Ka ʻŌlelo Hoʻākaka
(Overview)
Ka Nū Hou Laulā (General information)
He aha kēlā mea pāʻhaʻohaʻo kupaianaha luaʻole e kau ana ka lewa? ʻO ia ke ānuenue nani a kākou e ʻike pinepine ai i ka lewa. I kēia mahele e ninaninau a hoʻomaʻamaʻa hou ʻia ai kekahi mau nū hou laulā e pili ana i ke ānuenue. I ka wā kahiko i maopopo iho ai kēia mau mea i kekahi mau poʻe Hawaiʻi. E noiʻi ʻia nō ke kahua, ka manawa, a me ke ʻano hana o ke ānuenue e ʻōʻili aku ai i ka aouli.
What is that wondrous, magical object of unmatched beauty in the sky? It is a beautiful rainbow that we often see in the sky. In this section some general information about rainbowswe will be examined and reviewed . In the distant past these things were understood to some Hawaiian people. The location, the time, and the way in which the rainbow appears in the sky will be investigated.
Ma hea e ʻōʻili ai? (Where do they appear)
ʻO ka mea mua i ka maopopo ʻana i ke kahua o ke ānuenue ka ʻōnaehana a ka poʻe Hawaiʻi e mahele ai i ke ao kūlohelohe. Mahele ʻia ke ao kūlohelohe i ʻekolu hale naʻauao e nā kānaka maoli. Aia ma loko o ka Wā ʻumikūmākolu o ke Kumulipo (ka lālā o ka Wā ʻumikūmālua), loaʻa kēia mau hale naʻauao. ʻO ka mea kuhikuhi pono ʻia:
Papahulihonua: Aia ma loko o ka Papahulihonua ka honua a me ka moana. ʻO ia ka hoʻopaʻa haʻawina mau ʻana i ka honua kūlohelohe a me ka moana kūlohelohe. ʻO ia hoʻi ka hoʻomōhala ʻana a me ka loli ʻana o ka honua a me ka moana. ʻO ia nō hoʻi kekahi mau kananka loea nāna e maopopo ka mana, a me ka hoʻokuʻi pū ʻana i ka honua me ka lewa a me nā mea ola a pau (Edith Kanakaole foundation).
Papahulilani: ʻO ka Papahulilani ka lewa mai ka honua a hiki i kahi o nā hōkū e noho ai. Aia ma loko o ka Papahulilani ka lā, ka mahina, ka hōkū, ka hōkū hele, ka makani, ke ao, ke ānuenue, a me ka papa moe a me ka lewa kū pololei. ʻO ia nō hoʻi kekahi mau kanaka loea nāna e maopopo ka mana, a me ka hoʻokuʻi pū ʻana i ka lewa me ka honua a me ka mea ola (Edith Kanakaole foundation).
Papanuihānaumoku: Mai ke aka a hiki i ka make e noho iho ai nā mea ola a pau i ka Papanuihānaumoku. ʻO ia nō ke au ola hānau ʻana o ka mea ulu a pau a me ka holoholona a pau. ʻO ia ke kolokolo ʻana, ke kālailai ʻana, ka noiʻi ʻana, a me ka noʻonoʻo ʻana ma i nā mea ola e hoʻopulapula a e hānau. ʻO ia nō hoʻi kekahi mau kanaka loea nāna e maopopo ka mana, a me nā pilina o nā mea ola a pau (Edith Kanakaole foundation).
The first thing in understanding the foundation of rainbows in Hawaiian thought is the system that Hawaiian people use to apportion the natural world. The natural word is divided into three houses of knowledge by native Hawaiians. These houses of knowledge are found in Era 13 of the Kumulipo (the branch of the 12th era), one of the Hawaiian creation chants.
Papahulihonua: The earth and the world ocean are located in the Papahulihonua. It is the continuing study of the natural earth and the ocean. It is also the movement and changing of the earth and ocean (earth processes, volcanism, tides, currents, etc). It is also people who understand these processes and the connections to the other schools of knowledge (Edith Kanakaole foundation).
