► Kalawainui II Breaks Heiau Kapu

Hawaii Star Bulletin
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.

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

     

► Kamohoalii Keleana Divided

Honolulu Star Bulletin. June 23, 1953 - Tales About Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor 

KAM(A)HOALII POSITION 
DIVIDED BY KAMEHAMEHA

HIDDEN ALII, No. 7

     The position of the human god and enforcer of the kapus, Kamoho[l]aii, seems to have been filled by one man at a time until the reign fo Kamehameha I (1782-1819).

     Since the human god was so important, the position was generally held by a younger son or a grandson of the king. Kamohoalii therefore was of the highest alii blood but of a junior line. as a member of the ruling family, he helped bolster the authority of the king.

     When Kamehameha became ruler of Kona on the Big Island, Kamohoalii was a priest whose real name was Kalani-nui-Kaleleau (The great prince Kaleleau). When he took the part of thehuma god in releigious services, he was called Kaho-alii (an elided form of Kamohialii). When he acted as marshall for the kapus, he was called Moopu'u. In geneologies he is either Kaho'alii I (Peer of the King) or Moopu'u I.

KALIKOOLANI

     The wife of his youth was the high born chiefess Kalikookalani, great granddaughter of King Keawe who ruled the Island of Hawaii about 1700. Their child was a son named Kama-alo. He was commonly called Kaho'alii II, as he was his father's successor in that office.

     During the time of Kamehameha the position of human god and marshal of the kapus became too big a job for one man, so the position was divided between two men.

     Kaho'alii II retained his father's position as the priest human god and his cousin was made marshal of the kapus and was called Moopu'u II.The two traveled together.

     Kaho'alii II has a son named Kalawainui and he in turn had a son of the same name. This child, Kalawainui II, was raised by Moopu'u II as his foster son.

     Moopu'u II and Kalai nui II are the chief characters that figure in our story of the hidden alii.

QUEEN'S RELATIONSHIP

     Queen Emma and her mother Kekala considered the family of Kalawainui I to be their closest relatives for the reason that Kalawainui's grandmother Kalikookalani  was also Queen Emma's ancestor.

     When Kalawainui was growing up, his grandmother Kalikoolani (Bud of Heaven) has married Keliimaikai (Kalanimalo-kuloku-i-ke-pookalani), full brother of Kamehameha I. By Keliimaikai (The Good Chief) Kallikookalani had two children. They were a boy, Kekuaokalani and a girl Kaoanaeha.

    Kekuao(a)kalani, like his father grew up to be a priest and eventually died defending the old faith. The girl, Kaoanaeha, was given by Kamehameha to the Englishman John Young at the age of 8. She was the mother of Kekela and grandmother of Queen Emma. Kaoanaeha was aunt to the hidden alii.

Next: Hidden Alii, no. 8
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Source: https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-300-43958-0-84/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic