Hawaiian winds of O'ahu

[Sam Gon III]

OK, here goes!

Here are the names of the winds of O'ahu, from "The Wind Gourd of
La'amaomao" A very old story from the time of chief Keaweaumi, at
Kohala, Hawai'i. The amazing thing to me is that som many of the place
names and wind names have survived to today! We pick up the story as the
child Kuapaka attempts to delay the sailing of the canoe fleet of
Keaweaumi by blocking their way with his little canoe, and warning them
about a coming storm. They challenge his knowledge of the storms and
winds, and he, inheritor of the wind gourd of La'amaomao, replies by
chanting them the names of all of the winds of the islands! Here is the
O'ahu part. The men of the fleet have just told Kuapaka'a that the winds
of Hawai'i do not interest them, since they are making ready to sail to
O'ahu. Here is the reply:

"Since you will not acknowledge the winds of the Island of Hawai'i, here
in front of you is O'ahu, another windy land," said Kuapaka'a.
Kahikuokamoku replied: "Let's hear the names of the O'ahu winds."

Kuapaka'a chanted the winds of O'ahu:

There are our clouds, my father's and mine
Covering the mountains
The clouds rise with a sudden shower
The agitated winds blow
The source of the storm of the child
Kuaeho is at sea
>From the sea, the storm comes sweeping toward shore
The windward Ku'ilua wind churns up the sea
While you are fishing and sailing.
The 'Ihi'ihilauakea wind blows
'Tis the wind that blows inside Hanauma
A wind from the mountain that darkens the sea
'Tis the wind that tosses the kapa of Paukua
Pu'u o Kona is [the wind] of Kuli'ou'ou
Maua is the wind of Niu
Holo'uha is of Kekaha
Maunuunu is of Wai'alae
The wind of Leahi turns here and there
'Olauniu is of Kahaloa
Wai'oma'o is of Palolo
Kuehulepo is of Kahua
Kukalahale is of Honolulu
'Ao'aoa is of Mamala
'Olauniu is of Kapalama
Haupe'epe'e is of Kalihi
Komomona is of Kahauiki
Ho'e'o is of Moanalua
Moa'eku is of 'Ewaloa
Kehau is of Waiopua
Waikoloa is of Lihu'e
Kona is of Pu'uokapolei
Maunuunu is of Pu'uloa
Kaiaulu is of Wai'anae
Kumuma'oma'o is of Kamaile
Kumaipo is of Kualele
Kopiliehu is of Olopua
The wind of Ka'ena turns in two directions
Hinakokea is of Mokule'ia
The winds of Waialua blow
Moving silently at Ka'ena point
Pu'u ka'ala blows at Ka'ala
Kehau is of Kapo
The sea wind blows hard
Malualua comes from the northeast
Peapueo is of Kaunala
Ahamanu is of Kahuku
Lanakilia is of Hau'ula
Moa'e is of Punalu'u
'Ahiu is of Kahana
Holopali is of Ka'a'awa and Kualoa
Kiliua is of Waikane
Mololani is of Kua'a'ohe
Ulumano is of Kane'ohe
The wind is for Kaholoakeahole
Puahiohio is the upland wind of Nu'uanu
Malanai is of Kailua
Limu-li-pu'upu'u comes ashore at Waimanalo
'Alopali is of Pahonu
At Makapu'u the winds turn
The Kona winds turn, the Ko'olau winds turn
The winds will turn before you and find you
You will be overwhelmed, o unlistening ali'i
The winds will gather
The na'ena'e leaves will bend
You'll be swept ashore at 'Awawamalu
Caught in the fishing net of the head fisherman
Your thigh bone and upper arm bone
will be made into fishhooks
To catch pa'o'o and 'opakapaka
Your flesh will be without bones
The black crab, the shearwater will eat your remains
the life from the parents will be broken
Here I am, the 'aumakua kanaka
Listen to my life-giving words
Keawenuia'umi come ashore
for a storm is coming
When you sailed yesterday it was calm

After the winds of O'ahu had been named, the men were uncertain: they
didn't fully believe the child's words, yet they were afraid that the
words might be right, and that some of them might die at sea...

The story of the wind gourd of La'amaomao is amazing in its original
Hawaiian, because it uses metaphors that describe directly what death at
sea might be like for an ancient Hawaiian. What would you feel and
experience, adrift out on a stormy sea on a double-hulled canoe, as
warmth and life leave you? It is written in that story! More on that
later.

