Ka Lawai'a

Kii: John Burns

Aia I hea ke ali’i o ke kai päpa’u? Where is the chief of the shoals?

Aia I hea lä! Where indeed!

Aia I hea ke ali’i o ke kai ‘uli? Where is the chief of the deep realm?

Aia nö ‘o ia e holo iho nei? Is he still running in the deep?

E loa’a ana i ke aho ikaika, To be caught by the strong cord

‘O Kana ka inoa. Kana is his name.

He aho ‘ula no Puna e A sacred cord of Puna

Kau i ka ‘ämanamana o Mähoe. Placed between Mähoe, the ‘ämanamana.

Naki’iki’i ka maunu ma ‘O’ole’a Tie the bait to ‘O’ole’a,

Lewalewa ‘o Kana i ka ‘ehu Kanaloa dances in the spray

Pipi ka nalu i ka palu o Leihala The waves sprinkle the taunts of                                                                         Leihala

‘O Ka’alaea ka lä’au a ka u’i Ka’alaea, the limb of the youth

Ke kua loloa ( I mea) e pa’a ‘ai The long back to make secure the                                                                         work

‘Uwehe ka ‘ühä no ka lani The uha dances for the chief

A pa’a pono I ka auwae pa’a Until fully secure in firmament.

Na’u ‘oe e kalani You are mine chiefly one !

He inoa no Paele A chant for Paele

Here is a Lua kaena that shows the relationship of lua and lawaia. Here the toa is looking for his opponent who is compared to a strong fish in the ocean. This chant portrays the skill of aho lewalewa, Pipi Ulua or Kau laau as a method of securing one's prized opponent, which is the ulua, a strong and chiefly fighter. The types of puhi or eel used for maunu bait are mentioned. Uha and Leihala are two types of puhi. The oli also breaks down the pauku of the laau, giving it specific names.

Aho- he kä’ane no ka u’umi ‘ana

‘Ämanamana- he makalua no ka hou ‘ana I ke kanaka.

Makau- ka manamana o ke keiki

Leihala- he ‘ano puhi.

Ka’alaea -ka lä’au pälau a Päele

‘Ühä- he ‘ano puhi.

Olelo noeau

1. “ ‘A‘ohe ia e loa‘a aku, he ulua kapapa no ka moana.” He cannot be caught for he is an ulua

fish of the deep ocean. Said in admiration of a hero or warrior who will not give up without a

struggle.

2. “Ka i‘a kaohi aho o na kai uli.” The fish of the deep that pulls the line taut.

3. “Ka ulua kapapa o ke kai loa.” The ulua fish is a strong warrior or fighter.

Growth stages

-papiopio 1st stage- from pua stage to finger length

-papio  2nd stage growth, finger length to middle of forearm

-pāʻū’ū 3rd stage in the growth of ulua, a fish. Abt fingertip to shoulder

-ulua  longer than fingertip to shoulder , tall as a man

Types of Ulua

Omilu

Ulua aukea-white Ulua

Ulua ʻeleʻele- Black ulua

Ulua paʻopaʻo-( green and yellow with vertical green stripes)

Ulua Kihikihi- Silver skin

Ulua Lauli- Dark

Ulua Nukumoni -(grey/green trevally with mottled spots)

This fish was substituted for human sacrifices when the latter were not available. Since an ulua replaces a man, ulua also means “man, sweetheart,” especially in love songs (see ex., wewehi). Huki i ka ulua, pull in the ulua; fig., get your man. ʻAʻole nō wau i mahuʻi mua, e lilo ana ʻoe i ulua naʻu (song), I never thought before that youʻd be my sweetheart. (PPN ʻulua.)

The rites of Ulua replacing a man for sacrifice came from the religious rites born from the marae or religious site named Taputapuatea of Raiatea, Tahiti. This, as with many of our akua and religious practices of Ku came down through migrations and at the time voyaging to Tahiti was constant.