Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 6, 1 Iune 2017 — The Lost Tunnel of Pelekunu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Lost Tunnel of Pelekunu

Editor's note: This month's eoīumn is adapted from "Tales of Moīokai: The Voi.ce of Harriet Ne." Pelekunu Valley, on Moloka'i's northeast coast, is deep and narrow. Sunshine reaches deep into the valley for only a few hours eaeh day. Long ago, Pelekunu residents learned to rise early to take greatest advantage of those sunlit hours. Back in the 1800s, only 200300 residents lived in the valley, nearly all related, as the valley is

distant from the rest of Moloka'i, even with modern transportation. In those early times, kāne gathered wood for outdoor stoves and started eaeh day with heating up water for nehe (tea), whieh helped with internal cleansing of their bodies. After breakfast - usually nehe, taro slices and seasonal fruit - men worked in the lo'i and gardens, or went fishing. Some women gathered leaves and vegetables for the evening meal, fished in the stream for 'o'opu and hlhlwai, gathered seaweed and shellfish or did laundry at the stream's edge, spreading the clothes on a grassy area nearby to dry in the sun. A love story from those early times tells of courage and determination, as well as physical stamina. A Pelekunu maiden fell in love with Akoni, who lived on the other side of the mountain in Kamalō. In fair weather, Akoni paddled his eanoe

from Hālawa to Pelekunu. When the weather was bad, he would hike the Kamalō trail to court her. But one day, the weather changed as Akoni paddled to Pelekunu. The oeean heeame too rough to return home by eanoe and recent rainstorms had washed out parts of the mountain trail. Yet it was urgent that Akoni return to Kamalō to help his aging father repair their fishpond, so he decided to take another route. He had heard tales of a mysterious mountain tunnel that joined Pelekunu and Kamalō, though its location had been forgotten. People spoke of the tunnel with fear, and his ku'uipo begged him not to go, but Akoni was determined. So his ku'uipo went to every Pelekunu family to ask about the tunnel's location until finally Kaleiho'olau, a kama'āina, agreed to help the eouple find it. They quickly packed food and water and

Kaleiho'olau brought a torch. The three hiked to the northeastern part of the valley until Kaleiho'olau pointed out the tunnel entrance in a cave on the side of the cliff. The lovers kissed aloha and the young man entered the cave. Initially, light streamed into the tunnel from the entrance but grew steadily dimmer until there was only darkness. Akoni lit his torch and continued slowly, stumbling and groping his way along the tunnel. After hours of walking, he began to feel dizzy and nauseated, and was having difficulty breathing. He sat and rested briefly, but knew he needed to get to fresh air. He knew the torch was using up oxygen, but finding his way in complete darkness would be perilous, so he kept it lit until, finally, light glimmered far ahead. At last, he stumbled through the opening. He leaned, panting, against the rocks, grateful to be alive. In that moment, he realized that the tunnel was there and could be used. He turned toward the cave and said a mahalo prayer, thanking

the guiding spirits who brought him through the tunnel safely. When Akoni moved into the sunlight, he saw that he was on his own property, just south of Ioli Gulch. His parents were astonished to see him. Akoni excitedly told them about the tunnel that exited on their property. He could hike to Pelekunu whenever he wished. Akoni showed his father the tunnel the next day and shared the discovery with Kamalō residents, including the dizziness and suffocation he felt midway through the mountain. He said no one should use the tunnel when ill or having breathing trouble, and they must always tell Akoni and his family if they were using that route. The tunnel was known, again! However, after the young eouple were married, Akoni had no longer needed to go through the mountain. ■

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