290 Foniandcr Collection of Hazvaiiaii Folk-lore. 



curve of the rafters ; and the other shells, the ones that he did not care so much for, he 

 kept them in the house hung up on a cord. 



About dusk Iwa made his appearance near the house and knowing where the 

 shells were secreted he went up and removed them from the place they were hidden and 

 he then returned to Kona, and handed them over to Umi. When Umi saw the shells 

 he was made very happy and he then said to Iwa: "You are a smart thief, but I am not 

 going" to praise you just yet, not until you can produce my axe, which is being kept in 

 Waipio in the temple of Pakaalana. The name of the axe is Waipu." Iwa then made 

 reply: "I don't know whether I will be able to steal it or not, but I shall try." 



(We will here speak a few words relating to the axe and how it was kept by its 

 guards. ) 



This axe, Waipu, was kept by two old women. It was fastened to the middle of 

 a piece of rope and the ends of the rope were fastened around the necks of the two old 

 women allowing the axe to dangle between the two."^ 



There was a very strict kapu° placed on this axe ; no person was allowed to pass 

 near the place, and during the period of time when the kapu was in force, the pigs were 

 not allowed to run about, the dogs were not allowed to bark, and even the roosters were 

 kept from crowing. The kapu was extended from Waipio to Puuepa, a hill between 

 Waimea and Kawaihae. At dusk, just before it gets real dark in the evening the crier, ^'' 

 would run from Puuepa to the cliff of Puaahuku overlooking Waipio, carrying oloa kapa 

 in his right hand, held between the palm of the hand and the wrist as a flag and would 

 cry out: "Sleep ye, sleep ye because of the axe of Umi. Persons are kapued from 

 walking about, the dogs are kapued from barking, the roosters are kapued from crowing 

 the pigs are kapued from running about. Sleep ye." The crier was recjuired to make 

 five trips back and forth before daylight. 



After Umi had told Iwa what he wanted, the sun was past the meridian. Iwa 

 did not, however, wait for further directions but started out on his way to Waipio. Just 

 before dusk he arrived at Puuepa and immediately started running and crying out like 

 the king's crier with a flag in his hand. He continued running until he reached the clifif 

 of Puaahuku, looking down into Waipio. In calling out the way he did, the crier, whose 

 duty it was to make the cry, was forced to go to sleep like the rest of the people, for to 

 get up and go about meant death. Because of this Iwa was the only one about, all the 

 people believed it was the usual crier and the crier himself believed that the king had 

 appointed some one else to take his place. Furthermore the people could not recognize 

 any difference; the build was the same, the flag looked the same, the voice sounded the 

 same and the speed in running was the same. 



Iwa continued running from the top of the cliff down to the temple of Pakaalana" 

 and then he called out: "Are you two still asleep?" The old women replied: "No, we 



'An ingenious way of guarding a sacred article, one tions l)eing announced by aid of a red flag and liand bell, 



safeguarding the other and both insuring protection. became identified therewith. 



"The reason of this strict kapu upon the a.xe of Umi "Pakaalana was one of the temples made famous in 

 is not shown, and is difticult to understand in conuec- island history as a place of refuge for windward Ra- 

 tion with its limitations, whether as a weapon or a waii. It was built before the time of Umi's grandfather 

 utensil. Kiha, and was destroyed by Kaeokulani, king of Kauai, 



"The crier of old tiine was called kuhaua: another '" ■79i- 

 term was kukala, which, by the former custom of auc- 



