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

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

"When the first of them arrived in front of Hakau, the last of them was still on top of the pali. There were so many of them, the last of them could not be seen. They surrounded Hakau completely, as he sat in the center, until they were standing around him, twelve lines deep, with the stones they carried wrapped in ti leaves like paʻi ʻai." Illustration by Haley Kailiehu, 2015.

E nā hoa makamaka o nei ʻāina kihi loa mai kahi kihi i Kaʻula a kahi kihi i Honokeʻā, mai ka piko o Wākea paʻa i luna a nā pali kū o Papa paʻa lā i lalo, aloha nui kākou. Eia nō kākou ke hoʻomau aku nei i ke kuamoʻo o nā kupuna i ko kākou haʻi hou ʻana i nei moʻolelo no ke aliʻi kaulana o ko kākou ʻāina aloha ʻo Hāmākua. Ma kēia mahele o ua moʻolelo kaulana lā, e ʻike ana nō kākou i kekahi haʻawina koʻikoʻi o nā kūpuna, pili nō hoʻi i ke ʻano o ke aliʻi maikaʻi. Wahi a kahiko, “I aliʻi nō ke aliʻi i ke kanaka.” Hoʻokahua ka ʻāina, hānau ke kanaka. Hoʻokahua ke kanaka, hānau ke aliʻi. Pēlā nō i lilo ai ka ʻāina a puni o Hawaiʻi iā ʻUmi-a-Liloa. Na ka poʻe kānaka o Hāmākua nei i hoʻopau ai ka noho aliʻi ʻana o ke aliʻi hewa ʻo Hakau, a na lākou nō i hoʻokahua ai ka noho aliʻi ʻana o ke aliʻi pono hoʻi, ʻo ʻUmi. No laila, e nā hoa heluhelu o ke ala ʻūlili, e hoʻomau aku kākou i nei moʻolelo o ke aliʻi kaulana o nei ʻāina pali loa ʻo Hāmākua.

Na Kealaulili, Mea Kākau
Koholālele, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi
Aukake 17, 2015

Dear companions of this land of the long corner, from one boundary at Kaʻula to the other at Honokeʻā, from the “piko o Wākea” fixed above to the sheer pali of Papa fixed below, great aloha to you all. Here we are continuing on the pathways of our ancestors as we retell this moʻolelo of the famous aliʻi of our beloved ʻāina of Hāmākua. In this section of this famous moʻolelo, we will come to learn of one of the most important lessons of our ancestors in relation to the characteristics of a good chief. According to the traditions of old, “I aliʻi nō ke aliʻi i ke kanaka (A chief is a chief because of the people).” The ʻāina creates the foundation upon which the people are born, and the people create the foundation upon which a chief is born. That is how all the ʻāina of Hawaiʻi came under the control of ʻUmi-a-Liloa. It was the people of Hāmākua who ended the reign of the wicked chief, Hakau, and it was they too who created the foundation for the reign of the pono chief, ʻUmi. Therefore, oh reading companions of the steep trails, let us continue on with this moʻolelo of the famous aliʻi of this ʻāina of the tall cliffs, Hāmākua.

By Kealaulili, Writer
Koholālele, Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi
August 17, 2015

Helu V.

O ka la ia o Kane, he la kapu ia no ke akua o Hakau. O ka lakou nei [ʻo ʻUmi mā hoʻi] hana i noho ai malaila, o ka wahi i ka pohaku i ka la-i, elua pohaku a ke kanaka hookahi, ua hanaia me he pai ai la. Aole kanaka hele wale, eia nae ka poe hele wale, aole a lakou mau pohaku. O ke Alii o Umi, o Kaleioku ke kahuna, o Koi he keiki hookama, me Piimaiwaa, o Omaokamau, he makuakane. I ka hele ana nae o Umi e ike ia Liloa, kona makuakane, ua hooliloia o Omaokamau i keiki hookama na Umi. Aole ia he pololei, (he makuakane kahu ka pololei.)

