huiMAU
  • HuiMAU Home
  • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Media
    • Employment
  • Mālama ʻĀina
    • Mālama ʻĀina Koholālele
    • KaHua HoAMa
    • Ka Maha Ulu o Koholalele
  • Hoʻonaʻauao
    • Keiki Papa Programs
    • KOʻA Camps >
      • Spring Break Koʻa Camp
      • Mālama ʻĀina Camp
      • ʻĀina Art Camp
    • La Hoihoi Ea Hamakua >
      • LHE HAMAKUA 2025
      • LHE Hamakua 2016
      • LHE Hamakua 2017
      • LHE Hamakua 2019
      • LHE Hamakua 2020
  • Moʻolelo ʻĀina
    • Hamakua
    • Moolelo no Umi Blog >
      • Umi-a-Liloa Mural
      • Umi Hula Drama
    • MAU Moʻolelo Blog
    • Palapala ʻĀina >
      • Maps >
        • Hamakua Maps
      • Hawaiian Kingdom Records >
        • Hamakua Tax Ledgers
        • Hamakua Kūʻē Petitions
        • Hamakua Census
    • Hui Resources
  • Hānai Kanaka
    • Community Kitchen
    • The huiMAU Hub
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

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

11/22/2014

 

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

Picture
E na hoa hele o ke ala ulili, aloha kakou. E nana hou kakou i ka huakai hele a kela mau elemakule elua mai Waipio aku a i kahi i noho ai o Kaleioku a me kana hanai o Umi i Waipunalei. Wahi a Abraham Fornander, "pii aku la laua mai Waipio aku a hiki ma Kukuihaele, malaila aku a Kapulena moe. A ao ae la, pii aku la laua a hala o Honokaa, a Paauhau, moe, malaila aku a Kalopa, a Kaumoali, a Kemau, moe." (Vol. 4, Aoao 191)**
Oh traveling companions of the ala ʻūlili, aloha to you all. Let us look again to the journey of those two old men from Waipiʻo the place where Kaleiokū and ʻUmi were living at Waipunalei. According to Abraham Fornander, "they ascended the cliff of Waipiʻo, and arriving at Kukuihaele, they continued to Kapulena and rested there. On the next day, they continued their ascent, passing Honokaʻa, and arriving at Pāʻauhau where they again rested. From there, they went to Kalōpā, Kaumoali, and at Kemau rested again.
I ka poaha o laua nei ma ke alanui, lohe aku la o Kaleioku i kekahi poe, e hai aku ana ia ma ka inoa o ua mau wahi elemakule nei. "Ei ae na wahi elemakule o Nunu, o Kamai [oia no o Kakohe, wahi a Kamakau a me Fornander (Mea Kakau)] ke hele mai nei i ke alanui, me ka pono ole," ninau aku o Kaleioku i ka poe i olelo aku ia ia. "A hea la laua hiki mai?" I aku ka poe i lohe ai oia, "Apopo, a kela la aku hiki mai." Ninau hou o Kaleioku i ua poe nei, "Heaha la ka laua huakai nui?" Pane hou aku ua poe nei ia ia, "E hele mai ana e nana i kau hanai, i ka pono, me ka pono ole, no ka mea, ua hanai mai nei ka laua hanai o Hakau i na mea ino ia laua."

Alaila, lohe iho la o Kaleioku me Umi, i ke kumu o ka hele ana'ku a ua mau elemakule nei i o laua. Pahapaha ae la o Kaleioku, me ka olioli loa, no ko Kaleioku manao, e lilo ka aina ia Umi i kana alii, no ka mea, he kahuna kilokilo o ua Kaleioku nei, nolaila kona apo ana mai ia Umi e malama.
On the fourth of their nights on the trail, Kaleiokū heard some people speaking the names of those two old men. "The old men, Nunu and Kamai [that is Kakohe, according to Kamakau and Fornander (Writer's Note)] are traveling here on the pathway, because pono has been lost." Kaleiokū then asked the people speaking to him, "When with they be arriving?" Those listening to him responded, "Tomorrow will pass, and the day after they will arrive." Kaleiokū again asked of those people, "What is the reason for their journey?" They then responded, "To come and see your hānai, and whether he is pono or not, because, their hānai, Hakau, has adopted hatred towards them."

