vanished. | Liua hoi ka maka i ka nalo loa. |
| Kiowaikaala[109] of Waianae, | Kiowaikaala no Waianae, |
| A fountain of Kalalau, upland | He poowai no Kalalau, i uka |
| Of Makanipalua, above at Haliala, | No Makanipalua, i ka luna i Haliala. |
| These are thy names.[110] 140. | Kou inoa. 140. |
| Alas! my companion[111] of Koolau, | Auwe! kuu hoa o ke Koolau |
| From the trade winds of Kailua[112] | Mai ka Malanai o Kailua—e— |
| Which constantly fan[113] the leaves of the uki; | Ke ahe wale la i ke oho o ke uki; |
| The beautifully cultivated plain of Alele,[114] | I ke kula puukaa la o Alele, |
| [And] the dark of the hau[115] [trees] untraversed, 145. | I ka pouli hau aoi hala, 145. |
| Constantly passed by[116] | Hala hoomau, |
| But never penetrated. | Hele loa e— |
| Thou hast scattered thy many bodies,[117] numerous, in the ocean; | Lu iho la i ko nui kino, oleoleo la i ka moana—e— |
| They are swimming.[[296]] | Au mai ana.[[296]] |
| The eye of friendship[118] was the cause of [his going to] death. 150. | Ka maka hoaloha ke kumu o ka po. 150. |
| He has founded the night—[119] | Hookumu ka po— |
| The bottomless pit is the foundation[120] of fear in the chief. | Ka po ka mole ka weli o ke alii. |
| Chief of the dark obscurity, the fearful night;[121] | Alii o poluluhi, poweliweli; |
| Heavy, saddening fear[122] is in the heavy chief, | Weliweli kaumaha i na lani hakoi, |
| Weighed down[123] under the greatness of his love. 155. | Hakoi o kona nui ko aloha—e— 155. |
| I am looking[124] around, desiring the sight [of my chief]. | Au wale ana au, he ake ka ike. |
| I do not see him,[125] he has forever disappeared, | E oe ike, ua nalo loa—e— |
| Made sacred in the sea[126] cut off by Kane, | Ua laa i ke kai okia a Kane, |
| There at Kuaihelani[127] he has gone. | Aia i Kuaihelani ka hele ana—e— |
| The beautiful red-cloud of heaven[128] is thy name. 160. | O ka onohi ula o ka lani ko inoa. 160. |
| Thou art a sacred child of Kaeha.[129] | Keiki kapu oe a Kaeha—e— |
| Ye two lay in the calm[130] [sea] of Kahaloa, | Elua olua i moe i ka lai o Kahaloa—e— |
| A resident[131] of the sea at Hauola, | He kamaaina no ke kai i Hauola, |
| A resident dwelling at the cape of Waiaula. | Kupa noho lae no Waiaula. |
| Kona greatly mourns[132] 165. | I uwe wale ae ia Kona—e— 165. |
| In the very long days[133] of summer, | I ka la loa wale o Makalii— |
| Bearing[134] the remnant of friendship [to the shores] below. | E lawe ana koena aloha ilalo. |
| Thus, even him,[135] thou hast carried to heaven. | Ia ka lani kau koliko lani, |
| Have compassion[136] on the child— | E uwe mai i ke keiki— |
| The companion whom thou namedest; 170. | I ko hoa i olelo ai; 170. |
| There declaring[137] at Lahonua, | I hai ai i o lahonua, |
| To sleep together[138] in the sea spray,[139] | E momoe pu i ke ehu kai—e— |
| One, [a] real chief has departed.[140] | Hookahi ka lani kaha aku nei. |
| The division, the land, both[141] | O ka moku, o ka aina, alua |
| Gone with the great[142] company but never [to] return. 175. | Hele i ka huakai, hoi ole—e— 175. |
| Heaven is the sacred fireplace of the chief— | O ka lani ke kapuahi kapu o ka lani— |
| The exalted chief[143] in the sea of Peapea and Kamanu. | O ke alii puolani i ke kai o Peapea a Kamanu. |
| Kaioea of Maui is the wizard[144] that hears unearthly sounds, | O Kaioea o Maui ka hookalakupua, |
| A wizard is the chief[145] for the island. | He kupua ka lani no ka moku e— |
| It is commonly said of my chief[146] 180. | Ke hakupehe ia nei kuu lani 180. |
| Palila[147] is from the night, | O Palila ko ka po. |
| [But] the chief is from the world of light.[148] | O ka lani ko ke ao. |
| It is disputed[149] the path he has gone. | Ua hoopaapaa ke alanui hele. |
| My chief is alive [or] he is dead [perhaps].[[297]] | I ke ola, i ka make o kuu lani.[[297]] |
| We together know[150] well 185. | Ua ike pu no kakou 185. |
| That the chief went at noon.[151] | I hele o ka lani i ke awakea. |
| He has perhaps followed[152] his wife. | I uhai i kana wahine—e— |
| Kona is become feeble,[153] feeble is Wailuku. | Halualua Kona, halua Wailuku. |
| That was the wife | O ka wahine ia |
| Beloved[154] by the chief that is dead. 190. | I aloha ai ka lani hahai e— 190. |
| The chief died[155] quietly, | Hele lolopio ai ka lani, |
| He was covered[156] with a coconut leaf; | A ui ia iho i ka niau; |
| He sleeps quietly:[157] | Moe malie e; |
| There is thy mother[158] for thy pleasure; for thy pleasure. | Aia ko makuahine i ko lealea; i ko lealea. |
| The chief has returned again[159] to the time of infancy when he was tossed in the arms. 195. | Hoi hou ka lani i ka wa kamalii ke hiia la. 195. |
| The chief Kaumakoa, the king, | O ka lani Kaumakoa, ke alii, |
| Changed his appearance and voice,[160] | I lole i kalole ka leo. |
| He sat with feminine modesty[161] only, | He pe he pa wale no ka noho, |
| A hermaphrodite perhaps from Honokawailani.[162] | He mahu paha no Honokawailani. |
| A chief possessor of land,[163] a chief by descent from kings,[164] 200. | He lani aimoku, he alii no ka moo, 200. |
| A chief that sees with his own eyes,[165] looked closely at the kapu. | O ke alii a ka maka i ike, i papu ke kapu. |
| The heavens are covered with fleecy, filmy clouds,[166] | Papu ka lani palamoa he inoa. |
| . . . . . | . . . . . |
| A distant sea,[167] a foamy sea is Kailua, | He kai mahamoe, kai moa Kailua e, |
| Fanned,[168] cooled by the gentle breeze. | O ka luhe la lula i ke kehau. |
| The hau[169] is the path, a narrow strip; 205. | He hau ke ala, he kumoena ololi; 205. |
| Go carefully[170] lest you fall dead in the sun, | E newa ai o hea make i ka la, |
| The god that dwells[171] on Kapolei hill. | Akua noho la i Puuokapolei. |
| The sun is wailing[172] on account of the women of Kamao, | E hanehane mai ana ka la i na wahine o Kamao, |
| A hiding god,[173] blossoming ohai[174] of the banks, | Akua pee, pua ohai o ke kaha, |
| Contented[175] among the stones— 210. | I walea wale i ke a— 210. |
| Among the breadfruit[176] planted by Kahai. | I ka ulu kanu a Kahai. |
