Nenue & Pōhuehue | Oversized Tee - gray

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Nenue & Pōhuehue

In the Kumulipo, the nenue fish is guarded by the lauhue (poison  gourd) on land, but for this design we decided to hoʻomānalo (sweeten it up) by pairing up with pōhuehue instead. The famous and tasty nenue (also enenue and ʻeʻa) is a nearshore fish that frequents the reef. Kyphosus hawaiiensis is the only endemic among the five nenue species found in Hawaiʻi, its bi-color body setting it apart from the others. Nenue is one of the best fish for eating raw. It’s caught with a variety of nets or by hook and line. Koʻa are special spots in the ocean marked with stacks of stones (often aligned with markers on land), where poʻe Hawaiʻi would train nenue (and many other species of fish) to gather by regularly feeding them “just like feeding a pet pig” (Kahaulelio, Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, 16 May 1902). Flip to see some saucy lines of mele that kaena (boast about) the deliciousness of this fish. The land companion we chose is the vining pōhuehue (Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis, aka beach morning glory), a common coastal native. Its iconic purple-pink flowers bear a distinct five pointed star across their delicate, joined petals. The leaves and roots of the pōhuehue can be pounded to make a poultice for treating sores, wounds, and even broken bones. It was also used to raise the waves. Those who knew the proper invocations would chant them while whipping the surface of the ocean with pōhuehue vines to make the surf come up. Pā mai, pā mai, pā mai ka makani o Hilo! ʻO ka ipu nui, lawea mai! ʻO ka ipu iki, waiho aku! E kū, e kū, e kū ka nalu nui mai kahiki mai! (Nāluahine Kaʻōpua).

Auē ke kolohe o nei mele, kahi i ʻike ʻia ai ka ʻono nui o ka nenue:

He Mele Inoa no Kekaulike

A loko au o Halekela, ʻike ʻia ka iʻa i kuʻu maka,

Ua kuhi au a he iʻa pono, eia kā he laikuela,

Iaʻu a hoʻolale aku, wala ʻē ka hiʻu i ka makani,

ʻO nā poeheke pili hau, i ke kai anu o ʻĀlika.

ʻAkahi kikina laki ʻole, ua hoʻi nele ʻo Lainakia,

Holu kō kua i ka ʻaiana.

ʻAʻole nō ʻoe e pakele, i ka makaʻala a ka lukau,

ʻO Keo Kauweke he inoa, ʻo ke kā[p]ena holu o Pilina.

ʻAuhea wale ʻoe e ka ula, e ka mea haupa a kō waha,

Ka hokua heʻe mai kēia, e pipiʻi ai ʻo ka ʻawe ʻula.

He ʻoʻe ʻūlei ka loaʻa, e aho ma ʻUlakōheo,

I loaʻa kahi lehelehe pipi.

Ke piʻi aʻe nei ka manaʻo, i ka uhu māʻalo i kuʻu maka,

Eia iho nō ka nenue, e koʻū ai ʻo kō puʻu,

Ke alo piko mai kēia, e momoni ai ʻo ke kīleo,

Ka hiʻu kāmano aʻe ia, ʻo ka iʻa hoʻopiʻi puʻupuʻu,

I ahona i ka puʻu ʻamaʻama, he maʻū ʻoe ke nahu iho.

Ke Koo o Hawaii, 12 Kepakemapa 1883