#mo'olelo

[milkteandmusic]

was anyone going to tell me Hōpoe's real name was "Nanahuki", or was i just supposed to find out that Hi'iaka gave her the pet name"Hōpoe" and that her original name is literally a description of how smitten Hi'iaka was with her, while trying to look for lyrics of "Ke Ha'a La Puna"?

[twoq24]

[asmidgenofspookie]

Poliahu

"Wai maka o Poliahu I ka ʻeha a ke aloha Kaumaha i ka haʻalele O ʻAiwohi kupua

Anuanu ka ʻiu kēhau O Mauna Kea Aʻohe ana ipo aloha E hoʻo pumehana

Kau mai ka haliʻa aloha O ka wa mamua Puolu ka wai o Nohi Kuʻu mehameha

He lei ko aloha No kuʻu kino Pili poli hemoʻole No na kau akau

E hoʻi mai e hoʻi mai E kuʻu ipo E hoʻi mai e hoʻi mai E pili kāuaE hoʻi mai e hoʻi mai ʻoe E hoʻi mai ʻoe ē, ē E hoʻi mai ʻoe"

(Tears of the snow goddess and the pains of love Saddened by separation of Aiwohi, the demi-god. Cold the sacred dew of Mauna Kea and no one to love, to warm, to enact memories of love. Of times gone by. Refresh the water of Nohi and my loneliness Your wreath of love for my body and bosom tied closed, put in place forever. Come back to me my sweetheart. Come back to me as we embrace. Come back to me. Come back to me. Come back to me)

Aiwohikupua, chief of Wailua, Kauaʻi, was originally from Kahiki and vowed never to marry a Hawaiian woman. He heard of the beauty of Lāʻieikawai and set out to find the beautiful mortal and propose to her.

He stopped at the harbor of Haneoʻo in the Hāna district of Maui and met Hinaikamalama, the chiefess of Hana. He was invited to join the surfers and was smitten with Hinaikamalama. She, in turn, fell in love with him. Mindful of his quest and remembering his vow, he declared that he would not give himself to any woman until he traveled to the island of Hawaiʻi. He promised to return for Hinaikamalama and asked her to remain faithful to him. 

Continuing on his journey to find Lāʻieikawai, he arrived at Paliuli with a feather cape as a gift for the beautiful woman. Amazed by her hale in Puna, thatched with the yellow feathers of the ʻōʻō bird, he was embarrassed by his gift, not equal to the roof of her hale. He left without seeing Lāʻieikawai and sailed for Kauaʻi.

Along the coast of Hāmākua, he saw a woman of extraordinary beauty reclining on a cliff. He landed, made her aquaintance, and spoke of love to the woman in a snow white draping gown. She was Poliahu, the snow goddess of Mauna Kea and also of kupua descent, like ʻAiwohi. She reminded him of his promise to marry Hinaikamalama but, if he was released from his vow, he could return and she would marry him. They exchanged capes and he continued on, avoiding Hāna and the chiefess who expected to become his wife.

When he arrived home, his sisters agreed to accompany him to Hawaiʻi to plead ʻAiwohi’s case to win the hand of Lāʻieikawai. Obsessed with her beauty, he again set sail for Hawaiʻi. Poliahu saw their canoes when they passed Kaʻelehuluhulu, Kona, and was disappointed when they did not land. ʻAiwohi and his sisters went to Paliuli and as each sister presented his case, each was rejected by the beautiful woman. Hearing of his his rejection, ʻAiwohi returned home to Kauaʻi and eventually remembered Poliahu. ʻAiwohi sent his messengers to Poliahu asking her to prepare for his return and their wedding ignoring his promise to her to relinquish his vows to Hinaikamalama. Preparations begun and ʻAiwohi promised to arrive in 4 months. On the day of Kulu, on the 4th month, the 3 mountain were covered with snow, as promised by Poliahu.

Aiwohi arrived at Waiulaula and was greeted by his bride-to-be and the other snow goddesses of the mountains, Līlīnoe, Waiau and Kahoupokane. After their marriage, the couple sailed to Kauaʻi and made their home above Honopuwai.

When Hinaikamalama learned of the wedding of her betrothed, she was enraged and went to Kauaʻi to confront her lover. The chiefs were gathered at Mānā for a celebration where Hinaikamalama accused ʻAiwohi of unfaithfulness. ʻAiwohi’s actions were then condemned. Humilated, Poliahu returned to Mauna Kea and ʻAiwohi agreed to fulfill his promise to Hinaikamalama. The night of their marriage, Poliahu sent the chill of her snow to cover them with intense cold. Whenever Hinaikamalama and Aiwohi tried to be together, Poliahu would send the intense cold of her snow. Frightened, Hinaikamalama returned to Hāna without ʻAiwohi and their marriage was never consumated.