| Thou wast spoken of by the oo—[177] | Haina oe e ka oo— |
| By the bird[178] of Kanehili. | E ka manu o Kanehili. |
| My chief also was seen[179] | I kea ae la hoi kuu lani |
| Above the dense Kanalio fog[180] by the bird— 215. | Iluna ka ohu Kanalio a ka manu e— 215. |
| That bird[181] dazed by smoke, | Kela manu haule wale i kauwahi, |
| Falling to the ground is caught[182] by men. | I hapapa i loaa i ke kanaka. |
| The bird scents[183] the sea spray, | Honi i ka manu hunakai o kai, |
| There indeed by the sea is my chief, | Aia ka i kai kuu lani; |
| On a very sacred day,[184] at the sacred altar, 220. | I ka la la hoano i ka lele kai, 220. |
| A god that raises up the sea[185] at Oneula. | Akua hoea kai la i Oneula. |
| His traveling companions were indifferent[186] about accompanying him. | Ua molowa wale na hoa haele. |
| Faint hearted[187] they forsook him; the chief lived alone. | Ua pauaho, ua haalele; ua noho hookahi o ka lani e, |
| Unsafe[188] upon the height of the pali is the path—[[298]] | Kamau i ka lau o ka pali ke ala—[[298]] |
| A wooden bridge[189] is the path 225. | Ala holopapa laau i alanui, 225. |
| To the landing for canoes[190] of Hamakua | I awa no ka waa o Hamakua |
| To ascend and lie quietly above, | E pii ai a waiho aku iluna, |
| Even the canoe of Kuileiakamokala.[191] | I ka waa o Kuileiakamokala. |
| Long since[192] my lord has been gone; | E kala i hele ai o ka lani; |
| The eye twinkled;[193] he was gone. 230. | Imo aku la ka maka, nalo aku la—e. 230. |
| Burst forth O Uli—[194] | Lele Uli e— |
| Burst the waters— | Lele wai e— |
| To query; to question; water? water? | He ui, he ui, he wai, he wai? |
| Drinking water is the water of Laka, | He wai inu he wai no Laka, |
| Laka indeed was his name. 235. | O Laka ka hoi kona inoa. 235. |
| When the chief suddenly died,[195] | I kaili aina ai ka lani, |
| He marked in the forbidden sand[196] of Kaha, | Ooki i ke one kapu o Kaha e— |
| The place trodden alone by my lord. | I kahi hele hookahi a kuu lani. |
| Dark[197] was the rain; the dark cloud burst over the forest; | Pouli ka ua; moku pawa i ka nahele; |
| Heedlessly[198] the rain fell upon the pandanus, 240. | Lele hoopoo ae la ka ua iluna i ka hala, 240. |
| Upon the heads[199] of the pandanus was the rain of Hanau. | I ke poo o ka hala ua o Hanau. |
| The speaking god[200] brought forth— | Hanau mai ke Akua olelo— |
| The chiding god[201] carrying his sleeping victim away | Akua pahulu hohe hoha mai ana |
| To the sea-beach;[202] to the shore of Kama. | E kaha aku nei; i ke kaha aku nei o Kama, |
| Kama of the wreath of Moopuali,[203] 245. | O Kama o ka lei o Moopuali, 245. |
| Chief[204] of the high swelling seas, | O ke alii o ke kai ahua moku, |
| Even the land of Maakaina.[205] | O ka moku o Maakaina. |
| Thou the younger brother,[206] the elder that of the chief. |
I kaina oe, i kaikuaana kela O ka lani. |
| There is knowledge, knowledge indeed,[207] 250. | Ilaila no ka ike la, ike iho, 250. |
| There is righteousness, righteousness indeed, | Ilaila no ka pono la, pono iho, |
| My constant companions[208] [now] disappeared, | O’u mau kaikunane hoomau hele loa, |
| Where have they two[209] gone? | Aia la laua ihea? |
| The district is being fanned,[210] it is lulled by the calms, | Kaia na ke kalana e luhe ana e ka malie. |
| Till the arch[211] of the canoe appears. 255. | A pua ia kae ka pona waa. 255. |
| Adjusted is the pali,[212] made smooth by the sun, | Hooponopono ka pali, niania ka la, |
| The wind has abated[213] again at Laiewaha. | Hoi koana ka makani i Laiewaha. |
| The child seizes and enjoys the calm,[214] | Hoowaha keiki waha i ka pohu, |
| Very calm is Kona. | Pohu loa Kona—e— |
| The calm stretches not[215] to Kauna,[216] 260. | A ai pili ka pohu a Kauna, 260. |
| It is overcome[217] by the winds of Kau. | A oi na i ka makani o Kau. |
| Kahaanaweli troubles[218] as with a storm. | Ke haaino mai la Kahaanaweli. |
| Fearful[219] is the storm[220] of Pele’s hills at Piliwale, | Weliweli ka ino o na Puuapele i Piliwale, |
| Which was brought to me and left outside[221] the house.[[299]] | I halihali mai ka ia’u a waho kahua haalele.[[299]] |
| He left for his fear[222] of the stones, 265. | I haalele i makaulia i ke a, 265. |
| The sharp-edged[223] stones of the spear— | I ke a lau maka ihe— |
| A spear, the east wind,[224] a child of Kau, | He ihe, ke ae, he keiki na Kau, |
| It scares[225] him; | Ke hooweliweli mai la iaia; |
| He is now afraid of the wind. | Akahi no ka makau i ka makani. |
| I am returning[226] in the calm, 270. | E hoi ana no au i ka malino, 270. |
| In the calm, smooth, placid[227] sea, | I ka pawapawa ahaaha o nikiniki, |
| Reached[228] after like something inland— | I naoa no me he mea no uka la— |
| The faint track[229] of a canoe when it goes on the sea. | Ka maawe ala a ka waa e hele nei o ke kai. |
| In the sea plant the koi,[230] the pandanus, the lehua; | O ke kai kanu koa, kanu hala, kanu lehua, |
| The lehua, the noni blossoms in the sea; 275. | He lehua, ka noni, ke pua la i ke kai; 275. |
| The sea is quite red with them. | I ke kai ula loa e—. |
| It is a great distance[231] to Kawaihae. | Lolohili no a Kawaihae. |
| Reaching Kawaihae[232] the baggage is [found] broken, | A Kawaihae hae na ukana, |
| Reduce[233] the baggage of the travelers, | Hana liilii ka ukana a ka huakai. |
| If the company are slow[234] it will be hot; 280. | I hakalia ilaila hiki ka la; 280. |
| Sleep early[235] in the plain of Moolau in Puuhuna. | Moe koke no i ke kula o Moolau i Puuhuna. |
| The blossom of the Koaie[236] at Waika; at Waika is it. | Ka puu o Koaie i Waika; i Waika ia—e— |
| Strike off the dew,[237] the daily moisture, | Kaha i ka hau, ka wai a ka la, |
| Very high[238] is the sun upon the highland of Kaipuhaa. | He la makili loa ka uka o Kaipuhaa. |
| The winds dance,[239] strike and fight together, 285. | Haa na makani, pa e paio nei, 285. |
| Battling[240] in the presence of Makanipalua. | Paio i ke alo o Makanipalua. |
| There is no second[241] to the goodness of Kohala, | A oi lua ka maikai o Kohala, |
