Palila

While reading Fornander's Collection #5, one of the legends stuck with me. It was the Legend of Palila. This legendary hero of Hawaii has origins in Kauai and then eventually ends up in Hilo on the island of Hawaii. Although he did spend some time on the island of Oahu, and those locations were the ones I was interested in finding.

Palila was discarded at birth by his parents Kaluaopalena (the ruler of half of Kauai), and Mahinui (the daughter of Hina).  In the Koloa district of Kauai because he was born as a form of a bloody cord. Palila's grandmother Hina came and claimed him from a refuse pile and covered him in tapa cloth. After three times of switching out to clean tapa cloth, Palila eventually took to the form of a human. This was in the sacred temple of Alanapo, where spirits dwell .

After growing up with Hina living in the spirit realm and years of being taught the art of war. He emerged a strong valiant champion. Half spirit and half man. He left his home and journeyed into his first battle that was going on between his father Kaluaopalena, and the ruler of the other half of Kauai, Namakaokalani.  Palila swung his war club named Huliamahu a mile away from the battle and fell trees which in turn crushed the opposition to Kaluaopalena. His father becoming king of the entire island of Kauai. Kaluaopalena humbly approached his son Palila and during an uneasy, high tension moment Hina appeared and made Palila laugh. Breaking the kapu of Palila and then she partially circumcised him as they returned to the sacred place called Alanapo.

After ten days of being back in Alanapo, Palila became restless and wanted to travel to other lands to fight chiefs and demigods. He twirled his great war club and by simply holding on to the end of it he could fly to distant places (kind of like Thor in the Avengers movies). He flew from the knoll of Komoikeanu to the cliff of Nualolo, he stood there and looked over the ocean toward Kahiki, but then chose to head to Oahu.

 He swung his club again and landed on Oahu at Kaena point in Waianae. 

Then he a flew short flights to Pu'u Kalena, to Pohakea, to Maunauna, to Kanehoa (all of the previous being mountain peaks on the Waianae range), to the plain of Keahumoa where Palila overlooked the district of Ewa. He saw a dust cloud of the people gathering there and so he headed to Honouliuli. The people of Ewa heard his arrival like roaring thunder and fled to Waikele.

(Waikele Stream) 

When Palila arrived in Waikele he found the people playing athletic games. Hosted by the King of Oahu at that time, Ahuapau. When Palila left Kauai, he had a vision of meeting an unruly character by the name of Kamaikaahui. A sharkman from Maui with the mouth of a shark on his back. Kamaikaahui was a farmer that would keep track of people headed to the ocean, and beat them to the water and eat them. He was discovered in Maui for what he was doing and fled to Waikele Oahu. He could not resist his hunger and took up to his same evil ways here, and could blend in for some time by covering his shark parts under a loin cloth.

Ahuapau feared Kamaikaahui and declared a kapu that if anyone were able to chase the sharkman out of Oahu or kill him. Ahuapau would make that person the chief ruler of Oahu.

Palila told Ahuapau that Kamaikaahui would flee at the sight of him. Ahuapau realized that this was the man that was going to help defeat his enemies and welcomed Palila into his inner court. Palila revealed himself to Kamaikaahui and as the sharkman tried to escape into the ocean. Palila blocked his way with his club, Huliamahu. Kamaikaahui's cloth was removed and his shark form was shown to all of the people and then he was killed.

Ahuapau was said to have had his royal enclosure at Kalaipohaku close to Wailuakio in Kapalama. He was a kapu chief that was kept away from wind and rain. He was carried around in a palanquin by two swift runners of his, Iomea and Ioloa.

