Part 11 (1/2)

He went to the hill Hele-a-ka-la, which means ”journey of the sun.” He thought he would catch the sun and make it move slowly. He went up the hill and waited. When the sun began to rise, Maui made himself long, stretching up toward the sky. Soon the s.h.i.+ning legs of the sun came up the hillside. He saw Maui and began to run swiftly, but Maui reached out and caught one of the legs, saying: ”O sun, I will kill you. You are a mischief maker. You make trouble for Hina by going so fast.” Then he broke the s.h.i.+ning leg of the sun. The sufferer said, ”I will change my way and go slowly--six months slow and six months faster.” Thus arose the saying, ”Long shall be the daily journey of the sun and he shall give light for all the people's toil.” Hina learned that she could pound until she was tired while the farmers could plant and take care of their fields. Thus also this hill received its name Hele-a-ka-la. This is one of the hills of Waianae near the precipice of the hill Puu-o-hulu.

UNITING THE ISLANDS.

Maui suggested to Hina that he had better try to draw the islands together, uniting them in one land. Hina told Maui to go and see Alae-nui-a-Hina, who would tell him what to do. The Alae told him they must go to Ponaha-ke-one (a fis.h.i.+ng place outside of Pearl Harbor) and find Ka-uniho-kahi, ”the one toothed,” who held the land under the sea.

Maui went back to Hina. She told him to ask his brothers to go fis.h.i.+ng with him. They consented and pushed out into the sea. Soon Maui saw a bailing dish floating by the canoe and picked it up. It was named Hina-a-ke-ka, ”Hina who fell off.” They paddled to Ponaha-ke-one. When they stopped they saw a beautiful young woman in the boat. Then they anch.o.r.ed and again looked in the boat, but the young woman was gone.

They saw the bailing dish and threw it into the sea.

Maui-mua threw his hook and caught a large fish, which was seen to be a shark as they drew it to the surface. At once they cut the line. So also Maui-hope and Maui-waena. At last Maui threw his hook Manai-i-ka-lani into the sea. It went down, down into the depths. Maui cried, ”Hina-a-ke-ka has my hook in her hand. By her it will be made fast.”

Hina went down with the hook until she met Ka-uniho-kahi. She asked him to open his mouth, then threw the hook far inside and made it fast. Then she pulled the line so that Maui should know that the fish was caught.

Maui fastened the line to the outrigger of the canoe and asked his brothers to paddle with all diligence, and not look back. Long, long, they paddled and were very tired. Then Maui took a paddle and dipped deep in the sea. The boat moved more swiftly through the sea. The brothers looked back and cried, ”There is plenty of land behind us.” The charm was broken. The hook came out of ”the one toothed,” and the raised islands sank back into their place. The native say, ”The islands are now united to America. Perhaps Maui has been at work.”

MAUI AND PEA-PEA THE EIGHT-EYED.

Maui had been fis.h.i.+ng and had caught a great fish upon which he was feasting. He looked inland and saw his wife, k.u.mu-lama, seized and carried away by Pea-pea-maka-walu, ”Pea-pea the eight-eyed.” This is a legend derived from the myths of many islands in which Lupe or Rupe (pigeon) changed himself into a bird and flew after his sister Hina who had been carried on the back of a shark to distant islands. Sometimes as a man and sometimes as a bird he prosecuted his search until Hina was found.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Ie-ie Vine.]

Maui pursued Pea-pea, but could not catch him. He carried Maui's wife over the sea to a far away island. Maui was greatly troubled but his grandmother sent him inland to find an old man who would tell him what to do. Maui went inland and looking down toward Waipahu saw this man Ku-olo-kele. He was hump-backed. Maui threw a large stone and hit the ”hill on the back” knocked it off and made the back straight. The old man lifted up the stone and threw it to Waipahu, where it lies to this day. Then he and Maui talked together. He told Maui to go and catch birds and gather ti leaves and fibers of the ie-ie vine, and fill his house. These things Maui secured and brought to him. He told Maui to go home and return after three days.

Ku-olo-kele took the ti leaves and the ie-ie threads and made the body of a great bird which he covered with bird feathers. He fastened all together with the ie-ie. This was done in the first day. The second day he placed food inside and tried his bird and it flew all right.

”Thus,” as the Hawaiians say, ”the first flying s.h.i.+p was made in the time of Maui.” This is a modern version of Rupe changing himself into a bird.

On the third day Maui came and saw the wonderful bird body thoroughly prepared for his journey. Maui went inside. Ku-olo-kele said, ”When you reach that land, look for a village. If the people are not there look to the beach. If there are many people, your wife and Pea-pea the eight-eyed will be there. Do not go near, but fly out over the sea. The people will say, 'O, the strange bird;' but Pea-pea will say, 'This is my bird. It is tabu.' You can then come to the people.”

Maui pulled the ie-ie ropes fastened to the wings and made them move.

Thus he flew away into the sky. Two days was his journey before he came to that strange island, Moana-liha-i-ka-wao-kele. It was a beautiful land. He flew inland to a village, but there were no people; according to the ancient chant:

”The houses of Lima-loa stand, But there are no people; They are at Mana.”

The people were by the sea. Maui flew over them. He saw his wife, but he pa.s.sed on flying out over the sea, skimming like a sea bird down to the water and rising gracefully up to the sky. Pea-pea called out, ”This is my bird. It is tabu.” Maui heard and came to the beach. He was caught and placed in a tabu box. The servants carried him up to the village and put him in the chief's sleeping house, when Pea-pea and his people returned to their homes.

In the night Pea-pea and Maui's wife lay down to sleep. Maui watched Pea-pea, hoping that he would soon sleep. Then he would kill him. Maui waited. One eye was closed, seven eyes were opened. Then four eyes closed, leaving three. The night was almost past and dawn was near. Then Maui called to Hina with his spirit voice, ”O Hina, keep it dark.” Hina made the gray dawn dark in the three eyes and two closed in sleep. The last eye was weary, and it also slept. Then Maui went out of the bird body and cut off the head of Pea-pea and put it inside the bird. He broke the roof of the house until a large opening was made. He took his wife, k.u.mu-lama, and flew away to the island of Oahu. The winds blew hard against the flying bird. Rain fell in torrents around it, but those inside had no trouble.

”Thus Maui returned with his wife to his home in Oahu. The story is pau (finished).”

XI.

MAUI SEEKING IMMORTALITY.

Climb up, climb up, To the highest surface of heaven, To all the sides of heaven.

Climb then to thy ancestor, The sacred bird in the sky, To thy ancestor Rehua In the heavens.

--New Zealand kite incantation.