| That is beaten[242] by the Apaa wind. | I kuipeia e ka makani Apaa. |
| The oven brush-wood[243] of the taro-patch banks, | Ka laolao imu nahele kuakua loi, |
| The easily-broken bordering[244] white cane of Kehei, 290. | Ka pae ko kea upepe o Kehei—e— 290. |
| From the outside[245] of Kohala to the inside, | Mai Kohala waho no a Kohala loko, |
| Call to me[246] thou who art there inside, | E hea mai oe ia’u maloko na, |
| Here is the hill[247] (of difficulty) without here, the cold. | Eia ka puu o waho nei, he anu. |
NOTES ON A LAMENTATION FOR KAHAHANA.
[These notes on the Kahahana Mele are based largely upon those of Judge Andrews, found with the original MS. in his study thereof for its translation, and though more applicable to the original version than the translation, they nevertheless throw much light on ancient Hawaiian thought and practice. It may seem presumptuous to attempt the alteration of so eminent a scholar’s work, and is, in some parts, done with reluctance, yet a careful examination called for revision in places to modify admitted [[300]]obscurities in his notes, which would doubtless have been done by himself had he prepared it for publication.—Ed.]. [[292]]
[1] Kahahana, king of Oahu, was contemporary with Kahekili on Maui; he was beaten in battle by Kahekili and fled to the mountains, and was subsequently slain by his brother-in-law, Kumanoha, known also as Kekuamanoha. [↑]
[2] For notes and comments see pages 300–306. [↑]
[3] The author is supposed to voice the widow’s lament as she sees the bodies of her murdered lord and his companion, Alapai, borne out on the canoe upon the lochs of Puuloa, on its way to Waikiki for their sacrifice. [↑]
[4] Pililua oe, you and your friend, you are one of two: O helelua, you two have gone together to Ewa. [↑]
[5] A ka’u lani; lani, chief; also my chief. [↑]
[6] O Kaapikikikolo, Kaawilikolo, to snatch up what comes to hand when one hurriedly flees from a pursuer. Olua ia lua mea; a phrase signifying no property, only their persons. [↑]
[7] Omeamea wale, a repetition of the familiar phrase signifying utter destitution, poverty, a forlorn state. [↑]
[8] I ka oneanea, to the solitude in Kawailele, a place in Ewa. [↑]
[9] Two names, Kahapuulono and Kapaikaualulu, are given for the drum in the temple of Kekeleaiku. [↑]
[10] Hiolani, name given Kahahana because he was a fallen chief; hio, decline, fall over; lani, a chief. [↑]
[11] Ka pueo kani kaua; oe understood, thou art the bird (pueo, owl) that sings of war. [↑]
[12] The names used here seem to imply a mental and physical condition rather than a locality. [↑]
[13] No ka welu hau, on account of the clumps of hau (a bush, Paritium tiliaceum), at Kupahu, there was Kahana (Kalohai). [↑]
[14] Puanakau, a term signifying an uncertain or approximate month in which Kahahana died, but shown as certain in the next line. [↑]
[15] Hionalele, etc., names of Kahahana. [↑]
[16] Hikimauelemauele, name of his companion (kona lua). [↑]
[17] Oia kai, i.e., that sea, near Ewa; ke awalau, many harbors; numerous entrances into the bay full of islands. [↑]
[18] Name of the canoe formerly belonging to Kahahana. [↑]
[19] E i! lau hoe ia ana ka lani, speak, he shall speak; lau a multitude; hoe, the paddles as the paddling multitude of men, sovereigns of the chief. [↑]
[20] Oia, he, Kahahana, is upon the pola, the deck of a double canoe. [↑]
[21] Leahi, serene in the calm, lends itself to the deceptive appearance at times of being separated by sea from the main land. [↑]
[22] The grass, land, etc., are brown by the summer sun. Makalii is the name of a single month, it applies to the hottest; it is also the name of a whole season of six months. Ke oho, grass likened to the hair; kukai, dipped frequently in the sea. It is said that persons made their hair brown by frequent bathing in the sea. Here ke oho kukai is the brown grass of Mauuenaena, a plain east of Waikiki. [↑]
[23] I enaena, that is burned, scorched, by the sea of Kalehuawehe, the name of the Waikiki surf at certain seasons. [↑]
[24] Aiohi, ancient name of that part of Waikiki, about the Kapiolani park entrance. [↑]
[25] Aloha na hoa, exclamation of the poet, compassion for the companions of the first surf of the season; when winter sets in, the highest surfs begin to dash upon the shore, these were called “ka nalu mua kau,” the first season surfs, and were very high. [↑]
[26] Kulana kai, the state of the sea in the winter months, uncertain, some high, some calm. [↑]
[27] Kaulua has been dealt with erroneously in the original translation as a wintry month, a month to be remembered, etc. Kaulua is given as the fourth summer month, therefore its other meaning of a double canoe, which in its use as bearing the body of the dead chief, shown in the context, seems to better fit the case. [↑]
[28] He kaulua aloha, “an endeared canoe to the memory of Moholekinau” (an epithet of Kahahana), the chief. [↑]
[29] The man of the pali who had secreted himself enters Peapea, name of a land of Kahekili, affording a play on words. [↑]
[30] Hale pea lau niu, house made of coconut leaves; pea, leaves crossed as in braiding coconut leaves into a lanai cover. [↑]
[31] Hale pili ole, house unthatched, o ke kaha, on the sea-beach, ke noho oe, there thou dwellest. [↑]
[32] I nanea ai oe, that you may be at ease, comfortable on this shore. [↑]
[33] Ua hele Kona, the people of Kona have gone; those of Koolau have forsaken you. [↑]
[34] Ua kuleana ole, etc., your rights at that shore are rejected. [↑]
[35] Ua kaha aloha la; that friendly shore where you two are sleeping is shown by the context to be death’s shore. [↑]
[36] E kamaele kai kapu, thou like one benumbed in the forbidden sea; laahia keawe is somewhat obscure. [↑]
[37] E ka auwae ele lua, thou with a chin very dark, “lua,” poetic for “loa” ad interim; i ele ka maka, whose eyes also are black. [↑]
[38] O ke kapu o ke alii, that is what is sacred to the chief or to which he has a right. It is said that black was a distinguishing mark of Kahekili and all his attendants and followers, hence, any such distinguishing mark on Kahahana, whether birthmark or tatooing, designated him as sacred to Kahekili. [↑]
