Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-28
LEGENDS OF HAWAII
STRANGE STORIES WHICH THE
ISLAND FISHERMEN BELIEVE.
Tales Transmitted From Father to Son
for Many charlottesville
Menehunes.
From the New York Times.

transmitted from father to son for genera
lions. While few of these legends have
been reduced to writing. many are still I'M
written and waiting for the student of folk
lore who is able to converse with the ma
tive in his own language.
Their earliest traditions relate to a Won
derful race of people called the Menehunes,
who were small of stature but of great ac-
tivity-a species of Brownie These people
were always united in any work they did,
and had an invariable rule that any opera
ton undertaken must be completed in one
night, otherwise it would be left unfin-
fshed, as they did not labor twice on the
same work.
At one time Pi, man who lived at Wal
mea. Kauai told the Menehunes to wall in
fish pond at the bend of the Huleia river,
close by. They commenced work at mid
night, but at dawn the walls of the pond
were not sufficiently finished to meet so it
was left incomplete and has remained so
to this day
Union of the Islands.
There is a tradition current among the
fishermen that many years ago the Islands
of Kauia, Niihua and Nihoa were one,
under the name of Niihau, while Oahu and
Molokai were also united under the former
name. One day two fishermen were busily
engaged in fishing. One was the shore
of Waianae, on the western extremity of
Oahu, and the other on the rocks of Koloa,
on Niihau. now Kauai. Owing to the
strong current the hooks and lines of each
were carried out to sea and became en-
tangled together in the middle of the chan
mel, and when the fishermen endeavored to
haul in their lines the two islands. unable
to Withstand the strain, parted from their
mornings
Kauai broke off first from Nihoa and at
terward from Niihau while Oahu separated
lyai nd tun oair hn1 iaS
preached each other until the lines broke
and the islands came to a standstili In
their present position. When the kings of
the islands discovered the cause of the
great changes they ordered the fishermen
to swim out to the middle of the new cham
mel and dive down and get the hooks. They
did this. and. wonderful to relate, there
were found upon each hook specimens of
every kind of fish in the sea, from the
whale down to the shrimp.
God of the Fishermen.
The chief god Of the fishermen was
Kuula, whose worship was general to all
the islands. The story Of his dedication
is condensed as follows from the narrative
of Moke Manu-, one of the legendary bards
of the islands:
Kuula lived at Leho-ula. in the land Of
AIeamai, Hama, Maui, with his wife, Hina-
pu-ku-ia, and a younger brother of Kuula
The brothers separated in time, the younger
taking up teamwork, while Kuula became
a fisherman. He first built fish pond on
the shore close to his house, and this he
stocked with all kinds of fish. Upon 4
rocky platform he also built house, to be
sacred for the fishing tabu, which he called
by his own name, Kuula, and it is said that
in this he made offerings of the first fish
caught by him to a supreme god. Because
of his piety all the fish were under his
command and would appear and disappear
at his will The news of this soon spread
al ny-ar nd her he Eif1p X q
mohaoli. who was then living at Wanna
nalua, heard Of it he appointed Kuula as
his head fisherman. BY the aid Of his we'll
stocked pond he was enabled to keep the
kings table regularly supplied with all rare
varieties, whether in or out Of season. and
consequently was held in high esteem by
the latter.
About this time Kuula's wife gave birth
to a son. whom they called Ai-ai-a-Kuu.a
(Aiai of Kuula). After this son had grown
into quite STRIPPING he achieved consider
able fame by killing a large publ (een
called Koona. which had been deified by
the people Of Wailau, on the kOolau side
Of the Island of Molokai. This publ had
come to Maui in order to rob Kuulas fish
pond. Some time after this a man from
Wailau. Molokai, who had been the kahu
(keeper) of the publ. in a dream was tod
that his god had been killed at Hama. Com
ing to Maui to find out for himself, he was
befriended by one of the retainers OF the
king, with whom he lived for some years,
killed his god, upon which he resolved to
be reyenged.
A Mangled Message.
One day he went to Kuula, without
orders from the king, and said that he had
sent him for fish. Kuula gave him an
ulua, with the following warning instruc-
tons:
go back to the king and tell him to
cut off the head of the fish and cook it in
the imu, and the flesh of it's body cut up
and salt and dry in the sun, for this is
Hama the aupehu land; Hama of the scarce
fish; the fish of Kama; the fish of Lana
lika.'" When the man came to the king
with the fish, the latter asked him who had
sent it. and he said "Kuula," and substi-
tuted the following lying message in place
of the true one:
Your head fisherman told me to come
back and tell you that your head should
be cut from your body and cooked in the
imu, and the flesh of your body should be
cut up and sailed and dried in the SUM-"
The king was so angered with this sup
posed reasonable message that he ordered
his people to gather plenty of firewood and
place it around Kuulas house and burn him
and his family in it. All the people except
those of Aleami obeyed the kings order,
and in a short time the hut of Kuula was
surrounded with the fagots. When the lat
ter that the end was close at hand,
he advised his son as to how he might es-
cape by following the smoke up in the air
to cave on the hill of Kaiwiopele, where
he would find safety.
Kuula's Revenge.
He then gave him hook, fish pearl, a
shell called "lehoula,'' and a small sand
stone. This sandstone was the progenitor
of all the fish in the sea. With it Kuula
gave him power over all the inhab itants Of
the sea when he should exercise such power
in his name.
The kings people came then and seized
the three of them, bound them in the house,
and closing the door, set fire to it. While
the flames were raging, Kuula and his wife,
after giving their last directions to Aiai,
| cast off their bodily shape and as spirits
left the house. unseen, and. entering the
sea. took away with them all the fish, sea
MOSES. crabs, crawfish and all varieties
of shellfish, SO that the people found moth
| ing in the waters, which had formerly
teemed with animal life. and suffered great
| ly from this lack of their usual food,
Aiai left the house his father had di-
rected, and, screened by the dense smoke,
reached and found refuge in the cave. The
| fire then burned SO fiercely that the flames
rushed out into the crowd and burned all
who had any part In obeying the king in
Guiding the man from Molokai The peo-
| pie from Aleamai, who had refused to as