Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 1, 1 January 1988 — Follows Hewahewa Research Project [ARTICLE]

Follows Hewahewa Research Project

Historian Completes Paper on Kahuna Nui Pa'ao

By Rudolph Leikaimana Mitchell Editor's Note: The writer of the following article hos done extensive genealogical research on two kahuna nui. The first was Hewahewa and now comes Pa'ao. We say mahalo to Rudy MHehell for sharing his work with his feUow Hawaiians and readers ofKa Wai Ola O OHA.

The recording of Hawaiian history by our past scholars through oral transmission has resulted in the printing of some key literature that dates back over 100 years ago. Most are still used today as references in our quest for information with regard to our ancestors, as genealogical research gathering that traces family ties and associations. Some references are gathered for past historical data of events that happened before Captain James Cook made his discovery of these islands for the Western culture of the world. Many accounts as given are clouded and confusing to us today because the information as provided cannot be traced to its true source, causing some of us to accept the information as facts of true historical happenings. We must today remember that mueh of the work done over 100 years ago was lacking archival research materials, unobtainable to thosescholarsofyesteryear. Today these materials, are available in abundance. They were collected from old personal diaries and manuscripts, some of whieh today support and fortify those works done in the past; but sometimes, new discoveries today refute the accuracy of some old renderinas.

The outcome of this research paper is the result of 11 years of work. It produced one manuscript, "From God to God" (Mitchell, 1978) portraying the history of the last kahuna nui of Hawaii. "Hewahewa", is complete with two genealogical accounts, one entitled "Ko Umi O Kalani Puka Ana", with 29 generations from Huanuikalalailai to Hewahewa. The base year for my ealeulation of the number of years per generation is from the death year of Hewahewa, 1837 A.D., back to Huanuikalalailai at 30 years per generation, whieh gives the approximate year of migration of Huanuikalalailai as circa %7 A.D. The second genealogy entitled "Ko Piimauilani Puka Ana", has 31 generations from Palena to Rebecca Dedrick (Bridges) and husband Charles William Bridges. This genealogy is the branch line from the island of Maui. In that rendering, generations numbered 23 through 29 are the same for the genealogy, "Ko Umi O Kalani Puka Ana". These genealogies show the family connection of both genealogies from Kohala, Hawaii, and Maui.

Mueh archival material was collected at the time of the Hewahewa research concerning the Kahuna nui Pa'ao, whieh 1 purposely withheld from the Hewahewa manuscript for a new research project I started in 1986 and completed in July of 1987. This new Pa'ao research will show the origin of migration of Pa'ao, Pilika'ai'ea, Huanuikalalailai, Kuheailani, and the Maui Paumakua, thus portraying a genealogical account of Pa'ao his ancestors and descendant to Huanuikalalailai, and finally Hewahewa with the genealogy "Ko Umi O Kalani Puka Ana." Comparative religious and secular symbols of authority to rule will be discussed inclusive of a color scheme that was used by past religious and secular rulers that identifies the god, family and island. This color scheme was used to the time of the Kamehamehas in Hawaii.

THE KAHUNA NUI PA'AO The High Priest, alii nui, navigator, and sorcerer Pa'ao was born on the island of Porapora (ancient name Vavau). Pa'ao's name there was sometimes spelled "Fa'ao". He was the second son of Tu Mata Nevaneva and Te Pu'e Tua. Pa'ao's grandfather was the ruling chief of Porapora, his grandmother was a princess from Raiatea (Havai'i). See genealogical listing, "The Ancient Family of Maro Te Tine of Porapora", #13-14. Pa'ao's elder brother was "Te Iho Tu Mata Aroaro." He was called Lono Pele in the Hawaiian legendary accounts. Written by W. D. Westervelt, "Legend of Pa'ao", 1913. Why this name Lono Pele was given to Te Iho Tu Mata Aroaro is not known.

