Ke Kaʻao o Keaomelemele
(The legend of Keaomelemele)
Ka Hōʻike Hoʻopōkole:
Ua hānai ka moʻo kiaʻi ʻo Moʻoinanea no nā akua ma loko o Kuaihelani. Hoʻolālā ʻia kekahi hoʻāo e ia moʻo ma waena o Kū a me ko ka moʻo moʻopuna ʻo Hina. Ua hānau ʻia ʻekolu keiki, ʻo ia hoʻi, hoʻokahi keikikāne a me ʻelua kaikamahine. Lawe ʻia aku ke keikikane i Oʻahu a hānai ʻia ʻo ia e Kāne a me Kanaloa ma ka heiau o Waolani ma loko o ke awāwa ʻo Nuʻuanu. ʻO ke kaikuahine o Kāne a me Kanaloa ka makuahine hānai. ʻO Keānuenue kona inoa.
ʻO Paliula ka inoa o ke kaikuaʻana. Ua lawe ʻia aʻe i uka ma waena o nā moku o Puna a me Hilo ma ka moku o Keawe. Hānai ʻia ʻo ia e Waka. ʻO Keaomelemele ka inoa o ka muli loa. ʻAʻole ʻo ia i hānau ʻia i ke ʻano maʻa mau. Hānau ʻia ʻo ia e ke poʻo o Hina. Ua hānai ʻia ʻo Keaomelemele i loko o kekahi hale kaʻapuni i kapa ʻia ʻo Kealohilani ma loko o Nuʻumealani. Kuene ʻia ʻo ia e ke ao a hiki i kona hahai ʻana aku i kōna kaikunāne a me kōna kaikuaʻana i Hawaiʻi.
Mākaʻikaʻi ʻo Kū a me Hina i nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe o nā lani a loaʻa kekahi ʻepukane hou pākahi iā lāua. Ua hānau ʻia kekahi keikikāne ʻili ʻulaʻula e Hiʻilei, ʻo ia ka wahine hou o Kū. ʻO Kaumailiula ka inoa o ia keikikāne. Hānau ʻia ʻo Kaulanaikipoki‘i (he kaikamahine) e Hina a ʻo Olopana ka makuakāne. Ua kuapo ʻia kēia keiki no ka hānai ʻia ʻana, ʻo ʻia hoʻi, hānai ʻia ʻo Kaulanaikipoki e Kū a me Hiʻilei a hānai ʻia ʻo Kaumailiula e Hina a me Olopana. Kēnā ʻia auaneʻi kēia mau keiki he ʻelua e Kane a me Kanaloa i Waolani.
Ua lilo ʻo Paliula ʻo ka wahine a kōna kaikunāne (Kahanaiakeakua) ma Hawaiʻi. Haʻalele ʻo Kahanaiakeakua iā Paliula no ke akua wahine nani ʻo Poliʻahu, ʻo ia hoʻi, ke akua wahine no ka nuʻu hau o Maunakea. Ua huhū ʻo Paliula a huakaʻi ʻo ia i Oʻahu a ʻauana i nā kiʻekiʻe o ke awāwa ʻo Mānoa. ʻO ka haʻalele akula nō ia o Paliula no Waianae. Ua aʻo mai ʻo ia i ka hula a i lilo i kekahi loea hula. Huakaʻi ʻo ia i Kauaʻi a aʻo maila i nā hula o kēlā mokupuni. Noho iho ʻo Keaomelemele i nā ao a iā ia i lohe iho ai i ka ʻoli ʻana o kōna kaikuaʻana, ake ʻo ia i ka pilina iā Paliula. Ua lilo ʻo Keaomelemele i kekahi loea hula ma o nā aʻo ʻana aku o Kapo. Aʻo aku ʻo Keaomelemele i ka hula iā Kaulanaikipoki a i mākaukau. Ua aʻo ʻia aku ʻo Kaulanaikipoki i ka lāʻau lapaʻau. Pakele aku nō ʻo Kahanaiakeakua iā ia iho iā Poliʻahu a hoʻi akula i Waolani. Lilo ʻo ia i kekahi loea kahuna me ka ʻike mōhai a me ka ʻike hana kahuna. Ua ʻuao ʻo Paliula iā Kahanaiakeakua.
Ua male pū ʻo Keaomelemele iā Kaumailiula a noho aliʻi nō lāua i nā mokupuni a pau. Kēnā ʻo Kāne iā Kū lāua ʻo Hiʻilei, iā Hina lāua ʻo Olopana, a me ka moʻo kiaʻi no ka nohona ma Oʻahu. Lawe mai ʻo Moʻoinanea i kōna ʻohana a me nā aliʻi a pau i Hawaiʻi. Noho aliʻi ʻo Keaomelemele lāua ʻo Kaumailiula i nā mokupuni a pau no kekahi manawa lōʻihi a waiho i ko lāua mau hōʻailona i nā lani no nā mamo.
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.
He aha ke ʻano ānuenue ma loko o ke kaʻao?
Ma loko o kēia kaʻao e ʻōʻili ai kekahi mau ʻano ānuenue he ʻewalu. ʻO ia hoʻi, ka Piʻo ānuenue, ka Pūnohu, ka Pūnohu ʻula, ka Uakoko, ka ʻŌnohi, ka ʻŌnohi ʻula, ka Luakālai, a me ke Ānuenue kau pō. Aia he ʻewalu ʻōuli/hōʻailona o kēia mau ānuenue e hōʻike ʻia ma loko o kēia kaʻao. Hiki ke ʻike ʻia kēia mau ʻano ānuenue a me nā ʻōuli ma loko o ka Papa ma lalo iho nei.
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.
Eia kekahi laʻana mai kēia kaʻao:
“,...oiai o Hina e hoʻomaʻemaʻe ana iā ia iho, huli maila kona alo i waho o ka puka o ko lāua hale, a ʻike maila i ka punohu ula e halii pono ana ma ka puka o ka hale. Pane aela o ia ia Ku, “He mea kupanaha, aole hoi he ua o waho e ku nei ka punohu, no laila, e puka aku oe e nana i ka hana a ka punohu no keia wa.” Ae maila o Ku i ka olelo a kana wahine; ia Ku nae i puka aku ai i waho a huli aela o ia a nana, ike aela o ia e pipio pono ana na anuenue ehiku i ka wa hookahi i loko o ka lewa me ke kau wahi ao ua ole.”
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.
References:
1. Manu, Moses (2002). He Moolelo Kaao no Keaomelemele. Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press
Photo by: Kenneth Sponsler | Dreamstime.com