Ka Piʻo Ānuenue Piha
(Full Arching Rainbow)
According to the Hawaiian-English dictionaries, this is the definition o this type of rainbow:
Pukui/Elbert: 1. nvs., Arch, arc; bent, arched, curved; to arch, of a rainbow.
Parker: 1. v., To be bent; to be curved; to bend around as the arch of a rainbow; to curve as an arch; to bend as an elastic substance.
Signs and omens
This type of beautiful rainbow is often seen in Hawaiʻi. It can be a sign or omen for a variety of things as described below:
Photo by: Hoaloha Westcott
According to the legends This type of rainbow appears on 47 different occasions in the 4 legends analyzed in this study. It represents 9 different signs/omens as shown in the table to the right.
When does it appear
The rainbow is often seen at the time an aliʻi is born. This can be seen at the the time Kamehameha V was born, as follows:
...As for the day of the King, it was the day he emerged from the stomach of his mother, and on that day, the land was dark, the clouds dwelled ominously, the heavenly source was sturdy, apart and few, the ocean was stormy, the waves were agitated, the wind was conflicted, the extremes of the earth were in alliance, the rainbows arched, the thunder roared...
From the radio:
This is a story that was told by Alice Sharden on the radio show “Ka Leo Hawaiʻi” (The Hawiian Voice) in the year 1974. This story was told to her by her mother about the funeral of her grandfather ( The great grandfater of Alice Sharden). The great grandfather was an important. He was prominent in his days. After his passing the corpse was wraped in tapa. He was firmly covered and laid to rest in his canoe. He was carried to a cave up in the mountains (on the island of Hawaii) and burried inside the cave. The funeral was performed and after that the family started to return back down. While they were walking, the rain started in front of them, namely the blood rain, the blood red rain. Some people turned to look behind a the aforementioned canoe was seen floating in the air, and carried the spirit of the great grandfather was carried. That canoe was carried directly above the crater (of the volcano). On a rainbow that canoe was carried. The rainbow arched from the cave until inside the crater. The canoe lowered into the crater. The great grandfather belonged to the Pele family and it was said by the people, he is returning to his proper place.
Photo By: Hoaloha Westcott