Nā Kahawai o Waipi'o | Kimono Dress - indigo

The day Keaukānaʻi came to Waipiʻo, Kanukuwai was packed with folks surfing and swimming. Being a kupua, he likely changed from an ocean current into an extremely handsome man on a canoe just before coming into view. As he pulled up on the sand, the ladies of Waipiʻo swooned. He asked some locals where he might find Kūʻaikauaakama and Hinaʻaiulunui. They gladly ushered him to the path that led to ʻŌpaelolo and Kapahi, but couldn’t take him further. Like his ocean current cousins Keaumiki and Keaukā, Keaukānaʻi also had a kolohe (mischievous) streak. He took out his sling and a stone named Maʻaʻalāloa and slung it at their home. This kupua stone grew exponentially in size as it hurtled like a firebrand towards their house, causing a great wind to rush through the valley. Hina, who was carrying Haʻinakolo in her belly, heard the roaring of the wind and saw the rock rushing towards them. She screamed, which caused her brother, Loheloa, who was outside the house, to jump to his feet. He stepped forward and caught the rock, which was now larger than the house, in his bare hands. Kū recognized the rock right away and knew it was his uncle, but Loheloa was incensed at such a rude introduction. He threw the rock with all his might at the back of the valley. Its impact split the cliff open in several areas, forming Waipiʻo’s main rivers: ʻUlu, Kawainui, Alakahi and Koʻiawe. Kūʻaikauaakama then made his way down to meet with Keaukānaʻi, who was in search of a wahine for a chief in Kuaihelani.

I ka ʻapo ʻana o Loheloa i ka pōhaku kupua, ʻōlelo maila ʻo Kū iā ia: “ʻAuhea ʻoe, e kuʻu pōkiʻi! ʻAʻole kēia he pōhaku ʻē aʻe, akā, he ʻelele kēnā i hoʻouna ʻia mai nei e ia makua kāne o kākou, ʻo Keaukānaʻi. Ua hiki mai kā ʻo ia i Waipiʻo nei. Eia ka pōhaku o Kuaihelani lā, ke hōʻike mai nei i mua ou, e kuʻu pōkiʻi, a me aʻu nei nō hoʻi. No laila, e iho au i kai e hui me ka makua kāne, a e noho ʻoe me kō kuahine.” Ke ʻike maila naʻe ʻo Kūʻaikauakama i ka hele o ka ʻula a ʻenaʻena a weweo pono i loko o nā ʻōnohi maka o ke kaikaina, a i ka pau ʻana o kāna mau ʻōlelo i mua o ua kaikaina nei ona, ʻo ka wā ia a Loheloa i pane aku ai i mua o ke kaikuaʻana haku ona, penei, “Ua maikaʻi kāu mau ʻōlelo a pau i kamaʻilio maila, e kuʻu haku kaikuaʻana, akā i haʻi aku au iā ʻoe, ʻaʻohe ʻoluʻolu o koʻu naʻau i ka nou ʻia ʻana mai nei o kēia pōhaku a mai papapau kākou i ka make. He keu nō hoʻi kēia a ka hana hoʻokano kiʻekiʻe loa a kēia kanaka ʻino ʻo ke kiola ʻana mai nei i uka nei. Eia kā, ʻo ka pōhaku leo ʻole, e like me kēia, ka ʻelele e hoʻouna mai ai e kiʻi mai iā ʻoe.” Pau nō nei mau hua ʻōlelo a ua keiki huhū nei, ʻo kona lālau ihola nō ia i ua pōhaku nei, a ʻo kona nou akula nō ia i uka o ke kuahiwi i ua ʻulu (pōhaku) nei a nāhāhā ka pali kuahiwi o ia uka, kaʻawale a manamana nō hoʻi nā kahawai: kaʻawale ke kahawai ʻo ʻUlu; kaʻawale ke kahawai ʻo Kawainui; kaʻawale ʻo Alakahi a me Koʻiawe. Ua kapa ʻia kēlā kahawai ʻo ʻUlu mamuli o nei ʻulu (pōhaku a Loheloa i nou ai).”