[39] He pua laha ole nei no na moku, a flower not scattered or intended for the islands. [↑]
[40] Kamahao, wonderful the fate of Oahu’s chief. [↑]
[41] I walea, comfortable, easy, is the chief at Kona, i ka lulu, on account of the quietness. [↑]
[42] I ka pohu wale, by the perfect calm o ka ua, i.e., the calm that often attends a waahia (waahila) shower. [↑]
[43] Akaaka ke kupa, the resident laughs—a poetic idea this. Haki na nalu, the surfs break. [↑]
[44] Huakai, the ridge of white foam on the top of a surf when it breaks, hence the white foaming surfs of Kauahui. [↑]
[45] I hui ia paha oe, thou (i.e., Kahahana) art united, perhaps; e moe mai la, he will sleep with you. [↑]
[46] A manawaohua, the sickness of dogs when they refuse all food except grass and leaves—applies to people when they have no appetite—i ka makani. Kahahana even loathed the breezes that fanned him. Pahola, mahola, the motion of the hands in spreading a cloth or kapa, hence the blowing of the Kaunulau wind which was to neutralize that which made Kahahana sick. [↑]
[47] E ku, let down the stone as an anchor, that the canoe be roped, i.e., fastened. [↑]
[48] I ka pali la oe; to the cliff, thou; to the salt plain; a directing command, with what follows, of the course of a departing soul. Alia—a salt pond—on Oahu, was the place where the souls of the dead were supposed to descend to the nether world. [↑]
[49] Kinimakalehua at the Maomao trees was one of the places where Kahahana hid himself. This is probably the same as mao (Gossypium tomentosum). [↑]
[50] Kinimakalehua was a small headland between Kahauiki and Leina a ka Uhane, a place where in former times the priests prayed and made offerings to the gods for the reception of the spirits before they leaped into Sheol. [↑]
[51] Kahahana and friends are here called kanaka. [↑]
[52] A hiki moano ka lehua. Moano, a pale red color until the lehua (soldier) becomes red, i.e., until they (Kahahana and his friend) should die. [↑]
[53] Ke koa i kau i ka la, the soldier (Kahahana) should be stretched out dead. [↑]
[54] E kau ae i ka haka, erect the haka having the ensign, weloula, of a chief. A very high haka or a noble kapa or mat used in ceremonies of the chiefs is weloula. The poet here says to Kahahana to prepare the funeral ceremonies worthy of a chief (or yourself). [↑]
[55] Ua ike paha oe, perhaps thou hast seen, O rain and sun, that this is the chief who lies here, naked. [↑]
[56] E loloaikulani, to lie naked without covering, a word used only in poetry, now obsolete; aohe kapa, explanatory of loloaikulani. [↑]
[57] Kalaninuimakahakumaikalani, a name of Kahahana that may be rendered by separate words. Hakuma is an epithet of ill-looking, angry countenance, applied to clouds when they threaten a storm. The prefix “makolu” intensifies this thought as thick, heavy, ominous. [↑]
[58] Hakiwa o Lono, etc. Hakiwa is the dark blue when the sky and sea or land meet—now seldom used. It does not mean the sky overhead, nor does it apply to the clouds; Lono, an ancient god, the meeting of sky and ocean of Lono, that is the hakuma of heaven. [↑]
[59] Ua uhane ololi, the chief has become a shrivelled, thin soul, a ghost. Ua hanehane ka leo, etc.—The Hawaiians supposed that near a burying ground, or where there were many dead bodies from a battle or other causes, there, or near there, the uhanes or ghosts met and wailed and talked; hanehane signifies this conference, hence it sometimes signifies low conversation or whispering, meaning the voice of the spirit calls to his companion in sleep, Alapai; ke hea for the present tense, for Alapai was slain with him, he was his aikane, intimate friend. [↑]
[61] He kama, a child, ia hoi la, indeed was he; he kamalei, a nurtured, fondled child. Lei is what is worn as an ornament of the neck, hence, what is greatly beloved, a child hugged to the bosom is a kamalei. [↑]
[62] Ka pali welau o Koolau, the extreme end of the long pali of Koolau. Alapai was from that place and joined Kahahana when he heard of his misfortunes. [↑]
[63] His district is also entitled to sympathy in the depth of this bosom companion. The notes had it “Koolau is also greatly to be pitied,” which hardly seems deep enough. [↑]
[64] Huakai malo lau ki; procession of ti-leaf malo wearers. The people of Koolau on account of the rain often exchanged their valuable kapas and malos for covering made of ti-leaves. [↑]
[65] Ua haao, a soft frequent rain upon the mountains of Koolau. [↑]
[66] Ua hanai, etc., thou, i.e., the rain thou feedest, nourishest the makahala, a plant growing only at Nuuanu. [↑]
[67] Ke lu la, thou scatterest the first leaves, muo, new leaves as the coconut. [↑]
[68] I ui wale ia oe; “ui” to salute, to pity, have affection for, which salute thee, O Kalauli, i.e., Kahahana. [↑]
[69] Kahuoi has a small canoe, that will carry or contains a hog, hence a small canoe. [↑]
[70] Kuu hoike, etc., this, as preceding, is the language of Alapai to Kahahana: thou art or hast been my director in the wilderness. [↑]
[71] Akahi o nohoia, just now thou wast an inhabitant here, but thou hast gone. This is the end of Alapai’s speech. [↑]
[72] Kai noa, etc., expression of the poet, who thought his chief had gone to Kauai. [↑]
[73] Ua ahai, to carry away; Mahuka has carried him “i ke ola,” to a place of safety, ola la paha, there perhaps he will live. Mahuka an ancient journeyer of Oahu, from some secret going of his, it has now become an epithet, hele mahuka, i.e., to run away. [↑]
[74] What is the man’s offence, i.e., Kahahana’s. [↑]
[75] I hana ino ai, that he has grievously done against that sea? i.e., between Oahu and Kauai; the sea that bears away the ako and the ama, that is, it is broken to pieces. [↑]
[76] Waa au, etc., canoe swimming on its bosom, that is floating in pieces. Ke ala e hiki ai, in this path, in this manner it got ashore. [↑]
[77] Pae maele, that is, Kahahana and companion landed, shriveled, cold and weak, this is the meaning of maele. I ke ka honua signifies simply the shore for kaha honua, perhaps, or a poetic embellishment. [↑]