There is no doubt that friction brewed between Pa'ao and his elder brother as we scan the genealogy. Te Iho Tu Mata Aroaro was destined to succeed his father to rule, but he did not succeed #15 listing. "Rereao", a vahine, succeeded, whieh was very unusual for the tradition of the time. She was the yourrger sister of Pa'ao's father. Later, in #16, we see Te Iho Tu Mata Aroaro succeeding Rereao, his aunt. Pa'ao must have left Porapora sometime during Rereao's rule to migrate to Hawaii, where he found the Hawaiian rule hewa and the religion in shambles. Pa'ao

immediately set out to revitalize the traditionai religion to Hawaii's ruling class.

PILI Pa'ao goes back to Porapora to petition Pili to assume the rule in Hawaii. Here on the genea!ogical listing #15 Rereao as ruling queen of Porapora was married to three chiefs. Herfirst, Tetuanahia of Maupiti (Maurua); Huatere of Huahine; and Piri Ra'au of Huahine, a brother of Huatere. Note the name change of Pili from Pili Ra'au to Pili Ka'ai'ea in the Hawaiian legend as given. Ka'ai'ea in Hawaiian means Ka'ai — sash, belt girdle (malo); 'ea — sovereignty, rule. With this name change we see that Pili accepted Pa'ao's petition to rule in Hawaii.

Now we see the preparation by Pa'ao for the trip back to Hawaii. Pa'ao boards Pili and also Pili's brother, Hua tere, and his two sons. Huatere's Hawaiian given name is Huanuikalalailai who is listed as #1 on my genealogy "Ko Umi O Kalani Puka Ana". Hua's two sons were Tereroa and Tenania, their Hawaiian given names are Kuheailani and Paumakua. Thus, we see two of the greatest dynasties in the history of Hawaii. The religious rule from Pa'ao to Hewahewa 870 years and the secular rule from Pili to Liliuokalani, 926 years.

COMPARATIVE ANALOGY Past scholars have identified the birthplace and migrating origin of Pa'ao and Pili as Samoa only because of the similarity in island names such as Savaii, Upolu and Wawao as given in the legends. No research was attempted by them to compare what Pa'ao had infused or reintroduced into Hawaii to the islands of Samoa or other Polynesian states. I find that in the Society Islands of French Polynesia the ancient name for the island "Raiatea" was Havai'i, a most sacred plaee where all of the high rankingalii families stemmed from, where the god Taaroa created and placed the first human beings, a plaee called "Aitupuna". There the marae Taputapuatea stands. It is regarded as the most sacred temple in Polynesia. Here, the most sacred chiefs were coronated and invested with the red feather maro (malo) called maro ura, its color being significant to the family, island, marae and ancestral gods. Nearly every marae of the society islands was an offshoot of some earlier one (ahu tapae) forming a continuity whieh was substantiated in the founding stone.

This founding stone whieh was sacred was obtained from the original marae taken and consecrated to the tutelar god with prayer and sprinkling with sea water, then it was placed in the new marae, thus starting a new family line and dynasty away from the original. Pa'ao and Pili brought two of these sacred stones to Hawaii; Fornander, Vol. 11 pages 36-37. "Ten years ago, when I visited the palee (Mookini Heiau), the walls of the Heiau were still unimpaired (1886). The then circuit judge of that part of the island, Mr. Naiapaakai, who was well conversant with ancient lore of the district, and who accompanied me to the ruins, showed me a secret well or crypt in the south side of the walls, east of the main entrance, several feet deep, but now filled up with stones and boulders of similar nature to those that eompose the wall. Having climbed on the top of the wall and removed the stones out of the well, we found at the bot-

tom two maika sontes of extraordinary size, whieh were said to be the particular ulu whieh Pa'ao brought with him from foreign lands, and with whieh he amused himself when playing the favorite game of maika. These stones were as large as the crown of a common-sized hat, two inches thick at the edges and a little thicker in the middle. They of white, fine grain, hard stone, that may or may not be of Hawaiian quarrying. I am not a geologist enough to say. I have seen many maika stones from ancient times, of from two to three inches in diameter, of a whitish straw color, but never seen or heard of any approaching these of Pa'ao in size of whiteness. Though they are called the maika stones of Pa'ao "Na ulu a Pa'ao" yet their enormous size would apparently forbid their employment for that purpose." I have searched for these maikas at the museums on Hawaii and Oahu to no avail.

