Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 6, 1 May 1980 — The Love Snatching Wind of Kipahulu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Love Snatching Wind of Kipahulu

This is the loeal wind of Kipahulu, Maui whieh originates in the mountains and blows down towards the sea, Here is the story of how this wind was given such a name; There lived in Kipahulu two men and a woman. One of these men married the woman while she kept up a relationship with the other man. They all were agreeable to this re!ationship and enjoyed living like this formany years. However» sometime later the wife and the other man left for Honolulu to live in the arca upland of Makiki. They did not even eonsider to return back to Kipahulu again. The husband waited forhis wife to return, but she did not. He even ordered her back, but she refused for she had found someone better. Her husband missed her and was on the verge of insanity when his grandfather, Haipu, who was well versed ln the ancient ways, appeared, The grandson

quickly and Haipu eomforted liiiii sayiiQjlhal his wife would soon return if he did as he was toid. The grandson agreed and quiekly went out to do what ever his grandfather asked. They weat to the beach near the poinl called Makaikuloa. There they began the oid rituais using the wife's favorite calabash. Haipu gently whistled into this sinall calabash a poignant love chant or spelL The calabash became heavier as different chants were melodically recited into it. When the chanting was over» he held his breath concentrating on a prayer for all the ancestoral spirits of the sky, earth, and sea. Wheu the prayer was ended, he exhailed his breath into the small calabash apd let it «3 upon the water. Therj, grandfather invokip a prayer to the spirits of thte wind to cai;efully tJce the calabash to Huaululu, As the prayer was en|ed» a strong wind taking the out Wilhin a short

time, it disappeared in the surging waves. The calabash was released on the first day of the week and it took a full week for it to reach Honolulu. On the second day of the next week it floated ashore at Waikiki. Meanwhile, the wife was en]oying her new liie and on the first day of the second week, she began to crave for the lipoa seaweed found off Waikiki. This craving lasted all night, so early in the morning she went to Waikiki to gather the seaweed, While she was picking up the seaweeā', she saw a small calabash floating on the water. She went to piek it up and grasping it said to herself, <4 This calabash looks like the one we had he^e/' She opened the lid and the fragrance of her husband was released from inside the calabash. Oh, her heart swelled with love for her long forgotten husband, She quickly left Waikiki and headed towards Hanauma bay where she found two old men preparing to sail to Molokai. She asked them, "Where is your eanoe going? ,, "We are going to Molokai," they replied. She asked to accompany them, but one of the men refused. However, she was so persistant that the old mangave in. Theylandedatthe pointcalled Kalaauon Molokai and she walked over to the other extreme side of the island, to a plaee called Kaluaaha. There she met another eanoe being prepared to sail to Lahaina. She boarded it reached Lahaina. Thereafter she walked past Oiowalu, Maalaea, Makena, Kahikinui, Kaupo until finally reaching Kipahulu. Before his wife reached Kipahulu, the grandfather told his grandson, When she.arrives she will just want to kiss yo\i. Don't let her do so lest she will return to Honolulu. Wait awhile and she will stay forever. This eame to pass as the wife only wanted to kiss her husband and leave. He did not permit her and sometime aftprwards, he let her kiss him. This was done in fulfillment of his grandfather's words. And .so the eouple lived in Kipahulu for the rest of their lives. This is the end of the story about the wind that snatches love, This story was told to me by Mr. Joseph V. Marciel and Josua Ahulii and Mr. Alapai Kapaeko of Nuu» Maui. It is nothing, the distance of tbe sea To the work of the wind Kaili Aloha That returned unto me My wife who left and went away.