92 Bernice P. Bishof^ Museum — Bulletin 



NAMAKA-O-KA-OPAE 



A LECliXD OF KAUAI 



Tliere lived at Holtiamanu a women whose husliand had been enticed 

 away by another. Seeking advice, the unhappy wife went to her grand- 

 mother, who was a kahuna, Uving at the mouth of a little valley near 

 Holiiamanu. The grandmother told her to bring two // leaves and she 

 would show her how to destroy her rival. 



When the girl returned her grandmother noticed that she had two 

 stalks of ti instead of two leaves, so she tore off the leaves she wanted 

 and threw the stalks away. One fell to the right of a little waterfall 

 nearby and one to the left where they are growing to this day. 



Then the old woman gave these instructions to the girl, "Take these 

 leaves. Make them clean, and glossy and smooth. Place them on the 

 crest of the waterfall. Go below and sit perfectly still on the rocks. Wait 

 there until your rival comes. When she comes she will pick up a stone to 

 throw at you. Not seeing the glossy // leaves, she will slip on them and 

 fall at your feet." 



The miserable wife quickly followed out her grandmother's instruc- 

 tions and in a short time her rival was lying at her feet. Snatching a 

 large stone she threw it on to the woman's stomach and killed her. Today 

 in the clear water of the stream is seen a rock in the shape of a woman 

 on whose stomach still lies the rock thrown by the angry wife. 



After having killed her rival, the wife tore out the eyes from the dead 

 body and, wrapping them in ti leaves, she threw them into the w-ater. 

 Then she followed the stream until she came to a second small waterfall 

 under which she saw her husband sitting. She dropped a rock on his head 

 which crushed in his skull and left his mouth wide open. By this time 

 her rival's eyes had floated down stream. She placed the eyes in her hus- 

 band's mouth, saying, "Here is your meat." 



He was also turned to stone, and this rock, lying in the stream, can 

 still be seen by passersby. From the ledge above, it looks like the crushed- 

 in skull of a inan, with open mouth, and bulging eyes that glitter still as if 

 alive. By the Hawaiians, this rock is still called Namaka-o-ka-opae, the 

 Eyes-of-the-Shrimp. 



