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

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

Then ʻUmi said to them, “Here are your ʻāina: two for Nunu, and one for Kamai. It will now be up to you to determine the affairs of your ʻāina. With regards to who will have control over these ʻāina, it will be yours to ʻai (control, consume). It will be up to you both to act as you see fit. Do not think of me. If you so choose to pass these ʻāina on to your descendants, that decision is yours to make, and it will be pono." Illustration by Haley Kailiehu, 2015.

E nā hoa makamaka o ke ala ʻūlili, welina mai kākou. Ua hiki maila ʻo Makaliʻi i nei ʻāina pali loa ʻo Hāmākua, a ua hōʻea hoʻi ʻo Lonoikamakahiki i ko kākou mokupuni i kapa ʻia e ka poʻe kahiko, ʻo Lononuiākea. Mai kahi kihi a kahi kihi o ka ʻāina, ʻike leʻa ʻia ka pua ʻana mai o ke kō, a wahi a kahiko, ʻo ka manawa nō ia a ka heʻe e kū ai a nanahu hoʻi ka manō. No laila, e nā hoa hele o ke ala ʻūlili, nā pua kaulana hoʻi o ka ʻāina, e hoʻomau aku kākou i ke kuamoʻo o ko kākou aliʻi kaulana, ʻo ʻUmi-a-Līloa hoʻi. Ma ka mahele aku nei o ko kākou moʻolelo, ua ʻike kākou i ka lilo ʻana ʻo ʻUmi i aliʻi nui no Hawaiʻi, a ʻo Kaleiokū hoʻi kona kahuna nui. Ua pau ʻo Hakau i ka pepehi ʻia e nā kānaka no Hilo Palikū a no Hāmākua hoʻi, a ua ʻike ʻia ka hana pono a ke aliʻi i hoʻopaʻa ai kona noho aupuni ʻana. Ma ka mahele nei o ka moʻolelo, e ʻike ana kākou i kahi hana kupanaha a ke aliʻi i kona hāʻawi ʻana aku i ka ʻāina i kēlā mau wahi ʻelemakule no Waipiʻo. No laila, e nā hoa heluhelu, e hoʻomau aku kākou i ke kuamoʻo, a ʻike i ke au nui i ke au iki e like me ka pono i ka haku ʻana i ko kākou moʻolelo.
 
Na Noʻeau Peralto, Mea Kākau
Koholālele, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi
Kekemapa 30, 2015

Dear companions of the steep trails, greetings to you all. The lunar month of Makaliʻi is upon us here in the land of the tall cliffs, Hāmākua, and Lonoikamakahiki has arrived here on our island of Hawaiʻi, which was called Lononuiākea by the people of old. From one corner to the other of this ʻāina, the flowering of the kō (sugar cane) is clearly seen, and according to the old traditions, this marks the time when the heʻe (octopus) is abundant and also when the manō (sharks) come in and bite. Therefore, dear traveling companions of the steep trails, the famous flowers of this ʻāina, let us continue forth along the pathway of tradition of this famous aliʻi of ours, ʻUmi-a-Līloa. In the last section of our moʻolelo, we came to see how ʻUmi became the aliʻi nui of Hawaiʻi and Kaleiokū his kahuna nui. Hakau’s reign was put to an end, as he was killed by the people of Hilo Palikū and Hāmākua, and the pono deeds of the true aliʻi were seen, which solidified his reign as leader of the kingdom. In this portion of the moʻolelo, we will now come to see another amazing and interesting deed of the aliʻi, as he gave ʻāina to those old men from Waipiʻo. Therefore, oh reading companions, let us continue forth along the path and come to know the big currents and the small currents, as is pono in the telling of our moʻolelo.
 
By Noʻeau Peralto, Writer
Koholālele, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi
December 30, 201

Helu VI.
 