Moe lakou nei a kakahiaka ae, o ka la ia o Lono, he la kauila huluhulu ia no ke akua o Hakau. Ua pau loa na kanaka iuka o kuahiwi, i ka pau ana o na kanaka i kuahiwi, i aku ke Alii o Hakau, i na wahi elemakule, “I keia kauila huluhulu wale no, i ka noho o’u o ke Alii.” I mai la na wahi elemakule ia Hakau, “He pono ia, ina na ko kaikaina ke kii mai e kaua ia oe, alaila pii pu oe me na kanaka, aole, nau no keia kii ia ia. Ina no ua hewa ka lakou hana ana mai, o ka nui no o kou mau kanaka, make no ia, aole e pakele ia oe.” Ua oluolu ia i ko ke’lii manao, koe iho lakou nei eha, o Hakau, o Nunu, o Kamai [o Kakohe paha ia], a me ka a-i puupuu a ua Alii nei.

A mehana iki ae la ka la, o ka hora 7 paha ia. Iho ana o Umi i ka pali o Waipio, me na kanaka ona, a haule ka maka mua ilalo o kahawai, aole i pau mai ka maka hope, i aku o Hakau ia ua mau wahi elemakule nei, “He la kauila hoi keia, he la kanaka ka hoi!” I mai la ua mau wahi elemakule nei ia ia, “O na kanaka no ou o Hamakua nei, e lawe mai ana i ai nau.” A kokoke mai na kanaka, ike aku o Hakau i kekahi poe elima, e hele wale mai ana, aole a lakou auamo. Oia o Umi, o Koi, o Kaleioku, o Piimaiwaa, o Omaokamau, i ae la ke Alii, “elima poe e hele wale mai nei, aole a lakou auamo,” i mai na wahi elemakule, “O ko poe hoaaina no hoi paha ia.” No ka ike pohihihi o Hakau ia Omaokamau, i aku o Hakau i na wahi elemakule, “I hea la hoi ko’u wahi i ike ai i ke kanaka mamua e hele mai nei?” I aku na wahi elemakule, “O kekahi hoaaina no hoi paha ou, he Alii hele pinepine hoi oe ma Hamakua nei; nolaila, ua ike no hoi paha oe, ae ae la ke Alii.” E ike ke Alii o Omaokamau, ina ua holo ia, aole oia i ike iki, ua nalowale loa i kona mau maka.

Hiki ka maka mua i ke alo o Hakau, aia no ka maka hope iluna o ka pali, aole ike ana aku o ka pau ana. Poai ae la lakou nei a puni o Hakau, noho ia iwaena konu, he umikumamalua poai puni ana o lakou, me ke ku no iluna, me na auamo pohaku a lakou, ua paa i ka wahi ia i ka la-i, me he pai ai la. Hele mai o Umi a ku iwaena konu, ike o Hakau, o Umi keia, ua noonoo oia, e make ana ia, kulou iho la ke poo o Hakau ilalo, a kahea ae la o Umi ia Omaokamau, hele mai la ia a ku mahope o Umi. Kena ae la ia e kii e pepehi ia Hakau, hele mai la ia, a lole ae la i ka auwae iluna, pane iho la o Omaokamau. “A make, na Omaokamau, na Umi.” O ka pohaku a lakou nei, ua hooleiia iluna o ke kino o Hakau a paa, ku ke ahua. O ka laau a na kanaka o Hakau i pii ai i kua-hiwi, o ka laau no ia o ka pu-o-a o Hakau ua like me he Heiau la. Make iho la o Hakau, na Kaleioku i hoomahanahana. O kona lilo ana ia i Kahuna nui no Umi, kana Alii, ua ko ae la kana mea i manao nui ai, ua lilo o Hawaii ia laua.


(Aole i pau)

Chapter V.

