Imaikalani Chief of Kaʻū

Kii: Eric VanderWerf

MEMOIRSOF THEBERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP MUSEUM

OFPOLYNESIAN ETHNOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY

VOLUME IV

HONOLULU, H. I.

Bishop Museum Press

1916–1917

Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Folk-lore.226 CHAPTER 10 UMI CONQUERS OTHER DISTRICTS O Imaikalani ke ’lii o Kau. He alii makapo o Imaikalani, a he alii kaulana no ka ikaika a me ke akamai i ke kaua, a ua nui ua ’lii i pan i ka make ma ke kaua ia ana e Imaikalani; he hauna hema, a he hauna akau, a i ka wa e kupahu iho ai o Imaikalani i na pololu ma ka hema a ma ka akau, ua halulu me he hekili la, a lapalapa aku me he uila, a nakolo aku me he olai la; a i hahau kakna iho ma ke kua, ua wili koiula ka lepo i ka lani me he puahiohio la. Ua makau o Umi-a-Liloa ia Imaikalani. He kanaka makapo o Imaikalani, aohe he ike o kona mau maka, aka, he lohe hikiwawe ma kona pepeiao, a he mau manu koloa kona mau hoike nana e hoike mai ia ia i ke kanaka, ma ke alo paha, a ma ke kua mai paha, a ma ua aoao mai paha, aia ma kahi e kani ai ka leo o ka manu. I ka wa mamua aole he makapo o Imaikalani, aole i lilo o Kau ia Umi, a ua loihi no ke kaua ana. Nolaila, ua hele o Umi ma ke kuahiwi e hoohalua ai i ke kaua me Imaikalani a me na ’lii o Koua; a ua lilo o Umi-a-Liloa i alii kaulana i ka hele ana ma ua mauna o Hawaii, a ua lilo na mauna i alanui hele kaua no Umi. Aka, i ka wa i makapo ai o Imaikalani, ua kaua mau no o Imaikalani me Umi, aole no i noho pio o Imaikalani malalo aku o Umi, aka, o Piimaiwaa ua kolohe mau oia i ke kumu o kona ikaika nui, a me ke akamai i ka pahu ana i ka pololu, aole e hala kekahi pahu ana, a me ka hauna iho, naha mai ke poo a ka olemu.

     A ike iho la o Piimaiwaa i ke kumu o ko Imaikalani akamai a me ke koa launa ole o keia kanaka makapo, o na manu koloa e lele ana maluna a kani ko lakou leo, a lohe ua kanaka makapo nei i ke kani o ka manu, mamua paha, a mahope paha, a ma na aoao paha, alaila, olelo ae la ua kanaka makapo nei, he kanaka aia ma ke kua, alaila, olelo ae la ua kanaka alakai ma na aoao: “Ae, he kanaka.” “Aia mahea ka laau?” “Aia i ke alo,” ua maopopo he laau hahau. “Ua kokoke?” “Ae.” O ka wala ae la no ia o ua makapo nei i ka laau palau, a naha mai ka puniu a ka olemu. A kani ka manu, he kanaka. “Aia mahea ka laau?” “Aia ma ka aoao akau.” “He hauna hema e pa auanei.” I hahau mai ka liana, ua hala ae la; i ka hauna a ke kanaka makapo, ua pa aku la mai ka poo a ka opu.

     I ko Piimaiwaa kilohi ana a pan ke ano o kona ikaika a me kona akamai pookela, i iho la o Piimaiwaa: “Make oe ia’u.” E kii mua aku ana o Piimaiwaa i na manu kani kiu, a make lakou, o na kanaka nana e alakai ma kela aoao a ma keia aoao, a pau lakou i ka make, a o ka poe kanaka nana e lawe na mea kaua, he kanaha ia poe kanaka, i makaukau i ua ihe a me na pololu, no ka mea, he umi ihe a Imaikalani e lelemakawalu ana i ka pahuna hookahi, elima ihe ma ka akau, a elima ihe ma ka hema, a i ka pahu hookahi ana, ua lele makawalu aku la ka ihe me he uila la, aole e hiki i kekahi kanaka ike alo ihe, a alo pololu ke ku mai ma ke alo o Imaikalani, aka, ua pan keia poe i ka lukuia e Piimaiwaa. A pau keia poe i ka make, alaila, ua hoaa ke kanaka makapo i ke alakai ole, a na hiki ia Piimaiwaa ke olelo iho me ke kaena ana: “A make ia Piimaiwaa.” I ka make ana o Imaikalani ua lilo o Kau ia Umi-a-Liloa.

Imaikalani was the king of Kau. He was blind and was famous for his strength and skill in warfare, whereby several chiefs were killed by him in battle. He had a left thrust and a right thrust which were terrible, and if he threw a long spear to the right or to the left hand there was a roaring as of thunder, and flashes as of lightning, and a rumbling sound as of an earthquake; and if he twirled his spear at his back the dust arose in volumes as whirlwinds. Umi-a-Liloa was afraid of Imaikalani, who was a blind man and could not at all see with his eyes, but his hearing was acute. He had two wild duck watchers which reported to him the appearance of any one either from the front or from the rear, or from the sides, whichever way the voices of the birds indicated. In former times, when Imaikalani was not blind and Kau was not in the possession of Umi, there was war for a long time. Umi therefore went into the mountains and made secret raids on Imaikalani, and on the chiefs of Kona, so that he became famous as the mountain rover of Hawaii, and the mountains were familiar to him for the waging of wars. But when Imaikalani became blind they were constantly at war with each other. Imaikalani was never in subjection to Umi. Piimaiwaa sought in various ways to learn the source of Imaikalani’s great strength, and the skill with which he threw the long spear with such unerring aim, and the stroke of his war club that would rip one open from head to buttocks. Piimaiwaa discovered the source of Imaikalani’s skill and the daring bravery of this blind man to be by means of the wild ducks hovering above, for when the birds made a noise and the blind man heard it, either in front, or behind, or on the sides, then he (the blind man) would say: “There is a man behind.” The men leading him on both sides said: “Yes, there is a man.” “Where does he hold his club?” “In front.” It was plain that it was a war club. “Is he near?” “Yes.” The blind man suddenly threw his own club which cleaved the man from head to buttocks. When the man appeared, the birds warned. “Where is his club?” “It is on the right-hand side.” “It is a left thrust then that will strike him.” When the man made a strike it missed, but the thrust made by the blind man took effect from the head to the waist. After Piimaiwaa had measured his (Imaikalani’s) strength and great skill, he said: “I will kill you.” First, he went and destroyed the scout birds; then the attendants who led Imaikalani about on this side and on that, and after them, those who carried the weapons, there were forty in number, ever ready with spears and lances, because Imaikalani usually threw ten spears at a single throw, five from the right and five from the left hand, and on a single throw the spears would fly in a group like lightning from which no man could dodge; not even an expert dodger could stand before Imaikalani. But all these were destroyed by Piimaiwaa, and after their death the blind man missed his helpers, whereby Piimaiwaa was able to say, boastingly: “He died by Piimaiwaa.” On the death of Imaikalani Kau became a possession of Umi-a-Liloa.