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

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

E nā makamaka o ka ʻāina aloha nei o Hāmākua, ke aloha nui iā ʻoukou. E waiho ana kākou i ka moʻolelo nei no ke aliʻi kaulana o Hāmākua nei a e huli ana kākou e nānā pono i kekahi mele kaulana o ka poʻe kahiko i haku ʻia no Kihaapiʻilani a me ka ʻohana aliʻi ona no Maui. He mea nui ke mele no ka poʻe Hawaiʻi, no ka mea, he hōʻike ia no ke aloha o ka Hawaiʻi no ko kākou ʻāina, ko kākou aliʻi, a me ko kākou ʻohana. Ma ka haku ʻia ʻana o ke mele, e like me ke mele nei no Kihaapiʻilani, wae pono ihola ʻia nā hunahuna moʻolelo o nā kūpuna a me nā akua mai ka pō mai a haku ʻia ke mele me he lei makamae lā. Ma ia mele e loaʻa ai kekahi moʻolelo o ka mea nona ia lei, no laila, he kūpono nō ka hoʻomau ʻana aku i nā mele me ka pololei a me ka hoʻopokole ʻole ʻana aku i mea e hoʻoili iho ai nā moʻolelo o ko kākou poʻe kūpuna me ka pono. I ka makahiki 1862, aʻoaʻo maila kekahi mea kākau kaulana o Hawaiʻi, ʻo Joseph H. Kanepuu, i ka pono o ka paʻi hou ʻana iho i nā mele me ka holoʻokoʻa ma ka nūpepa. Wahi āna, inā hoʻopokole ʻia ke mele ma ka paʻi ʻana “Pehea la anei e loaa ai na koena i na hanauna hope o kakou, ke makemake lakou e nana, aole no e loaa, e hele ana kakou i ka nalowale...E makemake ana ka hanauna Hawaii o na la A.D. 1870, a me A.D. 1880, a me A.D. 1890, a me A.D. 1990” (Ka Hoku o ka Pakipika, 30 Oct. 1862). No laila, me ka mahalo nui no ka mea kākau nāna i kākau iho a paʻi hou i kēia mele holoʻokoʻa no kākou, ka hānauna Hawaiʻi o ka makahiki A.D. 2016 hoʻi, ke paʻi hou nei kēia wahi mea kākau i ke mele nei me ka pono o nā haku moʻolelo ma mua oʻu, no ka mea, e makemake ana e ʻike ka hānauna Hawaiʻi o nā lā A.D. 2050, a me A.D. 2070, a me A.D. 2116, a me A.D. 2216, a pēlā aku a hiki i ke kawowo aloha ʻāina hope loa.
 
Na Noʻeau Peralto
17 ʻOkakopa 2016
Paʻauilo, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi
​

Dear companions of our beloved homelands of Hāmākua nei, great aloha to you all. We are going to set aside the moʻolelo of our great aliʻi of Hāmākua for a short time, and turn our attention to closely examine one of the famous mele (chant, song) of the people of old, which was composed for Kiha-a-Piʻilani and his chiefly family from Maui. Mele are very important to the Hawaiian people, as they demonstrate our aloha for our ʻāina, our aliʻi, and our ʻohana. In the composition of mele, like this mele for Kiha-a-Piʻilani, fragments of the moʻolelo of the ancestors and akua of ancient times are carefully selected and braided together like a treasured lei. In such a mele can be found a particular story about the one for whom that “lei” was created. Therefore, it is important that we perpetuate our mele with accuracy and without cutting them short, so that the moʻolelo of our kūpuna are passed on to future generations properly. In the year 1862, one of the famous writers of Hawaiʻi, Joseph H. Kanepuu, wrote about the importance of (re)publishing mele in their entirety in the newspapers. According to him, if we shorten or abbreviate the mele when we publish them, “How are the parts left out to be found by the generations after us? Should they want to see them, they will be nowhere to be found and will soon be forgotten…The future generations of Hawaiians of the year 1870, and 1880, and 1890, and 1990 will want to know” (Ka Hoku o ka Pakipika, 30 Oct. 1862). Therefore, with great appreciation and respect for the author who wrote down and published this entire mele for us, the generation of Hawaiians of the year 2016, this humble writer is republishing it here just as the storytellers before me have shared it with us. Because the future generations of Hawaiʻi of the year 2050, and 2070, and 2116, and 2216 are going to want to know, until the very last descendant of aloha ʻāina lives.
 
