Ka Ulu Hoi

Mai ka nuku o Puʻu-o-Kane a hiki aku i ke kualapa ʻo Maunaleo, ua laha loa ka inoa ʻīʻī. E nā makamaka mai Hawaiʻi a i ka mole o Lehua. I nā Hawaiʻi ʻoiaʻiʻo, maopopo wale aʻe kēia awāwa kaulana o ka ʻāina. ʻO ia kahi i pana ʻia ʻo Kaʻuwaʻupali me Kepaniwai no ka hoʻi hou ʻana o ka wai i uka hoʻi o Ao. He aha ko ʻoukou ʻike ma mua nō o ke au iā Ka Naʻi Aupuni, iā Kaʻiwakīloumoku hoʻi? E ola ana a e mōakaaka ana nō nā inoa ʻāina o ke awāwa lipo i ka lehua me ka ʻōpiko, ʻo ʻĪao, ua malu i ke ao. E malu hoʻi kāua i nā inoa o ka ʻāina, me ka hoʻohanohano ʻana iā ia. Na ka mea kākau nō, a he oli ke puka aku.

I uka hoʻi au o Kawela,

Wela nopu ka lā e kau nei

I uka o ka palena ʻo Māniania

Niania ka ʻalā o lalo nei

I uka hoʻi o Kaʻalāholo

I ke alo o Kūkaʻemoku

Mokuhia ka wai ʻo Kinihāpai

Lāua ʻo Poʻonāhoahoa ē

I luna aʻe o Puʻu Kukui

I ālai ʻia e ka ʻohu 

I laila e hālāwai nei

‘O Kapilau me Kahoʻolewa

I lalo loa i ka wai huʻi a Kāne

I Olopio nā ēwe lani o Hawaiʻi

E hoʻomalu nei iā Kapela kapu

Kapela kapu o Kākaʻe

‘A‘ole nō o ka‘e mai

Maiā Kapawa a hiki aku

Iā Kalanikuʻihonoikamokukekaulike ē

Nā iwi a Holoholokū, Kūkaniloko,

A hiki aku i Waipiʻo

ʻO ʻĪao malu i ke ao

Ua pau, ua hala nā aliʻi kaulana, a koe wale hoʻi nā kini pua o nā ewe lani. Ua papani ʻia maila ka uka o Kapela, ʻaʻohe nō mea nāna e kau aʻe i ka paepae kapu o Līloa. Aia naʻe, ua mau mai kēia mau inoa hiehie. No laila, ke hōʻike ʻia aku nei he māmala iki o nā inoa, a me nā moʻolelo o kuʻu ʻāina i aloha nui ʻia ʻo ʻĪao ke awāwa kaulana o Wailuku.

 ʻO Kawela ka mua ʻo ia nō ka palena o ka waha o ʻĪao, mai ka muliwai o Wailuku (ʻo Kapela hoʻi) a hiki aku i kahi e kū nei ka pā komohana o ke awa kū moku o Kahului. I uka pono o kēlā, aia nō nā heiau ʻo Halekiʻi me Pihana, a ua mau nā paepae o lāua a hiki i kēia mau lā.

I kou holo ʻana i uka, kāʻalo ʻia ka luakini ʻo Kaʻahumanu e kū nei ma kahi o ka pāka ʻo Honoliʻi. I ka wā i hala ua kū nō ka heiau ʻo Waiakamākēhā. ʻOi Edward Bailey e kūkulu ana i ka hale pule, ua hoʻohana hou ʻia nā pōhaku o ka heiau kahiko.

 Ke ʻoe komo i ka waha o ke awāwa, kū ā moana ʻelua mau puʻu kiʻekiʻe ma kou mau ʻaoʻao ʻelua. ʻO ko ka lima hema (a me ka Hema maoli), ʻo ia nō ʻo Maunaleo. I ko ka ʻākau, aia nō ke kū nei ka Puʻu-o-Kāne. I mālaʻe ka lā mākaʻikaʻi, e ʻike ʻia nō paha ka wēkiu e ʻoi aʻe nei ma luna hoʻi o nā mauna e hālāwai nei. ʻO Puʻu Kukui ia me kona pali kahakō lele a koaʻe. I ia piʻina, e walea i ka makani ʻolu o ka ʻāina ʻo ka pā ʻana mai o ka makani lawe mālie. 

 I uka nō o kēlā, aia nō ka palena maoli o ke awāwa, ʻo Māniania, aia ma kahi o ka pāka ʻo Kepaniwai. I ka wā kahiko, ʻaʻohe nō mea e komo iki ana i loko o laila me ka ʻae ʻole a ka mōʻī. A na ka mōʻī nā hua uluwehiwehi a pau pono i loko o ʻĪao. Na ka mea ʻĪ hoʻi ka waiwai o ke owāwa malu i ke ao. I uka aʻe o Māniania, aia nō kahi e hui ai nā kumu wai o ʻĪao uka, ʻo nā kahawai nui koʻikoʻi, ʻo lāua nō ʻo Kinihāpai me Poʻonāhoahoa. ʻO Nākalaloa ke kumuwai no Poʻonāhohoa. ʻO Aʻe, he kahawai ʻololī ia e kahe mai nei mai ma uka o kahi o ka pāka ʻo Kepaniwai. A laila aku, koe wale nā wailele hunehune i nā pali lipo i ka ulu lāʻau. 

