Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 8, 1 August 2001 — Maui kupua provides water resource [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Maui kupua provides water resource

6y Claire Hughes, DrPH,RD Department of Health Maui kupua, the demigod, son of the goddess Hina, is a well-known figure in the lore of Hawai'i. Sometimes called the trickster, he is famous for many heroic acts. Most prominently, he is credited with slowing the sun's passage across the sky, so that his mother's tapa cou!d dry faster. He is also said to have learned the secret of fire-making. Thanks to Maui, the kona side of O'ahu has a great deal of fresh water. Maui and his mother, Hina, lived at Kāneana. He thought the Hawaiian islands should be joined together to make one large land mass, and asked his mother why the islands were separated by water. Hina told him that only Ka'alaenuiahina, her big mudhen, could answer that question. Maui posed his question to Ka'alaenuiahina and asked for help

in joining the islands Ka'alae told him that only Unihokahi (one tooth) had that power. Maui learned from Ka alae that Unihokahi lived at Ponahakeone, a fishing ground off 'Ulehawa. Maui told his mother what he had learned from Ka'alae, also telhng her that he planned to go fishing. She urged him to take his brothets with him. Unaware of Maui's secjret plan, his brothers gathered their fishing gear, while Maui preparēd his famous hook, Manaiakalani, lotake on the trip. With Maui in command as steersman, the brothers paddled their eanoe into the middle of the sea of 'Ulehawa. They paddled out until Maui could see the shore with their mother's drying kapa; that gave him his bearings. Maui alerted his brothers: "If you see a kaliu (bailer) floating near the eanoe, reach out and grab it." Soon, he spotted a kaliu, but none of his brothers grabbed it. "We don't need a bailer, we already have one," they said. As

the kaliu floated by, Maui reached out himself and put it into the eanoe. The kaliu was named Hina'akekā. Maui urged his brothers to keep paddling to the fishing ko'a (fishing ground). When the brothers turned to look at Maui,

they saw a beautiful woman in the eanoe; but when they reached the ko'a, the woman was gone. One brother dropped his hook into the water and immediately caught a fish. Tfiinking that he had caught an 'ulua, the brother was very excited, Maui told him it was only a shark, and en it In tnrn p.arh

of Maui's three brothers caught sharks. Then it was Maui's turn. He dropped Manaiakalani to the bottom of the sea, where Hina'akekā caught it. She

approached Unihokahi, saying that she was there to settle a dispute about whether Unihokahi really had only one tooth. She asked him to open his mouth so she could see. When he did so, Hina'akekā quickly put Manaiakalani into Unihokahi's

mouth and jerked āard on the line. This was the signal to Maui that his hook was set. Maui informed his brothers that his fish was hooked, :autioning them not to look back and to paddle bard toward the ihnrp

The brothers were strong and the eanoe flew over the water. They paddled vigorously until they began to tire. Maui See HEALTH on page 13

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We receive approxi- \ mately 200,000 gal!ons of drinking water i a day and should \ remember the mana of 1 Maui when we drink < our eight glasses every . day

HEALĪH from page 1 1

pleaded; "We're almost there; don't look back." They kept paddling, but were soon exhausted and realized it could not be a fish they were pulling. All three looked back and saw the Hawaiian islands dragging behind them. Manaiakalani fell from the mouth of Unihokahi and the islands floated back to their original positions. Maui had failed in this attempt to join the islands. Later, Maui attempted to rearrange and join the islands onee again. He stood at Ka'ena Point and cast Manaiakalani far out into the oeean so that it could fasten itself to the foundations of Kaua'i. When Maui felt his hook had taken a firm hold, he gave a mighty tug on

the line. A huge boulder, Pōhaku o Kaua'i, fell at this feet. The mystic hook, Maniakalani, abruptly released from the boulder, flew and fell into upper Pālolo Valley, where it hollowed out Ka'au Crater, whieh became its grave. The lush, green Ka'au Crater ean be seen from Lanipō, Wai'alae and Wa'ahila ridges and serves as an important watershed area. We receive approximately 200,000 gallons of drinking water a day from this legendary site and should remember the mana of Maui when we drink our eight glasses of water every day. ■