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
Before the death of Liloa, he willed all the lands of Hawaii to his
first son, Hakau; but left the temples and the gods to his younger son
Umi. On the death of Liloa, Hakau took immediate possession of all the
lands of Hawaii, and Umi lived under him as a dependent. While thus
living, Hakau showed his hatred of Umi in many ways. If Umi took
Hakau’s surf board, Hakau would get angry and tell Umi: “You must not
use my surf board, because your mother is not a chiefess; the same with
my loin cloth.” This ill-treatment toward Umi was kept up by Hakau
right along, which made Umi downhearted; so one day Umi was driven away
by Hakau. Umi then took his companions, Omaokamau and Piimaiwaa, and
left the king’s presence. After they had climbed the cliff leading out
of Waipio, and had reached the heights called Koakea, they then
continued on to Kukuihaele where they met Koi, a young man, and he was
taken along by Umi. From this place they continued on to Kaumoalii,
then on to Koholalele, then to Kealakaha, where Umi was born and where
his mother, Akahiakuleana, was living; but they did not call on her,
preferring to wander on as strangers. They thus continued on their way
until they reached the dividing line between Hamakua and Hilo, in the
land of Waipunalei, where on account of darkness they called in one of
the houses on the wayside.
In this part of the country there lived many pretty young women, who,
when they saw how handsome Umi and his followers were, showed a desire
for them for husbands. Umi, on account of his being better looking than
his companions, had two wives.
After making their residence in this part of the country, they all four
decided to hide Umi’s identity, and to keep him at home and not let him
touch work of any kind. To this Umi assented and took up a life of
idleness. While living there in this way, Omaokamau, Piimaiwaa and Koi
would go farming every day on the lands owned by the parents of their
wives, and were thus much praised by those people and were made much of
because of their great strength. Umi’s father-in-law and mother-in-law,
on the other hand, were displeased at the idleness on the part of their
son-in-law, for he never would go out to work. Some time after this
they went down to lower Laupahoehoe to have a sea bath.
CHAPTER III.
HOW UMI LIVED IN HUMBLE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Umi was very skilful in riding the surf, and he showed this while
living in humble life in Laupahoehoe. One day while out surf riding he
had a race with Paiea, a man famous in Laupahoehoe as the best surf
rider of that place. In this race Paiea crowded Umi up against the
rocks, thus bruising his shoulder. Therefore, years after this it was
remembered against Paiea, and he was killed by Umi when Hawaii came
under his rule.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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