Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 6, 1 June 2000 — No ka hānau ʻana o Kamehameha [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

No ka hānau ʻana o Kamehameha

Na Samuel M. Kamakau Mai ka luna ho 'oponopono: Me ka 'ae o ka 'Ahahui 'Ōlelo Hawai'i i pa'i 'ia ai kēia mo'olelo, he māhele pōkole no loko mai o "Ke Kumu Aupuni," na Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau. 'Oiai 'olunell ka Lā Kamehameha, he kōkua kēia

mo 'olelo e ho 'omaopopo ai, 'a 'ole i hānau 'ia 'o Kamehameha i ia lā. He lā ho 'omana 'o nō ia i koho a

kauoha 'ia e ko Kamehameha mo 'opuna, 'o Lot Kapuaiwa, Kamehameha V, i ka makahiki 1872. E heluhelu £ mai ... M

UA HĀNAU 'o i Kamehameha I ma m Kokoiki, ma Koha- I la,ikaA.D. 1736. j| 'O Keku'iapoiwa ■ ka makuahine, ke kaikamahine a Kekela (w) 1 me Hā'ae, no ka 'ohana " ali'i o Hawai'i. 'O "ca makua kāne o Kamehameha, 'o ia nō 'o

Keōua, ko Kalam'ōpu'u kaikaina, no ka mea, ho'okahi nō ^ o lāua makuahine, 'o

Kamaka'īmoku. Ma ka nani o nā ali'i, ma ke 'ano kahiko o ko Hawai'i noho 'ana, 'o ia ka hā'awi 'ana i ke keiki no ka mō'I o kekahi aupuni. He nui ka 'ōlelo 'ia 'o Kahekili ka makua kāne o Kamehameha, 'o ia ke keiki a ka mō'ī o Maui, no ka mea, he mau hoa hānau nā ali'i o Hawai'i no nā ali'i o Maui. Ua 'ōlelo 'ia 'o ia ke kumu i ho'onoho 'ia ai 'o Kame'eiamoku me Kamanawa, he mau māhoe kapu lāua na Kekaulike, ka mō'ī o Maui, e noho i Hawai'i no ke keiki a Kahekili. Ma ke mele a Keaka ka mō'ī wahine, kā Alapa'i wahine ia, ka mō'ī o Hawai'i,

ua 'ōlelo 'ia 'ō 'Ikuā ka malama i hānau ai 'o Kamehameha, penei: "He ua lokuloku no 'Ikuā ke ali'i." A penei ho'i kekahi, ke'ōlelo 'ia nei no Makali'i ka hānau 'ana o Kamehameha. "Ke kūkini akula ka lani nui. 'O Makali'i ka haoa lā wela, hānau mai ka lani lā, he 'aoa." Ua 'ōlelo 'ia he ua, he hekili a he uila ka pō i hānau ai 'o Kame-

Ua maopopo paha 'o ka . malama 'o 'Ikuā, 'o ia «K ka malama a ka ua.

me ka hekili a me k ka uila. 'O ia ka malama 'o

Febuari, a me ka hapa mua o | Maraki paha. I No ka

pl pilikia o Q Keku'iapoiwa Wl no ka hānau i ■ kāna keiki m makahiapo, no ■ laila, 'a'ole i P holo pū i ke kaua me ka

W mō'ī, me Alapa'i, ' i Maui.

fW Ma hope iho, ua Mohe 'ia ka mea nāna i

lawe ke keiki, o īa ho ī o Nae'ole. No laila, ua hā'awi 'ia 'o Nae'ole ke kahu hānai o ke keiki. Ua ho'onoho aku 'o Kalani'ōpu'u i kona kaikaina, iā Kekūnuialeimoku, i makua hānai no ke keiki. 'O Hālawa, he ahupua'a ma Kohala Loko, 'o ia ka 'āina i hānai 'ia ai 'o Kamehameha ma kona hānau 'ana a hiki i ka lima paha o kona mau makahiki, a laila, ho'iho'i akula 'o Nae'ole iā Alapa'i, i ka mō'ī o Hawai'i i ke keiki. No laila, hā'awi akula 'o Alapa'i na Keaka e hānai, 'o ia ho'i ke kahu ali'i nui o ke keiki.

Pertaining to the birth of Kamehameha Editor's note: This story, printed with the permission of the 'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawai'i, is an excerpt from "Ke Kumu Aupuni" by Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau. As June 1 1 is Kamehameha, this story helps to remind that June 1 1 is not the date of Kamehameha's birth. Rather, it is a commemoration that was selected and proclaimed by his grandson, Lot Kapuaiwa, Kamehameha V, in 1872. Kamehameha I was born at Kokoiki, Kohala in 1736. Keku'iapoiwa was his mother, the sister of Kekela and Hā'aefrom the chiefly family of Hawai'i island. īhe father of Kamehameha was Keōua, Kalani'ōpu'u's younger brother, as they had the same mother, Kamaka'īmoku. In the way ofthe chiefs in the days of old, newborn children would be offered to the ruler ofthe kingdom. It has been rumored the Kahekili, the son ofthe king ofMaui (Kekaulike) was thefather of Kamehameha, because the chiefs of Hawai'i and Maui are close relatives. It is said that because ofthis, the sacred twin offspring of Kekaulike, namely Kame 'eiamoku and Kamanawa, were sent to Hawai 'i to live with "the son of Kahekili."

In a chant by Queen Keaka, wife of Alapa 'i, the ruler ofHawai'i, it says that 'Ikuā was the month Kamehameha was born. It goes like this: "The rains pourforthfor 'Ikuā, the chief." Some say that Makali'i was the month ofhis birth. "The great chief swiftly arrives. Makali 'i, when the scorching sun isforceful." It has been said that rain, thunder and lightning filled the night that Kamehameha was born. I believe it was 'Ikuā, the month of rain, thunder and lightning. That is the month of February and thefirst halfof March. Because ofthe complications Keku 'iapoiwa had with herfirst child, she did not go with Alapa 'i to wage war on Maui. Shortly afterward, it was announced that Nae 'ole would be the one to take the child. Nae 'ole, the guardian, was given the child. Kalani 'ōpu 'u arranged that his younger brother, Kekūnuialeimoku, would be thefoster parent ofthe child. Hālawa, a land section in Kohala Loko, was where Kamehameha was raisedfrom birth until about the age of five. Then, Nae'ole took him toAlapa'i, ruler ofHawai 'i. Then Alapa 'i gave the child to his Queen Keaka to raise as the principal guardian. ■ (English translation by Manu Boyd).

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hānau — birth kahiko — ancient, old kahu hānai — guardian kaua — war māhoe — twins makahiapo — eldest child makuahine — mother makua kāne — father maopopo — understand mele — poetic text, chant, song