Honolulu Star Bulletin. Thursday, January 31, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor
So many sacrifices were required to appease the gods of Iliili-opae Heiau at Mapulehu, Molokai that the priests of the temple became to be hated by all Molokai people.
As a result of raids upon their neighbors, the kings of Mapulehu district were kept in a state of warfare with their neighbors.
A bitter feud grew between the King and the Kaunakakai alii.
It was carried on for generations so that the people of both districts suffered, each having to provide victims for the other's temples.
One day the Ku priests of Iliili-opae sent their Mu priests to capture sacrifices from the Kaunakakai district.
CAPTURE FAMILY
The priests dragged back an entire family of whom there were 10 male sacrifices.
Gourds, denoting that the men were to be sacrifices, were tied about their necks and the family was allowed to live with a certain amount of freedom near the temple.
As each service required, the men of the family were led away to be sacrificed until only the old father remained.
The old man was a good religious man who in his days of freedom had faithfully maintained his prayer services and fed his own family aumakua (guardian god).
One night the aumakua came to the old man in hi sleep and suggested to him that he escape.
FLEES IN DARK
The old man waited until a dark night of the moon and then fled up to Mapulehu Ridge, through the forests and down into Pelekunu Valley.
He had never been there before but his aumakua guided him straight to the house of a famous priest called Kauhuhu whose strength came from his shark god, Kauhuhu.
The old man fell at the priest's feet and sobbed out his story. The priest struck the sacrificial gourd from his neck, gave him food and promise to bring revenge upon the Iliili-opae priests.
Kauhuhu shut himself into his house and began prayers to his own gods.
CLOUDBURST
That night a cloudburst poured rain upon Mapulehu and Punaula Ridges so that the water collected in the valley.
It burst over Iliili-opae Heiau in a great torrent, washing away the houses in which the priests lived and about two-thirds of the platform area.
Many of the priests were caught in the torrent and washed into the harbor (now Ualapue fishpond) and eatedn by sharks so that the people called the harbor Ai Kanaka.
NEXT: Heiau rebuilt
So many sacrifices were required to appease the gods of Iliili-opae Heiau at Mapulehu, Molokai that the priests of the temple became to be hated by all Molokai people.
As a result of raids upon their neighbors, the kings of Mapulehu district were kept in a state of warfare with their neighbors.
A bitter feud grew between the King and the Kaunakakai alii.
It was carried on for generations so that the people of both districts suffered, each having to provide victims for the other's temples.
One day the Ku priests of Iliili-opae sent their Mu priests to capture sacrifices from the Kaunakakai district.
CAPTURE FAMILY
The priests dragged back an entire family of whom there were 10 male sacrifices.
Gourds, denoting that the men were to be sacrifices, were tied about their necks and the family was allowed to live with a certain amount of freedom near the temple.
As each service required, the men of the family were led away to be sacrificed until only the old father remained.
The old man was a good religious man who in his days of freedom had faithfully maintained his prayer services and fed his own family aumakua (guardian god).
One night the aumakua came to the old man in hi sleep and suggested to him that he escape.
FLEES IN DARK
The old man waited until a dark night of the moon and then fled up to Mapulehu Ridge, through the forests and down into Pelekunu Valley.
He had never been there before but his aumakua guided him straight to the house of a famous priest called Kauhuhu whose strength came from his shark god, Kauhuhu.
The old man fell at the priest's feet and sobbed out his story. The priest struck the sacrificial gourd from his neck, gave him food and promise to bring revenge upon the Iliili-opae priests.
Kauhuhu shut himself into his house and began prayers to his own gods.
CLOUDBURST
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| Topography of Iliiliopae Heiau (center) |
That night a cloudburst poured rain upon Mapulehu and Punaula Ridges so that the water collected in the valley.
It burst over Iliili-opae Heiau in a great torrent, washing away the houses in which the priests lived and about two-thirds of the platform area.
Many of the priests were caught in the torrent and washed into the harbor (now Ualapue fishpond) and eatedn by sharks so that the people called the harbor Ai Kanaka.
NEXT: Heiau rebuilt
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