He Kaao no Opelemoemoe

Legend of Opelemoemoe.

Kalauao in Ewa was where Opelemoemoe made his home. This man performed some very extraordinary things, things the like of which had not been seen before him nor since. He could keep asleep from the first day of the month to the end of the month; but if a thunder storm occurred he would then wake up; otherwise he would keep on sleeping for a whole year. If he should be walking along the road and should become sleepy, he would then sleep without once getting up, until it thundered, when he would get up and would stay awake for days and nights at a time, in summer and in winter. So would it be if he was out in the ocean; if he fell asleep, he would sleep in the sea until it thundered, when he would wake up. He was without equal in his extraordinary behavior.

O Kalauao i Ewa, kahi noho o Opelemoemoe. He kanaka hana kupanaha loa ia, aohe ona lua mamua aku ona, a mahope mai ona a hiki i keia mau la hope. E hiki ia ia ke moe mai ka la mua o ka malama a ka la hope, a, ina nae e kui ka hekili, alaila ala; a i ole e kui ka hekili, aole oia e ala a hala ka makahiki. Ina e hele oia ma ke alanui, a maka hiamoe, o ka moe iho la no ia me ke ala ole, aia no a kui ka hekili, alaila ala, i ka po, i ke ao, i ke kau ame hooilo; pela ke holo i ka moana, ina maka hiamoe, moe no i lalo o ke kai a kui ka hekili, ala. Aohe lua o ka hana a keia eueu.

Once upon a time Opelemoemoe set out from Kalauao for Puukapolei, where he fell asleep. He slept for a period of nearly ten days; it perhaps lacked two days, when a couple of men arrived from Kauai, who were on their way in search of a human sacrifice for the temple of Lolomauna, at Pokii, Kauai. These men upon seeing Opelemoemoe tried to wake him up, but in this they were unsuccessful. They then carried him on their backs to Pokai, at which place their canoes were moored, placed him in the canoe and carried him off to Kauai. After landing they again carried Opelemoemoe and placed him on the altar in the temple of Lolomauna, together with a pig, some bananas, some coconuts and some awa. During all this time Opelemoemoe never once awoke from his sleep. It was noticed that his body did not decay like the rest of the things that were placed on the altar; for the bananas, the pig, the fish and the awa all rotted. Opelemoemoe was then left on the altar until one day it thundered, when he awoke and found himself tied hand and foot. He then untied himself and got down from the altar.

Hele aku la o Opelemoemoe mai Kalauao aku a Puuokapolei, oioi iho la, moe iho la ia i laila, kokoke e hala ke anahulu okoa, elua nae paha po i koe anahulu. Ia ia e moe ana, hiki mai la keia mau kanaka mai Kauai mai, e hele ana laua e imi i kanaka kau no ka heiau o Lolomauna i Pokii, Kauai. Hoala iho la laua ia Opelemoemoe, aohe ala, auamo ae la laua a hiki i Pokai, i laila na waa, kau aku la ma ka waa a hoi i Kauai. Lawe aku la laua ia Opelemoemoe a hiki i ka heiau o Lolomauna, kau aku la laua ia Opelemoemoe i luna o ka heiau, o ka puaa, o ka maia, o ka niu, o ka awa hookahi ke kau ana i luna o ka heiau. Ma keia kau ana i luna o ka heiau, aole i ala o Opelemoemoe, aohe pala o ke kino a helelei; o ka maia, ka puaa, ka ia, ka awa, o lakou kai helelei i lalo. Pela no ke kau ana o Opelemoemoe, a hiki i ke kui ana o ka hekili, ala ae la ia, ua paa i ka nakii ia na wawae a me na lima; kalakala ae la ia a hemo, hoi mai la i lalo.

From the temple he went off until he came to Waimea, where he married and settled down. One day he asked his wife for a piece of land to farm on; so the wife pointed out to him certain patches; at sight of the land Opelemoemoe asked that he be given some larger farm lands so that he could cultivate them. Upon getting the lands from his wife he began tilling both day and night until the lands were all cleared and planted.

