XIII
THE CANNIBAL DOG-MAN
Note: The Menehunes were the fairies of Hawaii. The goblins and gnomes of valley or woodland were called the eepa people, while monsters having the power of appearing in different kinds of bodies were called kupuas. These usually had cruel and vindictive characters and were ready to destroy and devour any persons they could catch. There were, however, many kupuas of kindly spirit who gave watchful care to the members of their own families.
The Menehunes were temple-builders, makers of great fish-ponds and even highways. They made canoes, built houses, and did many of the pleasant things fairies are always doing. Their good works are to be found to this day on all the different islands of the Hawaiian group.
Ka-hanai-a-ke-akua (The-adopted-child-of-the-gods) was the chief whose followers fought with the dragon-god, Kuna, for a canoe in Nuuanu Valley. He was a friend of the fairies—the Menehune people. When he had grown into young manhood and was going to have a temple of his own, with his [[91]]own gods to worship, the Menehunes heard about the plan for the walls and altars and determined to build that temple for the chief.
As soon as the night shadows had fallen over the mountains back of Honolulu the Menehunes were called together by their luna, or leader. The stones necessary for the heiau (temple) walls were pointed out. Flat-sided stones were selected for raised places and altars, smooth stones were called for from the seashore to be laid down as the temple floor. Bamboo and ohia sticks were to be brought with which to build platforms for sacrifices, such as the bodies of human victims. All parts of the temple building[1] even to the thatched houses for the priests and chiefs were portioned among the little people.
In one night the work was finished, a feast was eaten, and the Menehunes had scattered in the shadows of the forest thickets.
Kahanai took possession of his temple and dedicated it with the tabu service and ceremonies. This meant that a tabu of silence or a tabu forbidding work of any kind would be announced, and all the people of the district or place in which the temple was located would obey that tabu until the dedication ceremonies were all over and [[92]]the words “Noa, ua noa” were used, meaning that the tabu was over and everything could be freely done as before.