[78] Kuu ka luhi, loosed, finished, etc., the fatigue, compassion for you—the people of Oahu. He set out to go to Kauai, but the canoe being broken he was driven back and cast upon the shore of Oahu. [↑]
[79] E kuu kaai kapu, O my sacred belt, kaai, same as kaei, the girdles of the chiefs were sacred. Liloa, a chief of ancient time on Hawaii. [↑]
[80] The outer girdle, etc., i ka hala ia, that is his offence, his affliction perhaps; kui papa, etc., “break the board” seems to be an expression applied to the stripping of a chief or a man of all his property, honor, etc., i ke au for aupuni. [↑]
[81] Noho i kai, he sits in solitude by the sea; Kamaaina aku la ka moana, i.e., i or ma understood; he, the warrior, sits a resident by the ocean. [↑]
[82] Lonokaeho, an ancient warrior having the body of a common man but very strong; his epithet “lae wakawaka” was because he had a forehead projecting very much like a general’s hat and so also behind, with their projections he whacked about in front and rear and laid men sprawling wherever he went. [↑]
[83] Elua olua, you are two; elua maua, we are two; that is, the poet and the wife of Kahahana. [↑]
[84] Paiha, to unite as several persons for travel, unite together in the path ye men of Apua, place where Kahahana died. [↑]
[85] O ko kaina ala, referring to their shadowed path revealed by the sun of Waianae. [↑]
[86] Kaiaulu, name of the pleasant sea-breeze at Waianae. At Maui the same breeze is called “aa,” at Kona, Hawaii, it is called “eka.” Ke oho o ka niu, the leaves (hairs) of the coconut. [↑]
[87] Komo okoa, the gentle wind enters wholly into the house which is grateful for its warmth, overcoming the chill of the mountain breeze which sleeps in the cold. [↑]
[88] I ka makani anu, in the cold wind, he waikaloa, the name of the cold wind. [↑]
[89] Loa, etc., long is the path to the traveler. [↑]
[90] Hele hewa, i.e., Kahahana went astray, wandering in the Halemano shrubbery of upper Wahiawa. [↑]
[91] The poet here pictures the whispering wind and gathering clouds acting in sympathy lest the slumbering stream be awakened. [↑]
[92] Ka huakai hele, etc., the caravan is ascending. [↑]
[93] Uka lio,—lio, any place at a great distance off; among the forest trees; also the place where the stars are placed in the horizon. [↑]
[94] E ke alii, the poet speaks to the chief Kahahana or his departed spirit. [↑]
[95] Lou, the instrument (a long pole with fixture at the end) for reaching and picking breadfruit; loua, is the action of picking breadfruit with that instrument. [↑]
[96] Muo, the tender leaf-bud; Kahahana is called the tender bud of heaven, and death has plucked him; loua, for louia. [↑]
[97] Ka lani hoikea, the chief is exhibited; ka mea paha ia nei, this is what has just been done. [↑]
[98] Ka hiamoe kapu, etc., the sacred or forbidden sleep of niolopua, name of a sleep. Kumahana, the Oahu chief immediately preceding Kahahana, was famous for his sleeping; when the people and lower chiefs came with food or presents, he was always asleep, the people called his sleeping “niolopua he kapu,” because everything belonging to the high chief was kapu, and such sleeping was peculiar to him,—niolo, a nodding blossom, who slept throughout the day. [↑]
[99] Moku i ke a’u, etc., torn, rent, “pierced is my chief by the a’u,” i.e., a large fish with a horn like the swordfish, which kills men. [↑]
[100] Ko kino loa—ko, genitive case, the length of whose body is like that of Kana. [↑]
[101] I anana ia, who was a fathom long, i.e., Kahahana, a puehu ka loa, and more too; puehu is some indefinite measure, above, a larger one. If one measures a fathom, or a yard, and some is over, they say he anana a puehu, meaning there is some over. [↑]
[102] Hoi ha, he oiaio, that indeed is the truth, even so, that is the length of the chief, i.e., of Kahahana. [↑]
[103] Like ole paha, or aole ona mea like, there is not his like. [↑]
[104] I loa ka lani, long time the chief, i moe i ke ala, lay in the road, that is, his dead body lay unburied. [↑]
[105] Moe oni ole ka lani, the chief lay without moving in the ea, dust, earth pulverized. [↑]
[106] Oia ke ea, that is, the dust of Kanenuhonua, an ancient chief of Ewa; thus Kahahana is said to lie in the dust of Kanenuhonua because the land mostly belonged to him. [↑]
[107] Huna aku la, hidden, concealed in the sky of heaven, i.e., his soul, while his body was defiled in the dust. [↑]
[108] “Liua” is said when a person has lost a thing and he looks about, here and there, while the thing itself lies all the while nearby; second, liua is when a person in diving under water by some means fills his mouth and eyes full of water, so for a time, he sees things indistinctly; the latter applies here, liua hoi ka maka, dim were the eyes in looking i ka nalo loa, for he was quite vanished. [↑]
[109] Kiowaikaala, name of a pond at Waianae, located in following lines. A poowai; fountain or source upland at Kalalau. [↑]
[110] Kou inoa, these are thy names from some supposed resemblance or excellency probably. [↑]
[111] Auwe kuu hoa, Alas! My companion; this is the language of the poet; the article “ke” before Koolau is an anomaly unless it here becomes a part of the name or has some other signification. [↑]
[112] Malanai, name of the trade-winds of or at Kailua. [↑]
[113] Ke ahe wale, etc., ahe, to fan like peahi, which constantly fans the leaves (oho) of the uki, a plant resembling bulrushes; grows only on Oahu. [↑]
[114] Kula puukaa la, beautifully cultivated plain (of) Alele, seaward at Kailua, to the northeast of Kaneohe. [↑]
[115] Ka pouli hau, the dark of the hau (trees inferred) i.e., the dark green of those trees; aoi for aole i hala, not traveled through, passed over. [↑]
[116] Hala hoomau, constantly passed by—hele loa, they, the winds, pass along by the side but never go through the thicket of the hau. [↑]
[117] Lu iho la, etc., thou hast scattered thy many bodies, oleoleo (numerous) i ka moana, in the ocean. The poet supposed that Kahahana had many bodies. [↑]
