Kaweloleimakua is a legendary Hawaiian hero from Kauai. The story describes Kawelo's upbringing and training in martial arts. It introduces many characters including Kawelo's family and rivals from other islands. Place names mentioned provide geographic context and reference important locations on Kauai and Oahu that play roles in Kawelo's adventures. Chants and traditions and weapons are also outlined to immerse the reader in Hawaiian culture.

1. LEGEND OF KAWELO:
MOKUNA I
HWST 104

2. CHARACTERS
• Kaweloleimakua
– Ka – the
– Welo - To flutter, float or stream, as in the wind; to set, of
the sun; progeny, ancestry, breed, family trait or strain,
group custom, heritage characteristic
– Lei – figuratively represents a beloved child
– Makua – parent
• Maihuna
– Kawelo’s father
• Malaiakalani
– Kawelo’s mother

3. CHARACTERS
• Aikanaka
– Son of King of Kaua`i
– Kawelo’s cousin
• Kauahoa
– Of Hanalei
– Brought up with Kawelo
– ` lelo No`eau:Ō
He hoa `ai wai paha no Kauahoaū
Lit: Perhaps he shared the breast with Kauahoa
A play on uahoa (hard) in Kauahoa, a warrior of
Kaua`i
– Uahoa: hard, severe, harsh, indifferent to the distress of others

4. CHARACTERS
• K kuhihewaā
– King of O`ahu
– Famous wrestler
– ` lelo No`eauŌ
E `ike ana `oe i ke li`i nui o O`ahu, `o K kuhihewaā
Lit: You will meet with the great chief of O`ahu, K kuhihewaā
You shall find out how wrong you are. A play on kuhihewa
(erroneous)
– Kuhihewa: To suppose wrongly, err in judgment, give
wrong directions; to mistake a person for someone else

5. CHARACTERS
• Kanewahineikiaoha
– Becomes Kawelo’s wife in Waik kī ī
– Her forte is the pïkoi (club with string)
• Kalonaikahailaau
– Kawelo’s father-in-law
– Teaches Kawelo martial arts
• Maakuakeke
– Of Waialae
– Kawelo’s fishing instructor

6. CHARACTERS
• Kalohipikonui & Kalohipikoikip wa`awa`aū
– Lohi: slow, tardy, late, retarded, backward
– P wa`awa`a: stupidū
– From the meaning of their names, we can
foreshadow their actions/characteristics in this
mo`olelo

7. H NAIĀ
• The Hawaiian word for adoption is h nai, itsā
derivation meaning to feed or nourish.
• H nai, as it was traditionally practiced inā
Hawaiian culture, referred to the situation
where a child was taken permanently to be
reared, educated, and loved by someone
other than their natural parents. The tradition
of h nai is still practiced to this day.ā
• Sometimes a child was asked for by a friend
or relative before it was born, but not the
eldest.
• The eldest belonged to the grandparents; a
boy to his paternal grandparents and a girl to
her maternal grandparents

8. NOTES
• The chiefs were surrounded by a throng of attendants,
who were generally kaukauali`i (class of chiefs of
lesser rank than the high chief) ie: the father is a high
chief and the mother of lower rank, but not a
commoner. These attendants included a steward.
• ` ` pu`upu`uā ī
– The steward of a person of high rank, deputed to care and
care for the chief’s food
– Steward, butler, said to be so called because the chief’s
steward got calluses (pu`upu`u) on his shoulders from
carrying food

9. WARFARE
• In ancient Hawai`i, chiefs would attack rival islands or battle
factions on their own island. This would require months of careful
preparation. A chief would consult advisors as well as kahuna
(priests) and then drew his army from lesser ranked chiefs and well-
trained warriors.
• Lua
– A type of dangerous hand-to-hand fighting in which the fighters broke
bones, dislocated bones at the joints, and inflicted severe pain by
pressing on nerve centers. Many of the techniques were secret; lua
experts were bodyguards to chiefs.
• Some of the weaponry mentioned in this mo`olelo are described in the following slides. Please note that the list
included here is not all-inclusive as there are many other forms of traditional Hawaiian weapons.

10. WEAPONS
• Clubs
– Clubs are the weapon of choice for men
– Clubs were carved from wood or made of a shaped stone lashed to a
wooden handle.
• Ihe: Spears
– Spears had barbed edges or straight point
– Warriors used short and long spears for thrusting and throwing.
– Women were generally not allowed to use spears in warfare
– Some women had spears, but they were short (8 ft).

