He Moʻolelo no ʻUmi: Kekahi Aliʻi Kaulana o Ko Hawaiʻi Nei Pae ʻĀina.

A Moʻolelo for ʻUmi: A Famous Aliʻi of These Hawaiian Islands.

ʻŌlelo Hoʻākāka

E na hoa makamaka, na maka a Haloa hoi, mai ka la mahiki i Kumukahi a ka la welowelo i ka mole ʻolu o Lehua. E ka lahui Kanaka, ka lahui Oiwi, ka lahui Hawaii hoi, ewe o kuu ewe, iwi o kuu iwi, koko o kuu koko, aloha nui kakou. Eia no keia wahi mea kakau nei ke waiho aku nei i mua o oukou ma luna o ko kakou papaaina hoi i mau hunahuna paakai i mea e mikomiko ai ka ia maka onaona a kakou e ai nei. Wahi a kekahi kakau moolelo kaulana o Hawaii, oia no o Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, “O ka makaukau ma na Moolelo o kou Aina Makuahine ke keehina ike mua ma ke Kalaiaina e hiki ai ke paio no ka pono o ka Noho’na Aupuni ana.” Ma o keia olelo noeau a Poepoe, ike kakou, ua paa ko kakou keehina i ka ike o na kuamoo kahiko o ko kakou aina oiwi, me he mea la, o na moolelo kahiko o keia Paeaina nei oia na pohaku e paa ai ke kahua o ko kakou halau Aupuni. E hoomanao kakou, e na hoa heluhelu, i ka olelo kaulana a ko kakou moi Kamehameha III, oia no, “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono.” O ka pono ka mea nui e hoomau aku i ke ea o ka aina. No laila, e na makamaka heluhelu, eia no kekahi moolelo kahiko i loaa iau ma ka heluhelu ana i ka Nupepa Kuokoa, M.H. 1862, i kakau mua ia e Simeon Keliikaapuni. O ka mea nona keia moolelo, oia no ke alii kaulana o Hamakua ma Hawaii Kuauli, o Umialiloa, a ua kaulana kona inoa mai kekahi kihi a kekahi kihi o neia Paeaina aloha i kana mau hana lokomaikai e malama i kona akua a me ke kanaka nui me ke kanaka iki. Wahi a kekahi mea kakau kaulana o Hawaiʻi, oia no o Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau, “I ke kuapapa nui ana o ke aupuni o Hawaii ia Umi-a-Liloa ua kaulana kona inoa mai Hawaii a Kauai, aole alii e like me kona noho aupuni ana, ua malama oia i na elemakule a me na luahine a me na keiki makua ole; a ua malama i na makaainana, aole pepehi kanaka aole aihue. He alii haipule o Umi-a-Liloa noho aupuni ana nolaila...ua lilo o Umi-a-Liloa i kupuna no na ʻLii, a ua lilo i kupuna no na makaainana, aole he makaainana o Hawaii e olelo mai ana aole he kupuna no makou o Umi-a-Liloa, a ina o ke kanaka e hoole mai, no ka ike ole i na kupuna.” No laila, e ka lahui, e na mamo haaheo o ka mea nona keia moolelo, eia kahi pohaku e hoopaa ai i ke keehina ike mua a kakou i hiki ia kakou ke paio naauao no ka pono o ko kakou lahui a no ke ea hoi o ko kakou aina aloha.

