Hawaii Loa and his brothers were born on the east coast of a country called Ka Aina kai Melemele a Kane (the land of the yellow or handsome sea). Hawaii Loa was a distinguished man and noted for his fishing excursions which would occupy sometimes months, sometimes the whole year, during which time he would roam about the ocean in his big vessel (waa), called also a ship (he moku), with his people, his crew and his officers and navigators (“Poe hookele” and “Kilo-hoku.”)
One time when they had thus been long out on the ocean, Makalii, the principal navigator, said to Hawaii Loa: “Let us steer the vessel in the direction of Iao, the Eastern Star, the discoverer of land (Hoku hikina kiu o na aina.) There is land to the eastward, and here is a red star ‘hoku ula’ (Aldebaran) to guide us, and the land is there in the direction of those big stars which resemble a bird (e kapa mai nei me he manu la.)” And the red star, situated in the lap of the goats (i ka poli o na kao) was called Makalii after the navigator’s name. And some other red stars in the circle of the Pleiades (ma ka ponaha o na huhui) were called the Huhui-a-Makalii.
So they steered straight onward and arrived at the easternmost island (ka moku hikina loa.) They went ashore and found the country fertile and pleasant, filled with awa, coconut trees, etc., and Hawaii Loa, the chief, called that land after his own name. Here they dwelt a long time and when their vessel was filled with food and with fish, they returned to their native country with the firm intention to come back to Hawaii-nei which they preferred to their own country. They had left their wives and children at home; therefore they returned to fetch them.
And when they arrived at their own country and among their relations, they were detained a long time before they set out again for Hawaii.
At last Hawaii Loa started again, accompanied by his wife and his children and dwelt in Hawaii and gave up all thought of ever returning to his native land. He was accompanied also in this voyage by a great multitude of people (ka lehulehu), steersmen, navigators, shipbuilders and this and that sort of people. Hawaii Loa was chief of all this people, and he alone brought his wife and children. All the others came singly without women. Hence Hawaii Loa is called the special progenitor of this nation.
On their voyage hither the Morning Star (ka Hoku Loa) was the special star that they steered by. And Hawaii Loa called the islands after the names of his children and the stars after his navigators and steersmen. [[279]]
After Hawaii Loa had been some time in this country (Hawaii nei), he made another voyage to find his brothers, and to see if they had any children who might become husbands or wives for his own. On this voyage he fell in with his younger brother Ki, on the island of Tahiti, where Ki had settled and called it after one of his own names. Then Hawaii Loa and Ki sailed together to the southward (i ka mole o ka honua), there they found an uninhabited island which Hawaii Loa called after his own name, and another smaller island which he called after his daughter, “Oahu.”
When they had finished their business here they returned to Hawaii and the Hoku-Iwa stars and the Hoku Poho ka Aina, were those that they steered by. On his outward voyage from Hawaii the star called Ke Alii o Kona-i-ka-Lewa and the stars of the Hoku-kea o ka Mole Honua (Southern Cross) were those by which he shaped his course for Tahiti and those other islands. They left from Lae o Kalae in Kau (south cape of Hawaii), and thither they returned.
When Hawaii Loa thus returned he brought with him Tu-nui-ai-a-te-Atua the first-born son of his brother Ki, and he became the husband of his favorite daughter Oahu. These two had afterwards a child called Ku Nui Akea who was born at Keauhou, in Puna, Hawaii. Puna was then a fertile and fine country and it was called Puna by Ku nui ai a ke Akua after his own birthplace, Puna-Auia, in Tahiti.
32. Kunuiakea, on both father’s and mother’s side became a chief of the very highest rank (kapu loa). From him sprang the race of chiefs here in Hawaii (welo alii), and from Makalii sprang the race of the common people (welo kanaka). The first has been kept separate from the most ancient times, and the second has been kept separate from the time of chaos (mai ka Po mai). But the priestly race (welo kahuna) was one and the same with the race of chiefs from the beginning.