Pele: Once a long time ago there was a lady who was going to have a baby. She went to a cave by the sea to have her baby. In the morning she had a beautiful baby girl. She named her Pelehonuamea. Pelehonuamea's uncle, Lonomakua, could see that she was the person to learn how to make fire.
Pele and her sister, Namaka, were always fighting. One day her sister said, " If Pele does not leave, we will all burn to death." So Pele had to leave. Some of her brothers and sisters went with Pele. Pele's mom gave her an egg and said to keep it warm. When Pele got to the island of Hawaii, she said, " This is your home, gods." So Kilauea became the home of the gods. One day she met a fire god called Forest Eater. He also wanted Kilauea as his home so Pele and the fire god had a war. Pele won and Forest Eater disappeared. One day the egg that Pele's mom gave her hatched into a beautiful girl. Pele named her Hi'iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele or Hi'iaka for short. Hi'iaka made a friend named Hopoe. Pele thought that Hi'iaka's friend was not right for her. One day Pele had a dream. She dreamed that a handsome man danced the hula and was the chief of Kaua'i. Pele fell in love with him. When she woke up, Pele sent Hi'iaka to get him. Pele gave Hi'iaka 40 days to get the chief. Just before leaving, Hi'iaka promised to bring back the chief and Pele promised not to hurt Hopoe. When Hi'iaka got there, she found all the people sad. The people said, "The chief is dead." Hi'iaka asked where he was lying. Hi'iaka knew that Pele would be angry if she didn't return with the chief so she called the gods to help. Hi'iaka gathered herbs and chanted until the chief came back to life. Meanwhile, Pele was waiting for Hi'iaka to return. She got mad and thought that Hi'iaka had fallen in love with the chief of Kauai so Pele killed Hopoe. When Hi'iaka returned and saw her best friend dead, she decided to take revenge. She put her arms around the chief to make Pele jealous. Pele was so angry that she killed him with lava. When Pele and Hi'iaka both calmed down, they realized the wrong they had done. Hi'iaka said she would bring the chief back to life and let him choose between both of them. Pele was sure that he would pick her. But the chief did not choose Pele. He chose Hi'iaka. Pele was sad but happy for her sister. Hi'iaka and her chief went back to Kaua'i while Pele continued to live on her island of Hawaii. Hilo: One day King Kamehameha the Great went to visit his friend. He felt safe to go with his friend because his friend was a brave warrior. King Kamehameha the Great had two servants. While he was with his friend he had his servants guard his canoe to make sure his canoe wouldn't be stolen or drift away with the tide. Since it took King Kamehameha the Great a long time to return from his friend's place, one of the servants decided to tie the canoe down using a ti leaf rope. They twisted ti leaves together to make a strong rope. Twisting the ti leaves was called hilo. The two servants tied the canoe to the island and went off looking for the king. Not far from shore they found the king. The king yelled at the servants for leaving his canoe on the beach. But the servants answered, "We tied the canoe with a rope made of ti leaves so it wouldn't drift away." Then King Kamehameha the Great said, "There's no person on this side of the island that can twist ropes like that. Only people in Waipio know how to make ropes like that." The servant replied, "I came from Waipio." Then King Kamehameha the Great said, "I should name this side of the island Hilo." That's how Hilo was named. Ghost Sisters of Hilo Hills: This story begins with the goddess Hina, mother of Maui, who was thought to have married the moon. Hina had two daughters, Hina Keahi, the mistress of fire and Hina Kuluua, the mistress of rain. As a gift, Hina gave two mountains to her daughters; Halai for Hina Keahi and Puuhonu for Hina Kuluua. These hills were especially rich and fertile, and the sisters and their people settled on these lands and prospered for a long time. However, many years went by and soon the rains began to fall less and less often until the ground became dry and shrivelled. The taro planted on the hillsides died. The bananas, sugarcane and sweet potatoes withered and the fruit on the trees died. Eventually, hunger beset the villages, then famine, and before long the shadow of death was over the land and the people feared the worst. Hina Keahi knew that something had to be done to save her followers. She instructed the men to cross the river bed where no water flowed, enter the dry forests of Koa and Ohia and gather firewood. The priests went on the expedition as well, uttering incantations against the possibility of failure. They offered sacrifices and prayers for the safe return of the men. The weakened laborers gathered and carried back what they could and took them back to Halai hill. Next, the famished men toiled, digging out the hill under Hina Keahi's command and making a great imu, or cooking oven, preparing it with stones and wood. They lit the fire, and when the stones were hot, Hina Keahi directed the people to arrange the pit in its proper order as if cooking the food for a great feast. Then Hina told them to make a place in the imu for a human sacrifice. In quiet despair the workmen obeyed Hina Keahi and prepared the place for a sacrifice with dread, wondering who would be chosen to appease the gods in order to save the rest. But Hina Keahi was "Hina the kind." She surveyed their work and said it was good, and she was full of pity and love for her people. She said: "This imu is my imu. I shall lie down on its bed of burning stones. I shall sleep under its cover. But deeply cover me or I may perish. Quickly throw the dirt over my body. Fear not the