Hawaii Star Bulletin
June 25, 1953
Clarice B. Taylor's Tales About Hawaii
June 25, 1953
Clarice B. Taylor's Tales About Hawaii
The Young Kalawainui Breaks the Heiau Kapu
Hidden Alii, No. 9
Their was a pause in the rigurous 10 day ceremony of dedicating a new oha god for the heiau in Kona. The priests of Lono had completed the prayers which took four hours to perform during which all the audience knelt rigidly on one knee with their hands and arms uplifted.
During this pause, the alii gathered in the sacred house near the altar, relaxed and were served dinner of the pork sanctified at the preciding day's sevices.
The young Kalawainui was about 19. He was attending the service in th company of his foster-father Moopu'u II and had no servant of his own to relieve him during the period of relaxation.
KAPU BROKEN
The youth was also paralyzed with the need of going to the toilet. Although death awaited the man who broke the kapu by stepping over the doorsill of the sacred house, the youth blindly rushed to the door.
As he started to step over the doorsill, Kaho'alii, his own grandfather, raised his arm to strike the youth down.
Moopu'u II was watching. He raised his arm and cried, "Wohi" (the cry of his office as Moopu'u). "There is no life or death in your hands - life and death is in my hands."
Kaho'alii dropped his arm and the youth looked around in a daze. Moopu'u walked over to the youth, put his arm around him and walked him out of the sacred house as was his right. By putting his arm around the youth he covered the boy with his own kapu.
EXILE
Not a word was said between the two as Moopu'u walked with the young Kalawainui through the heiau out the path to their own home.
At the house, Moopu'u quickly gathered a few clothes and food and again taking Kalawainui by the hand slipped through the village to his canoe. He commanded the boy to get in it.
Taking turns at the paddles, the two men rowed and sailed the ocean until they reached the shores of windward Oahu. The route was familiar to Moopu'u for it was one of his duties to make trips back and forth to Oahu with boatloads of taxes for the King. Ordinarily Moopu'u made the trips with a fleet of rowers.
Once arrived on Oahu, Moopu'u landed at Punaluu where he put the younger Kalawainui in the care of his uncle Keulua at Kaluanui.
Moopu'u II was watching. He raised his arm and cried, "Wohi" (the cry of his office as Moopu'u). "There is no life or death in your hands - life and death is in my hands."
Kaho'alii dropped his arm and the youth looked around in a daze. Moopu'u walked over to the youth, put his arm around him and walked him out of the sacred house as was his right. By putting his arm around the youth he covered the boy with his own kapu.
EXILE
Not a word was said between the two as Moopu'u walked with the young Kalawainui through the heiau out the path to their own home.
At the house, Moopu'u quickly gathered a few clothes and food and again taking Kalawainui by the hand slipped through the village to his canoe. He commanded the boy to get in it.
Taking turns at the paddles, the two men rowed and sailed the ocean until they reached the shores of windward Oahu. The route was familiar to Moopu'u for it was one of his duties to make trips back and forth to Oahu with boatloads of taxes for the King. Ordinarily Moopu'u made the trips with a fleet of rowers.
Once arrived on Oahu, Moopu'u landed at Punaluu where he put the younger Kalawainui in the care of his uncle Keulua at Kaluanui.
Next: Final hiding of the alii.
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Source: https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-300-43958-0-84/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic
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