Summary
This moʻolelo speaks of three siblings living in Kāneʻohe, Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu. One brother, Kahoe, was a kalo farmer, another, Pahu, a fisherman, and their sister, Loʻe, gathered iʻa (fish and other marine mammals) and limu (seaweed) along the seashore. As was the expectation of the time, they shared their resources together as an ʻohana. However, on one occasion, one of the siblings had been dishonest and withheld what should have been shared with the others. As the moʻolelo continues, this individual realizes their wrongdoing and learns a valuable lesson.
Source
Ka Moʻolelo o Keahiakahoe (Project Aloha ʻĀina – Ahupuaʻa), Pacific American Foundation, 2007.
Ka Moʻolelo o Keahiakahoe Unuhi a Hakuloli ʻia e Pelehonuamea Harman. Hale Kuamoʻo, Ka Hala ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani. Harmon, P. (2000). Ka Moʻolelo o Keahiakahoe. Hale Kuamoʻo.
Inquiry Questions
- In what ways did the characters in this moʻolelo express aloha for one another? In what ways did they fail to do so?
- How do the kuleana of the different characters in the moʻolelo reflect life on a waʻa?
- What life lessons might we learn from this moʻolelo? How might it connect with our ʻōlelo noʻeau?
Vocabulary
- Moʻolelo: History, story
- Iʻa: Fish or any marine mammal
- Ahupuaʻa: Land division that typically went from the mountains to the sea
- Ko kula uka, ko kula kai: Those of the upland, those of the sea; a system that allowed for an exchange of resources from the uplands and the sea
- Mahiʻai: Farmer, planter; to farm, cultivate
- Loʻi kalo: Wetland taro fields
- Lawaiʻa: To fish; fisherman
- Umu: A heap of rocks placed in the sea for small fish to hide in. This was surrounded by a net where the fish were caught.
- Limu: Seaweed
- Poi: Pounded taro that has been thinned with water
- Ulua: Certain species of crevalle, jack, or pompano; an important, large game fish
- ʻOhana: Family
Inoa ʻĀina (Wind, Rain, & Place Names)
- Kāneʻohe: An ahupuaʻa in the district of Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu
- Haʻikū: A valley in Kāneʻohe
- Puʻu Pahu: A hill on the shore of Kāneʻohe Bay
- Moku o Loʻe: An island, known today as “Coconut Island” or the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)
Haʻawina (Life Lessons)
E mālama kekahi i kekahi (Care for one another)
- “Ko kula uka, ko kula kai,” the system of exchange among those of the uplands and those of the sea, reminds us of the importance of caring for one another. This exchange requires a commitment to give and share freely, which Pahu had failed to do.
ʻO ka haʻi ʻana i ka ʻoiaʻiʻo (Telling the truth)
- Unfortunately, in the moʻolelo, Pahu was dishonest with his ʻohana, and suffered as a result. Rather than being willing to share what he had, as Kahoe and Loʻe did, Pahu withheld from his ʻohana, and faced difficulty in a time of need.
