Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 1, 1 January 2001 — Pāpahi i ka hae o ka lanakila [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Pāpahi i ka hae o ka lanakila

Honor the flag of victory (said in praise of a victor)

By Claire Hughes Department of Health AFTER KĪWALA'Ō'S death on the battlefield, Kamehameha I heeame ali'i of the domain left by his unele, Kalani'ōpu'u. Soon, some of the great chiefs in Kamehameha's court openly expressed their desire to go to war with Hilo's Keawema'uhili. There was mueh pressure on Kamehameha to enter into battle against Keawema'uhili, grandson of the greatest ruler of Hawai'i islmd, Keawe'īkekahiali'iokamoku. (Many Hawaiians today prefer to eall the island, Moku o Keawe instead of "Big Island"). As there was no reason to enter into war, other than the desire of his chiefs, Kamehameha chose instead to send a message to Keawema'uhili asking whether he intended to declare war. Since modern methods of eommunieation did not exist, Kamehameha enlisted the assistance of his personal messenger, Makoa, to carry the important message

over land to Hilo. Makoa's swiftness in running was legendary. Reportedly, when he ran, the flap of his malo stood straight out behind due to his amazing speed. Makoa delivered a bundle of two rocks, one white and one hlaek, wrapped in pa'ūpa'ū kapa, to Keawema'uhili. He retumed to Kamehameha in Kawaihae with the white rock, signifying a desire for peaee. Kamehameha's chiefs eomplained that the retum of the white rock was not sufficient evidence of peaee and advocated that a request be made for ffesh mullet from Keawema'uhili's private Waiākea pond. Again, Makoa was enlisted to carry the message to Hilo. As requested, four fat 'anae and four fat awa from Waiākea pond were wrapped in well-soaked limu kala and the finest kapa that had also been soaked in water. Keawema'uhili prepared a second, tl wrapped bundle containing two white coral stones for Kamehameha's hands alone and sent a message of great affection to Kamehameha. Remarkable is that the fish were still

alive when Makoa arrived in Kawaihae. It was important that the fish be alive to signify good will. Kamehameha observed that the coral was white ffom the inside out, again indicating a sincere desire for peaee by his unele Keawema'uhili, According to this tale, Makoa covered the distance from Kawaihae to Hilo and back two times. His final trip had to have been particularly swift, in order for the fish he was carrying to be alive upon his arrival at the court in Kawaihae Makoa, a very high-ranking ali'i, was a descendant ffom the royal O'ahu family of Kākuhihewa, for whom O'ahu was named. He was described as having a broad forehead, very strong limbs and feet that were unusually wide and different from everyone else's. The traditional Hawaiian high carbohydrate diet would have provided perfect fuel for the extraordinary distances Makoa ran. He probably didn't stop for long periods to refuel when he was carrying such important messages. However,

providing a continuous and adequate energy supply to his muscles was crucial. It is known that pieces of sugar eane and dried fish were chewed for energy during periods of rigorous exercise i.e., hikes and field labor. These foods may have been used by Makoa. The traditional Hawaiian diet, whieh is high in carbohydrates, and plenty of fresh water, are excellent for rapid recovery of the muscles. Small amounts of coconut and the dried fish would have provided him with twice the calories of such carbohydrate rich foods as taro, sweet potato, breadffuit and coconut would have been the easiest to carry and eat while running at such extraordinary speed. The traditional Hawaiian diet served our ancestors well, whether they were performing exceptional feats, hke Makoa, or hving the ordinary hves of farmers and fishermen. We would do weh to retum to this proven plant-based diet to help our people thrive. ■

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