The legend of Keaomelemele
Summary:
The guardian mo‘o named Mo‘oinanea who cares for the gods in Kuaihelani arranges a marriage with Kū for her grandchild Hina, and three children are born, a boy and two girls. The boy was sent to Oahu to be brought up at the heiau of Waolani in Nu‘uanu valley under the care of the gods Kāne and Kanaloa and is given the name Kahanaiakeakua. The rainbow sister (Keanuenue) of Kane and Kanaloa was his foster mother.
The older girl named Paliuli is carried to the uplands between Puna and Hilo districts on Hawaiʻi and placed under the care of Waka. The youngest girl, Keaomelemele, is not born in the ordinary way. She is born from the head of Hina. Keaomelemele is brought up in a revolving house called Kealohilani in Nu‘umealani where she is waited upon by clouds until she eventually follows her brother and sister to Hawaiʻi.
Kū and Hina travel about other islands of the heavens and each take a new spouse. Kū has a red-skinned son named Kaumailiula by Hi‘ilei. Hina has by Olopana a daughter Kaulanaikipoki‘i. Kū and Hi‘ilei take the daughter of Hina to raise, and Hina and Olopana take the boy to raise. Kane and Kanaloa finally summon these two children to Waolani.
Paliuli becomes the wife of her brother Kahanaiakeakua on Hawaiʻi. Kahanaiakeakua deserts her for the beautiful Poliʻahu, the goddess who lives on the snow-covered summit of Maunakea. Paliuli is angry and travels to Oahu and wanders in the heights of Mānoa valley, then goes to Waianae, where she takes lessons and becomes a hula expert. She travels on to Kauaʻi and learns the dances of that island. Her sister Keaomelemele in cloudland hears her chanting the hula and longs to join her sister. Keaomelemele also becomes a hula expert through the teachings of Kapo. Keaomelemele teaches Kaulanaikipoki the dances until she is equally adept. Kaulanaikipoki is also given instruction in herb medicine. Kahanaiakeakua frees himself from Poliʻahu and returns to Waolani, where he becomes an expert kahuna with knowledge of sorcery and sacrifice. Paliuli becomes reconciled with him.
Keaomelemele takes Kaumailiula as her husband and they rule the islands. Kane sends for Kū and Hi‘ilei, Hina and Olopana, and the guardian mo‘o to come and live on Oahu, and Mo‘oinanea brings all her mo‘o family with the chiefs to Hawaiʻi. Kaumailiula and Keaomelemele long rule over the islands and leave their signs in the heavens to their descendants.
Within this legend eight types of rainbows appear. Namely the Piʻo ānuenue, the Pūnohu, the Pūnohu ʻula, the ʻŌnohi, the ʻŌnohi ʻula, the Luakālai, and the Ānuenue kau pō There are 8 omens/portents that are shown in the legend. These rainbow types and omens/signs can be seen in the table below.
Here is one example from this legend:
....while Hina was cleaning herself, she turned her face to outside the door of their house, and saw the pūnohu ʻula spreading at the door of the house. She said to Kū, "An extraordinary thing, there is no rain outside where the pūnohu is standing, therefore, you should go out and look at the behavior of the pūnohu at this time. Kū agreed to the statement of his wife; however, when Kū emerged outside and he turned and looked, he saw 7 rainbows arching at one time in the sky with no rain.
Photo by: Kenneth Sponsler | Dreamstime.com