He Moolelo

Kii: Bec Munro

This story was told to me in the land of Koolaupoko, O'ahu by a lua man of over 80 years old. I will keep his name silent for now.

Here is a short moolelo passed down from a lua practitioner of O'ahu. He is still alive today and is a close friend who continues to practice his art into his eighties. We had trained together for many years, long ago. This Hawaiian man, I will call Ae'a. Ae'a, as a child, comes from a lineage of Hawaiian Lua fighters. His great uncle, who was from Kona, Hawaii, was the last great olohe of his ohana, and Ae'a related this story to me.

When my dad was a young boy, about ten years old, he was intrigued by the family stories of lua and the practices of his ohana. Being raised in a rural community, he went to the home of a certain Hawaiian man who was known to be a very old lua practitioner. The boy knocked on the door of the old Hawaiian man and introduced himself. He then asked the old man if he would teach him lua so he could learn to fight. The old man showed no emotion and slapped the boy on the side of the head. The slap was not a serious blow but a controlled hit. The boy fell immediately to the ground and then quickly jumped up, angry. The boy tried to hit the old man and threatened to attack him. The boy was then told to go away and that he would not be taught anything. The Hawaiian man said, " You have too much fire in you, and you would not be teachable ". The old man shut the door, and the boy was left standing there shocked. When the boy returned home, he told his tutu what had happened and what the elemakule told him. The boy's tutu explained to the grandchild that the old man could not teach him and had certain requirements to even consider teaching someone. The boy's tutu explained that he was too hot-headed and not teachable, as that was a test he was given by the old man. The boy was very temperamental and did not have full control over his emotions. If the old Hawaiian man were to teach her grandson, and the grandson got angry at someone, he could injure or kill the person he directed his anger at. The boy then understood the man's reasoning. This boy was Ae'a's father, and Ae'a was told this story by his makua when he was very young so Ae'a would not make the same mistake. Ae'a is a very calm and quiet man today, as he has always remembered his father's words. This upu was remembered by the old people of Koolaupoko. Ka poe kahiko.

Traditional K.K. Ku'ialuiaopuna

There are references to certain people, animals, and places in these words below. Its meaning is only known to those initiated within the practice of this land mentioned in the chant below.

Aia la o Hakipuu

Ke alii ku i ka lihi pali

He kua loloa no Kahiki

He aina awa, ka hiwa a Kane

He kama na Kahiki

Puepue ke one

Ka wahi kapu loa

Moe kapu, moe loa

Ke alii ku i ka moku

Kikaha no ka iole

Ka ai a ka wahine

Ike ole no ka maka

E hea mai ka holoholo pali

Eia no au ma ke kua loloa

Ka ai a ka ui!