I ko lakou noho ana, ninau ae la ke Alii, “Auhea la na wahi elemakule, o Nunu, a me Kamai?” [E ka mea heluhelu, e hoʻomanaʻo nō hoʻi kākou i ka inoa ʻē aʻe no kēia wahi elemakule, ʻo Kakohe hoʻi, i hōʻike ʻia aʻela ma ke kekahi mau mana o kēia moʻolelo nei. L.H.]  I ae la kekahi, “E i ae no.” I mai la ke Alii, “E koi koke aku oukou ia laua.” Kii ia aku la ua mau wahi elemakule nei, a hiki mai la, pane aku la ke Alii, “O olua mai la ia.” Ae mai la laua, “Ae,” O ko Umi hele no ia me ua mau wahi elemakule la, o Omaokamau, o Koi, o Piimaiwaa, a me na kanaka, e nana i ke kuahiwi o ka aina o ke Alii, i ka palena o ko laua mau aina. A hiki lakou nei iluna o Koaekea, he aina e pili ana me Waipio. [Wahi a kekahi kamaʻāina no Waipiʻo, aia ʻo Koaʻekea ma kahi kilohana ʻo ka pā nānā hoʻi e kū nei i luna o Waipiʻo i kēia mau lā. L.H.]
 
Alaila, i aku la ke Alii i kekahi wahi elemakule ia Nunu, o kahi elemakule ikaika iki ia. “E holo oe mai keia wahi aku, a i hina ala ae no oe, holo no, ina oe i ike iho i ko maloeloe, noho iho oe, make oe ia’u.” Ua lilo ia olelo a ke Alii, i mea makau na ia wahi elemakule. O ka holo aku la no ia o Nunu, me Omaokamau, ka mea i holo pu ai me Omaokamau, i ike i kahi e hana’i ua wahi elemakule nei, mamuli o ka ke Alii kauoha. Holo laua nei a ku-ku-au-au, holo no laua nei a huikau na wawae, holo no laua nei a keehi no kahi wawae i kahi wawae, a hina iho la o Nunu ilalo o ka honua, nui loa kona hanu, me ke ahaaha loa, oia no oe i ka puaa i make i ka wela o ka la la, ke ahaaha. A hiki aku la o Umi me ia wahi elemakule, me Kamai, e nui ana ka hanu o Nunu, pane iho la ke Alii, “E! make!!” Hu ae la o Nunu, “Hu.” Noho iki iho la lakou malaila a oluolu ae la o Nunu, pane mai la ke Alii ia Nunu, “Mai ko wahi au i holo mai nei a hiki i kahi a kakou e noho nei, elua Ahupuaa, o kou mau aina keia.”
 
Lohe iho la o Kamai, ka lua o kahi elemakule. I iho la ia ma kona naau, pela ka ka haawi ana a keia Alii i ka aina i na kanaka, he holo a moe okoa, o ka make wale aku no koe, i iho la ia ma kona naau. Oia hoi e like me ke Alii i lawelawe pono iho i ka maua mea ai, pela hoi kela e hooluhiluhi mai ai ia maua. Eia ke kumu o ke kanalua o kona naau, no kona nawaliwali, ua elemakule loa ia.
 
I aku la o Umi ia Kamai, “Oia e! e holo hoi oe!!” Holo aku la o Kamai laua o Piimaiwaa, mamuli o ka ke Alii kauoha ia Piimaiwaa, e holo pu laua, holo aku la a pau ke Ahupuaa hookahi, hina iho la ua wahi elemakule ia ilalo i ka honua, nui iho la kona hanu, e like me Nunu. A hiki aku la ke Alii me Nunu, pane aku la ke Alii, “E! make ea!!” Hu ae la ia, “Hu.” Kela hua olelo a na wahi elemakule i kau ia ae la, “Hu.” Aole ia o ka haina pili pono i ka ke Alii mau hua olelo, “O u ka pono, a me ae." Aka, noloko ae o ka ikiiki paupau aho loa, a me ka naenae loa no hoi paha kekahi, nolaila i hoopuka ae ai laua, “Hu.” Aka hoi, ua maopopo no i ke Alii, he “U” no ia.
 
