Wai'ōhinu, Ka'u

Kii: Marina S. Riker

This moolelo was passed down by Olohe Likeke Paglinawan, who was a keiki hanai to Tutu Ku'umi Kin In and Kawena Puku'i of Ka'u.

There was an alii of Ka'u who had a pua'a or pig that was kapu for anyone to slaughter and eat. This puaʻa belonged to the alii of the area and was not seen by the alii that day and so he ordered a search for his puaʻa throughout the forest and village of his people. The whole village, chiefs and priests went out and looked for this missing puaʻa.

The steward of the alii tried to recall what he was doing that morning before the puaʻa was discovered missing by the alii. The steward recalled he was sent to get fresh drinking water for the alii, and he remembered a shiny oil slick on the surface of the stream, as he dipped his hands into the cool water to take a drink, he recalled how cool and fresh the water tasted. He then made a calabash of water to take back for the chief. So the steward returned to the stream to look for more details of why the stream water was shiny. Upon arriving at the stream, the steward found the place where he drank and gathered the water for the chief. He went up stream and discovered blood on the rocks near the stream. Then he realized some one had killed the puaʻa at the bank of the stream and washed clean the body of the pig inside the waters. The shiny water flowing down earlier that day was from the pig’s body as it was being cleaned up stream.

The servant returned to the alii and informed the chief that his pig was killed and eaten. The chief in an outrage, told his kahuna to find those who killed his pua'a and put them to death. Also, to anyone who consumed the pig, they were to die also. The kahuna then spoke to the chief and said to the alii, that he may want to re-consider the penalty on those that had eaten the puaʻa. The alii questioned the kahuna and asked why he should spare those that consumed his pig. The kahuna replied, if you proceed with your command to kill all who consumed the pig then I will die as well as you and the whole village. The person killed your puaʻa, gutted it and washed it in the stream this morning as I was getting drinking water. Everyone from the village drank from that same water that flowed down stream, so the village must also die, as we all consumed the pig’s oil. So, the alii recalled his command to kill those that had consumed his sacred puaʻa. The site of the village was called Wai'ōhinu, or the shiny waters, named after the oil slick from the chiefs pig.