Noʻeau Peralto
October 17, 2016
Paʻauilo, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi

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Helu VIII.
 
E nana kakou i keia Mele, i hakuia i ka wa I. paha, e II. paha, e III. paha, i mea e ike ai kakou i ka Umi wahine, oia o Piikea, eia malalo iho nei, a me kona mau kaikunane, a Piilani no i hanau mai.
 
Ke Kukaipaoa ka lani he ʻlii,
He Alii aoa lani, he aoa—e,
He-a ia mau lani kumakomako,
He lani no Kahuku maka pali pohaku,
He mau lani pohaku no Lonokaeho,
No Lono ka lae poniia i ka wai niu,
I haua i ka puaa hiwa a Kane,
I ka puaa hiwa, puawa hiwa a Lono,
E Lono—e, eia ko maka lani,
Ko lau, ko muo, ko ao, ko liko,
Ko Alii kapu e Kahaipiilani,
Ko maka e ku ana hoi ka malama,
Malamaia ka lau kapu o Keaka,
Ka lau oheohe o Keakamahana,
I kupu a kapalulu, kapalule ka pua,
Ka pua ololo hemahema o Kaikilani,
Nana ia lau ololo, no Kanaloa,
No ka ilio hulu pano i ka maka,
I noho ka eleele iloko o ka onohi,
He kakau kioki onio i ka lae,
He kioki o ke ki kakapu,
O ka i-a kapu hilia au awahia,
Awahia i lani Keaka wahine,
I kupu a mala-o Keakealani kane,
Ia laua hai ka haka o ke kapu,
Hakahaka i ka momona o na ʻlii nui,
He ʻlii ku moku ai moku nui hoi nei,
He nui hoi Kauhi, he mau hono ko na aina.
He nui hoi Keaka, hea walu iwaho,
He kai papa nene ko na aina,
He ulu papa kai holo papa no Kahiki,
Hiki o Keawe, ke kupu kia aumoku,
Ka hua hookahi a Kaao, i ka lani,
Na Kalani, Kalanikauleleiaiwi,
Na Keaka, na Keawe keia lani,
Na kela eke hului o Piilani,
I noho o Keawe io Piilani la,
Ahu ko-o-ka o na Alii nui,
He ʻlii, he ma Alii ka ike anaʻku,
He mau lani haele wale iho no,
Hele hehi i ka lihi o ka La,
I ka malama hanau o Ikiiki — la,
Ua ikiiki ka lani iluna,
Ua u-i a ia ka malama,
Ka pili o hoehu ka ua,
Ke iloli nei ka Honua,
Na ku ka Mauna wai kahe ino,
Ino ua kahuli lewa na Aina,
Ua lewa ka houpo o ka moku,
Ke au o malele o Kuala,
O kanaka iki o ka moku,
O ka u-u-i-na i wawau — e, a — he.
O na ʻlii o ka nuu pule,
O kanaka o ka hale hiwa,
O loko o Mana ka moo,
O ka hina kii o Haloa,
O Kalani o—i—oia—i—a pa—he.
Ke paha l—a—i—kona makemake—i—a,
A hiki mai ka—o—le—ole—hoi—ana,