 It was the day of Kāne, a day kapu to the akua of Hakau. And there [above Waipiʻo, ʻUmi and his people] engaged in the task of wrapping stones in ti leaves, two stones per person, wrapped up like bundles of paʻi ʻai [hard pounded kalo]. There were no people who were to go forth without stones, except for the aliʻi, ʻUmi; Kaleiokū, the kahuna; Kōī and Piʻimaiwaʻa, the adopted sons; and ʻŌmaʻokāmau, the makuakāne [elder male relative of parent’s generation]. When ʻUmi had first gone to see Līloa, his father, it was said that ʻŌmaʻokāmau became an adopted son of ʻUmi, but that is not correct (he was actually a makuakāne kahu [guardian]).

 They rested there until morning on the day of Lono, the day on which the akua of Hakau would be readorned in feathers. All of the people went into the uplands, and when they had all reached the kuahiwi, the chief, Hakau, said to the old men, “This is the only time during my reign as aliʻi that my akua has been readorned by feathers and I have stayed back.”  And the old men responded to Hakau, “It is pono. If your younger brother would have brought war to you first, then you would have ascended the uplands with your people. But no, you are to bring war to him. Even if mistakes are made by them, your people are many, and he will be killed. He will not escape you.” This pleased the thoughts of the aliʻi, and so only the four of them remained: Hakau, Nunu, Kamai [perhaps Kakohe], and the ʻāʻīpuʻupuʻu [attendant] of the aliʻi.

 When the sun began to warm the day, at about 7 o’clock perhaps, ʻUmi was descending the pali of Waipiʻo with his people, and when the first of them arrived below at the stream, the last of them had not left the top yet. Hakau [saw this] and said to the old men, “This is a day reserved for readorning the akua with feathers, and yet there are people walking about on this day!” The old men then responded, “Those are your people of Hāmākua bringing food for you.” And as the people approached, Hakau noticed a group of five walking towards him without carrying sticks. They were ʻUmi, Kōī, Kaleiokū, Piʻimaiwaʻa, and ʻŌmaʻokāmau. And the aliʻi exclaimed, “There are five people coming towards us without carrying sticks.” So the old men responded, “Those, perhaps, are your hoaʻāina [land tenants].” Hakau then caught an obscure glance of ʻŌmaʻokāmau, and he asked of the old men, “Where have I seen that man in the front coming towards us?” And the old men responded, “That must be one of your hoaʻāina. You are a chief that travels often through Hāmākua, so you must have seen him before.” The aliʻi nodded in agreement, “Yes.” And the aliʻi of ʻŌmaʻokāmau saw that Hakau did not recognize them. They had been forgotten by his eyes.

When the first of them arrived in front of Hakau, the last of them was still on top of the pali. [There were so many of them], the last of them could not be seen. They surrounded Hakau completely, as he sat in the center, until they were standing around him, twelve lines deep, with the stones they carried wrapped in ti leaves like paʻi ʻai. ʻUmi then walked forth and stood in the middle. Hakau saw that it was ʻUmi, and knowing that death was upon him, Hakau lowered his head. ʻUmi then called to ʻŌmaʻokāmau, and he came and stood behind ʻUmi. ʻUmi gave the order to kill Hakau, and so ʻŌmaʻokāmau walked forth, grabbed Hakau’s chin, and yanked it upwards. ʻŌmaʻokāmau then said, “You are killed by ʻŌmaʻokāmau, by ʻUmi.” Then the stones they had carried were thrown on to the body of Hakau until they stood firmly in a large mound. The carrying sticks of Hakau’s people who had ascended into the uplands were then placed on top to make the pūʻoʻa [a cone-shaped structure made for the dead] of Hakau, and the structure stood like a heiau. Hakau had been killed, and it was Kaleiokū who administered the hoʻomāhanahana [a relaxing of the kapu]. It was then that Kaleiokū became the kahuna nui of ʻUmi, as his previous prediction had come to full fruition: Hawaiʻi was now under their control.

(To be continued)

Kākau ʻia e J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mal. 8, 1862
Hoʻopuka hou ʻia a ʻunuhi ʻia e Kealaulili

Written by J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Mar. 8, 1862
Republished and translated by Kealaulili

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