Hawaiian Mythology · 29 of 55

Legend of Moikeha-Olopana

Olopana settles in Waipio on Hawaii and Lu‘ukia, grand-daughter of Hikapoloa of Kohala, becomes his wife. They are driven out by a flood and retire to Kahiki where some say Moikeha is living, others that he was with Olopana in Waipio. Moikeha becomes infatuated with Lu‘ukia and Olopana raises no objections; but a rival suitor, Mua, who cannot win her favor, pretends to her that Moikeha is defaming her publicly, and she will have nothing more to do with Moikeha. The chief therefore leaves his lands under the care of Olopana and paddles away in a canoe manned by companions whose names, as recorded, are perpetuated as place names on the Hawaiian group. His canoes beach on the island of Kauai, at Waimahanalua, in Kapa‘a in Wailua. The pretty daughters of the chief Puna are out surfing. They take Moikeha for their husband and he succeeds at Puna’s death to his father-in-law’s lands. . . .

Moikeha’s son Ho‘okamali‘i settles at Ewa on Oahu, Haulanui-aikea remains on Kauai, Kila goes to Hilo, Hawaii. Other sons named are Umalehu, Kaialea, Ke-kai-hawewe, Lau-kapalala. His two wives are Ho‘oipo-i-ka-malanai and Hina-uulua [but both names may belong to a single woman and “Sweetheart in the trade wind” may be a chant name for the Hina-uulua who appears on the Nana-ulu genealogy as wife of Moikeha and mother of Ho‘okamali‘i who succeeds his father].

On the journey from the south the party touches first at the easternmost point of Hawaii and the younger brothers of Moikeha (Kumukahi and Ha‘eha‘e) remain at Puna; the kahunas Mo‘okini and Ka-lua-wilinau make their home at Kohala; Honua-ula lands in Hana on Maui; the sisters Makapu‘u and Makaaoa land on Oahu [where Kila visits them when he sails after La‘a, and Hi‘iaka claims Makupu‘u as relative in ghost form on her journey about Oahu]. The rest of the party go on to Kauai. These include the paddlers Ka-pahi and Moana-ikaiaiwe, the sailing master Kipu-nui-aiakamau, with his mate, especially skilled in maneuvering a canoe by backing water; the spy Kaukaukamunolea, with his mate, who goes later as pilot with Kila to Kahiki; and the foster son of Moikeha, the chanter Kamahualele (Child of the flying spray). Between Lanai and Molokai, Moikeha has joined to his company a kupua called Kakaka-uha-nui (Strong-chested Kakaka) who has such long legs he can steady a canoe as he stands in the water and can stay under water for a long time without breathing. It is he who, on the return voyage with Kila, wins a match in a diving contest with the tide kupua Ke-au-miki and Ke-au-ka by staying under water “ten nights and two” to their ten nights.

The fine chant calling upon Moikeha to make his home in Hawaii is supposed to have been composed by Kamahualele as the canoe first sighted land, some say at South cape in Kau district, others off the Hilo coast.

Eia Hawaii, he moku, he kanaka, He kanaka Hawaii—e, He kanaka Hawaii, He kama na Kahiki, He pua alii mai Kapaahu, Mai Moa-ulu-nui-akea Kanaloa, He moopuna na Kahiko, laua o Kapulanakehau. . . .

“Here is Hawaii, an island, a man, Hawaii is a man indeed, Hawaii is a man, A child of Tahiti, A royal offspring from Kapaahu, From Moa-ula-nui-akea of Kanaloa, A grandchild of Kahiko and Kapulanakehau. It was Papa who bore him, The daughter of Ku-kalani-ehu and Kahaka-ua-koko, The island offspring from a single group, Set evenly from east to west, As if spread out in a row, And joined onto Holani, Kaialea the seer journeyed about the land, Separated Nu‘uhiwa, landed on Polapola, Kahiko is the rootstock of the land, He divided up and separated the islands, p. 355 The fishline of Kaha‘i is broken, Cut by Ku-kanaloa, The lands are divided into sections, into districts, Divided by the sacred bamboo knife of Kanaloa, Haumea is the bird sailing to Kahiki, Moikeha is the chief who dwells there, My chief dwells in Hawaii, He lives! he lives! The chief lives and the kahuna, The soothsayer lives and the slave, He dwells on Hawaii and is at rest, He grows to old age on Kauai, Kauai is the island, Moikeha is the chief!” 2