Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:37:54 GMT -5
Aumakua Legends - Hawaiian
It is related that a girl of thirteen years of age, living at Waikapuna, a
long sandy beach directly below Naalehu, Kau, dreamed that a lover appeared
to her out of the ocean. Every morning when she told her parents this dream
her father thought she had allowed some one liberties and wanted to conceal
it, so he kept her carefully guarded. The dreams however continued. After a
time the girl gave birth to a shark. Her parents recognized this as the
offspring of an akua mano (shark god) called Ke-'lii-kaua-o-Kau, a cousin of
Pele, and did not hold the girl responsible.
The young mother took the baby, wrapped it in green pakaiea (a coarse
seaweed) and cast it into the sea. The young shark was always recognizable
by its green coat, and became the aumakua of that particular family. From
that time they were careful not to partake of either shark flesh or pakaiea
moss. Swelling of the abdomen would have followed the breaking of the shark
tapu; incurable sores attacking the mouth, the breaking of the seamoss tapu.
As the shark never ate human flesh, it was a favorite in the neighborhood.
One day a stranger, Kahikina by name, went out fishing and was attacked by
two sharks. When he cried out for help he saw a small green shark coming
toward him with great speed, which quickly attacked the man-eaters, slashing
them with its tail until they fled. It then slipped under the canoe and
carried it safely to the shore. So grateful was Kahikina that he returned
next day with a huge awa root as offering and he also cleaned from the
shark's back the barnacles and pebbles which had accumulated there. Ever
after that the shark and the man became great friends. The shark would chase
schools of fish toward the shore and all that the man caught he would divide
between them.
Opuopele, brother of Kahikina, lived at Paula beach, Kau, and loved to go
fishing. One day he had just thrown a stick of giant powder into Kawa-nui
cove and dived off the cliff to gather the spoils when he found himself
confronted by a shark on one side and a turtle on the other. Undismayed, he
began to talk to the shark, saying, "There is your share, here is mine," at
the same time offering the shark a fish and bagging one for himself. In this
way the shark was pacified, and the old man returned to the shore with a
gunny-sack half-filled with fish. When the wife was asked about this strange
occurrence she answered that the shark always appeared when her husband went
fishing and that he always shared the catch. She did not claim the shark as
an aumakua but there was probably this deeper significance in the
explanation.
A policeman in Lahaina was sent to Molokai to deliver some government money.
He went in a whaleboat accompanied by his wife. In the middle of the channel
between the islands of Molokai and Maui a storm came up which overturned the
boat. They tried to cling to its sides but the rough waves drove the boat
from them. The man prayed thus: "If I have any aumakua in this ocean I pray
you to carry me and my wife to the land." The woman saw something red in the
water and the next moment saw that her husband was holding on to the tail of
a shark which had appeared to rescue them. The fish swam through the rough
waves and brought them safe to shore. [In one such rescue the shark "fanned
the waters" to keep the swimmer from getting chilled, and gently pushed him
along to safety. The idea is that the shark belongs to the volcano deities
and hence has control over heat.]
A man and his wife live near the sea at Keanae; his sister and her husband
live in the woodland at Kau-palahalaha. Every day the man goes out fishing,
bidding his wife give fish to his sister when she comes from her upland
garden with vegetable food for the family. The man's wife is stingy and
gives her sister-in-law only the tail end of a fish. This the woman in
disgust drops into a calabash. One night both husband and wife have a dream
and, rising, they find a live shark in the calabash. For many years they
keep it in a pool [which may be seen today at this place] and make food
offerings to it. Once, during high water, it is washed down to the sea. It
now lives in the hole called Lua-hi'u (Hole of the tail) which may be seen
near Mrs. Hardy's house and which extends underground half a mile and comes
out near the Keanae wharf.
At the bay of Pukoo on Molokai lived the kahuna Kamalo who had the terrible
Kauhuhu as his shark god. Kamalo's two sons are killed by order of the chief
Kupa for playing upon the sacred temple drum (pahu kaeke) at the heiau of
Iliili-o-pae. Kamalo seeks revenge. With a black pig as a gift he seeks
first the famous seer Lanikaula, then Kaneakama, then Kahiwakaapu'u, and
finally comes to the cave between Waikolu and Pelekunu where lives Kauhuhu
guarded by Waka and Mo'o. Kauhuhu comes in on the eighth wave and listens to
his petition. Some months later the storm called Wai-o-koloa descends upon
Mapulehu valley, its coming heralded by a rainbow spanning the valley, and
all the inhabitants are swept into the sea and devoured by sharks. Kamalo's
household alone escapes because of the sacred fence he has built and
provisions stored at Kauhuhu's direction.
Na-pua-o-Paula, a pretty girl on Hawaii, arouses the jealousy of a
neighboring family. They give offerings to their shark aumakua to destroy
her and she is carried away by a wave and devoured by a shark. Her mother
goes to a sorcerer. A child is born who resembles the dead girl and is given
her name. The other family are afflicted with swellings and die miserably.
Abstract:
Women were supposed to be visited in dream by aumakua spirits who wished to
have a child by them. The dreams would continue until the birth of the first
child, and to this child the father would give a name (in dream). Such
children were often born in the shape into which the father could change
himself--shark, owl, caterpillar, stone--but they were more human than
godlike in nature. Folktales tell how alliances with lovers of double nature
were avoided.
Hawaiian Mythology, by Martha Beckwith, Yale University Press [1940,
copyright not renewed] and is now in the public domain.
