Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 7, 1 July 1997 — The story of Keu ā ka uʻi and Pūpule's silt [ARTICLE]

The story of Keu ā ka uʻi and Pūpule's silt

by Kanoe Hook, Class of 2000, Kamehameha Schools In Kāne'ohe, there onee lived two princesses. The first a careless, messy and crazy princess named Princess Pūpule. The other was a beautiful, elean and well-behaved princess named Princess Keu ā kau u'i. Princess Pūpule was always getting new stuff from her father, King Nohea, while Princess Keu ā ka u'i maintained and cared for the things she had. Keu ā ka u'i was patient and cared for the things whieh she possessed. Princess Pūpule just didn't i seem to care. I One day while finding another kapa pieee tom, King Nohea decided that it was time to choose a i princess to be his successor. The king was very smart. He gave away two Io'i kalo. One to Pūpule and the other to Keu ā ka u'i. Keu ā ka u'i was very grateful and promised him the best of the first kalo

grown. Keu ā ka u'i tended her lo'i everyday and night. She let no one else touch them or even go into her lo'i (for the crops may spoil). Pūpule just sat and watched the women of the ahupua'a pound kapa. Years passed and with it all the lo'i kalo.

Pūpule found a pet within the years. Her pet was an apple snail. Pūpule ^ thought that the snail might bring her good luek, so she put the little snail into her weed infested lo'i. The snail multiplied and soon became many snails. Keu ā ka u'i was very upset; she had no idea what was happening to her lo'i.

Down the stream, other farmer's were soon discovering devastation, (more gobbled up lo'i). Keu ā ka u'i asked her father if he knew what was happening. The father's eyes teared, but he said nothing. Two days later rain eame pouring down. Keu ā ka u'i thought maybe it will be a blessing, but a month later more devastation. Since no plants wanted to grow because of the snails, there had been no roots to hold the ground firmly in its plaee. And the

people of Kāne'ohe were discovering major landslides. The fishermen who went out daily to fish were finding that the landslides were being poured into the bay. Soon the reefs were covered with ^ gray-brown mud and the bay itself was him-

ing into a dump. Keu ā ka u'i saw her father's people suffering also. She tried to help them, but nothing could be done. Sadly their people left Kāne'ohe, and her father's oppression was too deep to be cured. Pūpule thought nothing at all about the polluhon. But Keu ^ ā ka u'i, finding Pūpule alone, asked her Gods to secretly retain Pūpule in the

mess Pūpule created. Keu ā ka u'i reached the end of Pūpule's "new" ahupua'a but hearing the screams of her older sister, Keu ā ka u'i decided that she would share in the punishment of the princess. That is why today in Kāne'ohe bay, Pūpule's silt is still at the peak of destraction. But, the many beautiful colors of the oeean (whieh attract many to elean the bay) is Keu ā ka u'i's tender hand reaching down to help her sister protect the land that might become sacred and beautiful Kāne'ohe again.

*• 1 CM*\ ***** *V_r.