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

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

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"Lei ʻia ka mauna a Wākea i ke aloha o nā pua." Illustrations by Haley Kailiehu, 2015.

Kū hoʻokahi Maunakea
Piko kaulana o ke ea
Ea mai Kūkiaʻimauna
I ke kapu o ke aloha

Kūpaʻa mau ke aloha ʻāina
I ke ala kapu o ke kuahiwi
A he ala nihinihi ia
A i ka Piko o Wākea

Lei ʻia ka mauna a Wākea
I ke aloha o nā pua
ʻOnipaʻa i ke aloha ʻāina
A loaʻa ka lei o ka lanakila

Maunakea stands united
Famous piko of our ea
Kūkiaʻimauna rises
In the kapu of aloha
 
Aloha ʻāina remains steadfast
In the sacred path of the mountain
And it is a precarious trail
To the Piko o Wākea
 
A lei adorns Mauna a Wākea
With the aloha of the flowers
Resolute in our love for the land
Until we obtain the lei of victory

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E nā mamo o ka ʻāina kihi loa, mai ka piko kapu o ka mauna a Wākea a ke kumu pali lele koaʻe, aloha nui kākou. Lei ʻia ka Mauna a Wākea i ke aloha ʻāina kūpaʻa mau o nā pua kaulana o ko Hawaiʻi nei Pae ʻĀina, mai Hawaiʻi nui kuauli a i ka mole ʻolu o Lehua. Ea mai Kūkiaʻimauna, a ea mai nō hoʻi ko kākou aloha no ka ʻāina mai ka pō mai. He kuamoʻo kahiko loa nō hoʻi ke aloha ʻāina no kākou, e nā Hawaiʻi, a no kēia kumu ke hoʻolaha hou ʻia nei kēia kuamoʻo ʻōlelo aloha ʻāina no ʻUmi, ma Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi nei. Wahi a kekahi mea kākau kaulana o Hawaiʻi, ʻo Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe hoʻi, ʻo ka mākaukau ma nā moʻolelo o kou ʻāina makuahine ke keʻehina ʻike mua ma ke kālaiʻāina e hiki ai ke paio naʻauao no ka pono o ka noho Aupuni ʻana (Ka Naʻi Aupuni on January 17, 1906). No laila, i ka hoʻopaʻanaʻau ʻana i kēia moʻolelo o ko mākou ʻāina makuahine, ka moʻolelo hoʻi no ke aliʻi kaulana o Hāmākua, ʻo ʻUmi-a-Līloa, e ʻike ana kākou i nā hana aloha ʻāina he nui a ua aliʻi nui nei i kāna mālama ʻana i ke akua, i kāna mahi ʻana i ka ʻāina a paʻa ka ʻāina i ka ʻai, a i kāna kālai ʻana i nā māhele mai nā ʻāpana nui, e laʻa nā moku a me nā ahupuaʻa, a hiki i nā ʻāpana liʻiliʻi, e laʻa nā kuakua mahi ʻia. He moʻolelo kēia e hoʻonaʻauao ai kākou i kekahi mau hana a ke aloha ʻāina a me ke ʻano o ke aupuni pono.

Eia kekahi, wahi a kahiko, ua lilo ʻo ʻUmi i aliʻi kaulana i ka noho ʻana ma nā mauna o Hawaiʻi. Ua kūkulu aʻela ʻo ia i mau heiau i nā ʻāina mauna a puni nā kuahiwi kaulana ʻekolu o ka moku, ʻo ka Mauna a Wākea (ʻo Mauna Kea hoʻi), ʻo Maunaloa, a ʻo Hualalai, i mea paha e hoʻokō ai i kona kuleana no ka mālama ʻana i ke akua a me ka ʻāina o nei mokupuni.  He mau kūpuna kapu kēia mau ʻāina mauna no ʻUmi-a-Līloa, a no kākou hoʻi, a ʻike ʻia kēia kuamoʻo kupuna o kākou i kekahi mele koʻihonua no Kauikeaouli (K III) i kapa ʻia ʻo “Hānau a Hua ka Lani.” Eia mai kekahi mau lālani o ia mele: “O hānau ka Mauna a Wākea, ʻŌpuʻu aʻe ka Mauna a Wākea. ʻO Wākea ke kāne. ʻO Papa, ʻo Walinuʻu ka wahine. Hānau Hoʻohōkū, he wahine. Hānau Hāloa, he aliʻi. Hānau ka mauna, he keiki mauna na Wākea” (Ka Naʻi Aupuni, Pep. 10, 1906). Wahi a ua mele lā, he makahiapo kapu ka Mauna a Wākea na Wākea lāua ʻo Papa, a na lāua (Wākea a me Papa) nō i hānau iā Hāloa, kekahi o ko mākou kūpuna kanaka a aliʻi mua loa hoʻi. ʻO ka hā makua o ka moku kēia ʻāina ʻo Hāmākua, mai ka piko o Wākea a ka mole o Papa, a he ʻohe wai ka ʻāina ʻo Kaʻohe no ka wai ola o ka mokupuni nei. 

