COMMERCIAL ‘FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 893 
loli (sea cucumber, or béche-de-mer) and other allied forms of marine 
life were supposed to spring. 
The following fishes were also worshipped as aumakuas: 
The aawa, the oopuhue [puffer], the ohua, the’ opae (shrimp), the uu [squirrel- 
fish], addressed in prayer as Uu kani po; the kohala, addressed as Kane i Kohala; 
the humuhumu-nuku-nuku-a-puaa, one of the forms in which the hog god, 
Kamapuaa, took to the sea when Pele made it too hot for him to remain on land; 
the hee (squid), addressed as Haaluea; the paoo [blenny], and the puhi (eel). 
With them we may also mention the wana (echinus) and the loli (sea-cucumber) 
already referred to. I give this without claiming it to be a complete list.* 
Other sacred fish were the aku and opelu. They became so because 
when the high priest Paao was fleeing from his native land (probably 
Samoa) to escape the wrath of his brother, who had sent a violent 
storm to destroy him and his companions, the aku assisted in propelling 
the canoes against the storm, while the opelu swam around them and 
broke the waves against his body. After a long voyage Paao landed 
in Puna, on the coast of Hawaii, and in thankfulness to the two fish 
which had assisted him he made them sacred. 
A few of the stars were worshipped by fishermen. ‘* Sirius, called 
Newe or Hoku kau opae, determined the best time for'catching shrimp 
by her rising or setting.” Newe and Keoe were known as Na-hoku- 
hookele-waa (boat-steering stars). The Milky Way, ora portion of it, 
was called Va 7a (the fishes), and the expression **Ua huli na ia” (the 
fishes are turned) indicated the near approach of morning. 
Should a fisherman by an unlucky accident injure or destroy any 
animal held sacred by his family, he was bound to make a feast to the 
god of such articles as ‘‘awa, a pig, fowls, squid, the fishes called 
aholehole, anae, kala, kumu, and palani, together with kalo, potatoes, 
bananas, and sugar cane.” 
When the uiui appears it is taken by the fishermen and people gen- 
erally as a sure precursor of the death of a very high chief. The 
same is also said of the alalauwa of Maui. It is possible that this 
latter is the same fish under a different name. 
When fishermen are ready to embark they are greatly exasperated 
should a person come along and stand indolently gazing at them with 
his hands behind him. They believe it gives them bad luck. 
On Kauai the Japanese fishermen buy most of the turtles taken by 
the natives in their bag nets and, inscribing some Japanese characters 
on their backs, let them go free. They claim that turtles so treated 
will guide them back to land should they be lost at sea at any time. 
The anaeholo, one of the mullet family, and the aholehole are not 
eaten by expectant mothers, as they fear dire consequences to the child 
should they do so. Nor are they given to children until they are 
able to pick and eat them of their own accord. 
*The Lesser Hawaiian Gods. Read before the Hawaiian Historical Society, April 7, 1892, by J. S. 
Emerson, esq., vice-president of the society. Papers of the Hawaiian Historical Society, No 2, p. 13. 