[118] Ka maka hoaloha, the eye of friendship, ke kumu, the cause, o ka po, of his going to death; this is a beautiful line but the meaning is obscure. [↑]
[119] Hookumu ka po—is understood; on account of his going to death, he had founded the night. [↑]
[120] Ka po ka mole, etc., the bottomless pit is upon the foundation; ka weli, the sprouts, shoots of the chief, meaning “ka po” is the place where the chief has taken up his everlasting abode. [↑]
[121] Poluluhi, dark obscurity; poweliweli, place where people are afraid to go on account of darkness, ghosts, etc. [↑]
[122] Weliweli hakoi, heavy, saddening fear; lani hakoi, the heavy chief, hakoi, koikoi, heavy as in weight; weighed down as one carrying a heavy load. [↑]
[123] Hakoi o kona nui ko aloha, weighed down, staggers under the greatness of his love. [↑]
[124] Au wale ana au, etc., “au” to look around over a crowd or multitude sitting together; looking over the concourse; he aka ka ike, desiring the sight, i.e., I desire to see [my chief], language of the poet. [↑]
[125] E oe ike, e oe for aole, not see, i.e., I do not see thee, ua nalo loa. [↑]
[126] Ua laa i ke kai, he is sacred to the sea, devoted first; okia a Kane, “okia” for “oki ia e,” cut off by Kane. [↑]
[127] Aia i Kuaihelani, etc., there at Kuaihelani he has gone. This was an imaginary place away beyond Kauai, in some distant unknown region. [↑]
[128] O ka onohi, is the eyeball; onohi ula is the appearance of the clouds shone upon by the sun and are red, a beautiful red cloud, hence the rendition of the line as given. [↑]
[129] Kaeha, an ancient personage to whom Kahahana is assigned sacred relationship. [↑]
[130] Elua olua, ye two, i.e., Kahahana and Alapai, his friend, lay in the calm [sea] of Kahaloa, a place at Waikiki. [↑]
[131] Kamaaina, a resident, as is also kupa, but the latter has the deeper meaning of one born to a place as against one from elsewhere. [↑]
[132] I uwe wale ae ia; he, i.e., Kahahana is greatly beloved by the people of Kona. [↑]
[133] La loa, o Makalii the summer season with its long days. [↑]
[134] E lawe ana, bearing away, i.e., the days, a reflection of the poet who was a friend of Kahahana; Koena aloha ilalo, carrying the remnant of friendship (lost friend) to the shores below; “Koena aloha” for “i ke koena o ke aloha.” [↑]
[135] I ka lani, even him, Kahahana, to heaven. “Ia” is in apposition with “koena” perhaps the accusative; thus, even him, thou hast carried to heaven, (kau koliko lani); placed on high, in the darkness, obscurity of heaven. Koliko, signifies after the sun has set and darkness begins to come on. [↑]
[136] E uwe mai, have compassion; i ke keiki, on the child. The poet perhaps calls upon Kahahana to favor him as his child. [↑]
[137] I hai, etc., mentioned, synonymous with olelo i o lahonua. This word signifies the time of distress and difficulty from which one is afterward delivered; here it refers to a proclaimed prophecy which had come to pass. [↑]
[138] E momoe pu, that is, Kahahana and the child spoken of above. [↑]
[139] I ke ahu kai (sea spray), the place between the breaking of the surf and shore. [↑]
[140] Hookahi ka lani, one is the chief, i.e., one real chief kaha aku nei, has gone, departed; kaha, like hele, to depart, go away. [↑]
[141] O ka moku, o ka aina, synonymous terms, the division, the land is the second, i.e., all parts. [↑]
[142] Hele, gone or traveled with a (huakai) large company, or procession; hoi ole, but return no more. [↑]
[143] Ke alii puolani, the exalted chief: puo signifies the action of two waves or opposite surfs when they meet the water as its progress is stopped both ways ascending suddenly; hence to raise, to be exalted, renowned; lani, here, as often in other places, a mere expletive of intensity; sea of Peapea and Kamanu, places not now known. [↑]
[144] Ka hookalakupua, the wizard, a person that hears unearthly sounds. [↑]
[145] He kupua ka lani, a wizard is the chief [Kahahana] no ka moku, for the island, i.e., of Oahu. [↑]
[146] Ke hakupehe, “haku” put together as words, “pehe” hesitatingly; ie nei kuu lani, “i” or “no” is understood or kuu lani may be the nominative, this my chief is commonly reputed here. [↑]
[147] Palila belongs to age, “po.” He is fabled to be a very ancient man famous for eating bananas; he was from darkness. [↑]
[148] O ka lani ko ke ao, but the chief [Kahahana] is from the world of light. [↑]
[149] Ua hoopapa, it is disputed [by men]; he alanui hele, the path he has gone, i.e., some said he was dead, some said he was not. [↑]
[150] Ua ike, etc., we together know well. [↑]
[151] I hele o ka lani, that the chief went at noon (awakea), i.e., openly, no secrecy. [↑]
[152] I uhai paha; uhai, hahai, he has followed perhaps kana wahine, his wife or probably another wife who died previously. This, or his surviving wife became the wife of Kahekili who conquered him. [↑]
[153] Halualua, to become feeble [from the loss of Kahahana]; halua is the wrinkling of the skin, becoming flabby on account of old age. [↑]
[154] I aloha ai, the wife referred to, beloved by ka lani hahai, the chief that is dead; “hahai” being thus used figuratively. [↑]
[155] Hele lolopio ai ka lani; hele is another term for die, as we say he is gone, meaning he is dead. Lolopio is the straightening out of the limbs of a person as soon as dead, or when a person dies calmly and easily so that it is surely known when he is dead. No contraction of face or other muscles is hele lolopio, meaning, went off quietly. [↑]
[156] Ui, poetical for uhi, covered; ka niau, the coconut leaf. The ancient custom of laying out chiefs was to lay the body in a sort of mat made of coconut leaves instead of a coffin. [↑]
[157] Moe malie, sleeps quietly, applied to an infant. [↑]
[158] Aia ko makuahine, there is thy mother i ko lealea, for thy pleasure, etc.,—repeated, that is, he sleeps quietly as when his mother soothed him to sleep. [↑]
[159] Hoi hou, the chief has returned again to the time when he was tended, (hiia for hiiia), tossed in the arms was the chief Kaumakoa, the king. [↑]
[160] Kalole ka leo, lole to change the appearance of a thing, form, etc., he changed his voice. [↑]
