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 now take up again the flight of Aukelenuiaiku.
In this flight, Aukelenuiaiku did not fly within the straight limits
given him, so he fell into space and he grew weaker and weaker until he
was almost dead. In this long flight, the arm under which the box
containing the god was held, became so tired that he changed the box
under the other arm; in doing this the god Lonoikoualii saw for the
first time that they had departed from the direct line shown them by
Namakaokahai. Lonoikoualii then said to Aukelenuiaiku: “We are flying
outside of the limits given us and not on the line. The fire is burning
there on the earth and I see everybody has gone down below except one
person.” Aukelenuiaiku asked: “Who is it that is still up here?”
Lonoikoualii, his god, replied: “That thing stationed up there; fly for
it and hold it fast, and then we will be saved.”
The object which the god Lonoikoualii referred to was the grandfather
of Namakaokahai, Kaukihikamalama, the moon. The reason why he was later
than the others in obeying the summons of his granddaughter was because
he was delayed in preparation of food for him on the way to the earth.
But before he was ready to come he was held by Aukelenuiaiku, and
because of this fact we now see the moon not quite as bright as it used
to be. It was because Aukelenuiaiku held it so tightly. Anyway, that is
the reason given in this story.
When Aukelenuiaiku and Lonoikoualii landed on the moon, the moon in
disgust asked of Aukelenuiaiku: “Whose conceited child are you? My back
has never been climbed by my own grandchild, Namakaokahai, and here you
have done it.” “I am your own child.” “Mine by whom?” Aukelenuiaiku
replied: “Yours. I am the child of Kapapaiakea with Iku.”
Kaukihikamalama then said: “Are you the ward of Kapoino and
Kamooinanea?” “Yes, I am he.” The moon replied: “You came near being
killed, my lord.” This conversation, in the heaven between
Aukelenuiaiku and Kaukihikamalama, was overheard by Namakaokahai, who
then knew for the first time that her husband was no other person than
Aukelenuiaiku, because the name by which she knew him was Kanakaokai.
Therefore she said to her father and brothers: “How strange this is! I
thought that this person was somebody else altogether, but I now see it
is Aukelenuiaiku, the son of Kapapaiakea with Iku, and the ward of
Kapoino [95] and Kamooinanea.”
After this, Namakaokahai called out to Kaukihikamalama to come to her
with his grandson Aukelenuiaiku. When Aukelenuiaiku was returning to
the earth, Namakaokahai commanded that all the different lights return
to their respective stations in the heaven so as to give Aukelenuiaiku
light by which to return to earth; these being the sun, the daylight,
the lightning and the fire. When Aukelenuiaiku again reached the earth
the people all cried for joy. After the weeping, Kuwahailo, Makalii,
Kamalanaikuaheahea, Kaukihikamalama and the others prepared to return
to heaven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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