Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 10, 1 October 2022 — Kaupe: The 'Ōlohe Dog-Man of Nu'uanu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kaupe: The 'Ōlohe Dog-Man of Nu'uanu

V MO'OLELO NUI V ^ COVER STORY "

One night eaeh month, it is said that an eerie white mist appears along the highest peak of the Ko'olau mountains. Those who have borne witness to this manifestation say that the mist slowly coalesces into the form of a menacing dog. On those nights, wise travelers avoid crossing through Nu'uanu to avoid the malicious olohe dog-man who roams the valley. Foreign travelers in the 19th century claimed to have seen this phenomenon and noted that when the figure appeared, the neighborhood dogs would wail and howl until it disappeared. Kūpuna from the area used to say that the apparition is that of the cruel supernatural dog-man named Kaupe who onee ruled Nu'uanu and who continues to haunt its forests and trails to this day. Supernatural dogs have long been part of Native Hawaiian traditional stories or mo'olelo. After all, dogs traveled with our Polynesian ancestors across the Paeihe for thousands of years. In Hawai'i, it was a long-held custom among families to keep dogs for companionship, hunting, and even as a food source. But dogs were also said to have had special abilities. Some of the old folks said that dogs could see spirits and that if one were to mix a dogs mucous with specific herbs, that concoction would enahle them to see beyond what an ordinary human could see. Many chiefs tattooed their bodies with dog-related images. Dogs also acted as guardians and 'aumakua (family gods). Some of the akua could take the kino lau (body form) of a dog, particularly Kū and Lono. And dog forms in clouds were seen as omens. Due to this connection with the gods and our ancestors, hula and heiau (temples) dedicated to supernatural dogs do exist. Hawaiian mo'olelo also speaks of supernatural dogs sometimes called the "dog men." They were described as being hairless, but their skin was often dark red and brindled. Because they were hairless, they were referred to as "olohe." On Maui, they were called the ha'a (low) people, supposedly based on their stature. Their faces had the visage of a depilous dog but their bodies were human. They were known to have supernatural abilities, including shapeshifting, and therefore were classified as a kupua < Petroglyphs of dogs are found throughout Nu'uanu Volley, likely representing Kaupe, the 'ōlohe dog-man. The images may have served as a warning to travelers. Original artwork by lan Kūali'i.

(demi-gods). In a little-known version of the legend of Ka'ulu, Lono-ka-eho defeats a dangerous olohe kupua at Kualoa, hurling and smashing his body. This olohe kupua heeame the islet of Moku'īlio, whieh is an alternative name and origin story for Mokoli'i Island (wrongly referred to as "Chinaman's Hat" by most people today). Historian Samuel Kamakau records that the dog-man kupua, Kū'ilioloa, eame from Kahiki and pierced the akua Kanehoalani at Kualoa. In some traditions, Kū'ilioloa was seen as a manifestation of Kū, while others elaim him as a shapeshifting olohe. In either case, KūTlioloa was a protector of travelers in Wai'anae. According to different mo'olelo, the olohe dog people lived in caves dug from sandhills. Many of these ka lua olohe, or caves where the olohe onee lived, were said to be in the area known today as 'Ewa Beach. Some olohe also lived in Kula, Maui. The dog olohe should not be confused with the class of skilled warriors within the Hawaiian martial art of lua so-called because they plucked their hair and greased their bodies for combat - although dog 'ōlohe were also known for their wrestling skills. In fact, dog olohe are from a different genealogy. The Kumulipo records the birth of the olohe as the people of the "wagging tails" in the fifth wā. The Kumulipo also seems to associate the olohe with places where spirits roam. Brindled dogs were said to be olohe or possessed of their power. Brindled and hairless dogs were additionally held in kapu by devotees of Pele and known as īlio mo'o. A tale from O'ahu speaks of an Tlio mo'o named Pae who was saved from a village feast by a woman with red-dish-brown hair. That woman was said to have been Pele herself. In the 18th century, it was claimed that King Kahekili of Maui had a division of dog-headed olohe, whieh must have been a fearsome sight on the battlefield. When Alapa'inui of Hawai'i sent messengers to Maui, they landed and found the olohe people. The messengers took one look, went back on their canoes, and moved on to O'ahu. Near Punahou, there used to be a pit named after the 'ōlohe into whieh an olohe could disappear if they were being pursued by a chief. Martha Beckwith in her work, Hawaiian Mythology, records that eyewitnesses, including non-Hawaiians, have claimed to have seen dog-headed warriors with tails among the spirit ranks of the Huaka'i Pō or "Night Marchers" marching alongside their other fallen comrades. But in most mo'olelo, the olohe tended to be skilled robbers and tricksters, as well as powerful warriors. The most famous of the olohe was Kaupe. Kaupe grew up in Līhu'e, O'ahu, whieh is where Schofield Barracks is today. He is

