Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 4, 1 April 1995 — Molokaʻi Pule Oʻo [ARTICLE]

Molokaʻi Pule Oʻo

A story of ancient Moloka'i prayer

by John W. Ka'imikaua During pre-Western Hawai'i, the island of Moloka'i was well known, celebrated and feared for the powerful prayers of its kāhuna. During the 10th century, kāhuna of the island congregated at Mahana in central Moloka'i and established the legendary school Kē'ie'ie for the training of selected young priests. Kē'ie'ie became renowned throughout all the island as a sacred repository of vast knowledge unfathomed by other priestly practices and traditions. The school was protected and hidden from all outsiders beyond the shores of Moloka'i, and its kāhuna didn't exhibit their spiritual abilities until they were

compelled to do so because the island was threatened by war, slaughter and siege. During the 12th century, the Maui warrior chief Kaikololani of the island of Maui sailed with an enormous war fleet across the oeean ehannel Pailolo to crush the inhabitants of Moloka'i.It was said of his great fleet by the people of Moloka'i: 'A 'ohe moana i Pailolo 'O ke kumu lā'au koa wale nō There is no oeean at Pailolo Only koa logs This saying poetically described the vastness of the war fleet of Kaikololani as his innumerable vessels seemed to cover the whole surface of the sea as they sailed from Maui to Moloka'i over the Pailolo Channel. When the war

canoes landed, a great battle eommenced. Slaughtered on every side, the people of Moloka'i began losing their land to the

enemy. Confident that victory was inevitable, Kaikololani halted

the battle and the Maui chief and his army made verbal sport of the people they were about to destroy. In desperation, runners were sent to Mahana to secure the aid of the kāhuna of Kē'ie'ie school as a last attempt at saving the people from utter destruction. The old priests agreed and journeyed quickly to the battle site.

With palms stretched skyward, the old priests began their prayers. Never before were the kāhuna of Mahana compelled to openly display their abilities to the populaee.

Upon seeing the great death and carnage on the side of Moloka'i, the kāhuna assembled themselves in a circle on a sandbar at Puhi'ula in clear view of the Moloka'i people and the army of Kaikololani. With palms stretched skyward, the old priests began their prayers. Never before were the kāhuna of Mahana compelled to openly display their abilities to the populaee. Unfamiliar with the

powers of the Moloka'i kāhuna, Kaikololani and his men began teasing and insulting the old priests. Kaikololani threatened the old men with death if they did not flee but the kāhuna continued on in prayer. Kaikololani and his men continued their verbal assault and threats upon the kāhuna, and after a long period passed, nothing occurred of the priests' prayers. Amid the turmoil that surrounded them, the old men suffered no distractions and they did not waver from their prayers. Kaikololani and his men grew restless and the Maui chief gave the order to attack. Just as they were about to attack, the chief's men began to colIapse one by one. To the horror continued next page

of Kaikololani, his armies fell dead all around him. The bite of

the prayers of the Mahana kāhuna eonsumed the lives of the

Maui warriors. The entire army of the royal intruder lay silent with

death, and Kaikololani remained the sole survivor.

Pule O'o from page 8

The Maui chief was allowed to retum, and when Kaikololani told his people of the terrifying death

of this army, and of the powerful prayers of the kāhuna of Moloka'i that ripen as bananas, the people of Maui proclaimed, "Moloka'i Pule O'o," meaning "Moloka'i

with ripening prayers." From that time until the present, the island of Moloka'i was well-known, eelebrated and feared for the powerful prayers of its kāhuna.