Thus, Kaleiokū and ʻUmi heard the reason for those old men traveling to see them. Kaleiokū boasted with great joy, for it was Kaleiokū's thought that the ʻāina would come under the control of ʻUmi, his aliʻi, because Kaleioku was a kahuna kilokilo, an expert in observation and forecasting, and it was for that reason that he grasped ʻUmi and cared for him.
Picture
I kekahi la ae, oia ka Poalima, hoomakaukau iho la o Kaleioku me na kanaka o laua i ai, i ia, puaa, moa, awa, ua lako ia imua o ko laua mau maka, a ua makaukau hoi. Aka, ua hana maalea no o Kaleioku, i mea e lilo ai o ka aina ia Umi, i lilo ia i pono nona, penei kana hana maalea ana. Kena aku la o Kaleioku i kekahi kanaka, e hele e oki pauku wahie, ua like ka nui me na kanaka elua e apo ae ai a puni pono ia laua, a o kona loa i hookahi anana a me iwilei, hoi mai kaka a liilii, a pua hou ae, a like no me ka mea a olua e amo mai ai, ka lilo no ia i pauku hookahi. I kekahi mau kanaka hoi, i kela puawa e ku mai la, e eli ae mawaho a puni, o ka puawa, a o kekahi mau kanaka i ka puaa, e nikiniki a paa, ua lako, a makaukau koke ia imiia o ko laua mau kanaka.

I hoomakaukauia keia mau mea e Kaleioku, i mea e hana aku ai o Umi imua o ua mau wahi elemakule nei, no ka hoa ana i ka imu, alaila, kii aku o Umi, a ua pauku wahie nei, kaka iho, i helelei liilii aku ma o maanei. Alaila, kapa aku ua mau wahi elemakule nei he ikaika o Umi, a pela i ka puawa, me ka puaa i nikinikiia'i.

Nana iho la o Kaleioku, ua lako, a makaukau keia mau mea ana i olelo aku ai imua o na kanaka o laua. Olelo aku o Kaleioku i kana alii, i ke ahiahi o ua la Poalima nei. "E ke 'Lii! apopo ka la o ko aina la pa ia oe, e hoolohe mai e ke alii, ina e malama oe i keia mau olelo a'u, apopo pa ka aina ia oe, i malama ole oe, aole e ola keia mau iwi ia oe, kaulai wale ia ae no i ka la." Alaila, ua oluolu ia i ko ke alii mau maka, e malama i kana olelo, hai mai la o Kaleioku i kana mau olelo imua o Umi kana alii. "E ke alii e moe kakou i keia po, a huli ke kau pii au iuka i na koele a kaua, me na kanaka a pau loa o kaua, aole he kanaka iho me oe, o oe wale iho no koe, a me ko mau wahine. I na e hoea mai na wahi elemakule i kakahiaka o ka la apopo, i ninau ma ko'u inoa, manao oe, o laua ia, hoomakaukau aku oe imua o laua, ma na mea i hoomakaukauia na laua, ma na mea ai, a me na mea a pau a laua e makemake ai e haawi aku oe na laua, i ka wa e ona ai i ka awa."

Ae aku o Umi kana alii, ma kana mau olelo kauoha. I ka huli ana o ke kau o ua po nei, pii aku la o Kaleioku me na kanaka o laua nei, a malamalama ae oia ka la Poaono, pau loa kanaka i ka pii iuka, koe o Umi me kana mau wahine elua.

(Aole i pau)

Kākau ʻia e J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Pep. 22, 1862
Hoʻopuka hou ʻia a ʻunuhi ʻia e Kealaulili
On the next day, that is the fifth night, Kaleiokū and their people prepared food, fish, pork, chicken, and ʻawa. All was well-supplied and well-prepared before their eyes. Kaleiokū, however, was crafty in his work. So that the ʻāina would come under the control of ʻUmi, and so that pono would come to him, this was the art of his craft. Kaleiokū commanded one person, "Go cut pieces of firewood, to the amount equal to that of which two people could grab and surround themselves completely with. And the length of each being one anana (length between tips of finger with arms spread open) and an iwilei (length from collar to tip of finger with arm extended). When you return chop them into smaller pieces and bundle them up, just as you had done in grabbing them, and that will become one pile." And to some other he said, "That ʻawa plant standing there, dig completely around it and the root ball." And to some others he requested they get the pig, and tied it up tightly. All was well-fashioned and immediately prepared that was sought out by their people.

These things were prepared beforehand by Kaleiokū so that ʻUmi would be able to complete these tasks before those old men. To light the imu, then ʻUmi would just need to fetch the bundle of firewood, chop them up smaller, and scatter a little here and there. And then the old men would call ʻUmi a strong person, as he would also have prepared the ʻawa root, and the pig the had been tied up.