Poliahu remains at Mauna Kea, brokenhearted.

Key:

Tahiti

House

Demigod or supernatural being

The 17th day of a month

Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai

[pololiau]

Hawai’i Gothic

“He po uhe’e i ka wawa -- Darkness slips into light”

There was a time, when there was only darkness It came first, before all. Then light came and the creation of these islands and all the things that have lived on these islands, were told and passed down in one great chant.

In this place, things can be more than what is seen in the basic forms of reality, thought and reason, and the other world, a realm of spirits and gods. Below the facade of smiling tourism and plastic flower lei, there is a strength and ancient quality. There is an eruption of history and a longing from those that were before us. The bones and the mana of those that have come here and never left these islands in the middle of the Pacific. They wait to grab at you, if you present the opportunity.

There are two worlds, the one where we all stand with our feet firmly planted to the ground, and another world, where the gods and spirits remain. They reach up towards us, and we unknowingly linger. They wait for our descent back down to their domain. This is the world where things are known to be true, our world is only an illusion, created to keep our children from living in fear. There is a power that can be felt, and if you feel it too, then you might not be so lucky.

For those unfamiliar, you will undoubtedly travel, and walk the land. Any place you visit never really forgets you, once you let yourself be known. It will have a hold on you and this hold can be dangerous. But this of course depends on how you present yourself to it. The souls and the mysterious of those that came and never left, because they were tied to this land and to the spirits, will reveal themselves to you, if you want it.

The jagged mountain cliffs and steep valleys were traveled before by those more skilled than you, more desperate than you, and with more knowledge than you, and so we respect them. That land is still wild and unkept, we cannot control it, and so we respect it too. The oceans are beautiful and can be serene, but don’t be mistaken, this is how they lure you in. We never turn our backs on it, we respect it. You must always respect things that you cannot control.

The wars for land and status, left the earth soaked with blood. There are some places that you shouldn’t let your blood reach the ground, unless you want to be tied to to that place too, like the thousands that were slaughtered in the name of conquering.

This place where there is a eerie feeling from the surrounding density of green, and the way it presses into you, heaving in an out, like a pair of lungs. This place where there are quiet eyes of people following as you walk past, and you watch where you walk, so that they look upon you kindly. This place where natural water flowing is known to have a moʻo kane or moʻo wahine guarding it, so you walk around, and not through. This place where one knows not to take anything without asking, and that there are things that shouldn’t be touched at all, because every stone has its place and it will become unhappy if moved.

This place where your feet will burn on Moku Nui if your name resembles that of Namakaokahai, the rival sister of Pele. Or where you cannot enter unless your moʻokuʻauhau is stated and you can trace back proof that someone in your family once resided there. This place where it is known not to fish at Mokuleʻia at night because of the spirits that wander the beaches, or the nearby Kaʻena point where the souls travel to jump to their afterlife. Where you must always pick up the old woman with a white dog if she is on the side of the road alone, because you don’t know who she could be.

There are many places that were deemed sacred long ago, that no longer are looked at that way in our world. “O ke akua ke komo, ‘a ‘oe komo kanaka -- The god enters, man cannot enter.” Paths walked with purpose by ancient people, are now walked by any common person with a camera. There is more than meets the eye, this land is more than just beauty. It is creation itself. If you listen closely enough, you can hear the whispers of disapproval. The birds will watch, and they will signal to others that you are in a place that is kapu. The land will remember how you behaved, so if you must travel back later, it will decide how to treat you accordingly. It’s up to you to act in the right way and be cautious of where you place your feet.

These islands are made up of liminal space. There is a constant potential of in-between places, where a fog of uncertainty can confuse and lose you. We are always between these two worlds, of the familiar and the unknown. There is no longer a balance in these spiritual ecosystems, it was held delicately in the past, but now ancient things will roam where they please, in forms we may not be able to recognize. In this there is great danger.

This land takes a hold of you, and transforms you, if you would learn to let it and wait. It holds you where things are no longer, and yet to be. There is a leina ka ‘uhane here, a leap of the spirits, of the gods, into the next world. Here is where the threshold lies, it is the gateway where the worlds converge, just make sure to close the door once you’ve passed through.

[ellebeach]

ʻōhiʻa lehua

[fitted-hawaii-blog]

Throwback Thursday MO‘OLELO: Island love

Aloha kākou!

For this week’s FITTED Moʻolelo / #tbt we take a few steps back to August of 2011 when we originally released our Island Lovetee which took lyrics from Peter Moon Band’s song of the same name. “Juice from the Mango, Milk from the Coconut, Bud from the Cannabis… I can’t smoke enough!” Cue that song up in your iTunes, light up a spliff Backwoods and zone out to some classic, contemporary Hawaiian music.