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 peace reigned in the government of Maui Umi-a-Liloa went back to
Hawaii. And when he became very old the people of Hawaii hewed stones
for a tomb [184] for his body, for he had ordered his sons and his
daughters, and the chiefs and people all over Hawaii and Maui, to hew
oblong squared stones a fathom or more in length, a yard wide, and half
a yard deep. Ala [185] was the stone hewed, a stone which is found in
the cave of Umi-a-Liloa, in Keopu, Kailua. On account of this heavy
tribute required by Hawaii the attendant of Aihakoko was killed by
Kihapiilani, and for that reason Aihakoko went mourning out in the
ocean and landed in Kapaahu, Kamaole, in Kula, whereby the place
derived its name of Kalua-o-Aihakoko. The stone tomb of Umi-a-Liloa was
not completed when he died at Kailua, Hawaii.
Upon Umi-a-Liloa’s death, Koi, one of Umi’s chosen companions, heard of
it, for he had previously been charged that he (Koi) was the one to
bury his bones and completely hide them. [186] When the government
settled in peace under Umi-a-Liloa and the lands were divided, this
adopted son’s portion was the lands from Waimanu to Pololu. His sisters
becoming the caretakers, he arose and wandered away from Hawaii to
Kauai. Returning from Kauai he stayed over at Keoneoio, Honuaula
(Maui), where he found a wife and became a resident and begat children.
When Koi heard that Umi-a-Liloa’s sickness was unto death he asked the
brothers of his wife to accompany him to Hawaii. His wife said to him:
“Don’t you take my brothers; you might perhaps take and kill them.”
“No,” said Koi. They sailed from Kipahulu and landed at Kohala, where
they heard that Umi-a-Liloa was dead. From here they again set sail and
landed in Kekaha at night. In this place was a man who resembled
Umi-a-Liloa, whom Koi went and killed and placed in the canoe. From
Kekaha, Koi and his companions proceeded and landed on the rocks below
Makaeo. It was about midnight when Koi went up and found the guards of
the sepulchre asleep. Piimaiwaa was the inner guard, and here was Koi
coming in with a substitute body. Piimaiwaa had heard that the corpse
of Umi had already been given to Koi. The substitute corpse was placed
in position and the body of Umi-a-Liloa was taken out by Koi, and
carried over the rocks toward the sea to Makaeo and placed in the
canoe. From this night to the next night they traveled till they
arrived at the precipitous cliffs of Waimanu, where Koi entered the
home of his sister, who, on seeing her brother, ran forward weeping
loudly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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