fire. Watch for three days. A woman will stand by the imu. Do as she instructs you." Hina Keahi stepped into the great pit and lay down on the burning stones. The men followed her instructions, placing the imu mats over their chiefess and throwing the dirt back into the oven until it was all thoroughly covered. Then they waited and watched over the oven, wondering what had become of their beautiful leader. But Hina Keahi was the mistress of fire, and so she could not be injured by the heat of the burning stones. She sank down through the imu into the underground paths, which belonged to the spirit world. One day later, a gushing stream of water flowed from the land. On the second day, a pool full of water rose to the surface of the earth. And on the third day, a great spring of pure water burst forth from the sea shore in the very path of the ocean waves. Soon a woman appeared by the imu, who commanded the laborers to dig away the dirt and open up the oven. When this was done, the hungry people, to their amazement, found a great abundance of food, so much that it would last until their plants ripened again and the days of the famine were over. The people rejoiced because they knew that their chiefess had escaped death and exalted Hina Keahi in stories and song about the great mistress of fire. Meanwhile, the second sister, Hina Kuluua, who was always very jealous of her beautiful sister Hina Keahi, heard of the miracles her sister had performed and the singing and praise she had received from her people. Hina Kuluua's followers in Puuhonu were also suffering from famine at this time, so she decided to provide for them in the same way as her sister had done. She ordered a great imu to be dug, with space for food and a human sacrifice. Yet in her jealousy, Hina Kuluua forgot that she was a goddess of rain and that rain and fire could not work together. She entered the pit, and her people quickly covered her with mats and earth as she had commanded. They waited for the miraculous events to occur, but the hot stones had destroyed Hina Kuluua, and she rose as a rain cloud above the imu. Her people waited three days, then four, then five. But no one appeared and they were still starving. On the fifth day, the villagers opened the imu and found nothing but the ashes of Hina Kuluua. Her people perished. The ghosts of the sisters still appear near the old hills from time to time. Hina Keahi, as flowing lava, and Hina Kuluua, as clouds of rain. |
Maui:
One day Maui felt like flying a kite and so he got out of his bed and went outside to fly it. When the sun was setting, Maui was wondering why did the sun cross the sky so quickly. His people had no time to plant their crops, no time to play, and no time to dry their kapa. Maui decided to do something about the matter. He climbed the volcano and stayed in the cave until morning. He caught the sun's leg with a rope that he had made. Maui tried to make a promise with the sun to cross the sky slowly but the sun did not want to listen. Maui came out of the cave and used his lasso and his war club to break off all of the sun's strong legs. Now the sun was forced to slow down. Maui's people now had more time to plant their crops, more time to play, and the women had more time to dry their kapa. Hina Keahi: There was once a village that had a fire goddess named Hina Keahi. Her village always had food from their crops. Soon their crops started to shrivel up until they had no food and the people began to starve. Hina Keahi knew something had to be done to save her people. She ordered an imu or underground oven to be made. She told her people to gather fire wood. As the people worked, they wondered who would be chosen to be put in the imu as a sacrifice." When all of the fire wood was gathered and placed in the imu, Hina Keahi said, " You men will cover me with the earth until the last puff of smoke disappears. Don't worry I won't get hurt. I am the fire goddess. In three days a lady will appear and give you further instructions." For three days her people waited. In the meantime, Hina Keahi, being a fire goddess, was not harmed by the fire. She made her way underground towards the sea and surfaced where Hilo Boarding School stands today. There she left a spring to mark the place where she came up. She went underground again and came up where Hilo Hotel is today. She also left a fresh water spring there. Finally, on the third day, Hina Keahi returned to her village as a strange lady. Her people noticed how much this woman looked liked Hina Keahi but they knew that she couldn't be since their goddess was in the imu. The lady said, "You men can uncover the imu now ." So they uncovered it and found cooked food to supply them until the rainy seasons. They were so happy and relieved to have so much food. Greedy Chief Hala'ea: Once upon a time, on the south point of the Big Island of Hawaii, there was a greedy chief named Hala'ea. Every day, the local fishermen would set off in the early morning off the coast of Ka'u. They worked hard every day, casting the nets and luring the fish into them, then hauling the fruits of their labor back to the island. But every evening when they returned to shore, the chief paddled out in his canoe and demanded that the fishermen give all of their fish to him, crying "The fish is mine! Give me the fish!" Then he would hold a feast, carousing and often wantonly wasting the food with no regrets. As for the hardworking fishermen, they were obliged to return to sea every day to catch the fish without ever having any to take home to their families. Eventually, the common people decided that they could not let the chief continue to help himself to their fish. They came up with a plan to rid themselves of his oppression. It was the season of the 'ahi (the yellowfin tuna), and one morning the fishermen gathered together early, preparing their canoes, looking after the nets, the bait and whatever else was required for the expedition. Then they paddled out to sea, much earlier than usual, and spent the entire day fishing. They returned that evening with a particularly large catch, and as usual, the greedy chief paddled out to meet them and shouted: "The fish is mine! Give me the fish!" The fishermen complied with his wishes. The separated so that their canoes were on both sides of the chief, and they began to deposit their catch into his canoe. The chief was overjoyed as they continued to dump their loads into his boat. He was so overcome by the beautiful, glistening fish piling up that he did not notice his canoe was being swamped and beginning to sink. When the fishermen had unloaded all of their fish into the chief's canoe, they quickly paddled away without looking back. By the time Hala'ea realized that his canoe was sinking under the weight of all the fish, it was too late. He looked about for help, but all the canoes had gone back to land. Some say that the chief was lost beneath the waves as he struggled in his sinking boat; others claim he was swept away on the swift current that carries his name, Hala'ea. Nonetheless, the greedy chief perished, surrounded by the objects of his greed, and his people rejoiced and lived long and happy lives. Nanaue the Shark Man: Long ago on the Big Island of Hawaii, there lived a gorgeous young woman by the name of Kalei. Kalei lived in Waipio Valley. Each night Kalei would walk to the waters at the mouth of the valley to bathe in the sea. One night, Kamohoalii, the king of all sharks in the region was swimming just below the surface of the waters where Kalei bathed. Under the shimmering moonlight, she disrobed and slipped into the warm waters as she did every night. Kamohoalii saw Kalei and was entranced by her unique beauty. As shape-shifter he resolved that the next night he would take on his human form as a chief and search the land for the beautiful and mysterious woman. He did as he planned. For the next few days he walked the land as a chief and ate and communed with the people of Waipio Valley in search of Kalei. In time, he found her. They fell in love and married. Over time, Kalei became pregnant with Kamohoalii's child. Before the child was to be born, the shark king knew that his time had come to return to the sea. He never revealed his true identity to Kalei. Instead, he instructed Kalei to give birth alone and to watch over his child, who was to be a son, and to never allow the baby to eat the flesh of any animal. Reluctantly he left Kalei, whom he had come to love dearly and returned to the ocean. The lovers never saw each other again. On a dark night, as the island winds whipped furiously through the valley, beautiful Kalei gave birth to the shark king's son. She was afraid and saddened when she saw that the baby was born with a deformity on his back – a large open hole that resembled a gaping fish mouth. She wrapped the baby in a thin blanket of tapa cloth to hide the deformity from the others. That night she cried as she rocked her newborn son, for he was as beautiful as she, besides his disturbing deformity. She named him Nanaue. As the child grew older, she kept him away from meat as the shark king had instructed her, but she could not protect him for long. Back in ancient times, men and women were not allowed to eat together. When the child came of age, his grandfather took him to eat with the men. He was fed meat for the first time and developed a voracious and insatiable appetite. The gaping mouth on his back grew rows of sharp teeth. After that day when Kalei took her son to bathe in the stream she watched in horror and fascination as he took the form of a young shark – he would swim and play in the water in fish form, chasing and eating the smaller creatures in the stream. As the child grew into a man, Nanaue also grew as a shark. After he would swim in the ocean, people would go missing. A great shark would come out of the water and tear his fellow swimmers limb to limb. The people of Waipio Valley became suspicious – why was Nanaue never harmed in the ocean? They began to suspect that he had special powers, but they did not know that it was he who was actually killing his friends while in shark form. One day, the villagers discovered the great mouth on Nanaue's back. It all came together that he was the one that had been causing all of the deaths in their otherwise peaceful waters. The villagers were very angry and decided to capture and kill him. Nanaue then changed into shark form and escaped into the sea. From Waipio Valley, Nanaue swam to the Hana side of the island of Maui. There he took the form of a man. He married a chiefess while on Maui and tried to hold back his desire for human flesh, but did not succeed. One night his hunger took a hold of him and he kidnapped a young girl, ran to the ocean, shape-shifted and devoured her in plain sight of all. The people of Maui were outraged. They tried to spear Nanaue from canoes, but he swam quickly toward Molokai. Once again, after he had reached the island of Molokai, Nanaue tried to keep his true nature a secret, but as he grew older his hunger only got stronger. By this time, tales of a dangerous shark man were circulating through the islands. The Molokai people kept a look out for this strange man shark. Finally, they saw Nanaue shape-shifting in the sea when he thought that no one was watching. They snared him while in shark form and beat him with clubs until the ocean was red with his blood. The people chanted continuously until Nanaue became weak. His shark body was drug to shore where he was chopped to pieces and incinerated in a large oven. Thus died Nanaue, son of Kamohoalii – King of Sharks. |