Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 5, 1 May 2005 — Tale of siblings warns of stinginess [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Tale of siblings warns of stinginess

Hawaiian elders communicated family values to keiki in many ways.Oneofthemoststimulating ways was the telling of mo'olelo, such as the story of two siblings who eame to Hawai'i from Kahiki. The

brother was Kūka'ōhi'alaka, Kū the 'ōhi'a of the forest, and Kauakuahine, the sister rain, was his sister. The sister married a farmer and lived with her husband and children in 'Ola'a on Hawai'i island. Her brother, a

fisherman, lived with his wife in Kea'au. Kauakuahine frequently brought vegetables ma kai for her brother. In return Kūka'ōhi'alaka instructed his wife to give generously of dried fish to his sister whenever she eame. But his wife was stingy and hid the dried fish under the sleeping mats. When Kauakuahine eame with vegetables while her brother was fishing, Kūka'ōhi'alaka's wife said, "As you ean see, we have no fish. All we have is salt." Kauakuahine gathered coarse seaweed for her family to eat instead of fish. Again, the sister brought vegetables and returned mauka with only seaweed. Her sister-in-law's constant stinginess distressed Kauakuahine. She brought generous gifts of vegetables and could only give seaweed to her patient husband and children. One day, when her husband and children ran out to greet her, she changed them into rats, and she herself became a spring of water where fine rain fell. The gods appeared to Kūka ' ōhi 'alaka to reveal his wife's actions and his

LL. sister's fate. Greatly distressed, he hurried home from fishing. He asked his wife, "Did you give fish to our dear sister?" "Yes, I always give her fish," the wife lied. Kūka'ōhi'alaka saw the large stash of hidden dried fish and knew the truth. He was extremely angered. "What a cruel woman you are! You have caused great misfortune for our little sister and her family." In despair, he rushed ma uka to 'Ola'a. He saw rats scampering about where his sister's house had stood. Overcome with grief and sorrow for his beloved sister, he dove into the spring and immediately changed into an 'ōhi'a tree. To this day, the tree bears only two blossoms eaeh year, and when a branch is broken off, blood flows from the tree. This tale conveys the deep affection and responsibility between siblings, as well as the importance of sharing the fruits of one's labor with others. The mo'olelo also warns of the consequences of relying too mueh on others, even loved ones, to do what you should do for your family. G

Mo'olelo

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By Claire Hughes Dr.PH., R.D.