This demigod, half man, half hog, lives in Kaliuwaa valley, Oahu, in the reign of Olopana.[1] His father is Kahikiula, his mother, Hina, his brother, Kahikihonuakele. He robs Olopana's chicken roosts, is captured, swung on a stick, and carried in triumph until his grandmother sings a chant which gives him supernatural strength to slay his enemies. Four times he is captured and four times escapes, killing all of Olopana's men but Makalii. Then he flees up the valley Kaliuwaa and lets his followers climb up over his back to the top of the cliff, except his grandmother, who insists upon climbing up his front. He flees to Wahiawa, loses his strength by eating food spelled with the letters lau, but eventually becomes lord of Oahu. In Kahiki, his father-in-law, Kowea, has a rival, Lonokaeho, who in his supernatural form has eight foreheads as sharp as an ax. Kamapuaa chants to his gods, and the weeds Puaakukui, Puaatihaloa, and Puaamaumau grow over the foreheads. Thus snared, Lonokaeho is slain. Kamapuaa also defeats Kuilioloa, who has the form of a dog.

The story next describes the struggle between Pele and the pig god. Kamapuaa goes to Kilauea on Hawaii and stands on a point of land overlooking the pit called Akanikolea. Below sit Pele and her sisters stringing wreaths. Kamapuaa derides Pele's red eyes and she in revenge tells him he is a hog, his nose pierced with a cord, his face turned to the ground and a tail that wags behind. When he retaliates she is so angry that she calls out to her brothers to start the fires. Kamapuaa's love-making god, Lonoikiaweawealoha, decoys the brothers to the lowlands. Then Pele bids her sisters and uncles to keep up the fire, but Kamapuaa's sister, Keliiomakahanaloa, protects him with cloud and rain. Kamapuaa takes his hog form, and hogs overrun the place; Pele is almost dead. Then the love-making god restores her, she fills up the pit again with fire; but Kamapuaa calls for the same plants as before, which are his supernatural bodies, to choke out the flames. At length peace is declared and Pele takes Puna, Kau, and Kona districts, while Kamapuaa takes Hilo, Hamakua, and Kohala. (Hence the former districts are overrun with lava flows; the latter escape.)

Next Kamapuaa gets Kahikikolo for a war club. Makalii, king of Kauai, is fighting Kaneiki. After Kamapuaa has killed two warriors and driven away two spear throwers, he reveals himself to Makalii, who prostrates himself. Kamapuaa recounts the names of over fifty heroes whom he has slain and boasts of his amours. He spares Makalii on condition that he chant the name song in his honor, and spares his own father, brother, and mother. Later he pays a visit to his parents at Kalalau, but has to chant his name song to gain recognition. This angers him so much that he can be pacified only when Hina, his mother, chants all the songs in honor of his name. By and by he goes away to Kahiki with Kowea.[1]

[Footnote 1: This is not the Olopana of Hawaii.]

3. KAINA

The first-born of Hakalanileo and Hina is born in the form of a rope at Hamakualoa, Maui, in the house Halauoloolo, and brought up by his grandmother, Uli, at Piihonua, Hilo. He grows so long that the house has to be lengthened from mountain to sea to hold him. When the bold Kapepeekauila, who lives on the strong fortress of Haupu, Molokai, carries away Hina on his floating hill, Hakalanileo seeks first his younger son, Niheu, the trickster, then his terrible son Kana, to beseech their aid in recovering her. From Uli, Kana secures the canoe Kaumaielieli, which is buried at Paliuli, and the expedition sets forth, bearing Kana stretched in the canoe like a long package to conceal his presence, Niheu with his war club Wawaikalani, and the father Hakalanileo, with their equipment of paddlers. The Molokai chief has been warned by his priest Moi's dream of defeat, but, refusing to believe him, sends Kolea and Ulili to act as scouts. As the canoe approaches, he sends the scoutfish Keauleinakahi to stop it, but Niheu kills the warrior with his club. When a rock is rolled down the cliff to swamp it, Kana stops it with his hand and slips a small stone under to hold it up. Niheu meanwhile climbs the cliff, enters the house Halehuki, seizes Hina and makes off with her. But Hina has told her new lover that Niheu's strength lies, in his hair, so Kolea and Ulili fly after and lay hold of the intruder's hair. Niheu releases Hina and returns unsuccessful. Kana next tries his skill. He stretches upward, but the hill rises also until he is spun out into a mere cobweb and is famishing with hunger. Niheu advises him to lean over to Hawaii that his grandmother may feed him. After three days, this advice reaches his ear and he bends over Haleakala mountain on Maui, where the groove remains to this day, and puts his head in at the door of his grandmother's house in Hawaii, where he is fed until he is fat again. Niheu, left behind in the boat, sees his brother's feet growing fat, and finally cuts off one to remind Kana of the business in hand. Now the hill Haupu is really a turtle. Uli tells Kana that if he breaks the turtle's flippers it can no longer grow higher. Thus Kana succeeds in destroying the hill Haupu and winning Hina back to his father.[2]

[Footnote 1: This is only a fragment of the very popular story of the pig god. For Pele, see Ellis, IV. For both Pele and Kamapuaa, Emerson, Unwritten Literature, pp. 25, 85, 180, 228; and Pele and Hiiaka; Thrum, pp. 36, 193; and Daggett, who places the beginning of the Pele worship in the twelfth century.]

[Footnote 2: Rev. A.O. Forbes's version of this story is printed in Thrum, p. 63. See also Daggett. They differ only in minor detail. Uli's chant of the canoe is used by sorcerers to exorcise the spirits, and Uli is the special god of the priests who use sorcery.]

4. KAPUNOHU

Kukuipahu and Niulii are chiefs of Kohala when Kapunohu, the great warrior, is born in Kukuipahu. Kanikaa is his god, and Kanikawi his spear. Insulted by Kukuipahu, he goes to the uplands to test his strength, and sends his spear through 800 wili-wili trees at once. Two men he meets on the way are offered as much land as they can run over in a certain time; thus the upland districts of Pioholowai and Kukuikiikii are formed. Kapunohu makes a conquest of a number of women, before joining Niulii against Kukuipahu. In the battle that follows at Kapaau 3,200 men are killed and trophies taken, and Kukuipahu falls. Kapunohu, armed with Kanikawi, kills Paopele at Lamakee, whose huge war club 4,000 men carry. After this feat he goes to Oahu, where his sister has married Olopana, who is at war with Kakuhihewa. Kapunohu pulls eight patches of taro at one time for food, then joins his brother-in-law and slays Kakuhihewa. Next he wins against Kemano, chief of Kauai, in a throwing contest, spear against sling stone, and becomes ruler over Kauai. His skill in riddles brings him wealth in a tour about Hawaii, but two young men of Kau finally outdo him in a contest of wit.