Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 2, 1 February 2014 — Kanaka-Nunui moe slumbers on [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kanaka-Nunui moe slumbers on

Two giants lay atop Hawai'i mountains, facing the heavens, for all eternity. One was a bad actor and punished; the other was good, helpful and well-liked. I look at the bad guy every day. This story is about the other, a childhood wonder, recently introduced to my mo'opuna. A long time ago, a giant man named Nunui, lived in the hilly section of Kawaihau, back of Kapa'a town. Nunui's great size frightened strangers, but the people of Kawaihau loved him, because he was always helpful. He carefully avoided damaging the lo'i (taro patches), mala (gardens) and hale (houses, buildings) as he walked around the village. When he was tired, Nunui sat or lay on the low hills back of the town. This flattened the hills and softened the soil, making the ground fit for cultivation. His large footprints created holes appropriate for planting hanana trees and composting of leaves, taro peelings and other plant materials. And, because bananas were his favorite food, the villagers always had ripe bananas for Nunui. Nunui was always sleepy and yawned frequently. The gust of breath from his yawns could knoek houses down and blow the thatching into the oeean. Nunui was always regretful and would bring new logs and pili grass for thatching from the surrounding hills and fields and help to rebuild the fallen hale. Nunui was always sleepy and had difficulty staying awake. When Nunui could no longer fight fatigue, he would find a comfortable position on the hillside and fall sleep. Sometimes he slept for hundreds of years. Winds blew dirt over him and birds dropped seeds

on him. Kahalelehua, the goddess of the gentle rain showers, watered the seeds and a forest would grow over Nunui. After hundreds of years pass, Nunui awakes, stretches and yawns, frightening the villagers. It seems the villagers forgot that Nunui was there. The last time Nunui awoke, he found the villagers worried and unhappy. Nunui learned the chief of Kawaihau ordered the villagers to build a large heiau to honor one of his gods. Villagers were to carry special water-polished rocks from Kōke'e, koa wood fromWaimea and pili grass from Mānā to Kawaihau and build the god's house. The villagers worried because their fields needed to be planted. Their families would starve during the winter, if the fields were not planted. As soon as Nunui learned of their plight, he smiled gently and told them to go plant and tend the crops. The work was nothing for him. Nunui scooped up the special rocks from Kōke'e, koa from Waimea and gathered pili from Mānā and placed them on the heiau site. Nunui put the rocks in plaee, he built the frame for the god's house and thatched it. The project was completed quickly. Everyone was happy. The farmers were able to do their planting and chores to prepare for long winter months. Nunui was happy that he had something to do. And, there was time for celebrating. The chief ordered the villagers to prepare a feast of pig, to pound taro and sweet potatoes into poi, to gather bananas and fill canoes with fish. The women gathered limu and 'opihi from the reef. When everything was ready, the celebration began. Everyone feasted in celebration. Nunui ate every bit of food put before him. His stomach bulged, he heeame very sleepy. Nunui stretched out on a hillside back of the village and slept. Again, the winds have hlown, birds have dropped seeds and the gentle Kahalelehua rains have fallen. Kanaka-Nunui-moe sleeps on. Perhaps one day soon, his eyes will open, he'll yawn, stretch and sit up ... awake onee again. ■

a MO'OLELO . \ HI<?TnRV /

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