(Lo'i Kalo Park in Kapalama)

(A stone cliff with a cave overlooking Kapalama on Pohaku Street)

Papakolea was a farmer that lived in Leleo with his wife Koiuiu. He was told that when his harvest was ready, the Heiau Kanelaauli would be opened to the public. Papakolea, upon seeing Palila. Mentioned to Ahuapau that he should have his daughters, Kaalamikioi and Kalehuawai wed to Palila. Kahikoluamea (not sure if he was Ahuapau's kahu or the officiating priest over Kanelaauli Heiau)cautioned not to have Palila wed to his daughters until Palila's spirit form could be removed and have him in full human form.
Palila was quickly placed in Ahuapau's palanquin and quickly taken to Kanelaauli Heiau. Where they performed a ceremony of drums and coconut rattling to turn Palila the kapu chief of Alanapo into a perfect man.
Ahuapau being left without his runners and palanquin felt the wind and rain for the first time.  

             

(Papakolea as viewed from Tantalus Drive)

(Kanelaauli Heiau once stood at the foot of Puowaina, Punchbowl hill. Where Royal School is now located)

After the ceremony was done. Palila was allowed to marry Ahuapau's daughters and they lived together.

One day Ahuapau asked Palila to take a tour of the island of Oahu and Palila agreed. Before leaving he asked Ahuapau, "Aohe kupu, a alai o ke alanui a puni Oahu nei? Are there any lawless obstructions along the road surrounding Oahu?" Ahuapau relied, no. Although, he was lying and actually knew that there was a giant warrior living in the Koolau district at Kaelepulu, Olomana. Ahuapau must have felt threatened that Palila would take the kingdom away from him and intended for Palila to hopefully be killed by Olomana.

Palila replied, "yes, I am going on my way and in case I meet some one who will attempt to harm me, I will first kill him and then I will return and kill you and all your men. Ahuapau came clean and told him the truth, and Palila agreed to continue his journey and not kill Ahuapau. 

Palila climbed to the top of Punchbowl and then walked to Nuuanu Pali. From there he swung his war club and flew to where Olomana was at Kaelepulu. When he saw Olomana he jumped up and landed on his shoulder. Olomana was thirteen yards in height as the storyteller describes. No one ever dared to challenge him. Once on his shoulder, Olomana asked where this haughty youngster was from. Palila told him who he was and that he was from the temple of the gods in Alanapo Kauai. This caused Olomana to experience fear for perhaps the first time.  He knew that warriors from Alanapo were endowed with supernatural powers. Olomana asked Palila for mercy but Palila denied him and told him he had to die for the evil deeds he has done. Palila took one swing with his war club Huliamahu, and cut Olomana in half. One half fell toward the ocean becoming Mahinui hill overlooking the fishponds of Mokapu. The other half remained where Olomana stood becoming the three peaks that bare his name till this day.

After Palila made a circuit of the island he  met a fisherman named Kahului in the Maunalua district. Palila aided this man to take his canoe out to see. Even paddling with his war club Huliamahu after breaking nine paddle wis his brute strength. While out at sea he even baited his war club and caught fish with it on great numbers. 

This was the way that Palila eventually left the island of Oahu. He landed in Molokai and after eating his fish with Kahului. He swung his war club and flew to the rest of the islands. He eventually landed in Hawaii island at Kaula in Hamakua near Hilo. He met Hina's sister Lupea living in Kaawalii. It is said that when ever Palila spread out his malo no hau tree grew there even till this day. The storyteller reveals that this was because of the god of Palila this god is revealed as Ku. 

Palila for sometime became a vagabond along the roadside rolling a calabash.

 A battle of two apposing chiefs, Kulukulua of Hilo and Wanua of Hamakua. Similar to the battle between his father and his rival on Kauai, was taking place near him. Again as on the other islands were great warriors with massive war clubs. The Hamakua side had them and they boasted to the Hilo side which warrior they could offer up to compete. Upon hearing this Palila joined the Hilo side and stopped the hostilities to instead challenge these warriors. The fuels was cleared and the two largest of them set up to fight Palila. Palila hit the war club of the largest warrior sending it flying to Waipio and then killed all of the three giant warriors of Hamakua. He hung their jaws up on a lehua tree on Kaula. 

Palila became the king of Hilo and remained there until his death.