Hele aku la ia a Waimea, moe wahine, noho iho la i laila, nonoi aku la i ka wahine i aina mahiai, haawi mai la ka wahine he mau kihapai; i aku o Opelemoemoe, haawi mai a nui ka aina i mahiai aku wau. Mahiai aku la o Opelemoemoe, he ao he po, pau ka aina i ka mahi, paa i ka ai.

One day Opelemoemoe felt sleepy, and said to his wife, Kalikookalauae: “I am falling off to sleep, so don’t attempt to wake me up. If our friends should come don’t disturb me; if fortune should come do not awaken me; if you should be in danger, don’t arouse me; and don’t ever complain, but just leave me alone and don’t wake me up, for I have placed a kapu over it.” Opelemoemoe then fell off to sleep. This sleep was continued for ten days, and still another ten days. At this extraordinary length of time taken up in his sleep, Kalikookalauae said to herself: “How strange this is! I had no idea of the length of time you were going to sleep, but I see you sleep like a dead person.” She then tried to wake him up; she shook him, poured water in his eyes, made some noise and still he slept on. She then called for her brothers, Popoloau and Kawaikoi, and her servants Poo and Mahamaha, to come in. When they arrived she said: “The chief is dead; let us wrap him up and carry him off and cast him into the sea.” The brothers and men then did as they were told, and cast him into the sea. Opelemoemoe slept on as though he was on land, never once moving. In this sleep the fish came around and ate his skin.

Moe iho la o Opelemoemoe, i aku i ka wahine ia Kalikookalauae: “Ke moe nei au, mai hoala oe i kuu hiamoe. I hiki mai ka makamaka o kaua, mai hoala oe; i hiki mai ka waiwai, mai hoala oe; i pilikia oe, mai hoala oe, mai noho oe a kaniuhu, hoala oe ia’u; he kapu kuu hiamoe.” Moe o Opelemoemoe a hala he anahulu, a hala hou he anahulu, olelo iho o Kalikookalauae: “Ka! Kupanaha! Kai no paha o ka moe a e nei kau a moe, aole ka! O ka moe a make no kau.” Kii aku la keia hoala, hooluliluli, ninini i ka wai i na maka, hoohalululu, aohe ala ae. Kahea aku keia i na kaikunane, ia Popoloau a me Kawaikoi, i na kanaka, ia Poo a me Mahamaha, e hele mai. A hiki lakou, olelo aku keia, ua make ke ’lii, e owili a paa, lawe i loko o ke kai e waiho ai. Lawe a ku la lakou a loko o ke kai, moku, a waiho i lalo o ka moana; ke moe nei no o Opelemoemoe, aole i ala. Ia ia i lalo o ke kai e moe ana, ua pau loa kona ili i ka ai ia e ka ia.

After some months had lapsed, during which time Opelemoemoe slept on at the bottom of the sea, a thunder storm came up and Opelemoemoe awoke. When he looked about him, he saw that he was at the bottom of the sea, all wrapped up and bound with cords. He then sat up and began to untie himself, and after he was free from the cords he came to the surface and swam ashore. He had no skin, he was covered with sores and was unable to walk; so he crawled to a pig pen where he sat down; from this place he crawled to another house where a priest was living who gave him some medicine and treated him until he was well. He then went back to his wife and they lived on as formerly. After the lapse of certain periods of tens of days, his wife conceived a child.

Ua hala he mau malama ka moe ana o Opelemoemoe ilalo o ke kai, me ka make ole. Kui ka hekili, ala o Opelemoemoe i nana ae ka hana eia i lalo o ke kai kahi i moe ai, ua paa i ka opeope ia a me ke kaula, ua nakii ia a paa. Ala ae la ia, wehe i na kaula i paa ai, a pau i ka hemo, hoi aku la i uka e noho ai; aohe ili, ua pau i ka pukapuka, kokolo aku la ia a ka hale puaa noho, mai laila aku a kekahi hale e aku, e noho ana he kahuna lapaau ilaila, hana ia iho la keia a ola. Hele aku la keia a hiki i ka wahine, noho iho la laua, a hala he mau anahulu, hapai ka wahine i ke keiki.

