► The Human God of Kamehameha

Honolulu Star Bulletin. June 22, 1953 - Tales About Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor 

THE HUMAN GOD OF KAMEHAMEHA

HIDDEN ALII, No. 6

     An important position in the preiesthood of old Hawaii on the Big Island was that of Kamohoalii, the priest who took the part of a human god in religious ceremonies.

     He became a human god in the minds of the Hawaians because his duty included the enforcement of kapus (taboos) which regulated worship of the great gods.

     It was much easier for Kamohoalii to decree the death penalty if the peoplethought of him as a god in human form. Death was a punishment for all those who broke the rules and regulations daown by the priesthood as the proper worship of the gods.

NAKED GOD
     To further the idea of his godhood, the Hawaiian priests had Kamohoa(m)alii take part in temple ceremonies naked. He only wore the garments of a priest only when traveling with the king. Nakedness was the symbold of modesty and by going naked, Kamahoalii showed is respect for the god he represented.

     Kamohoalii had many important fundctions to perform. He took part in the opening cermonies which opened the opelu fishing season and those which closed the opelu season and opened the aku fishing season.

     At the end of the month, when the moon disappeared for a night, he hid in a darkened house as the symbol of the dying moon renewing its life by spending the night with the great god Kane, giver of life. He spent the night praying life into the moon.

     During the harvest festival (Makahiki), he traveled with the banner of the god Lono and enforced the kapus for this god and incidentally helped gather the taxes.

PRIVILEDGES OF A GOD
     Wherever he went, Kamohoalii was preceeded by his own heralds whe carried his tabu stick which had the white feathers of the white haupu bird attached to one end.

     Being a god, Kamohoalii was allowed priviledges no other men possesed. He could eat with alii women without breaking his sanctity or harming them.

     But, the greatest of ll his privledges was the law which allowed him to break all kapus without offending.  For instance, when other male members of the alii were shut up for for four to 10 days at a time in a house within the temple to take part in a ceremony, he could that kapu without suffering the penalty of death.

     It was the priviledge that leads to our story of the hidden alii.

Next: Moopu I

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Source: https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-300-43958-0-84/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic

► Pele on the Island of Oahu and Maui

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Tuesday, December 1, 1959 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"

     Just before Pele left the Island of Kauai, she made one more attempt to build a home above Waimea Canyon. She dug with Pa-oa on the brink of the canyon and left a red mound which is today known as Puu-ka-Pele.

     It may be seen on the edge of the canyon today and is a favorite lookout for tourists.

     Pele then came to the Island of Oahu. She knew from her experience at Puu-ka-Pele that Paloa (spelled differently from previous stories) her digging stick, would not dig a deep place on a mountain side., yet she went ahead a dug a hole on the plains back of Moanalua. The crater filled with salt water and was named Ke-alia-paa-kai and is know today as Salt Lake.

     Since she could not dig deep into a mountain side and establish firm foundations, Pele confined her diggings to the sea shore, notably at Leahi, now Diamond Head.

DISGUSTED
     Disgusted with Oahu, Pele and her family migrated across the channel to the Island of Maui. There they lived contently for many years in the great crater Haleakala. 

     From her high cloudland in Nuu-mea-lani (raised dias of heaven), the sea-queen Nakamaka (varied spelling from previous stories) watched Pele's craters filling with water and laughed with glee. The long residence in Haleakala crater made her determined to fight it out with Pele. She lured Pele to the high plateau land above the hedland of Kauiki Nui, off Hana.

     The two sisters fought a battle hand to hand. Namaka succeeded in tearing the lava bones of Pele and scattering them around on the land that is called Na-iwi-o-Pele (The bones of Pele). Visitors may see some of those bones to this day.

     Namaka went back to Nuu-me-lani delighted to think that Pele was dead and would never again annoy her.

     Namaka was misatken. She had destroyed the mortal body of Pele but not her immortal spirit.

TO KILAUEA
     Pele took on another mortal body and led her family across the ocean to the coast of Puna, Hawaii. They landed at a small fishing village and Pele led the way up the mountainside until she came to the pit called Kilauea.

     There was no one at home, so she dug into the pit and made a home for herself and family.

     The reason no one was at home is that the firegod Ailaau had seen pele coming and had run away. Perhaps he hid in some of the caves on Mauna Loa. He has never been seen since.

     Pele dug and dug at Kilauea with her magic stick. She found Hale-mau-mau and Kilauea to her liking. Far off in Nuu-mea-lani Namaka knew Pele was still alive. She saw the spirit of her sister standing over Kilauea.

NEXT: Gifts for Pele

Lā Mana'o: Kilauea Volcano Lava Flow...

Where FIRE (ke ahi) meets SEA (ke kai)...

new EARTH ('aina) is born!

Hawaii Tales Retold Mo'olelo (stories) about Pele will begin tomorrow... 

► Paradise Gained and Lost - 3: Paradise

Honolulu Star Bulletin. Thursday, January 10, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor   

     The brothers Kiinoho (stay at home) and Kiihele (the traveler) walked about Paliuli at dawn looking for the gods they knew resided in  that earthly paradise in Puna on the Island of Hawaii.

     They saw no gods in the form of human beings and Kiinoho, who was loved by his aumakua (guardian god) soon realized that the gods were about them.

Each beautiful tree was a god or goddess; the birds which called to each other from the tree tops; 

Maile vine

   

the vines - sweet smelling maile - the flowers which adorned the lehua and ohia trees - they were all gods.

WONDERMENT
     Their wonderment grew when they came to a beautiful lake, serenely blue in color and rippled only by the fish which jumped from the water in play.

     That, they knew must be the everlasting fish supply of which they had heard fabled stories.

     They walked about the lake and around the splendid breadfruit tree which bore not only breadfruit in all stages of growth but foods of other kinds ready to be eaten.


     Their wonderment appeased, the brothers selected a nice flat field beside the lake and decided to make their home near the fish supply and the breadfruit tree.

     Kiihele roamed about until he had located banana shoots, sugar cane, awa, sweet potatoes, yams and ferns.

Awa

     Then began a roundup of animals to raise - chickens, hogs and dogs.


     Within a few months the brothers had a luxuriant farm thriving by the lake.


     The sugar cane had grown until it fell over and curved upward. The bananas bore until the fruit fell ripe to the ground.


     The ohia fruit was as large as a breadfruit before being plucked.


     The hogs grew until their tusks were long; the chickens until their spurs were long and sharp and the dogs until their backs were broadened out.


     The two brothers could not possibly consume all the food they raised in Paliuli.


NEXT: Kepakailiula