Ke Kaʻao o Lāʻieikawai
(The Legend of Lāʻieikawai)
Ka Hōʻike hoʻopōkole:
ʻO Kahauokapaka ke kāne a ʻo Mālaekahana ka wahine. Noho pū lāua a hānau ʻia ʻo Lāʻieikawai he wahine a me kōna kaikaina māhoe ʻo Lāʻielohelohe i ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Lāʻie ma ka mokupuni o Oʻahu. ʻO Kahauokapaka kekahi aliʻi, no laila, he mau kamāliʻi wahine nā māhoe. ʻO ka makemake ʻo Kahauokapaka, he keikikāne ka hiapo, no laila, ua hoʻohiki nō ʻo ia e hoʻomake i kekahi kaikamahine i hānau ʻia ma mua o kekahi keikikāne. Hūnā ʻia nō ka hānau ʻana i nā māhoe e Mālaekahana a kaʻawale ʻia no ka hānai ʻia ʻana. Ua hānai ʻia ʻo Lāʻieikawai e kona kupuna wahine ʻo Waka. Ua hānai ʻia ʻo Lāʻielohelohe e Kapūkaʻihaoa, he kahuna.
I kona wā kamaliʻi i hoʻopeʻe ʻia ai ʻo Lāʻieikawai i kekahi ana ma lalo o kekahi loko wai ʻo Waiʻāpuka. Ma muli o ka piʻo mau ʻana o kekahi ānuenue nani ma ka lewa i luna o kēlā ana, ua ʻike laulā ʻia auaneʻi, noho kekahi mea aliʻi ma kahi o kēlā loko wai. Neʻe auaneʻi ʻo Waka lāua ʻo Lāʻieikawai i Paliuli ma ka moku o Keawe. Hoʻolaha hikiwawe nā lono e pili ana i ko Lāʻieikawai uʻi. Ua lohe ʻia nā lono e kekahi aliʻi no ka mokupuni o Kauaʻi, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo ʻAiwohikupua. Ua hoʻoholo ʻo ʻAiwohikupua e hoʻoipo me Lāʻieikawai. Haʻalele akula ʻo ʻAiwohikupua iā Kauai no Hawaiʻi.
Ma kona hale i Paliuli i mālama ʻia iho ai ʻo Lāʻieikawai e kona kupuna wahine a me kekahi mau manu kalakupua, ʻo ia hoʻi, kekahi ʻiʻiwi pōlena. Ua hiki iā Lāʻieikawai ke kau ma luna o ka ʻēheu o kona mau manu. Kūkulu ʻia nō kona hale e ia manu ma o ka hoʻohana ʻana o kona mau hulu. Ma muli o kona uʻi maoli i hoʻoipo ʻia ai ʻo Lāʻieikawai e kekahi mau aliʻi a me kekahi mau mea kalakupua. Ua lapuwale kēia mau mea hoʻoipo a pau. ʻO ʻAiwohikupua a me Kaʻōnohiokalā kekahi lapuwale i hoʻoipo me Lāʻieikawai. Ma ka palena o kona ola, hoʻi ʻo ia i ka honua a ma muli o kekahi mau mea pōʻino, e hoʻomanaʻo ʻia nō ʻo Lāʻieikawai ma ka inoa ʻo Kawahineokaliʻulā.
Summary:
In Hawaiian mythology, Laʻieikawai and her twin sister Laʻielohelohe were princesses, and were born in Lāʻie, Oʻahu.
They were separated and hidden away from their chiefly father who had all his daughters killed at birth, because he wanted a first born son. Laʻieikawai was hidden in a cave which was only accessed by diving in a pool of water named Waiapuka. Soon it was well known that someone of royalty resided nearby because of the tell-tale rainbow that graced the sky above her cave dwelling.
Her grandmother Waka secretly tried to smuggle her to Paliuli, Puna, Hawaiʻi island. On the way there others heard of her beauty and the rumors travelled all throughout the islands. Aiwohikupua, a chief from the island of Kauaʻi decided he would pursue her. At her home in Paliuli, Laieikawai was attended by supernatural birds such as the 'i'iwi polena. It is said she could float on the wings of the birds.
While other royalty in Hawai'i had mere feather capes and cloaks, Laʻieikawai had a house made of the sacred feathers. After a series of misfortunes, she becomes known as Kawahineliula ("woman of the twilight").
Ma loko o kēia kaʻao e ʻōʻili ai kekahi mau ʻano ānuenue he ʻelima. ʻO ia hoʻi, ka Piʻo ānuenue, ka Pūnohu, ka Uakoko, ka ʻŌnohi, a me ka Luakālai. Aia he ʻumi ʻōuli/hōʻailona o kēia mau ānuenue e hōʻike ʻia ma loko o kēia kaʻao. Hiki ke ʻike ʻia kēia mau ʻano ānuenue a me nā ʻōuli ma loko o ka papa ma lalo iho nei.
Within this legend five types of rainbows appear. Namely the Piʻo ānuenue, the Pūnohu, the ʻŌnohi and the Luakālai. There are 10 omens/portents that are shown in the legend. These rainbow types and omens/signs can be seen in the table below.
Eia kekahi laʻana mai kēia kaʻao:
““I kekahi manawa, iā Hulumāniani e kaʻahele ana iā Kauaʻi a puni ma kona ʻano makāula nui no Kauaʻi, a iā ia i hiki ai i luna pono o Kalalea, ʻike maila ʻo ia i ka piʻo a kēia ānuenue i Oʻahu nei. Noho ihola ʻo ia ma laila he iwakālua lā i kumu e ʻike maopopo ʻia ai ʻo ke ʻano o kāna mea e ʻike nei. I ia manawa, ua maopopo leʻa i ka makāula he aliʻi nui ka mea nona kēia ānuenue e piʻo nei a me nā ʻōnohi ʻelua i hoʻopuni ʻia i nā ao polohiwa a puni.”
Here is an example from this legend:
At one time, when Hulumāniani was touring around Kauaʻi in his great prophet manner for Kauaʻi, and when he arrived directly on top of Kalalea, he saw the arching of this rainbow here on Oʻahu. He resided there for 20 days as a foundation in which the character of the thing he kept seeing would be clearly understood. At that time, happily understood to the prophet that a high cheif(ess) was the one for this rainbow that arched here and the 2 rainbow fragments that were surrounded by the dark clouds.
References:
1. Haleʻole, S.N. (2001). Ke Kaʻao o Lāʻieikawai. Hilo, HI: Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani. Kula Nui o Hawaiʻi.
Photo by: Hoaloha Westcott
He aha ke ʻano ānuenue ma loko o ke kaʻao?