No laila, ma o kēia moʻokūʻauhau, ʻike leʻa ʻia he pilina ʻohana ko ka ʻāina a me ke Kanaka, a he kūlana kapu ko nā ʻāina mauna i luna o kākou. ʻO ia nō kekahi kumu o ka ʻōlelo noʻeau a ka poʻe kahiko e ō mau nei i kēia au, “He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauwā ke kanaka.” He kuleana ko kēlā me kēia e mālama i ka ʻāina. Ke ʻōlelo wale mai kekahi, “He mea hou wale kēia kū ʻana a Kānaka e mālama a e kiaʻi hoʻi i ko lākou ʻāina.” ʻO ka pane nō kēia o kēia wahi mea kākau, “ʻAʻole kā! Ea mai ke aloha ʻāina mai ka pō mai." (A eia nā pane a kekahi mau mea kākau kaulana o ko Hawaiʻi nei Pae ʻĀina, ʻo ia nō ʻo Bryan Kuwada lāua ʻo kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui) Ma o nā moʻolelo a me nā moʻokūʻauhau o ko kākou kūpuna, e like me ka moʻolelo nei no ʻUmi, ma laila nō e ʻike ʻia ai ke kuamoʻo o ko kākou lāhui, ʻo ia ke kuamoʻo o ko kākou kuleana i ka ʻāina. No laila, e ka lāhui aloha ʻāina, e hoʻomau aku kākou i ke kuamoʻo aloha ʻāina ʻoiaʻiʻo, e like me kā ke aliʻi kaulana ʻo ʻUmi-a-Līloa, a e kūpaʻa mau kākou i ke aloha no ko kākou ʻāina aloha a paʻa ka pono, a hoʻi ke ea, a loaʻa ka lei o ka lanakila!

Ma kēia māhele o ka moʻolelo nei, e ʻike ana nō kākou i ke ʻano haʻahaʻa o ke aliʻi lokomaikaʻi a me nā hana maʻaleʻa a Kaleiokū e hoʻopaʻa aku ai ke aupuni iā ʻUmi. E hoʻomau kākou.

Na Noʻeau Peralto, Mea Kākau
Mei 14, 2015
Koholālele, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi

Dear descendants of the land of the long corner, from the sacred peak of Mauna a Wākea to the base of the cliffs where the koaʻe birds fly, great aloha to you all. Mauna a Wākea is adorned by a lei of the perpetual, steadfast aloha ʻāina of the famous flowers of these Hawaiian Islands, from Hawaiʻi nui kuauli to the taproot of Lehua. Kūkiaʻimauna is rising, and so too is the aloha that we have for our ʻāina, which comes from the pō, our deepest ancestral source. Aloha ʻāina is a very old tradition for us, Hawaiians, and it is for this reason that this moʻolelo of aloha ʻāina about ʻUmi is being republished here in Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi. According to one of the famous writers of Hawaiʻi, Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, being well-versed in the moʻolelo of your motherland is the primary position of knowledge upon which a firm political stance can be made so that we may engage in conscious struggle for the pono of our governance (Ka Naʻi Aupuni on January 17, 1906). Therefore, through committing to memory this moʻolelo of our motherland, the moʻolelo of the famous chief of Hāmākua, ʻUmi-a-Līloa, we will come to know the great works of aloha ʻāina of this great chief in his care for the akua, in his cultivation of the land until it was extremely abundant, and in his carving up the land divisions on this island, from the districts, to the ahupuaʻa, to the small cultivated patches. This moʻolelo is one that can raise our consciousness to know some of the actions of aloha ʻāina and the characteristics of a pono government.

Furthermore, according to the traditions of old, ʻUmi became a chief famous for his residence in the mountains of Hawaiʻi. He built a number of heiau around the mountain lands of the three famous peaks of this island, Mauna a Wākea (Mauna Kea), Maunaloa, and Hualalai, as a means, perhaps, of fulfilling his kuleana to care for the akua and the ʻāina of this island. These mountain lands were sacred ancestors of ʻUmi-a-Līloa, as they are for us, and this ancestral lineage of ours is seen in a genealogy chant for Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III), entitled “Hānau a Hua ka Lani.” Here are some of the lines of that chant: “Born is the Mauna a Wākea. The mountain of Wākea buds forth. Wākea is the male. Papa Walinuʻu is the female. Born is Hoʻohōkū, a female. Born is Hāloa, a chief. Born is the Mauna, a mountain-child of Wākea” (Ka Naʻi Aupuni, Feb. 10, 1906). According to this chant, Mauna a Wākea is a sacred first-born of Wākea (male sky) and Papa (female earth), and it was they (Wākea and Papa) who also later gave birth to Hāloa, one of our very first human and chiefly ancestors. This land of Hāmākua is the parent stalk of this island, from the piko of Wākea to the taproot of Papa, and the land of Kaʻohe is a bamboo water container for the life giving waters of this island.