At about this time Opelemoemoe said to his wife: “I am returning to Oahu and I want you to keep this my word. If you should give birth to a boy, give him the name of Kalelealuaka; and if after he grows up he expresses the desire to come in search of me let have this token, a spear.” The wife lived on by herself until she gave birth to a boy to whom she gave the name of Kalelealuaka. She brought him up until he was big. He was a great mischief-maker and would often urinate in the calabash of food and such other mischievous acts. Because of this, his step-father often punished him; when Kalelealuaka would run off to his mother crying and would demand of her that she tell him of his father. The mother would then tell him that he had no other father than the one who was living with them. As this was continued for some time the mother at last told him, saying: “Yes, you have a different father; he is in Kalauao, Oahu, in the district of Ewa, in the village of Kahuoi; his name is Opelemoemoe.” Kalikookalauae then handed Kalelealuaka the spear left by Opelemoemoe as the token by which he was to recognize his son.

I loko o keia wa, olelo aku o Opelemoemoe: “E, ke hoi nei au i Oahu; eia ka’u kauoha ia oe, i hanau ae he keiki kane, kapa oe i kona inoa, o Kalelealuaka, a i manao e imi ae ia’u, eia ka maka la, he ihe.” Noho aku la ka wahine o Kalikookalauae, a hanau he keiki kane, kapa iho la i ka inoa o Kalelealuaka, hanai iho la a nui. He keu ke kolohe a me ka eu; mimi iho la kela i ka umeke a me ka ipukai, pela ka hana mau ana. Nolaila, lele aku ka makuakane kolea papai ia Kalelealuaka, uwe kela a olelo aku ia Kalikookalauae ka makuahine: “Ea! E kuu makuahine, e hai mai oe i ko’u makuakane;” hoole aku ka makuahine, aole ou makuakane e ae, o kou makuakane iho la no ia. No ke koi pinepine o Kalelealuaka i ka makuahine, e hai mai i kona makuakane. Hai aku o Kalikookalauae ia Kalelealuaka: “Ae, he makuakane kou, o Opelemoemoe ka inoa. Aia i Oahu i Kalauao, i Ewa ka aina, o Kahuoi nae ke kulanahale.” Haawi mai la o Kalikookalauae i ka ihe ia Kalelealuaka, o ia ka maka a Opelemoemoe i waiho ai mahope no ke keiki.

Kalelealuaka then left Kauai and set sail, first landing at Pokai, in Waianae, and from there proceeded overland to Kalauao, Ewa, and then to Kahuoi. When he came to the house which had been pointed to him as the home of Opelemoemoe, he found that he had gone out farming, so he continued on to the taro patches where he found Opelemoemoe planting taro. Kalelealuaka then stood on the edge of the patch and called out: “Say, your rows of taro are crooked.” Opelemoemoe then began to straighten out the rows, row after row; but the boy would call out the same thing. Finally Opelemoemoe said: “How strange this is! Here I have been doing this right along and my rows were never crooked, but today, they seem to have all gone crooked.” He thereupon quit working and went to the edge of the patch where Kalelealuaka was standing; when he got to the edge of the patch he said: “Whose offspring art thou?” “Your own.” “Mine by whom?” “Yours with Kalikookalauae. I am Kalelealuaka, your son of Kauai.” They thereupon returned to the house.

Haalele aku la o Kalelealuaka ia Kauai, holo mai la a pae ma Pokai, i Waianae, hele mai la mauka a Ewa, a Kalauao, hiki i Kahuoi. Ua hele o Opelemoemoe i ka mahiai, aole o ka hale, hele aku la o Kalelealuaka a ku ma kuauna loi, kahea aku la: “E! kekee ka lalani kalo.” Hooponopono hou mai la o Opelemoemoe, pela aku no ia lalani, o ia ana no. Olelo iho o Opelemoemoe: “Ka! Kupanaha! O ka’u hana no ia e mahiai nei, aohe kekee o ka lalani, i keia la hoi, aohe kekee a koe.” Nolaila, haalele i ka mahiai a hoi aku la ma kuauna. I aku o Opelemoemoe ia Kalelealuaka: “Nawai ke kupu o oe?” “Nau no.” “Na’u na wai?” “Nau no me Kalikookalauae, o Kalelealuaka wau ko keiki o Kauai.” Ia wa hoi aku la laua i ka hale.