VI
THE WATER OF LIFE OF KA-NE
A Legend of Old Hawaii
“When the moon dies she goes to the living water of Ka-ne, to the water which can restore all to life, even the moon to the path in the sky.”—Maori Legend of New Zealand.
The Hawaiians of long ago shared in the belief that somewhere along the deep sea beyond the horizon around their islands, or somewhere in the cloud-land above the heavens which rested on their mountains, there was a land known as “The land of the water of life of the gods.” In this land was a lake of living water in which always rested the power of restoration to life. This water was called in the Hawaiian language Ka wai ola a Ka-ne, literally “The water living of Ka-ne,” or “The water of life of Ka-ne.”
Mention of this “wai ola” is found in many of the Pacific island groups, such as New Zealand, the Tongas, Samoa, Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands. The thought of “water of life” cannot be limited to only a few references in legends. Some of the most interesting legendary [[44]]experiences in several island groups belong to the stories of a search after this “water of life.”
Ka-ne was one of the four greatest gods of the Polynesians. In his hands was placed the care of the water of life. If any person secured this water, the power of the god went with it. A sick person drinking it would recover health, and a dead person sprinkled with it would be restored to life.