Legend of Kana and Niheu. 



HAKALANILEO' was the father and Hina' was the mother of Kana' the first- 

 born, and Niheu ^ was the 3-ounger brother of Kana. Uli ' was the grandmother. 

 Hamakualoa, Maui, was the land in which Kana was born, and Halauoloolo 

 was the name of the house. At the birth of Kana, he was in the form of a piece of rope; 

 he had no human form. After the birth of Kana, Uli took and kept it until it assumed 

 a human form, then she brought the child up. The place where Kana was brought up 

 was in Piihonua, Hilo, Hawaii, a place lying to the East of Wailuku, where his house 

 was built, called Halauoloolo.'' 



In this legend it is said that the body of Kana grew to be very tall and large 

 and was terrible to behold. While he was being brought up, he grew so fast' that the 

 house had to be lengthened, so that it extended from the mountain until it was almost 

 to the edge of the sea. Such is the story as told of this house, Halauoloolo. 



RPXATING TO THE HAUPU HILL. 



This hill called Haupu,"* was a hill situated on Molokai and the chief who lived 

 on this hill was Kapepeekauila by name and his chief priest was known by the name 

 of Moi.'' Once upon a time this hill, Haupu, moved or floated to Mokuola '" in Hilo, 

 Hawaii, carrying along the chief aud the people and the things that grew on the hill. 

 When Hina the mother of Kana and Niheu saw that the land was pleasant to the eye, 

 she climbed on up the hill with the idea of taking a look at the place. As soon as 

 Hina was on the hill of Haupu, it immediately moved back to Molokai, thus leaving 

 Hakalanileo to mourn for her loss. When Hakalanileo saw that his wife was being 

 carried away he tried to recover her, but found it impossible to do so. After his failure, 

 he proceeded to Niheu and informed him that Hina had been taken away b}' the hill 

 of Haupu. When Niheu heard this report from his father, he said: "I cannot get her, 

 there is only one person who can do it, and that is Kana. You must go to him person- 

 ally; don't be afraid of him and run away if he should turn and look at j-ou. Just 



■This is a popular myth of great antiquity (judged by 

 the references thereto in one way and another in Hawai- 

 ian legendary lore), of which there are several versions 

 of various titles. 



°An easy-going king, undeserving of the untiring 

 efforts of his sons to rescue their mother and avenge 

 her abduction. 



^ Hina in this story has been said to be Hawaii's Helen 

 of Troy. She has been a prolific inspiration of freaks 

 and foibles in the folk-lore not only of these islands, 

 but throughout Polynesia. 



' Xiheit, said to have special power or qualifications 

 — Sampson like — through his long hair. 



^ Kana could thank his stars for grandmother f'li, not 

 only for her supernatural powers in seeing his possibili- 

 ties in a piece of rope, but directing his efforts to avenge 

 ( 436 ) 



the loss of his mother. This name, !'/i, figures as the 

 famed and powerful goddess of tlie aiiaaiia or sorcerer 

 priests. 



"■The name Halauoloolo indicates a long shed kind of 

 structure rather than a house. 



^ Kana apparently developed on the Jack and the Bean- 

 stalk principle. 



'Haupu, also known in tradition as the "Rocks of 

 Kana", is a bold bluff on the north coast in the Pele- 

 kunu district of Molokai. 



''Moi was one of the renowned priests of a period pre- 

 ceeding the arrival of Paao in the twelfth century, from 

 Samoa. 



^"Mokuola. or Coconut Island, forming the eastern 

 portion of Hilo Bay. 