Papahulilani: This school of knowledge encompasses the space from the earth, through the atmosphere and all the way to the stars. This area then includes the sun, the moon, the stars and planets, the wind, the rain, the rainbows. In short, both the vertical and horizontal strata above the earth. It is also people who understand these processes and the connections to the other schools of knowledge (Edith Kanakaole foundation).
Papanuihānaumoku: All living things from inception to death reside in this school of knowledge. It is also people who understand these processes and the connections to the other schools of knowledge (Edith Kanakaole foundation).
Papahulilani:
ʻOiai, ʻO ka Papahulilani ka lewa mai ke poʻo a hiki i kahi o nā hōkū e noho ai, mahele ʻia ka lewa i ʻeha kāʻei lewa. Hōʻike ʻano ʻia kēia mau kāʻei lewa o lalo iho nei.
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Lewahoʻomakua: Aia ke kāʻei lewahoʻomakua mai ke kumu o ke kumu lāʻau pōkole (a iʻole ke poʻo o kekahi kananka) a hiki i ka wēlau o ke kumu lāʻau kiʻekiʻe.
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Lewalanilewa: Mai ka wēlau o ke kumu lāʻau kiʻekiʻe a i ke kumu o ke ao, aia ke kāʻei lewalanilewa. Loaʻa ka ʻohu a me ka noe i kēia kāʻei a ʻo ia ke kāʻei a nā manu liʻiliʻi e lele aku ai. ʻO kekahi mau laʻana o ia manu ka ʻāpapane ʻoe, ka ʻiʻiwi ʻoe, ke amakihi ʻoe, ka ʻio ʻoe, a me ka minah ʻoe, a pēlā aku.
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Lewanuʻu: ʻO kēia ke kāʻei o ka lewa a ke ao e ʻauana ai a ke kāʻei a nā manu nui e lele aku ai. ʻO ia manu ka moli ʻoe, ke kaʻupu ʻoe, ka ʻā ʻoe, a me ka ʻiwa.
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Lewalani: ʻO ke kāʻei kiʻekiʻe loa ka lewalani. Aia ia kāʻei mai ka wēlau o ke ao wēkiu a hiki i ka lewa i kahi o nā hōkū a me nā hōkū hele e kaʻahele ai.
ʻO ka mea maʻamau, ʻōʻili nō ke ānuenue ma ka lewalanilewa, akā naʻe, i kekahi mau manawa, hiki ke ʻike ʻia ke ānuenue ma ka lewahoʻomakua a me ka lewanuʻu. Wahi a Iokepa Nāwahī, hiki ke ʻōʻili ʻia ke ānuenue ma ka lewalani.
Since, The Papahulilani is the sky from the head to the place where the stars reside, the sky is portioned into four zones. These zones are described below:
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Lewahoʻomakua: This zone is located from the base of the short trees (or the the head of a man) until the tips of the tall trees.
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Lewalanilewa: From the tips of the tall trees until the base of the clouds, the Lewalanilewa is located. The mist and rain spray is found in this zone a it is the zone that the small birds fly. Some examples of the aforementioned birds are the ʻāpapane, the ʻiʻiwi, the amakihi, the ʻio, and the minah, a birds like that.
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Lewanuʻu: This is the zone of the sky that the clouds drift about and the zone that the large birds fly. The moli, the kaʻupu, the ʻā, and the ʻIwa.ʻ
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Lewalani: The Lewalani is the highest band. It is located from the tips of the high clouds to the stars and the planets travel.
Usually, rainbows appear in the Lewalanilewa, however, sometimes rainbows can be seen in the Lewahoʻomakua and the Lewanuʻu. According to Joseph Nāwahī, rainbows can appear in the Lewalani.
References:
1. Edith Kanakaole foundation: http://edithkanakaolefoundation.org/papakuMakawalu.php
2. Iosepa Nawahī. (1893, May 24). Ke Ānuenue a me Ka Luakalailani. Ka Leo o ka Lāhui, pp. 2-3
Photo by: Hoaloha Westcott