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
We will here speak a few words about the wife of Makalii. This woman,
Malanaikuaheahea, was a very beautiful woman. Her skin, to look upon
her, was red as fire. On coming out of her house, her beauty
overshadowed the rays of the sun, so that darkness covered the land,
and the red rain would be seen approaching; the fog would also come,
and after these things had been seen the fine rain would come, then the
red waters would flow and the lightning would play in the heavens.
After these things, then the form of Malanaikuaheahea would be seen
coming along over the tips of the fingers of her servants, in all her
beauty. [87] Makalii thought a good deal of his wife and he made much
of her. The sun was eclipsed by her, and the rainbow was her footstool.
When Aukelenuiaiku saw these different things and then the wife of
Makalii, he grew faint and dizzy, and could hardly control himself, so
he made up his mind to come back to earth.
CHAPTER XII.
RELATING TO KAUMAIILUNAOHOLANIKU.
When Aukelenuiaiku arrived in the presence of his wife and their child,
after an absence of several days, he remained with her for about two
months. One day on taking a nap at noontime he fell into a deep sleep
and he dreamed a dream in which he saw the spirit of his nephew,
Kaumaiilunaoholaniku. [88] This boy was the son of his oldest brother,
the boy who accompanied them on the voyage from Kuaihelani, the son of
Kekamakahinuiaiku, the brother who had a violent temper. At sight of
the spirit of his nephew, Aukelenuiaiku wept in his sleep, and when he
awoke he was still crying. Upon waking from his sleep he could not get
the effects off his mind and he remembered his nephew and brothers, so
he wept aloud. While Aukelenuiaiku was weeping his wife asked him:
“What are you crying about?” “I am crying for the love of my child.”
“Have you a child, then?” “Not mine, the son of my oldest brother. He
died with my brothers on the day our ship arrived here. In my dream I
saw his spirit coming up from the bottom of the sea, followed by the
spirits of his father and uncles.”
When his wife heard this, she said to her husband: “Your nephew can be
saved.” Aukelenuiaiku asked: “How can I bring him back to life?” The
wife replied: “Only when you obey my instructions; then, and only then,
will your nephew come back to life.” “What is it you wish me to do?”
“Take some food and meat with you out of doors and there have your
meal. Perchance your nephew’s spirit will see you eating and will come
to you. If the spirit does come to you, don’t attempt to catch it, [89]
not even if it comes and stands at your back; but if it comes and sits
on your lap, then catch it and your nephew and brothers will be
restored to life again. Their spirits were on their way to the
mountains to gather food.” [90]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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