Fornander collection of Hawaiian antiquities and folk-lore, Volume 1 (of 3) : $b The Hawaiians' account of the formation of their islands and origin of their race, with the traditions of their migrations, etc., as gathered from original sources
History
Fornander collection of Hawaiian antiquities and folk-lore, Volume 1 (of 3) : $b The Hawaiians' account of the formation of their islands and origin of their race, with the traditions of their migrations, etc., as gathered from original sources
Folklore -- Hawaii; Hawaii -- Social life and customs; Hawaiian language -- Texts; Legends -- Hawaii
When the officers of Liloa saw that the boy’s life was forfeited to
[145] the king, because he had climbed over the fence, the kapued place
of the king, they chased the boy with the intention of killing him, but
Umi boldly entered and sat on the lap of Liloa. Liloa then opened out
his knees and Umi dropped to the floor. As Umi sat on the floor Liloa
saw the necklace of whale’s tooth around the neck of Umi, and he also
saw his loin cloth around the waist of Umi. Liloa then asked: “What is
your name?” The boy replied: “I am Umi.” Liloa then took Umi up onto
his lap and kissed him. Liloa then asked him: “Where is your mother,
Akahiakuleana?” Umi replied: “She is still at home. It was by her
directions that I came to you, and she gave me these things I have on
me which you left with her.” When Liloa heard this he said to his men
around him: “This is my own loin cloth, and this is my necklace of
whale’s tooth.” Liloa then asked the boy: “Where is my war club?” Umi
replied: “It is with my companion, Omaokamau, outside of the fence.”
Omaokamau and Piimaiwaa were then sent for.
Liloa then proceeded to tell the people how he met the mother of Umi
and how he lived with her for some days, saying: “When we went to
dedicate the temple, and I one day returned without my loin cloth and I
had on a ti-leaf loin cloth, you said that I was crazy; but today you
see that here is my loin cloth, my necklace of whale’s tooth and my war
club. I left these things for my son, who is here.” [146] At the end of
the king’s address they then knew that Umi was the son of Liloa.
Liloa then said to his servants: “Go and get my gods and bring them in
the presence of Umi to perform the ceremonies of circumcision.” [147]
When the gods were set before Umi, the ceremonies were performed and
the navel of Umi was cut, and the sacred drum was beaten. At the sound
of the drum, Hakau, the first son of Liloa, heard it, so he asked of
the servants: “Why is the drum being beaten?” “It is being beaten
because the navel of the new son of the king is being cut. The young
man’s name is Umi.” When Hakau heard this he came to meet Umi in a
great temper. When he saw Liloa, he asked him: “Is this your new son?”
Liloa answered: “Yes.” And then he continued in a kindly way: “You
shall be the king and he shall be your servant. You shall be above and
he shall be under you.” By these kindly words of Liloa his father,
Hakau’s temper was driven away and he pretended to be reconciled to
Umi.
When Umi took up his residence with Liloa, he obeyed all of Liloa’s
advice, and in this way warmed the heart of his father toward him.
Hakau, on the other hand, ill-treated his younger brother, and he kept
this up even to the day of the death of their father, Liloa.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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