It is related that a girl of thirteen years of age, living at Waikapuna, a
long sandy beach directly below Naalehu, Kau, dreamed that a lover appeared
to her out of the ocean. Every morning when she told her parents this dream
her father thought she had allowed some one liberties and wanted to conceal
it, so he kept her carefully guarded. The dreams however continued. After a
time the girl gave birth to a shark. Her parents recognized this as the
offspring of an akua mano (shark god) called Ke-'lii-kaua-o-Kau, a cousin of
Pele, and did not hold the girl responsible.
The young mother took the baby, wrapped it in green pakaiea (a coarse
seaweed) and cast it into the sea. The young shark was always recognizable
by its green coat, and became the aumakua of that particular family. From
that time they were careful not to partake of either shark flesh or pakaiea
moss. Swelling of the abdomen would have followed the breaking of the shark
tapu; incurable sores attacking the mouth, the breaking of the seamoss tapu.
As the shark never ate human flesh, it was a favorite in the neighborhood.
One day a stranger, Kahikina by name, went out fishing and was attacked by
two sharks. When he cried out for help he saw a small green shark coming
toward him with great speed, which quickly attacked the man-eaters, slashing
them with its tail until they fled. It then slipped under the canoe and
carried it safely to the shore. So grateful was Kahikina that he returned
next day with a huge awa root as offering and he also cleaned from the
shark's back the barnacles and pebbles which had accumulated there. Ever
after that the shark and the man became great friends. The shark would chase
schools of fish toward the shore and all that the man caught he would divide
between them.
Opuopele, brother of Kahikina, lived at Paula beach, Kau, and loved to go
fishing. One day he had just thrown a stick of giant powder into Kawa-nui
cove and dived off the cliff to gather the spoils when he found himself
confronted by a shark on one side and a turtle on the other. Undismayed, he
began to talk to the shark, saying, "There is your share, here is mine," at
the same time offering the shark a fish and bagging one for himself. In this
way the shark was pacified, and the old man returned to the shore with a
gunny-sack half-filled with fish. When the wife was asked about this strange
occurrence she answered that the shark always appeared when her husband went
fishing and that he always shared the catch. She did not claim the shark as
an aumakua but there was probably this deeper significance in the
explanation.
A policeman in Lahaina was sent to Molokai to deliver some government money.
He went in a whaleboat accompanied by his wife. In the middle of the channel
between the islands of Molokai and Maui a storm came up which overturned the
boat. They tried to cling to its sides but the rough waves drove the boat
from them. The man prayed thus: "If I have any aumakua in this ocean I pray
you to carry me and my wife to the land." The woman saw something red in the
water and the next moment saw that her husband was holding on to the tail of
a shark which had appeared to rescue them. The fish swam through the rough
waves and brought them safe to shore. [In one such rescue the shark "fanned
the waters" to keep the swimmer from getting chilled, and gently pushed him
along to safety. The idea is that the shark belongs to the volcano deities
and hence has control over heat.]
A man and his wife live near the sea at Keanae; his sister and her husband
live in the woodland at Kau-palahalaha. Every day the man goes out fishing,
bidding his wife give fish to his sister when she comes from her upland
garden with vegetable food for the family. The man's wife is stingy and
gives her sister-in-law only the tail end of a fish. This the woman in
disgust drops into a calabash. One night both husband and wife have a dream
and, rising, they find a live shark in the calabash. For many years they
keep it in a pool [which may be seen today at this place] and make food
offerings to it. Once, during high water, it is washed down to the sea. It
now lives in the hole called Lua-hi'u (Hole of the tail) which may be seen
near Mrs. Hardy's house and which extends underground half a mile and comes
out near the Keanae wharf.
At the bay of Pukoo on Molokai lived the kahuna Kamalo who had the terrible
Kauhuhu as his shark god. Kamalo's two sons are killed by order of the chief
Kupa for playing upon the sacred temple drum (pahu kaeke) at the heiau of
Iliili-o-pae. Kamalo seeks revenge. With a black pig as a gift he seeks
first the famous seer Lanikaula, then Kaneakama, then Kahiwakaapu'u, and
finally comes to the cave between Waikolu and Pelekunu where lives Kauhuhu
guarded by Waka and Mo'o. Kauhuhu comes in on the eighth wave and listens to
his petition. Some months later the storm called Wai-o-koloa descends upon
Mapulehu valley, its coming heralded by a rainbow spanning the valley, and
all the inhabitants are swept into the sea and devoured by sharks. Kamalo's
household alone escapes because of the sacred fence he has built and
provisions stored at Kauhuhu's direction.
Na-pua-o-Paula, a pretty girl on Hawaii, arouses the jealousy of a
neighboring family. They give offerings to their shark aumakua to destroy
her and she is carried away by a wave and devoured by a shark. Her mother
goes to a sorcerer. A child is born who resembles the dead girl and is given
her name. The other family are afflicted with swellings and die miserably.
Abstract:
Women were supposed to be visited in dream by aumakua spirits who wished to
have a child by them. The dreams would continue until the birth of the first
child, and to this child the father would give a name (in dream). Such
children were often born in the shape into which the father could change
himself--shark, owl, caterpillar, stone--but they were more human than
godlike in nature. Folktales tell how alliances with lovers of double nature
were avoided.
Hawaiian Mythology, by Martha Beckwith, Yale University Press [1940,
copyright not renewed] and is now in the public domain.