Na Kealaulili, Mea Kakau
Koholalele, Hamakua, Hawaii
Mei 20, 2014

Introduction

Oh dear companions, the descendants of Hāloa, from the appearance of the sun at Kumukahi to the setting of the sun at the taproot of Lehua. To the lāhui Kanaka, the native nation, the nation of Hawaiʻi, kin of my kin, bone of my bones, blood of my blood, great aloha to you all. Here this humble writer places before you all, upon our dining table, some grains of salt to marinate the sweet-eyed kole fish, which together we consume. According to one of the famous historians of Hawaiʻi, Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, "the knowledge of the moʻolelo of your motherland is the primary position of knowledge upon which a firm political stance can be made so that [we] may fight for the pono of our governance." From these wise words of Poepoe, we can see that our position upon which we take a stand is made firm by the knowledge of the old traditions of our beloved native homelands. It is as if the old moʻolelo of these islands are the stones that make firm the the foundation of our house of governance. Let us remember, oh readers, the famous words of our mōʻī Kamehameha III, that is, "Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono." Pono is the most important thing in the continuation of the ea of our ʻāina. Therefore, oh reading companions, here is one old moʻolelo that I found in reading the Nupepa Kuokoa, published in 1862, written by Simeon Keliikaapuni. The one for whom this moolelo is written is the famous aliʻi of Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi Kuauli, that is ʻUmi-a-līloa, whose name became famous from one corner of the islands to the other, because of generous deeds in caring for his akua, the "big person," and the "small person." According to another famous historian of Hawaiʻi, Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau, "When the government of Hawaiʻi was united by ʻUmi-a-līloa, his name became famous from Hawaiʻi to Kauaʻi. There was no aliʻi who reigned as he did. He cared for the old men and women and the parentless children; he cared for the common people; there was no killing and no theft. ʻUmi-a-līloa was a pious chief in his reign, and therefore Umi-a-līloa became an ancestor of cheifs and an ancestor of common people. There is no common person of Hawaiʻi who could say that ʻUmi-a-līloa is not an ancestor of theirs, and if there is a person who denies this, it is because they lack knowledge of their ancestry." Therefore, oh nation, oh proud descendants of the one for whom this moʻolelo is written, here is a stone to make firm the primary position of knowledge upon which we will take a stand, so that we can engage in a conscious struggle for the pono of our lāhui and the ea of our beloved ʻāina.

By Kealaulili, Writer
Koholālele, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi
May 20, 2014

Eia mai ka māhele mua o “He Moolelo no Umi” i kakau ia e Simeon Keliikaapuni ma Ka Nupepa Kuokoa mai ka la 25 of Ianuali, M.H. 1862.

Helu I.

I laweia mai e a’u noloko mai o kekahi Buke Moolelo Hawaii, i paiia ma Lahainaluna, M. H. 1838, a ke manao nei au e paiia kona Moolelo ma ka Nupepa Kuokoa, a me ke ano o kana hana i ka wa kahiko.

O Umi ke keiki a Liloa, aole nae oia ka Liloa keiki mua, aka, o Hakau ka mua a Liloa laua me Piena, ka Liloa wahine hoao maoli ia; nolaila, ua kapaia o Hakau he alii nui, no ka mea, ua like pu ko Piena alii me ko Liloa; aka, o Umi, he keiki oia na Liloa me kekahi wahine ana i launa wale aku ai, o Akahiakuleana ka inoa o ua wahine la. Ua manao nuiia oia he wahine alii ole; aka, ma kona kuauhau, he alii no, hookahi o laua kupuna me Liloa. He mau mamo laua na Kanipahu.

Eia ke kuauhau no ua Akahiakuleana la, mai a Kanipahu mai. Noho aku la o Kanipahu ia Alaikauakoko, hanau o Kalapana, oia ko Liloa kupuna; a noho hou o Kanipahu ia Hulani, hanau mai o Kalahuimoku, oia ko Akahiakuleana kupuna.

Eia hoi na hanauna a Kalahuimoku, oia kai noho aku ia Laamea; o Oikialamea, oia kai noho aku ia Kalamea, o Kamanawakalamea, noho ia Kaiua; o Ouakaiua, noho ia Kuaimakani; o Kanahae, o Kuaimakani, noho ia Kapiko, o Kuleanakupiko ; noho ia Keanianihooleilei, o Akahiakuleana noho ia Liloa, loaa o Umi.

Eia hoi na hanauna a Kalapana, oia ka i noho ia Wakaamalaihauae, o Kahaimoeleaikai; noho ia Kapoakauluhailaa, o Kalaunuiohua; noho ia Kaheka, o Kuaiwa; noho ia Kamuleilani, o Kahoukapu ; noho ia Laaukapu, o Kauhola; noho ia Neula, o Kiha ; noho ia Wailea, o Liloa; noho ia Akahiakuleana, o Umi.

