Before the introduction of foreign foods, Hawaiians recognized two main
classes of food: 'ai, or vegetable food, particularly taro and poi, but also
sweet potato, breadfruit, yam and other produce of the land; and i'a, or
seafood. While pig, dog, chicken and wild birds were eaten, and might also
be called i'a (meat), fish was the main source of protein. Seafood was eaten
live, raw, baked, broiled, dried and fermented. The word "ono," or
delicious, describes the wide variety of seafood that pleased the palate.

With a knowledge of fishing areas and seasons, and an array of implements
that included hooks and lines, lures, nets, basket traps, poisonous plants
and spears, a fisher supplied his family or his ali'i with fish and
shellfish from streams, fishponds, reefs and ocean.

Sometimes the catch was so huge, fish could be fed to the pigs and dogs,
with some left over to dry as food or fuel for fire. Some was left to rot.

Those fishers that could supply large amounts of fish from ponds or catches
at sea were believed to possess mana kupua, or supernatural powers, to
attract fish at will or make them multiply. Successful fishing implements,
such as hooks or cowry shell lures, became famous and were prized, passed on
to heirs and sometimes fought over.

The great fishers of ancient times were known for their abilities to bring
in extraordinary catches and for their victories over adversaries, including
supernatural eel (puhi), octopus (he'e) and shark (mano).

Two of the most famous fishers were Ku'ula-kai, who, along with his wife,
Hina-puku-i'a, became deified and worshiped as 'aumakua of fishing because
of their power over fish; and their son, 'Ai'ai, who traveled around the
islands establishing fishing grounds and shrines and teaching the people how
to catch fish.

Other notable fishers included 'Ai'ai's son, Puniaiki, and the ali'i
Nihooleki, who possessed pearl-shell aku lures (pa hi aku) that could bring
in canoe- loads of fish; Puniakai'a, an ali'i of Kaneohe noted for his
friendship with Uhumaka'ika'i, a parrot fish who was the parent of all fish
and who could draw fish to shore from all directions; and the mo'o woman
Kalamainu'u, who learned from 'ounauna (hermit crab) how to make and bait
hina'i hinalea, a basket trap for catching hinalea.

The fishing 'aumakua Ku'ula-kai and Hina-puku-i-'a and their son, 'Ai'ai,
were known not just for fishing but also for propagating and conserving
fish. 'Ai'ai punished the wanton fishing of 'o'opu and 'opae in Wailau,
Molokai, by getting his parents to use their supernatural powers to take
away the catch. The ali'i of Hawaii used kapu to prevent the people from
overfishing an area or from fishing during spawning season. Hau tree
branches indicated a kapu against shore fishing along a stretch of beach.

An important fishing kapu concerned the 'opelu and the ahi, two highly
prized fish caught in great numbers in Hawaiian waters. 'Opelu was netted
from July through January. 'Opelu was placed under kapu in February until
the end of its spawning season, around July.

The kapu on aku was lifted in February at the end of the Makahiki, the
annual four-month-long harvest festival. Aku was taken by trolling with
lures through midsummer during the period when 'opelu was kapu. Aku was
placed under kapu in July, when the 'opelu was lifted and it could be caught
and eaten again.

The exact dates of the kapu were at the discretion of the fishing experts
and priests. This kapu had religious sanction - both fish were sacred to the
descendants of Pa'ao, a high priest, because the aku and 'opelu saved him
from storms sent by his brother, Lonopele, during a voyage from the South
Pacific to Hawaii. The kapu protected these fish from overfishing and from
being killed during their spawning seasons, and hence ensured their
survival. Breaking the kapu could result in death.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council will hold a public workshop
to inform fishermen about ACLs (annual catch limits), which aim to regulate
the catch and maintain federal fisheries at a sustainable level, and the
Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Come and learn how these federal issues relate to Hawaii fishermen and how
they may affect the Hawaii commercial fisheries, and what you can do to
improve management.

The Maui meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. in
Kahului at the Maui Waena Intermediate School cafeteria at 795 Onehee
Avenue.

Source:
<http://www.lahainanews.com/page/content.detail/id/508598/Hawaiian-fis...
raditions.html?nav=21> Lahaina News

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