[161] He pe he pa have the same meaning and signify the modest sitting of females on the mat in distinction from the men, as they wore but the pa-u. To sit “pe” was to double up the lower part of the leg so as to conceal as much as possible under the pa-u and the upper part of the leg. [↑]
[162] He mahu, paha, a hermaphrodite perhaps of Honokawailani. They supposed all such were from that place, but where it was no one knows. [↑]
[163] He lani aimoku; a chief possessor of land [was Kahahana]. Note what has been said about Kaumakoa refers to Kahahana although another name is used. He was a possessor of land because he was a descendant of a line of chiefs. [↑]
[164] He alii no ka moo; a chief by descent belongs to a line of kings. [↑]
[165] Ka maka i ike, that sees with his own eyes, i papu ke kapu; ike is again understood before papu—papu, altogether, fully, throughout; ike papu to look at closely, examine with one’s own eyes; i ke kapu, at the kapu. [↑]
[166] Papu ka lani, the heavens are covered over with palamoa, thin fleecy clouds of a whitish cast, not fog, clouds that stand still, but the sun can shine through. [↑]
[167] Kai mahamoe, kai moa, while referred to in the original notes as gravy for fish and fowl, carries no weight in its being located at Kailua over other places on Oahu, and has no connection with the cloud condition of the preceding line, or the wind effects which follow. It is rather the sea conditions at Kailua the poet refers to. Kai mahamoe is the smooth, glassy distant sea in a calm; kai moa, the feathery, foamy waves of Kailua’s shore. [↑]
[168] Luhe is the motion of the wings of the dragonfly to keep itself cool; the motion of one’s kihei when riding on horseback on a gallop; lula, same, meaning the king was fanned, cooled by the land breeze. [↑]
[169] He hau ke ala; hau, the bush; hau, straight, straight is the path, he kumoena ololi; kumoena, the long narrow strip commencement of a mat. [↑]
[170] E newa, to go carefully, look where one goes; o hea make i ka la: hea, to become weak, faint in traveling on a long hot journey. [↑]
[171] Akua noho la i Puuokapolei, the god dwelling at Kapolei hill, [Kamao], at Ewa, the god of Kahahana where it was supposed his soul had gone. [↑]
[172] E hanehane mai ana, etc., the sun is wailing i na wahine o Kamao, on account of the women of Kamao, one of the entrances to the nether world. [↑]
[173] Akua pee, i.e., Kahahana, a god that hides himself. [↑]
[174] Pua ohai, the flower of ohai, a bush with beautiful blossoms; o ke kaha, dry land where taro will not grow, but potatoes will. [↑]
[175] Walea wale, etc., i.e., Kahahana stands satisfied, contented, among the stones (ke a) as does the ohai trees. [↑]
[176] Ulu kanu a Kahai, “kanu” for “kanuia” among the breadfruits planted by Kahai. At that place in Puuloa where Kahai introduced the breadfruit, and which is remarkable for the size of its fruits. [↑]
[177] Oo, name of a small bird having a sharp bill (Moho nobilis). [↑]
[178] E ka manu, by the bird of Kanehili; name of a land. [↑]
[179] Ikea for ike ia, was seen. [↑]
[180] Iluna above ka ohu Kanalio, the dense Kanalio, fog region of the birds. Winds hardly ever live in the regions where there are no clouds or shades. [↑]
[181] Kela manu, etc., [ka uwau], is the name of the bird and some others which are caught by building fires in the night. Either through fright or for other reason, the birds fall so that they are caught. [↑]
[182] I hapapa, which flutters [jumps about, unable to fly] and is caught by men, through being, perhaps, confused, or dazzled by the light. [↑]
[183] Honi i ka manu, the bird scents [the] hunakai o kai, spray of the sea. [↑]
[184] I ka la la hoano, on a very sacred day (la kapu); i ka lele kai, by a very sacred altar: kai, sacred, set apart for sacred use. [↑]
[185] Akua hoea kai, a god having power over the sea at Oneula, a place of uncertain location. [↑]
[186] Ua molowa wale, etc., the companions of Kahahana were slow, [indifferent] about following him. [↑]
[187] Ua pauaho, etc., they had no perseverance, they forsook him. [↑]
[188] Kamau, unsettled, unstable; lau, leaf of the pali, i.e., the edge, height, or extended point. [↑]
[189] Ala holopapa laau, etc., a wooden bridge is the path. [↑]
[190] I awa no ka was, signifies the purpose of the aforesaid bridge as a runway for canoes of Hamakua, i pii ai, whereby they ascend for landing above. This method of canoe-landing on the rocky coasts is spoken of by Rev. W. Ellis in his “Tour of Hawaii,” and is further described and illustrated in the Hawaiian Annual of 1910, page 97, as still practiced on the Puna coast of Hawaii. [↑]
[191] Kuileiakamokala, name of the land which has that method for the use of its canoe. [↑]
[192] E kala, long ago—not lately—either with or without the negative. [↑]
[193] Imo aku la, etc., as we would say, in the twinkling of an eye, he was gone. [↑]
[194] Lele Uli e, etc.; five lines from this point are a short specimen of prayer to the god Laka. Petition and adoration are said to be united. [↑]
[195] Kaili aina is the common expression respecting one dying suddenly without any previous sickness. [↑]
[196] Ooki, cut or marked, i ke one kapu, in the forbidden sand of Kaha; haha, abbreviation of kahakai, sea-beach. [↑]
[197] Pouli ka ua, dark was the rain; moku pawa, “pawa” is the dark cloud or the sky that looks dark by contrast when the beams, rays of the sun first appear. The “pawa” is the darkness whether in sky or cloud that is broken away by and appears over the light. [↑]
[198] Lele hoopoo, etc., “hoopoo” used mostly poetically, headforemost, careless of consequences, as when one in battle determines not to run, and rushes into the fight, or when one determines to speak to the chief, he rushes on, speaks, life or death; so the rain fell upon the lauhala trees. [↑]
[199] I ke poo, etc., upon the heads of the hala (pandanus) of Hanau, name of some small place probably. [↑]
[200] Hanau mai, brought forth ke akua olelo, the speaking god. [↑]