Penei hoi ko Liloa noho ana a me ka hanau ana o Umi, o Liloa ka makuakane o Umi, oia no ko Hawaii alii nui ia manawa, aia no ma Waipio, i Hamakua, Hawaii, kona wahi i noho mau loa ai. A i kona wa i hele ai ma ka aoao akau o Hamakua, e pili ana i Hilo, e hele ana oia i ke kapu heiau, o Manini ua heiau la, aia no ia heiau a Liloa i hoolale ai ma Koholalele, i Hamakua. A pau ke kapu ana, kakali iho la oia i pau ka hoomahanahana, a neenee aku oia ma ka akau o ia wahi, a noho oia ma Kaawikiwiki, no ka makemake nui i ka pahee, a me na hana lealea a pau.

I kona noho ana malaila, hele aku oia e auau ma ke kahawai o ka Hoea, a pili ia aina ma Kealakaha, alaila, loaa ia ia o Akahiakuleana malaila. Ua hoi mai oia mai ka mai ana, e auau ana oia mamua o kona wa i huikalaia ai no kona haumia, (a mahope iho, huipu oia me kana kane, pela na wahine oia wa) a e noho ana kana kauwa wahine ma kapa o ka wai, e hii ana i kona pau.

(Aole i pau)

Here is the first section of "A Moʻolelo for ʻUmi" written by Simeon Keliikaapuni in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, on January 25, 1862.

Chapter I.

This has been brought forth by me from within a Book of Hawaiian Moʻolelo, printed at Lāhaināluna in 1838, and I am thinking to print his Moʻolelo in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, along with the character of his deeds in the days of old.

ʻUmi was the child of Līloa, although he was not Līloa's first child. Hakau was the eldest child of Līloa and Piena, the wahine who Līloa lived with. Therefore, Hakau was called an aliʻi nui, because Piena's rank as aliʻi was like that of Līloa. However, ʻUmi was the child of Līloa and another woman who he only slept with, and Akahiakuleana was the name of that wahine. It is thought by many that she was a wahine without aliʻi ancestry, but, through her genealogy she indeed is descendant of aliʻi. She shared an ancestor with Līloa. They were both descendants of Kanipahu.

Here is the genealogy of Akahiakuleana from Kanipahu. Kanipahu lived with Alaikauakoko, born was Kalapana, the ancestor of Līloa. Kanipahu then lived with Hulani, and born was Kalahuimoku, the ancestor of Akahiakuleana.

Here are the generations descending from Kalahuimoku who lived with Laamea: Oikialamea [was born], and lived with Kalamea; Kamanawakalamea [was born], and lived with Kaiua; Ouakaiua [was born], and lived with Kuaimakani; Kanahae  and Kuaimakani [were born] and lived with Kapiko; Kuleanakupiko [was born] and lived with Keanianihooleilei; Akahiakuleana [was born] and lived with Līloa; born was ʻUmi.

Here are the generations descending from Kalapana, who lived with Wakaamalaihauae; [born was] Kahaimoeleaikai, who lived with Kapoakauluhailaa; [born was] Kalaunuiohua, who lived with Kaheka; [born was] Kuaiwa, who lived with Kamuleilani; [born was] Kahoukapu, who lived with Laaukapu; [born was] Kauhola, who lived with Neula; [born was] Kiha, who lived with Wailea; [born was] Līloa, who lived with Akahiokuleana; [born was] Umi.

This is [the story of] Līloa's reign, and the birth of ʻUmi. Līloa was the father of ʻUmi, and [he was] the aliʻi nui of Hawaiʻi at the time. At Waipiʻo, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi was the place where he continuously lived. During his time in traveling in the northern part of Hāmākua, the side near Hilo, he went to the observe the kapu at the heiau of Manini. That heiau that Līloa stirred into action was at Koholālele, Hāmākua. When the kapu had been observed, he waited until the hoʻomāhanahana kapu was completed, and then he moved on towards the north of that place. He stopped and stayed at Kaʻawikiwiki, because he wanted to engage in the game of paheʻe (spear sliding) and other frivolities. 

During his time staying there, he went to bathe in the stream at Hōʻea, adjoining the ʻāina at Kealakaha, and it is there that he met Akahiakuleana. She had just finished her maʻi (menstruation), and was bathing to cleanse herself of her haumia (and after that, she would return to her kāne, as was common for wahine of that time), and her female servant was sitting at the edge of the water, holding her pāʻū skirt.

(To be continued)

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Waipiʻo, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi. Photo by N. Peralto, 2012.