Ko Aupuni— la, nana—i—a.
No Ikiiki, no Kaaona ke ʻlii,
No Hanaia, no Hinaiaeleele,
Nolaila o Piikea, wahine a Umi.
Ka Laielohelohe hiapo ia,
A Piilani no i hanau mai,
Hanau o Lonopii, he kane,
A Piilani no i hanau mai,
Hanau o Kihaapiilani, he kane,
A Piilani no i hanau mai,
O Kihaapiilani Kalanilonakea,
I ili kea, malo kea, malailena a Kihaapiilani,
O ua ha ia e Laielohelohelohe,
Ia lakou Kapena o ke Kapu,
Ia Kalamakua a Kaihuholua,
Na Kaihuholua, na Lupekalani,
Nanalu e hilo i ke aho a Makalii,
Ke aho kaa-kolu ia i kela ka loa,
Ka maawe huna lau ia o ke ʻlii,
I heia i Miloa, e Hanauane,
Hanau mai o Kuihewa,
He muli Kaihikapu a Kuihewa,
O Kaihikapu ili manoa,
Ili pepee, pepee, pee ku-e i ke kapu,
Ka ili pee ku-e o ke ʻlii o Mano,
No Mano ia ili oi, ili kalakala,
Ke kalakala o ka lau ea pu,
Ke kalakala o ka i-a ili—e—e.
Ka ili—e—e o Mano lae pohaku,
O ka ulu a Mano, a Mano no,
He mau puha ia na Mano,
Na laua o Noheamakalii,
Noho o Mano moe ia Pulanaieie,
O Kalanipiilani kana keiki,
He niu kaukahi na Manokalanipo,
He mau lani olu iho no ka maka,
I luna wale no e lili nei la—e.
Lili ka ua i ka Makalii,
Puehu i ke kula o Kailo,
Lulana i Hauoa Keawe,
Kakaulua i Kealawela,
Hiki loa io lua ka lai i ua mali—e.
Ua luhea ka iki o Puna,
O Puna, o Puna maka inaina,
Ke kahu hoi o Kahinanalo,
Moku Ohikihokolia,
Ho-a e ia no kuu lani,
No ua Ohiki kau ka oli—e—e—a—he.
Ke—li—i—loa—a—la malama i—e.
​
Auhea oukou e ka poe e heluhelu ana i keia Moolelo. Aole keia Mele, i hakuia i ko Umi ma wa, he Mele hou loa keia, no keia wa aku nei no; aka, ua pakui aku no au malalo o keia Moolelo, i maopopo paha ka lilo ana o Piikea, i wahine na Umi, a me kona mau kaikunane, aole nae au i manao, ua pololei wale no na lalani huaolelo o keia Mele, ua hewa iki no kekahi. E nana kakou ma kekahi lalani o ua Mele nei, he makahiapo o Piikea. A Piilani no i hanau mai, aole ia he hanau mua, o Lonoapii no ka mua, (oia o Piilani.) [E ka poʻe heluhelu, eia kekahi ʻōlelo hoʻākāka pokole mai ka mana o kēia moʻolelo i paʻi ʻia e Abraham Fornander: “maloko o keia mele i haku ia, ua komo no ka moolelo o ko Maui mau alii, a ua pili no hoi ka haku ana i na ʻlii o Maui.”]
 
