[3] Moku po’o a Kane, literally, the fissured head of Kane. The first land formed by Kane. [↑]
[4] Kane-lau-apua, the same as Kane-apua. One of the numerous avatars or characters of Kane. He appeared in Kahiki—Kukulu o Kahiki—and gained a reputation as a benevolent deity, whose benign function—shared by Kane-milo-hai—was to pluck from the jaws of death those who lay at the last gasp (mauli-awa), or whose vital spark was at the last flicker (pua-aneane). He healed the palsied, the helpless and hopeless, those who were beyond the reach of human aid. On one occasion he restored himself to perfect health and soundness by the exercise of his own will; hence his name, Kane-apua. On another occasion he illustrated his power by restoring to life some okuhekuhe which the fisherman had already scaled and laid upon the fire. The motive for this act seems to have been that this fish was a form in which he sometimes appeared. The story of his adventure with Kane-lelei-aka is worthy of mention. At one time while standing on a headland that reached out into the ocean like the prow of a ship, his eye caught a gleam from something moving swiftly through the water. He saw it repeatedly passing and repassing and wondered what it was. It was the shadowy form of Kane-lelei-aka, but he knew it not. He scanned the surrounding mountains and cliffs, if perchance he might get sight of the body, bird, or spirit that produced this reflection. He discovered nothing. In pursuit of his quest, he started to go to Kukulu-o-Kahiki. On the way he met his relative Kane-milo-hai, out in mid ocean.
“Are you from Kanaloa?” asked Kane-milo-hai. That meant are you from Lana’i, Kanaloa being the name formerly given to that little island.
“Aye, I am from Kanaloa and in pursuit of a strange shadowy thing that flits through the ocean and evades me.”
“You don’t seem to recognize that it is only a shadow, a reflection. The real body is in the heavens. What you are pursuing is but the other intangible body, which is represented by the body of Kane-mano. He is speeding to reach his home in Ohe-ana” (a cave in the deep sea, in the Kai-popolohua-a-Kane).
“How then shall I overtake him?” asked Kane-pua.
“You will never succeed this way. You are no better off than a kolea (plover) that nods, moving its head up and down (kunou). Your only way is to return with me and start from the bread-fruit tree of Lei-walo (Ka ulu o Lei-walo). You must make your start with a flying leap from the topmost branch of that tree. In that way you can come up to him and catch him.”
The rest of the story: how he followed the advice given him by Kane-milo-hai and succeeded is too long for insertion here. [↑]
[5] Nowai he wa’a? To speak of a lava flow as a wa’a, a canoe, is a familiar trope in Hawaiian mele. (See U. L. of H., p. 194). The canoe in this case is the eruption of fire sent against Lohiau, the hoapaio, against whom it is launched, Lohiau and Hiiaka. [↑]
[6] Aimoku wahine. An aimoku is one who eats up the land, a conqueror, a literal description of Pele. [↑]