described in written mo'olelo and oral traditions as having the body of a man and the head of a brindled dog with hlaek and red stripes. In time he heeame so powerful that he overthrew the government of Kahānaiakeakua and installed himself as high chief in Nu'uanu. Kaupe was a cruel and evil chief. He terrorized the people of O'ahu and Maui, even indulging in cannibalism. Without provocation, Kaupe plotted to kidnap the son of a chief of Hawai'i Island and offer him as a mōhai (sacrifice) at a heiau - a decision that would ultimately lead to his own demise. Horrified by the kidnapping, the furious father followed Kaupe to O'ahu to rescue his son. There, he consulted with Kahilona, a great kahuna kilokilo, or seer, from Kaheiki Heiau in Nu'uanu. Today Kaheiki Heiau is in ruins but at one time it served as the paramount temple on O'ahu for soothsayers and divination. Kaheiki Heiau was built by menehune with whom Kahilona had a special friendship. Kahilona taught the father two prayers: one to make Kaupe fall into a deep sleep, and a second one to defeat Kaupe. Kahilona gave the chief specific instructions and advised him that, in order to work, the prayer to defeat Kaupe could not be chanted on the island of O'ahu. The father carefully memorized the prayers and then waited for nightfall. As the night grew deep and the shadows dark, he began chanting the sleeping prayer as he approached the wall of Kaupe's compound. Kaupe soon fell into a trance-like sleep. With Kaupe unconscious, the chief was able to penetrate the compound with-

out opposition and he quickly found and freed his son. As the pair escaped into the forest, Kaupe suddenly awakened. Upon realizing what had happened, he raced into the forest after them intending to hunt them down. But Kaupe's mind was still clouded by Kahilonas chant and this allowed the father and son to evade Kaupe and hide in Moanalua Valley until they were able to secure their return to Hawai'i Island. Outraged at being tricked, Kaupe relentlessly pursued the chief and his son across the oeean to their home on Hawai'i Island whereupon a fierce battle ensued. Although they were valiant fighters, the chief 's men were no match for Kaupe. As the weary defenders begin to succumb to Kaupe's superior fighting skills, the chief remembered the chant to defeat Kaupe that was given to him by Kahilona. In the midst of the raging battle, the chief began to chant. His voice rose urgently, piercing the surrounding chaos and, then, as he prayed, the tide of the battle shifted. Kaupe lost his advantage and his supernatural strength was diminished, allowing the chief and his men to subdue and kill the wicked dog-man. But Kaupe did not die entirely. Because Kaupe was a kupua, his spirit was able to leave his body before being killed. It flew to Nu'uanu Valley where, the story says, he continues to roam the forest to this day. Modern urban legends elaim that Kaupe's voice ean still be heard luring unsuspecting hikers and travelers to venture into dangerous areas of the forest. It is said that the voice of this malevolent spirit ean imitate an old man or a young child and is accompanied by an unusual stillness - whieh should serve as a warning to the wary. It was also said that he ean appear as a mist that slowly creates a shadow figure resembling Kaupe's olohe dog form. During the construction of the Nu'uanu Pali Tunnels, special protocols were conducted to ward off Kaupe and other hostile spirits and prevent them ffom harming the work crews who were building the tunnels. It is perhaps in this vein that the kūpuna who traveled over the Ko'olau Moutains through Nu'uanu Valley in days long past left numerous petroglyphs on the cliffs and along trails as an offering to the land and an acknowledgment of the supernatural elements that operate in that plaee that we may not see, but that we must respect. ■ Adam Keawe Manalo-Catnp grew up in Papakōlea and is a Hawaiian and Filipino writer, blogger and independent researcher.

"īt is said that the voice ofthis malevolent spirit ean imitate an old man or ayoung child and is accompanied by an unusual stillness - whieh should serve