Alaila, i aku la o Umi ia laua, eia ko olua mau aina, elua o Nunu, hookahi o Kamai, ia olua no ka hooponopono o ko olua mau aina, o na mea o luna o ko olua mau aina, na olua no e ai, na olua no e hana e like me ko olua makemake, mai manao ae olua ia’u, ina olua e hooili aku i ko olua hooilina, pono no.
 
(Aole i pau.)

Kākau ʻia e J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mal. 15, 1862
Hoʻopuka hou ʻia a ʻunuhi ʻia e Kealaulili

Chapter VI.
 
As they all remained there, the Aliʻi [ʻUmi] asked of them, “Where are those old men, Nunu and Kamai?” [Oh reader, let us remember also the other name of this old man, Kakohe, as it is seen in other versions of this moʻolelo. Editor’s Note.] One of them responded, “They are here.” The Aliʻi then said, “Go and request of their presence.” The two old men were then fetched, and when they arrived before the Aliʻi, he said to them, “Is it indeed you two?” And they responded, “Yes.” At that moment, ʻUmi began walking with those old men, along with ʻŌmaʻokāmau, Kōī, Piʻimaiwaʻa, and the others, to the uplands of the land of the Aliʻi to see the boundary of their [Nunu and Kakohe’s] lands. It was then that they arrived atop Koaʻekea, an ʻāina adjacent to Waipiʻo. [According to one kamaʻāina of Waipiʻo, Koaʻekea is the site of the current Waipiʻo valley lookout. Editor’s Note.]
 
The Aliʻi [ʻUmi] then said to one of the feeble old men, Nunu, “You must run forth from here. If you fall, get up and continue running. And if you get weary and decide to sit and rest, you will be killed by me.” These words of the Aliʻi frightened the old man, and so he immediately started running. ʻŌmaʻokāmau ran along with him to see the area that the old man covered, as the Aliʻi had commanded. They ran until they began to wobble and shake. They ran until their legs became tangled, and as one foot tripped over the other, Nunu fell down to the ground. He was breathing very heavily, panting profusely like a pig dying in the heat of the sun. When ʻUmi arrived there with the other old man, Kamai, Nunu was still breathing heavily, and the Aliʻi said to to him, “Death!” Nunu could merely grunt back, “Hu.” There they all sat for a little while until Nunu recovered, and then the Aliʻi said to Nunu, “From the place that you began running until this place here where we now sit, there are two Ahupuaʻa. These are now your ʻāina.”
 
Kamai, the second of the old men, heard this. His naʻau then told him, this is perhaps how the Aliʻi gives ʻāina to people: They must run until they fall down, with death being all that remains. This his naʻau told him. Just as the Aliʻi had served us our food, that is how he will have us labor. And this worried him in his naʻau, because he was very old and feeble.
 
ʻUmi then said to Kamai, “Now, you run!!” So Kamai and Piʻimaiwaʻa began running. As the Aliʻi had commanded, Piʻimaiwaʻa ran along with Kamai, and they ran until they had covered one Ahupuaʻa. There, the old man fell down, gasping for breath, just like Nunu. When the Aliʻi and Nunu arrived there, the Aliʻi said, “Death!!” And old man’s only response was a grunt, “Hu.” This word that the old men uttered, “Hu,” was not the proper response to what the Aliʻi had said. “U,” or “ʻae” (yes) would be the proper response. However, due to their shortness of breath and exhaustion, the word came out as “Hu.” Regardless, however, the Aliʻi understood that it was indeed “U”.
 
Then ʻUmi said to them, “Here are your ʻāina: two for Nunu, and one for Kamai. It will now be up to you to determine the affairs of your ʻāina. With regards to who will have control over these ʻāina, it will be yours to ʻai (control, consume). It will be up to you both to act as you see fit. Do not think of me. If you so choose to pass these ʻāina on to your descendants, that decision is yours to make, and it will be pono."
 
(To be continued)

Written by J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mar. 15, 1862
Republished and translated by Kealaulili

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