Therefore, it is clearly seen in this genealogy that there is a familial relationship between the ʻāina and Kānaka, and that the mountain lands have a sacred rank high above us all. This is one of the reasons for the wise saying of the people of old that endures to this day, “The ʻāina is chief, and the people are its servants.” Each and every person has a responsibility to care for and protect this ʻāina. So when some may say, “This stance of Kānaka to care for and protect their ʻāina is a new thing.” Here is the response of this humble writer, “Absolutely not! Aloha ʻāina emerges from the pō, our deepest ancestral origins." (And here are the responses of a couple well-known writers of these Hawaiian Islands, Bryan Kuwada and kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui). It is in the histories and genealogies of our ancestors, like this moʻolelo of ʻUmi, where the backbone of our nation is seen, that is, the genealogy of our kuelana to this ʻāina. Therefore, oh nation of aloha ʻāina, let us continue on the pathways of true aloha ʻāina, just as the famous chief ʻUmi-a-Līloa did. And let us remain steadfast in aloha for our beloved ʻāina until pono is re-established, and ea has returned, and the lei of victory has been obtained!

In this portion of the moʻolelo, we will come to see the humble nature of a generous chief and the crafty deeds of Kaleiokū that secured the kingdom for ʻUmi. Let us continue on.

By Noʻeau Peralto
May 14, 2014
Koholālele, Hamakua, Hawaii

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"ʻUmi prepared the pig, and placed it on a platter. ʻUmi then fetched the ʻawa and poured it into two ʻapu. ʻUmi gave them to the old men, and they drank. The two of them feasted until they were dizzy from the ʻawa." Illustration by Haley Kailiehu, 2015.

Helu IV.

I ka pau ana o na kanaka i kuahiwi me Kaleioku. Malamalama loa ae la, koe o Umi me na wahine ana. Puka ae la ka la a mehana, o ka hora 8 paha ia, o ka la Poaono [a ko laua huakai mai Waipio aku], a ua mau wahi elemakule nei i hiki ai i kahi o Kaleioku, me kana Alii me Umi. Hiki ua mau wahi elemakule nei, he mehameha wale no na hale o Kaleioku ma, aole maaloalo kanaka iki mawaho, kahea ae la ua mau wahi elemakule nei, "Mehameha nae na hale o ua o Kaleioku, aole maaloalo kanaka iki." Lohe ae la o Umi i keia leo mawaho, e noho ana ia ma ka hale o mua, he mea mau ia i na kahuna o ka wa kahiko, ma ka hale o mua wale no e kipa ai, aole ma ka hale moe. Kahea aku o Umi i ua mau wahi kanaka elemakule nei, "E komo olua maloko nei, aole he kanaka o ko makou wahi nei. Ua pau aku nei o Kaleioku me na kanaka i ka mahiai i kuahiwi, owau wale iho nei no koe. I hoonohoia iho nei au i kanaka no olua e hiki mai ai." Komo aku la ua mau wahi elemakule nei iloko o ka hale o mua.

A puka aku la o Umi iwaho, a hopu aku la i ka pauku wahie i hoomakaukau mua ia. Hapai ae la ia a kiekie iluna, a hahau iho la ia i lalo, i ka ili o ka honua. Naha liilii ae la ka pauku wahie, ho-a ae la ia i ke ahi, a a ke ahi, no ka nui o ka pulupulu i hoomakaukau mua ia. Nui ae la ka uwahi, aole i kauia ka wahie, ua nalo nae ia i ka maka o na wahi elemakule. Hopu aku la o Umi i ka puaa, alala iho la ka puaa, hookuuia’ku no, aole i make. Ma kahi i nalo i ka uwahi, malaila kahi i hookuuia’ku ai ua puaa la. A pau ka a ana o ka opala i hanaia'i i pulupulu, kalua wale iho no keia, o kauewewe wale no, kii aku la keia a ka pu awa, a huhuki ae la, a hemo. I iho la ua mau wahi elemakule nei, kekahi me kekahi, "Ina me neia ka hanai a ua o Kaleioku, ola na iwi, kai ke kanaka ikaika." No ko laua nei ike ana i ka naha liilii o ka pauku wahie, i ka hikiwawe o ke kalua ana o ka puaa, i ka hemo ana o ka pu awa nui i ka uhuki ana. Oia ke kumu o ko laua mahalo ana he kanaka ikaika.

