54 Beniicc P. Bishop Museum — Bulletin 



KAWELO OF KAUAI 



Kawelo, the V\'aving-of-the-Flag, the great opponent of Kauahoa, the 

 giant of Hanalei, was the son of Maihuna and Malaiakalani. He was 

 born in Hanamauhi, Kauai. He had two older brothers, one older sister, 

 and one younger brother, Kamalama. Kawelo was such a good son that 

 he was known as Kawelo-Lei-Makua, Kawelo-Who-Cherished-His-Parents. 



The maternal grandparents of Kawelo were celebrated for their skill 

 in phrenology. So when still a small boy Kawelo was taken by his 

 parents to them, and they foretold that he would be a good soldier, a strong 

 man, a conqueror, a son who would bring life to their bones. 



Wishing to care tenderly for such a grandson, his grandparents took 

 him to live with them at Wailua where lived Aikanaka, the young prince, 

 and Kauahoa, boys of the same age as Kawelo, with whom he played. 



Kawelo developed a great appetite. He would eat the contents of an 

 imu, or oven, of food at one time. His grandparents grew weary of trying 

 to satisfy this huge appetite, and so they tried to divert the boy's mind. 

 They gave him a canoe to paddle up and down the Wailua River. 



As soon as Kauahoa saw Kawelo enjoying his canoe, he made a kite 

 and flew it. At once Kawelo asked his grandparents to make him a kite. So 

 the two boys flew their kites together until one day Kawelo's caught in the 

 string of his friend's and broke it, freeing the kite, which flew off and lit 

 at a place above Koloa. still called Hooleinapea, the Fall-of-the-Kite. The 

 ridge still shows the dent where the kite struck it. 



Kawelo feared that Kauahoa would be angry and punish him, as Kaua- 

 hoa was the larger of the two, but Kauahoa said nothing about the kite, 

 and Kawelo decided that the young giant was afraid of him. 



Aikanaka, Man-Eater,' the prince, ruled over his two friends even as 

 boys. Whatever he asked them to do they did. So they grew to manhood. 



In the meantime the older brothers of Kawelo went to Oahu where 

 Kakuhihewa was ruling. This king had among his retainers a very 

 strong man, the strongest wrestler in the islands. The boys very often 

 went surf-board-riding, and when this exercise was over, they would 

 wrestle with the great champion. 



After these boys had been away some years, their grandparents had 

 a great desire to see them, so taking Kawelo with them the old people 

 paddled to Oahu and landed at Waikiki. 



On Oahu Kawelo met and soon married Kanewahineikiaoha and in 

 order to provide food for himself and his wife he worked every day in the 

 taro patch. 



'Aikanaka is used tigiiratively. Tlie Hawaiians were not cannibals. 