11. WEAPONS
• Ma`a: Sling
– The ma`a was designed to fling
different types and sizes of rocks
– A bigger stone was flung higher
into the air onto the top of the
enemy; smaller stones were flung
directly into the face or forehead
of the attackers
– Women were allowed to use
slings

12. WEAPONS
• P hoa: Daggerā
– The p hoa can be used for blocking, spearing,ā
clubbing, and strangling

13. WEAPONS
• P koiī
– This weapon has a cord that is at least
10-15 feet long. At the end there is a
rock or a piece of wood (such as the one
shown).
– A warrior would hold onto one end of
the cord and whip it around.
– It would tangle the enemy, causing him
to trip or allowing the warrior to pull his
opponent down.
– This was the forte of Kawelo’s wife

14. KUKUI
• Candlenut tree
• The tree is a symbol for
enlightenment
• The nuts were chewed and spat into
the sea by men fishing with nets in
order to calm the sea
• The nuts were used for lights;
cooked for a relish (`inamona); or
polished and strung into lei
• The leaves and small white flowers
are also used in leis

15. UHU
• Uhu also means to strain, chafe
under restraint; willful,
headstrong
• Uhu are plant eaters, the teeth are
strong and beaklike, well fitted
for clipping off food from coral
• The colors of this fish are so
pretty that it is sometimes
compared to a sweetheart
• Uhum ka`ika`i: lit: travelingā
uhu , perhaps so called because
they follow one another in line

16. OLI (CHANTS)
• Used as a form of communication; form of prayer; informs
us of social protocol
• As noted in previous lecture notes, in the Hawaiian
culture, there is much power in words. This is
demonstrated through Kawelo’s oli in which he kills
Uhum ka`ika`i through his prayer.ā
• The words of an oli were chosen very carefully because of
its double meanings, metaphorical references, etc.
• ` lelo No`eauŌ
I ka ` lelo n ke ola, i ka ` lelo n ka makeō ō ō ō
Lit: Life is in speech; death is in speech
Words can heal; words can destroy

17. OLI
• Often contains h `ailona (signs, omens,ō
premonitions)
– Kilo (to look at clouds to tell omens) – oli on pg.
40
– Kawelo tells Kamalama that the small pointed
clouds denote oppression
– He then goes on to chant about Kaua`i and lists
different place names of Kaua`i, indicating the
place of oppression

18. OLI (CHANTS)
• Adds to imagery as it often contains metaphors
– Pg. 38 “the eyes of H loa” is a metaphor for the sunā
– Lines #2-4 of oli on pg. 40 strengthen the action of imagery
(what Kawelo’s wife is doing)
• Halahola – the character in which the mat is spread out
• Kaukekeha – the character in which the head is tilted on the pillow
• Maakuiaikalani – the character in which the kapa envelopes the
wearer
• Lines #3-8 of oli on pg. 48/49 are martial holds in lua
(Hawaiian martial art of self-defense)

19. ISLAND OF KAUA`I

20. ISLAND OF O`AHU

21. PLACE NAMES
• Hanam `uluā
– Landing, landing section,
village, bay, ditch, river,
beach park and birthplace
of the hero Kawelo,
L hu`e district, Kaua`i.ī
– Lit., tired (as from
walking) bay
As taken from Place Names of Hawai`i (1974) by P ku`i, Elbertū
& Mo`okini

22. PLACE NAMES
• Wailua
– Land division,
river, falls, valley,
town, L hu`e qd.,ī
Kaua`i.
– Lit., two waters
As taken from Place Names of Hawai`i (1974) by
P kuū i, Elbert & Mo`okini

23. PLACE NAMES
• Kaho`olein pe`aā
– Land division near K loa,ō
Kaua`i.
– Lit., the flying (of) the kites
– The kite of the Kaua`i hero
Kawelo was entangled here
with that of his rival cousin.
• Waik kī ī
– Beach, Honolulu.
– Lit., spouting water
As taken from Place Names of Hawai`i (1974) by P ku`i, Elbert &ū
Mo`okini

24. PLACE NAMES
• Kalehuawehe
– Name for an ancient surfing area
at Waik k ; now called Castle’sī ī
– Lit., the removed lehua lei; take
off the lehua
– ` lelo No`eauŌ
Ka nalu ha`i o Kalehuawehe
The rolling surf of
Kalehuawehe
Kalehuawehe was Waik k ’sī ī
most famous surf. IT was so
named when a legendary hero
took off his lei of lehua blossoms
and gave it to the wife of the
ruling chief, with whom he was
surfing.
As taken from Place Names of Hawai`i (1974) by P ku`i, Elbert & Mo`okiniū

25. PLACE NAMES
• ` puak hauĀ ē
– Old stream that
debouched near the
present Moana Hotel,
Waik k , probablyī ī
named for a rain.
– Lit., basket (of) dew.

26. PLACE NAMES
• Wai`alae
– Mountain, section, avenue
in Honolulu said to be
named for a spring
– Lit., mudhen water
• Wai`anae
– Quadrangle, mountain
range, land division, town,
valley on O`ahu.
– Lit., mullet water
As taken from Place Names of Hawai`i (1974) by P ku`i, Elbert &ū
Mo`okini
Wai`anae Coast

27. PLACE NAMES
• Hanalei
– Land division, village, bay, district,
river, and valley, Hanalei district,
Kaua`i.
– Lit., crescent bay
• Ka`ie`iewaho
– Channel between O`ahu and
Kaua`i
– Lit., outer Ka`ie`ie (as in the `ie`ie
vine)
• Pu`uloa
– Land section, village, area east of
Pearl Harbor; an old name for Pearl
Harbor, O`ahu
– Lit., long hill
As taken from Place Names of Hawai`i (1974) by P ku`, Elbert & Mo`okiniū
Hanalei, Kaua`i

28. Not all characters and place names are listed in this
presentation. As a reminder, you may access the
Hawaiian Dictionary and Place Names of Hawai`i (and
many other books) for free online via a link on the
Resources page.