[201] Akua pahulu, was the god who could carry people off in their sleep if they had eaten certain dried fish (amaama and weke). If a person in eating had his mouth smeared and should hear these words: “Oia hoi, oia hoi,” or “hohe, hoha”, and fall asleep, he would be sure to be carried away and laid in another place, without however being killed. [↑]
[202] Kaha aku nei, etc., kaha, sea-beach, side of a river; Kama, name of a land. [↑]
[203] Lei o Moopuali, wreath or crown of Moopuali; Kama and Moopuali are names of places not now known. [↑]
[204] Alii o ke kai ahua moku, chief of the high swelling sea; kai ahua moku signifies kai mimiki, when the sea swells and flows over the land; moku, refers to the breaking down of homes, fences, etc. [↑]
[205] O ka moku o Maakaina, even the land of Maakaina. [↑]
[206] Kaina for kaikaina, kaina oe, thou the younger brother, the older that, of the chief. [↑]
[207] Ilaila ka ike, etc., there is knowledge indeed and righteousness. [↑]
[208] O’u mau kaikunane (used here in place of hoa, companions); hoomau hele loa, constant in traveling onward. [↑]
[209] Aia laua ihea, refers perhaps to Kahahana and his friend. [Lines 239 to 253 inclusive are supposed to be additions and do not belong to the original. Andrew’s notes include them, as above, as also the following addition to the Kanikau of Kahahana marked “incerto auctor.” Ed.] [↑]
[210] Kaia na for kalana; ka to dip as in bailing water, the motion of the hand in bailing water or in fanning. The kalana (district or county) is being fanned, e luhe ana, it is lulling by the calms, “luhe” is to hang pendulous like the large branches of trees when no wind. [↑]
[211] Pua ia kae; pua here signifies to dive, kae signifies the border or edge; pona is the lower cavity of the eyebrow, between the brow and the ball of the eye, the under part of the arch. Pona waa is the arch or circle of canoes in some sorts of fishing. [↑]
[212] Hoo—ka pali, is implied, smooth is the cliff; niania i ka la, smoothed by the sun. [↑]
[213] Hoi koana, diminishing; when wind or rain has been powerful and diminishes to its regular standing, it is said to hoi koana, return to its littleness again. Laiewaha, name of a place in Kona, near Kau, Hawaii. [↑]
[214] Hoowaha keiki, etc., waha, also hoo, to seize one’s property and carry it off before his eyes. Pohu, calm, but what the whole means is not clear. [↑]
[215] A ai pili; a ai, a negative, aole, aohe, a oe, etc. [↑]
[216] Kauna, a contraction of Kaunanamauna on the boundary line between Kona and Kau. [↑]
[217] A oi na; oi is like ai in the foregoing line, na to assuage, still, quiet. It [the calm] is not still, i.e., there is no calm on account of the winds of Kau. [↑]
[218] Ke haaino mai la, has reference to the disaster of a boisterous wind, the squally conditions, it may be of Kahaanaweli, name of a place. [↑]
[219] Weliweli, anything dreadful or causing fear. [↑]
[220] Ka ino o na Puuapele, at Piliwale, likely had reference to an explosive volcanic eruption at that place, and would make the following lines clear. [↑]
[221] I halihali mai ka ia’u, which was indeed brought to me; a waiho kahua haalele, and outside of the house left there. [↑]
[222] Haalele i makaulia, “left for his fear”—fear of the lava stones. [↑]
[223] Ke a lau make ihi, stones having edges like the adz, or spear; ihe, very sharp. [↑]
[224] He ihe, a spear; ke ae, name of an east wind, a child of Kau. [↑]
[225] Ke hoo—etc., the wind scares him. [↑]
[226] E hoi ana, etc., I am returning i ka malino, in the calm. [↑]
[227] I ka pawapawa; pawa is the surface of a garden patch that one has smoothed all over, so a smooth surface of the sea, pawapawa, very smooth. Ahaaha, root not found, relating to a calm or smoothness of surface. Nikiniki, onionio, spotted as the sun in a calm. [↑]
[228] I naoa past for naoia—nao, naonao, to reach after, to take, reached after. [↑]
[229] Ka maawe ala, the faint track, a ka waa, of the canoe, e hele nei o ke kai coursing on the sea. [↑]
[230] It is said any vegetables thrown into the sea in Puna never fail to come ashore at Kau, hence, the sea is red, covered with the blossoms of the lehua, and the noni. [↑]
[231] Lolohili is to go crookedly, zigzag, along a great distance—characteristic of the Kawaihae road. [↑]
[232] A Kawaihae, on arrival at Kawaihae, “ua” implied, hae na ukana, the baggage is broken. [↑]
[233] Hana liilii, etc., make small, reduce the baggage of the travelers, divide it into small parcels on account of the length of the way. [↑]
[234] I hakalia, etc., if the company are slow, they will feel the heat of the sun. [↑]
[235] Moe koke, sleep early, i ke kula, in the plain of Moolau in Puuhuna, between Waimea and Kohala. [↑]
[236] Ka pua o koaie, the blossom of the koaie (Acacia koaia) a tree whose leaves resemble the koa but the timber is much harder. Waika, a place in Kohala. [↑]
[237] Kaka i ka hau, etc., strike off the dew, the water of the day. [↑]
[238] Makili loa, very high is the sun, above in the upland of Kaipuhaa. [↑]
[239] Haa na makani, the winds dance, pa, etc., strike and contend together. [↑]
[240] Paio i ke alo, etc., contending in the presence of Makanipalua, (lit. two-fold divided wind). [↑]
[241] Aoi for aole lua, there is no second, none like the goodness of Kohala. [↑]
[242] Kuipeia, struck upon or pounded by the wind Apaa, name of a north or northwesterly wind. [↑]
[243] Ka laolao imu, the brush oven-wood, laolao is the small fuel used in the wood ovens, nahele, etc., grows spontaneously at or near the taro patches. [↑]
[244] Ka pae, the border; ko kea, white cane; upepe, easily broken, from its soft character. Pae is a border of land usually planted to something different from the land generally. [↑]
[245] Mai, etc., from the outside to the inside Kohala. In the northern section of that district its people designate the western end the outside, and the eastern, windward, end, the inside. [↑]
[246] E hea mai, etc., call to me; malokona, there inside—Kohala inferred. [↑]
[247] Eia ka puu, here is the hill, the difficulty, the sin; owaho nei, outside here, the cold. [↑]
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