(Aole i pau.)

Chapter VIII.
​
Let us now look at this Mele, presented here below, which was composed perhaps in the time of [Kamehameha] I, II, or III, so that we may come to know of ʻUmi’s wahine, Piʻikea and her brothers, born of Piʻilani.

Kukaipaoa, the lofty one is a chief,
A chief of the heavens, a cloud
Of the great heaven is Kumakomako,
A chief of the rocky cliffs of Kahuku,
They are the solid chiefs belonging to Lonokaeho
It was the brow of Lono that was anointed with the water of the coconut,
That was dedicated with the black pig of Kane
The black pig, the ʻawa hiwa of Lono,
O Lono, here is your royal offspring,
Your leaf, your shoot, your offshoot, your bud,
Your sacred chief, [Kihapiilani];
Your chiefly offspring who stands in the light.
Protected is the sacred bud of Keaka,
The tall, straight sprout of Keakamahana
That grew and flowered,
The drooping flower of Hemahema and Kaikilani,
To whom belonged the drooping leaves of Kanaloa,
Like the black haired dog in whose eye
Blackness dwells in the pupil,
With striped marks on the forehead,
Marks of the kikakapu,
The sacred fish with the bitter gall.
Bitter of the chief Keaka, a wahine,
Who grew and developed through Keakealani, a kāne.
By them was the sacred law broken,
Broken by the product of the great chiefs.
Here is a great district chief standing here;
Kauhi is great; it is the foundation of the isles.
Keaka is great for she has produced eight.
The seas of her lands are noised on the shoals,
As rolling waves from the shoals of Kahiki.
Keawe the great commander has arrived,
The only offspring of the cloud in the heaven
By the chief, Kalanikauleleaiwi,
This is Keakaʻs chiefly one, by Keawe.
That attraction was Piilani,
For Keawe dwelt at Piilaniʻs,
The gathering place of great chiefs.
A chief, several chiefs were seen;
They are the chiefs who go idly by,
Walking about until the close of the day.
In the month born of Ikiiki.
The heaven above is panting [for breath],
The rain for the month is far removed,
Far driven away is the rain.
The earth is suffering as one in travail.
The mountain trembles, the flood gushes with violence;
It is indeed stormy for the lands are overturned and floating,
The breast of the island is floating
On the dividing current of Kuala.
Of the small person of the island,
For the sound of crackling is heard,
It is the chiefs on the place of prayer,
They are the people of the sacred house
Within the confines of mana, the lizard.
One belonging to Hina, taken by Haloa.
Excellent Kalani, he is being delayed.
Boasting of his being a great favorite
When the word came to him
To take charge of his kingdom,
For the chief was of the month of Ikiiki, of Kaaona,
Of Hanaia, of Hinaiaeleele.
Thence came Piikea the wahine of Umi,
She was the first-born of Laielohelohe,
Given birth through Piilani.
Lonopii was born, a male.
Given birth through Piilani.
Kihaapiilani was born, a male.
Given birth through Piilani.
Kihaapiilani, Kalanilonakea.
[Of] light skin [and] white loin cloth, Kihapiilani shall see bitterness.
There were four from Laielohelohe,
They possessed the boarder of the kapu
Of Kalamaku of Kauhiholua,
Of Kauhiholua, of Lupeikalani.
It was Nalu that spun the fish-line of Makalii,
The fish-line of three strands which excels in length.
The chief is like a hidden strand
Which was caught at Miloa by Hanauane,
[Kuhihewa] was then born.
Kaihikapu of Kuihewa was the younger,
Kaihikapu with the thick skin,
Crackled skin, crackled by the kapu.
The thick, ugly skin of the chief Mano,
Mano, of the sharp skin, the rough skin,
Like the roughness of the pumpkin leaf,
Like the roughness of the rough-skinned fish,
The peculiar skin of Mano, he of the hard forehead.
The seed of Mano, belonging to Mano
Is the loin product of Mano.
Together with [Nohoamakalii],
Mano lived and cohabited with Pulanaieie;
Kalanipiilani was his child
The only offspring of Manokalanipo,
The eyes are like two kindly chiefs
Who are haughty in their lofty position.
The light showers of the summer
Were scattered on the plain of Kailo,
Calmness is seen at Hauoa of Keawe,
Gathering on the heated road,
The calm and clearness have reached you two.
Drooping is the diminutive of Puna,
Puna of the angry eyes,
The guardian of Kahinanalo
The isle of Ohikihokolio,
Previously secured for my chief;
For the sand crab, let joy prevail,
The long-lived chief, watch over him.*

To all the people reading this Moʻolelo, this Mele was not composed in the time of ʻUmi. It is a newer Mele from a time not long past. But I have included it here in this Moʻolelo so that we might come to understand better why Piʻikea became a wahine of ʻUmi, and so that we might come to know her brothers’ story. I do not think, however, that all of the lyrics of this Mele are completely correct. Some are surely incorrect. For example, let us look at one line of this Mele, which says that Piʻikea is the firstborn “makahiapo” that Piʻilani birthed. However, she was not the first born. Lonoapiʻi (referred to as Piʻilani in this version of the moʻolelo) was the first. [Dear readers, here is another short explanation from the version of this moʻolelo that was published by Abraham Fornander: “The history of the [chiefs] of Maui is mentioned in this chant and the composition of it was made solely for the Maui [chiefs].”]

(To be continued)

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*Translation of mele derived from Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Folk-lore, Vol. 4 (1916), pg. 238-43.

Kākau ʻia e J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mal. 29, 1862
Hoʻopuka hou ʻia a ʻunuhi ʻia e Kealaulili

Written by J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mar. 29, 1862
Republished and translated by Kealaulili

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