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<br /> caught the large he`e. With a sense of suspicion,Ne'ula replied that as a native of this place,she had never seen such
<br /> an octopus in this area. As the two women were talking, Lalamilo approached them and saw Puako holding a large
<br /> octopus. Assuming that another man had given the octopus to his wife, Lalamilo asked where she got the octopus
<br /> from and she proceeded to relate the events to him. Accusing his wife of lying, Lalamilo struck Puako with a hard
<br /> blow causing her skin to darken. Ne`ula interjected and suggested that the couple go look about the reef to see for
<br /> themselves the place where Puako had retrieved the large he'e.
<br /> As Lalamilo walked intently about the reef, he investigated the site where Puako had found the massive he`e,to
<br /> which he discovered a small hole with something red hidden within. Peering into the hole,he saw a beautiful leho
<br /> (cowrie) tucked within, which had attracted the he`e. Without hesitation, Lalamilo broke the reef and retrieved the
<br /> leho and it is said that after he had taken this leho, no more he`e appeared on the reef flats of this area.Lalamilo took
<br /> the leho home,cleaned it,and prepared himself a lure,which he kept a close watch over.He kept the lure in a container
<br /> and when he went out to the he`e fishing grounds he would retrieve the hire from the container and hold it in his hand.
<br /> Without delay,he`e would climb into his canoe and within a short time,he would be able to retrieve several hundred
<br /> with little effort.Lalamilo,however,noticed that when his lure was covered in the container,the he`e stopped climbing
<br /> into the canoe. Amazed at his catch, Lalamilo showed his wife Puako and mother Ne`ula, to which the latter
<br /> recommended that he take the lure and an offering of he`e to Piliamo`o, his grandmother. When Piliamo`o had seen
<br /> what Lalamilo had brought she explained to her grandson:
<br /> ...that this was no ordinary cowrie lure,but a god,the `onohi(favorite or cherished one)of Ha'aluea
<br /> the mysterious supernatural octopus being of the ocean depths.Ha`aluea and her family came from
<br /> Kane-hnna-moku(The hidden land of Kane)and settled at Makaiwa in the land of Kapa`a,Kauai.
<br /> Ha`aluea was the wife of the wind and ocean god Halulu-ko`ako'a, and grandmother of`Iwa-nui-
<br /> ktlou-moku(Great`Iwa the island catcher).(Maly 1999:30)
<br /> Piliamo`o consecrated the leho and the he`e,which it attracted and instructed Lalamilo to always bring the first
<br /> he`e that he caught to her as an offering.Having learned that her grandson had this magical lure,Piliamo`o instructed
<br /> Lalamilo to extinguish anyone who inquired about the lure.Because of its mystical powers,rumors about the cowrie
<br /> lure quickly spread throughout Hawaii and soon caught the ear of Pili-a-Ka'aiea,the chief of Kona,who had a great
<br /> love for octopus fishing.Pili-a-Ka'aiea sent messengers to inquire about the lure and each was killed by Lalamilo and
<br /> Piliamo`o. While engaged in a contest at Hinakahua, a playing field in Puapua`a, North Kona, the young and adept
<br /> Ka-Miki agreed to fetch the lure for Pili-a-Ka'aiea with the hopes of becoming the foremost favorite of the Kona chief.
<br /> One day,Lalamilo decided to visit his father Pu`u-hina`i,his sister Pu`u`iwa`iwa, and his grand-aunt Waikoloa,who
<br /> was the guardian of Pu`u`iwa`iwa.
<br /> Lalamilo arose and told his wife Puako, and his mother Ne'ula that he was going to the uplands to
<br /> visit his father, sister, and the people who worked the upland plantations. Lalamilo desired to eat
<br /> the sugar cane and bananas,and drink the awa which grew on the hill of Po`opoco.Po`opo`o was
<br /> also the name of a seer (makaula) who saw to the continued peaceful dwelling of the people.
<br /> Lalamilo placed the lure in Kanakanaka's gourd and secured it near the ridge pole of his house.
<br /> Lalamilo then asked Puako and Ne`ula to go and look after the gourd in which the `onohi(eyeball
<br /> or cherished possession)of Ha'aluea was kept. (Maly 1999:38)
<br /> Lalamilo left his home and headed for the settlements and agricultural lands of Pu`u-hina`i, however, as he got
<br /> closer to his intended destination,his thoughts became consumed by his precious lure.Unable to curb his thoughts,
<br /> Lalamilo returned to the coast without paying a visit to his father and sister. In the meantime,while Lalamilo was on
<br /> his journey to the uplands,the adept Ka-Miki traveled to Lalamilo's home and met with a man from the area,Niheu.
<br /> Ka-Miki inquired about the whereabouts of Lalamilo only to find that he was not at home. Ka-Miki gazed into the
<br /> home of Lalamilo and confirmed that it was unoccupied, however, a gourd container caught his eye and Ka-Miki
<br /> proceeded to fetch the container tucked away in the rafters of the house.Without incident,Ka-Miki lowered the gourd
<br /> and departed with the magical lure.
<br /> Because of his premonition,Lalamilo returned home to find that his prized leho had been stolen. Lalamilo then
<br /> went to visit his grandmother and upon seeing that her grandson had arrived empty-handed,she paid him no attention.
<br /> The saddened Lalamilo then called out in chant to his grandmother to inform her of the stolen lure. After hearing the
<br /> cries of her grandson, Piliamo`o commanded that Lalamilo retrieve a white rooster, awa from Po`opoco; an
<br /> `ahuluhulu fish;and a red malo(loincloth)before the setting of the sun.Lalamilo quickly retrieved all of the prescribed
<br /> items and returned to his grandmother's home which overlooked the shore of Kauna`oa.
<br /> Historic Properties Assessment Study Waiaka Bridge and Roadway Project,South Kohala,Hawaii 15
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