The island of Oahu was called after Hawaii Loa’s daughter, and her foster parent was Lua, and hence the name Oahu-a-Lua.
Kauai was called after Hawaii Loa’s younger son; his wife’s name was Waialeale, and they lived on Kauai, and the mountain was called after her, because there she was buried.
And thus other islands and districts were called after the first settlers.
In this first age, from Hawaii Loa to Wakea, the royal authority and prerogatives were not very well defined. The chiefs were regarded more in the light of parents and patrons (haku), than as moi and alii-kapu, although they enjoyed all the honor and precedence due to their rank.
This state of things was considerably altered by Wakea, his priest and successors, yet even so late as the time of Kanipahu, who refused the government, it is evident that the royal authority was not well settled in the olden times (aole he ano nui o na ’lii i ka wa kahiko loa ’ku). [[282]]
[1] For a translation of this prayer see Fornander, Polynesian Race, Vol. 1, p. 61. [↑]
[2] The letters w and k adjoining names throughout this paper are abbreviations for the Hawaiian wahine (female) and kane (male). [↑]