Ia Umi i huhuki ai i ka pu awa, hoi ae la ia ma kekahi aoao o ka hale a laua nei e noho ana, (oia ka hale o mua.) Hana o Umi, wawahi a liilii ka awa, kukulu ke kanoa, a waiho iho la ia i ka awa i wali mua i ka mamaia, iloko o ke kanoa. Kii aku la o Umi i ka puaa i kalua mua ia, ma kahi kokoke i ka imu a ia nei i kalua ai, aole puaa. Huai ae la o Umi a lawe mai imua o ua mau wahi elemakule nei, ua moa lea loa ka puaa. Ia ia nei no e huai ana i ka imu puaa, olelo aku la o Nunu, kekahi elemakule ia Kamai [o Kakohe paha], "Ea! hikiwawe ka moa o ka puaa, o ke kalua ana aku nei no la?" Ae mai la o Kamai; aka, i ka hiki ana imua o ko laua mau maka, ua moa lea loa ka puaa. Hana iho la o Umi i ka puaa, a waiho i ke pa, kii aku la o Umi i ka awa a ninini iho la iloko o na apu elua. Haawi aku la o Umi no ua mau wahi elemakule nei, a inu ae la laua, paina laua a ona i ka awa, hina aku la kekahi ma ka paia, a o kekahi hoi, hina ma kahi moe. Hapai ae la o Umi i kekahi elemakule a hoomoeia'ku ma ka moe.


(Aole i pau)

Kākau ʻia e J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mal. 1, 1862
Hoʻopuka hou ʻia a ʻunuhi ʻia e Kealaulili

Chapter IV.

When everyone had gone to the uplands with Kaleiokū, the light of day emerged and ʻUmi was left with his wahine. The sun rose and brought warmth. It was perhaps 8 o’clock in the morning, on the sixth day [of their journey from Waipiʻo] that those two old men arrived at the place of Kaleiokū and his aliʻi, ʻUmi. When the old men arrived, the houses of Kaleiokū and the others were silent. Not one person passed by them outside. The old men called out, “The houses of Kaleiokū are silent. No one is around.” ʻUmi heard this voice outside while sitting inside the hale o mua (men’s eating house). It was a common thing for the kāhuna of the old times to only visit at the hale o mua, not at the sleeping house. ʻUmi called out to the old men, “Come inside here. There is no one else here. Kaleiokū and all the others have gone into the uplands to farm. I am the only one who remains. I have been placed here to attend to you both upon your arrival.” The two old men then entered the hale o mua.

ʻUmi then went outside and grabbed the bundle of firewood that had been prepared. [Let us recall all the preparations of Kaleiokū and the others in the previous installment.] It was lifted up high then thrown down to the ground. The firewood was broken into small pieces, and the fire was lit until it was burning well. Because of all the tinder and kindling that had been prepared beforehand, there was a lot of smoke, which concealed [the imu] to the old men’s eyes. ʻUmi then grabbed the pig, and let it squeal. Without killing it, he released the pig where it would be concealed by the smoke. When all the kindling and tinder had burned, only the ti leaf covering in the imu had actually been cooked. ʻUmi then fetched the ʻawa root, pulling it out and separating it. The old men then proclaimed to each other, “If this this is how the hānai of Kaleiokū is, then our bones will indeed live! What a strong man!” The reason they praised him as such a strong man was because they had seen him break the bundle of firewood into small pieces, cook the pig so quickly, and uproot the large ʻawa plant with such ease.

When ʻUmi had pulled up the ʻawa, he returned to the other side of the house in which they were sitting (the hale o mua). He broke the ʻawa into small pieces, set up the kānoa (ʻawa bowl), and placed the ʻawa that had previously been chewed and softened in to the kānoa. ʻUmi then fetched the pig that had previously been cooked in another imu [by the others]. This was nearby the imu [that he had lit when the old men arrived], in which there was actually no pig. ʻUmi uncovered it and brought it before those two old men. The pig was cooked very well. While he was uncovering the imu with the pig in it, Nunu, one of the old men, said to Kamai [Kakohe perhaps], “Wow! How quick the pig was cooked! Was it actually kālua?” Kamai nodded in agreement; but when it arrived before their eyes, the pig was indeed cooked very well. ʻUmi prepared the pig, and placed it on a platter. ʻUmi then fetched the ʻawa and poured it into two ʻapu (coconut shell cups). ʻUmi gave them to the old men, and they drank. The two of them feasted until they were dizzy from the ʻawa. One of them laid down against the wall, and the other laid down on a mat so ʻUmi lifted the old man and laid him down on the mat as well.

(To be continued)

Written by J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mar. 1, 1862
Republished and translated by Kealaulili

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