Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2006 — a perilons birth [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

a perilons birth

^ — ^young eouple, Keala [ * and Kāwika, who V_^v__-lived beside Kalae Loa Harbor on Moloka'i's southern shore, were happily anticipating the birth of their first child. One evening, Keala announced her desire to go for a eanoe ride. It was 'Ikuā, the eleventh month of the year, and the season of thunderstonns and rough seas. "This is not the best time: the roaring winds and pounding surf of Ikuā ean eome up unexpectedly," Kāwika replied. "Where are you thinking about going?" "Eastward," Keala answered eagerly. "I hear the east side is the beautiful side of the island." Kāwika hesitated, but Keala begged. Kāwika relented and asked his fishing friend, Kuamu, to help. In the third week of 'Ikuā, the three started out on the morning of the Māhealani moon. Kāwika and Kuamu paddled eastward. As they approached Pūhāloa fishpond, Keala suddenly asked to turn into a nearby cove, but Kāwika did not turn. Keala was not deterred. "Oh, my husband, I speak the words of the gods," she said. "They want me to direct this journey." Kāwika bid his wife to rest. Keala pulled her klhei closely around her and settled down on the eanoe bottom. Kuamu felt uneasy. He coaxed his friend saying, "Kāwika, if the gods have given Keala directions, then let us turn into the cove." Kāwika did not respond. Then Kuamu added shyly, "Isn't this where the moi li'i (young moi), linger at this time of year?" Kāwika was persuaded. They found large schools of moi and soon filled a section of the eanoe with fish, then they continued on. At nightfall, Keala again asked them to turn into a cove and stop. "We must share the fish with the villagers, and I must take fish to the heiau to my ancestors, the

gods," she said. Kāwika asked Keala to rest in the eanoe, and the two men hurried with baskets of fish for the villagers and kahuna at the heiau. Keala was hungry and restless, and decided to eook some fish. While cooking the fish, she heard a sound and glanced up to see the glint of eyes in the darkness around her. Keala had attracted kupua (mana spirits). A bit frightened, she fed the kupua the cooked fish. Then Keala's baby began to kiek vigorously, and birth pains started, so she returned to the eanoe. The kupua surrounded the eanoe, but Keala was no longer afraid. Her contractions grew stronger, and she knew her baby was arriving soon. She begged the kupua to go to the heiau and get her husband, and they disappeared. Then Keala began to weep. She heard a kind man's voice say, "Why are you crying? Can I help?" It was too dark to see who had spoken, but Keala answered, "My baby will be born soon and there is no one to help me. I want my kahu, Llloa, but she lives at Kalae, many miles away." The man promised to get Līloa. Unknown to Keala, the man, Ka 'ohele, was the fastest runner on Moloka'i. Meanwhile, the kupua reached the heiau and chanted their message to the kahuna there. In response, the kahuna chanted asking for Keala's safety and eomfort, until help arrived. Kāwika and Kuamu ran back to the eanoe and found Keala suffering from birth pangs. Kāwika helped Keala walk up and down the beach to ease her discomfort. "Oh, I wish my kahu, Līloa, were here," Keala said. They heard a eall, as out of the darkness Ka'ohele ran with Līloa on his back. Ka'ohele had carried Līloa all the way from Kalae. He leaped over gullies and ran through ravines to find the shortest way back. Ka'ohele was truly a hero. With great relief and gratitude, Keala greeted Līloa and Ka'ohele,

but there was no time left. Kāwika carried Keala into the eanoe. A loud peal of thunder announced heavy rains. The men created a shelter with their bodies and the kīhei. A gale wind rocked the eanoe. Suddenly, a child wailed, and Līloa announced the arrival of the couple's daughter. Kāwika felt pure joy at this news. "What shall we name her?" Kāwika asked. Keala, said, "Let us name her 'Ōhi'akea, the Pale Mountain Apple," because she was born at a plaee selected by gods, where the stream from the 'Ōhi'a Gulch empties into the sea." This tale demonstrates the importance of having elders to offer guidance and advice to young people. Even under the best of circumstances and using modern delivery rooms, the process of delivering a child is fraught with peril for both mother and child.

Adding the unnecessary risks of traveling to a remote area during the final weeks of pregnancy was not a wise decision. Eaeh trav-

eler suffered significant physical and mental stresses, and it took extraordinary powers of the kupua to help save the infant. E3

MO'OLELO • HISTDRY

& By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D.

"Unknown tū Keala, the man, Ka'ahele, was the fastest runner an Mūlūka'i."