Hawaiian Mythology · 39 of 55

Legend of Nihooleki

The great fisherman Nihooleki is born at Keauhou in Kona, Hawaii, and comes to Oahu and lives at Kuukuua on Pu‘u-o-kapolei in Waianae under the name of Keaha-iki-aholeha. He becomes ruling chief of Waianae and a mighty fisherman because of his famous pearl fishhook named Pahuhu, which attracts aku fish, and a double canoe ten fathoms in length manned by twenty paddlers in which he always goes out fishing. He travels to Waimea on Kauai, the birthplace of his wife who is high chiefess of that island, and becomes ruling chief. When he dies his body is brought back to Waianae and placed in a small house of poles in the shape of a pyramid, where his parents worship the spirit until it is strong enough to become a live person again.

He goes back to his wife on Kauai under the name of Nihooleki and she does not guess that this is her husband's spirit. Reproached for doing nothing but sleep, he sends his wife to his brothers-in-law to secure first his pearl fishhook, which the spirit of his sister in the form of a black noio bird is guarding where it hangs from the ridgepole, and then his double canoe which has been pushed aside in the canoe shed, and, finally, paddlers to man it. The haul of fish he secures is enough for the whole island, and he gets as a third name at this time that of Puipui-a-ka-lawaia (Plumpness of the fisherman). He fishes first off Waianae, then comes to Keauhou, where he sends paddlers ashore each with a fish for his sisters.

On his return to Kauai he carries two fish ashore to offer one to the male and the other to the female aumakua.

His friend Kamapua‘a is afflicted with dropsy and in spite of her husband's instructions Nihooleki's wife, when Kamapua‘a is brought in a litter to her door on a visit, turns him rudely away. Nihooleki therefore abandons his wife but gives her, as tokens for their child, a club and a feather cloak, and, as a name, that by which she had known him as her first husband. In this way the chiefess learns that her second husband is the reincarnated spirit of her first husband. Kamapua‘a and Nihooleki go off together, diving under the sea to reach Waianae, where Nihooleki gives his friend recognition tokens by which his parents may know him and bids him marry his sister at Keauhou while he himself enters his tomb at Waianae and disappears. 23

Other tall tales in which exaggerated feats of strength are the theme may be even more episodic in character and derive their subject matter from curious natural features of the district within which the kupua's power extends, or from contests with strong men of tradition. Among these are the stories of Kalae-puni and his younger brother Kalae-hina (Kalaikini, Kaleikini, Au-kini), sons of Ka-lani-po and Ka-mele-kapu, who are born and brought up in the Kona district of Hawaii, at Holua-loa.

Kalae-puni is mischievous and without fear. At the age of six he can outdo all his playmates; at twenty he is fully developed. He kills sharks with his hands at Kalahiki and pulls up a kou tree at Honaunau as if it were a blade of grass. The ruling chief Keawe-nui-a-Umi hides himself and Kalae-puni becomes ruling chief. At Keawe's request the kahuna Mokupane plots his death and has a pit dug at Ke-ana-pou on Kahoolawe and sets two old people to watch for a very old man with hair like bunches of olona fiber. When such a one floats ashore and asks for water the old people send him to the pit and then throw stones down upon him. The husband runs away but the wife finally hits him with a stone on the head and kills him. 24