Kaleiokū looked around, before their people he said, all is well-fashioned and prepared. In the evening of that fifth night, Kaleiokū told his aliʻi, "Oh Chief! Tomorrow is the day that your ʻāina will be secured to you. Listen to me, oh aliʻi. If you heed these words of mine, tomorrow, the ʻāina will be secured by you, and if you do not heed them, then these bones will not live through you. They will be left to dry out in the sun." It then became apparent in the eyes of the aliʻi, that he should heed his words. So Kaleiokū spoke his words before ʻUmi, his aliʻi, "Oh chief, we shall sleep tonight, and when the late of night passes before dawn, I will ascend to the farm patches of ours with all our our people. No one will stay back with you. You will be the only one remaining with your wahine. If the two old men arrive tomorrow morning, and they ask of my name, you will know that it is them. Go and prepare for them, all the things that have been prepared beforehand for them, the food, and anything that they should want, you will give to them, when they are delighted by the ʻawa.

ʻUmi, his aliʻi, agreed to his command. When the late of that night passed before dawn, Kaleiokū and all of their people ascended the uplands. And when the light of the sun shown on that day, all of the people had gone into the uplands, leaving only ʻUmi and his two wahine.

(To be continued)

Written by J. H. Z. Kalunaaina, Feb. 22, 1862
Republished and translated by Kealaulili
** Fornander excerpt from Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-lore. Vol. 4, pg 191.

Read Previous
- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 -
Read Next
joeney Dickens
3/30/2015 10:04:51 am

I learned a lot of new things know i have read it. I learned the story of the island

ella radl link
3/30/2015 10:07:42 am

My favorite part is when that man gave 'Umi that fish.
It was very funny when the text read "buttocks".


Comments are closed.

    About the story...

    "He Moolelo no Umi" is one of the earliest known published versions of the story of ʻUmi-a-Liloa, the great chief of Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi. The version of this story that is republished and translated here was first published by Simeon Keliikaapuni and J. H. Z. Kalunaaina in 1862, in the Hawaiian language newspaper called Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. After Keliikaapuni & Kalunaaina published "He Moolelo no Umi," similar versions of this important moʻolelo were published and republished in newspapers by a number of others throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Our kūpuna clearly valued this moʻolelo and the lessons it imbued upon each generation who learned it. We, in the same spirit that inspired our kūpuna to retell this moʻolelo, represent it here, in both its original language and in english, so that our generation and the many generations to come may derive knowledge from the important lessons held within this moʻolelo. And so that we, kamaʻāina of Hāmākua, may find pride in the deep cultural heritage and history of our beloved homelands, the birthplace of this great chief, ʻUmi-a-Līloa.

    Start the moʻolelo

    Kealaulili, Mea Kākau

    This moʻolelo has been compiled and translated by Kealaulili, based on "He Moolelo no Umi," originally published by Simeon Keliikaapuni & J. H. Z. Kalunaaina in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in 1862. 

    Haley Kailiehu, Artist

    All illustrations have been created by ʻŌiwi artist, Haley Kailiehu.


    Archives

    May 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    SpeedCounter
    Speedcounter Website Counter
Mahalo for visiting our Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili Website!

Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili is a community-based nonprofit organization. Our mission is to re-establish the systems that sustain our community through educational initiatives and ʻāina-centered practices that cultivate abundance, regenerate responsibilities, and promote collective health and well-being.
  • HuiMAU Home
  • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Media
    • Employment
  • Mālama ʻĀina
    • Mālama ʻĀina Koholālele
    • KaHua HoAMa
    • Ka Maha Ulu o Koholalele
  • Hoʻonaʻauao
    • Keiki Papa Programs
    • KOʻA Camps >
      • Spring Break Koʻa Camp
      • Mālama ʻĀina Camp
      • ʻĀina Art Camp
    • La Hoihoi Ea Hamakua >
      • LHE HAMAKUA 2025
      • LHE Hamakua 2016
      • LHE Hamakua 2017
      • LHE Hamakua 2019
      • LHE Hamakua 2020
  • Moʻolelo ʻĀina
    • Hamakua
    • Moolelo no Umi Blog >
      • Umi-a-Liloa Mural
      • Umi Hula Drama
    • MAU Moʻolelo Blog
    • Palapala ʻĀina >
      • Maps >
        • Hamakua Maps
      • Hawaiian Kingdom Records >
        • Hamakua Tax Ledgers
        • Hamakua Kūʻē Petitions
        • Hamakua Census
    • Hui Resources
  • Hānai Kanaka
    • Community Kitchen
    • The huiMAU Hub
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Contact Us