Hinahaukaekae was often confined to the walls of Malae heiau on Kauaʻi because if she went out, she had to be back before nightfall. The beautiful blossom her mother gifted her that changes color over the day (from pale yellow to red) was meant to help her keep time, but when she rushed out one fine morning, she left it behind. While out, she met children who needed light wood for their kite, fishermen who needed the same for net floats, a man whose canoe outrigger was too heavy, people who lacked carrying nets for their ipu, and a woman who needed medicine for a terrible dry cough and for her sister who was struggling in childbirth. In her desire to help, she got distracted and lost track of time. As the sun set, her feet sprouted roots, her arms stretched into limbs and her body became the hau tree, ultimately providing the people with wood, fiber, and medicine (Polihale & Other Kauaʻi Legends, Wichman, 1991). Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is also a kinolau of Haumea, so this story helps us see that Hina and Haumea are two different faces of the same feminine force. Haumea is well known for assisting women who are struggling in labor with her blossoms kanikawī and kanikawā. In the story of Aahoaka, another Kauaʻi tale, the aliʻi wahine Koananai was given an ʻapu (medicinal mixture) of two hau flowers, two stalks of kiliʻoʻopu sedge, and the water of Kaluaokuahine to induce labor (flip for this story in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi). The incredible hau plant with its many uses is a wonderful gift from our most ancient akua wahine.
