Maui and the ka La

Aloha no kakou,

Maui was speaking with his mother Hina, who shared about the difficulty of making kapa. She would go through the strenuous work of making it and finally kaulai (hang dry) it, only to find that after a day, a week, even a whole month, "aole e maloo" (it would not dry). The length of the sun simply was not enough. At the time, kapa was dried by ahi.

One day Hina expressed her frustrations and Maui convinced her that he could capture the rays of the sun and solve her dilemma. To begin his quest, Hina gave him 15 pieces of aha (cordage) and sent him to Wiliwili-puha, his grandmother, who happened to be makapo (blind).

Wiliwili-puha was the caretaker of La (the sun), which resides in Haleakala, Maui. When Maui arrived, he heard the moa (chicken) called Kaauhelemoa crow three times. Wiliwili-puha then made her ahi, took an eka maia (hand of bananas), and placed it on the fire as an offering to La.

Maui then played a trick on his grandmother. Each time she placed an eka maia on the fire, he stealthily stole it. When Wiliwili-puha returned to find it missing, she placed another, and this continued until all of her eka maia were gone and Maui was found out. When she realized it was her own grandson, he jumped up onto her lap. He told her of his quest to slow the sun and ease his mother's burden. Wiliwili-puha gave him instructions, a pohaku (stone), and another aha before sending him on his way.

Following her instructions, Maui made slipknots with the 15 aha, dug a pit near a tree, and hid himself. When the first kukuna (ray) of the sun rose, he lassoed it. Then the second. Then the third. He continued until all 15 were secured. When th La realized what had happened it began to descend, but with the aha tied to the tree it had no way to disappear below from where it came.

La feared for his life and negotiations began between the two. Maui requested that the sun hele wikiwiki (travel quickly) for six months of the year and hele malie (travel slowly) for the remaining six. In other words, this brought us kau wela (hot season) and wa hooilo (cooler season). Maui's discovery of ahi and his slowing of the sun were both accomplished in his youth, two things the Hawaiian people greatly benefited from.

Aole i pau...

Owau no,

Maluhia