Anahulu Hoʻonui 1/29 – 2/7/2025

Aloha e nā makamaka heluhelu, 

With the passing of the strong storm, hopefully everyone is doing well and enjoying the cold weather this first month of the lunar new year! Mānoa is especially chilly in the mornings with so much water all around us. Let’s continue to read together about the pūnāwai named Kapunahou in the article “Kahi I Loaʻa Mai Ai Ka Inoa Kapunahou” from Ka Nūpepa Kūʻokoʻa: 

I ka iwakalua-kumamalima o na makahiki o ke ku ana o ke kula o Kapunahou, a oiai e malama ia ana na hana hoomano o ke kula, ua hoike ae ka Lunakanawai Kiekie A. F. Judd, ma ka la 15 o Iune o ka makahiki 1866 penei: 

“I loko o kela au kahiko e noho ana kekahi mau kanaka elua, ma kahi kokoke i ka waipuna e ike ia nei i keia manawa, a nona mai hoi ke kumu o ka inoa Kapunahou. He wa maloo ia o ka aina me ka wi, a ua kono ia aku na kanaka e pii i uka o ke kuahiwi e huli ai i ke ki a me ka pia i mea ai, me ka hoomoa ana aku i ai na lakou; a e hele ana lakou i Kamoiliili e ukuhi ai i na huewai a lakou i ka wai. Ma hope iho o ko laua kamailio ana no ko laua pilikia ma kekahi po, ua hiamoe laua, a loaa iho la i ka wahine he moeuhane. 

“Ma loko o kana moeuhane, ua hoea aku la kekahi kanaka i mua ona, a kamailio pu me ia no kona mau pilikia; a ohumuhumu aku la oia i mua o kela kanaka no ko laua pilikia i ka loihi o kahi e kii ai i ka wai, a ia wa i olelo mai a ua kanaka nei ia ia: ‘He wai no!’ a hoike mai la ia ia nei, aia ma lalo pono o ke kumu o kekahi puhala e ku kokoke mai ana he wai. Hoala aku la oia i kana kane, me ka hahaʻi ana mai i kana moeuhane, noke wale aku la no nae ke kane i ka akaaka ia ia.

“Ma kekahi po mai nae, loaa iho la i ke kane he moeuhana o ia ano hookahi no. Olelo mai la kela kanaka iaia nei, e hele iloko o ke kai e lawaiʻa ai i amaama, alaila hoi mai, hoomoʻa a ai i ka amaama, alaila hele e uhuki i ke kumu puhala a hemo me ke aa, ame na mea a pau. Iaia i puoho ae ai mai ka hiamoe mai, eia ka he moeuhane.”  

Although this newspaper was printed in 1915, the above selection is from a speech given 49 years earlier in 1866 to honor the 25th year of the school’s founding. Described is this first version of the moʻolelo that the writer offers to readers of two people who were searching for water during a time of drought. Then, in a moeʻuhane, a person reveals to the dreaming wahine that there is indeed water beneath a pū hala. However, the kāne does not necessarily believe this dream until one night, he himself has a dream with specific instructions in order to pull up the pū hala from the roots. 

Before we read on, let’s also acknowledge the significance of the roots of the pū hala, which can also be seen in the above photo. One of the many appreciations I have about being in the malu of hala is how the upper leaves and branches mirror and frame the exposed aerial roots. And being beneath this specific type of variegated hala is also nice because the leaves don’t have thorns!