At Porapora, the coronation of their ruling chief to rule was with a yellow feathered maro (malo) there called maro tea. As we compare the feather colors of Hawaii's ruling chief, we see red and yellow as dominant. These colors represent the ancestral lines of the family, island and titular god. These traits are not found in the islands of ancient Samoa, it ean be traced only to Hawaii.

The island of T aha'a is within the same barrier reef as Raiatea. Its ancient name was Upolu. Kahiki, to the Hawaiians of the early period, meant specifically the island of Tahiti, and generally, the Society Islands, similarly to the applieahon in later days of Hawaii to the Hawaiian group. The people of ancient "Havai'i" (Raiatea) addressed the Hawaiian islands as "Hava'i'a", the "a" expresses, to be in a burning state, the volcano eruptinq.

In closing I might briefly say that the attribution in late years of a Samoan origin to Pa'ao and Pili was due to the probably erroneous recooniUn ->lace names Upolu and Vavau of Pa'ao +hem to belong to the Society lsi have pointed to other featuro<- y and Hawaiian Islands, bt,+ w there ean be no auestion on tl ,oent data that Pa'ao was fium the island of Porapora (Vavau) of the Society Islands of French Polynesia.

GENEALOGY The ancient royal family of Marotetini of Porapora, all ruling chiefs 1 — Tefatu (T) 2 — Marotetine (T) 3 — Puni (T) 4 - Tu (T) 5 — Mehau (T) 6 — Tevarua (T) 7 — Terupe (T) 8 — Te'upo'o (T) 9 - Oro (T) 10 — Tukoa (T) 11 — Pua ra'i (T) 12 — Teiva (T) 13 — Teri'i Taumnu Hau (T) 14 — Teiho tu Mata Nevaneva (T) — the beginning of the Pa'ao genealogy CHILDREN a — Te iho tu mata aroaro b — Pa'ao

15 — Rereao (V) HUSBAND Huatere — Huanuikalalailai CHILDREN a — Tereroa — Kuheailani b — Tenania — Paumakua HUSBAND Pili Ra'au — Pili Ka'ai'ea CHILD Varivai (V) Te Iho Tu Mata Aroaro (T) HEWAHEWA GENEALOGY Ko Umi O Kalani Puka Ana

2 — Huanuikalalailai (Huatere) 3 — Kuheailani 4 — Haka Lanileo 5 — Kana 6 — Kanapooilo 7 — Kaauia 8 — Kuhaimoana 9 — Kukahahaula 10 — Lanakukohahauula 11 — Lulanalomakukahahauula 12 — Pae a molemole 13 — Ula a molemole 14 — Kaialii a molemole 15 — Ulupo a Pae 16 — Haea Pae 17 — Pae a Hae 18 — Liloa 19 — Umi a Liloa 20 — Keawenui a Umi 21 — Umi O Kalani 22 — Hoolaaikaiwi 23 — Hiku Kanaloa Uoo 24 — Mahi o palea 25 — Mahi o loli 26 — Kaohuku (W) Holoae 27 — Pailili 28 — Puou 29 — Kapele 30 — Hewahewa

Thirty generations from Pa'ao to Hewahewa show the year of migration of Pa'ao as circa 936 A.D. I have omitted the wives and children of this geneaology only to save space. The masters are complete from the Marotetini house to Hewahewa. The Piimauilani genealogy was also omitted for the same reason.