Ma uka o ka huina wai o Kinihāpai lāua ʻo Poʻonāhoahoa, aia nō kahi pālahalaha, ʻo Kaʻalāholo kēlā, hiki nō ke holo wāwae i loko lilo o ka wao ma o kēia wahi kula. Iā ʻoe e piʻi ana, e ʻalawa aʻe i ka ʻākau, i ka ʻaoʻao o Puʻu-o-Kāne, aia nō ke kū kiʻe nei ke “kui” kaulana o ka ʻāina, ʻo ia kai kapa ʻia ʻo Kūkaʻemoku e nā kūpuna Hawaiʻi ʻoiaʻiʻo. Mau nō kona inoa haole ʻo “Kui o ʻĪao” a kakaʻikahi wale hoʻi ka lohe ʻana i kona inoa maoli. Mai nō a hōʻole i ka manaʻo a me ke akamai o nā kānaka nāna kēia inoa, a e hoʻomau aku kākou. 

Aia ma kahi o laila i hūnā ʻia ai ke ana kaulana o ka ʻāina. Ma uka paha, ma kai paha, i kahi ʻē paha, kahi i hūnā ai ke awa loa, kahi i hoʻokau ʻia ai nā iwi o nā lani Hawaiʻi i hala aku. ʻO kēia ana, ʻo ʻOlopio kahi ona. I ka huli ʻana aku i nā puke hoʻonaʻauao, me he mea lā, moe ke ana ma lalo o kahi e kahe mau ai ka wai huʻihuʻi. I laila nō nā ēwe lani mai Hawaiʻi a i Niʻihau, ka Moʻo ʻo Ulu me Nanaulu. ʻAʻole nō i kana mai kona weliweli, hahana, a me kona mana. Pehea lā nā moepū? ʻAʻohe nō mea nāna e kūʻai i ka hōʻoilina āiwaiwa o ke ēwe Hawaiʻi. Iā Kalākaua e noho aliʻi ana, ua huakaʻi ʻo ia i loaʻa ai ke ana, nā iwi, a me nā moepū. ʻAʻohe nō mea a puka iki i kona huli ʻana, a ke moe mālie mau nei nō nā hulu ʻōʻō, me nā iwi i ke alo o nā pali kaulana o Kākaʻe. Ua noho kuaʻāina ke aliʻi nui o Kākaʻe i ka uka o ʻĪao. Hapakuʻe paha kāna ʻōlelo, a ʻaʻole i lawa kona aʻoaʻo ʻana no ka noho aliʻi ‘ana. Mākiʻa, na kona kahu ka hana ali‘i. Aia naʻe, ua loa‘a nō iā ia he keiki, ‘o Kahekili I (ʻaʻole nō ia ʻo Kahekilinuiʻahumanu).

Wahi a S. Kamakau, ʻo nā iwi aliʻi mua i hoʻomoe ʻia ʻo Kapawa, ka mōʻī o Hawaiʻi mokupuni i ka wā o ka hiki ʻana mai o Pili mai Uporu, Kahiki mai. I ka hiki ʻana mai o Paʻao me Pili, ua ʻauheʻe aku ʻo Kapawa i Lahaina, a i laila nō kahi ona i make ai. ʻO ka hope i hoʻokomo ʻia, ʻo ia nō ʻo Kekaulike a Piʻilani, ka makuakāne o Kamehamehanui, Kalolapupukaohonokawailani, me Kahekilinuiʻahumanu, he mau aliʻi kaulana. Ua hāʻule ua aliʻi nei i ka makahiki 1736. ʻOiai e hoʻomākaukau ʻia ana ka ʻau waʻa ma Kaupō e hoʻouka kaua ai iā Alapaʻinui, ua maʻi ka mōʻī i ka huki. Ua kūpilikiʻi a ua ʻike nā kāhuna ʻaʻohe mea iki e hoʻōla ai. ʻAʻole i liʻu iho, ua hoʻomaka koke ke alo aliʻi e ʻauamo i kona mānele. Iā lākou e hāpai ana, ua hala ke aliʻi ma Maui Hema i Kalekiʻi. Ua kau ʻia i ka waʻa a pae nō ke kino make i ke kahakai ʻo Kapoli, Maʻalaea. A laila aku, lawe ʻia ke kino i Loiloa ma ʻĪao a laila nō, hoʻomoe ʻia kona mau iwi i ke ana kaulana. I waena nō o ko Kapawa lāua ʻo Kekaulike mau hoʻolewa, he 600 mau makahiki a ʻoi aʻe paha ka wā o ka hoʻokomo ʻia ʻana o nā iwi i ka pali kāohi kumu aliʻi o ʻĪao. 

Koe nō nā moʻolelo ʻāina he lau, he kini. ʻAʻole i puni iki nā moʻolelo o nei ʻāina, a he paka ua wale hoʻi kēia kolamu e heleleʻi mai nei a pā i ke kualono. Hanini mai ka wai i loko lilo o ka wao akua lanipō. Aia ā hōʻea aku ka wai ʻuʻuku mai uka mai, e ulu ana paha a ʻaʻapo ʻia ka ʻike, a i ʻole, lilo paha ka wai i ka wai honua a Kanaloa. E nā mea heluhelu, e nā muʻo a nā aliʻi kaulana e moe mai nei i lalo o ka lulu o Kapela kapu o Kākaʻe, e ʻimi i nā moʻolelo o ko ʻoukou mau ʻāina ponoʻī. Ke kamaʻāina ʻoukou, e pā mai ana ka ua kilihune o ka ʻike, a koe wale ka mākaukau o nā ʻōʻō, ka ʻauwai, a me ka wawaele ʻana.

© Kaleikaumaka Fisher 2025