Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 1, 1 January 1998 — He moʻolelo no kekaha mai [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He moʻolelo no kekaha mai

ĪHE MONTH OF Makali'i has filled and we are well into the season of Makahiki. As our family, like yours may, goes on the seasonal outings associated with Makahiki, one of the places that we visit is Puhiapele. Puhiapele is the site of the eruption of 1801 whieh claimed the breadfmit grove of Kameha'ikana in the uplands of Hu'ehu'e. The flow from it filled the fishpond of Pā'aiea, building the lava delta whieh the Keahole Airport is situated upon today. This geologic event had profound impact upon the traditional economy of Kona 'ākau (north Kona), inundating both grove and pond. It shaped the

settlement we know as Ho'onā and fills our imaginations with musings of divine intervention. Puhiapele is a wahi pana of the Kaha lands. We have heard the story from our mākua and it has shaped our world view, We know that even ruling chiefs

are subject to propriety. According to the story, the chief of the land did not allow the produce of the pond to be distributed without his express approval. This eame at a time when he believed himself to be in the deities' favor and became complacent in attending them. He became heavy handed with the people, while becoming neglectful of the akua. It was then that a malihini eame into the domain of the chief. An old woman eame to the shore at the pond of Pā'aiea at the time when the 'aku fleet was busy at sea. She eame from the interior of the island, wearing a lei ko'oko'olau. Elderly, she leaned upon a cof-fee-wood eane. She asked for a bit of food from the catch of the fleet or ever more modestly,

for something from the pond, even a bit of shrimp. The konohiki told her that the catch of the fleet, the shrimp of the pond, that any of that could only be given by the chief himself. She left, disappointed, toward the uplands when she passed the home of a gentleman who invited her in for a modest meal. With thanks and protective instructions to her host, she continued on her way. She eame upon two girls roasting breadfruit in the uplands of Hu'ehu'e and she shared a bit to eat with them as well. With thanks and protective instructions to her host, she continued on her way. That night, the old woman retumed to Kona 'ākau. Following from the day's events, lava began to flow in the uplands of. Hu'ehu'e covering the village of

Manuahi except for the home of the girl who shared her breadfruit. From Puhiapele to the pond of Pā'aiea, Pele eonsumed precious resources in the land of the chief. According to the story, Kamehameha stemmed the volcanic flow with offerings of supplication including a loek of his own hair. And according to our mākua, none, not even the chiefs, is above the intervention of akua. And so at the base of Puhiapele in this season of Makahiki we told our children of the chief Kamehameha and his lesson in humility. We considered too our plaee in the lavascape whieh is our homeland and recalled our own humility as well. No laila, me ka ha'aha'a maoli nō, mai Kona 'ākau mai, "E hau'oli makahiki hou kākou." ■

\lHt: TRUSTEE MESSAGES

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