Aloha
--
Sam Gon III
Kapuaokaupe
[Kaupe is the kupua dog of Nu'uanu]
Here he is, swimming at Kapena:

/|/|
_ -@ @ \ .
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U \ -_ / /
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Dayle K. Turner]

Sam Gon III (sm...@aloha.net) writes:

: Here are the names of the winds of O'ahu... [snipped for brevity]

Mahalo for the info, Sam. I went to my map collection to try and locate
some of the unfamiliar place names, somewhich have probably not been used
for some time.

: The story of the wind gourd of La'amaomao is amazing in its original

: Hawaiian, because it uses metaphors that describe directly what death at
: sea might be like for an ancient Hawaiian. What would you feel and
: experience, adrift out on a stormy sea on a double-hulled canoe, as
: warmth and life leave you? It is written in that story! More on that
: later.

As always, look forward to reading one of your posts.

--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| Dayle K. Turner |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=| Leeward Community College |
| tur...@hawaii.edu |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=| Pearl City, Hawaii |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

[Christopher G. Hill]

In article <50e4fm$a...@mochi.lava.net>, Sam Gon III wrote:
[much good stuff omited...]

>'Tis the wind that tosses the kapa of Paukua
>Pu'u o Kona is [the wind] of Kuli'ou'ou

What an wonderful narative, Sam! I particularly enjoyed the above lines
since I just hiked Kuli`ou`ou ridge and the summit of Pu`u o Kona Monday.

The Ko`olau summit at that point is usually extremely windy and normally
makes the crossing to Pu`u o Kona quite dangerous, but this time it was
mild and cooling---enough so that I decided to follow the Ko`olau Summit
Trail from there to its junction with the Hawai`i Loa Ridge Trial (probably
not one of my more intelligent decisions, but it was just too nice a day
not to do something special). At the summit of the mountain just north of
Pu`u o Kona (I don't know its name---the one that dominates the upper north
side of Kuli`ou`ou valley), I watched a White-tailed Tropicbird sail up the
cliff face below me to stop and soar, motionless, less than twenty feet
from me.

While I let the adrenaline from the crossing subside (those who have
climbed to Pu`u o Kona and looked across---or worse, actually crossed---to
the next peak will understand), I watched the tropicbird slowly move away
from me and then let the wind take him over the crest and down along the
leeward side of the Ko`olau summit, to cruise the steep sides of upper
Kuli`ou`ou valley.

To me, these seabirds are a symbol of tropical paridise. Their long,
streaming, slender tails and snow white plumage, marked with bold black
slashes are both elegant and exotic. When I first moved here, they were the
birds I most wanted to see, and this was by far the best view I'd enjoyed
of the white-tailed variety.

So, my Hawaiian word of the day is Koa`e kea (Koa`e `ula is the Red-tailed
Tropicbird which can sometimes be seen by hiking the rim of Koko crater).
And the phrase of the day is ka pali lele koa`e (cliff where tropic birds
fly).

Christopher Hill
Aiea, Hawai`i (O`ahu)

[Sam Gon III]

Christopher G. Hill wrote:
>
> In article <50e4fm$a...@mochi.lava.net>, Sam Gon III wrote:
> [much good stuff omited...]

> >'Tis the wind that tosses the kapa of Paukua
> >Pu'u o Kona is [the wind] of Kuli'ou'ou
>

> What an wonderful narative, Sam! I particularly enjoyed the above lines
> since I just hiked Kuli`ou`ou ridge and the summit of Pu`u o Kona Monday.

Great! i haven't been there in years. I think it is great that the peak
shares the name of the wind of Kuli'ou'ou... That seems to be a pattern,
if you peruse the list of wind names, you will notice others that
correspond to peaks and streams...

> At the summit of the mountain just north of
> Pu`u o Kona (I don't know its name---the one that dominates the upper north
> side of Kuli`ou`ou valley)

Isn't it Lanipo? Kalama, e kokua mai ina a'ole pololei!

, I watched a White-tailed Tropicbird sail up the
> cliff face below me to stop and soar, motionless, less than twenty feet
> from me.

Ahh, and when they talk to you, that's when it's really fun. The koa'e
kea on the rim of Halema'uma'u at Kilauea (ka home mau o ka wahine kapu)
are particularly talkative!

> So, my Hawaiian word of the day is Koa`e kea (Koa`e `ula is the Red-tailed
> Tropicbird which can sometimes be seen by hiking the rim of Koko crater).
> And the phrase of the day is ka pali lele koa`e (cliff where tropic birds
> fly).

Great phrase, one that I like a lot. If you have the book "Islands of
Life" put out by The Nature Conservancy and coauthored by Gavan Daws &
myself about 1990, you'll find the phrase describing the cliffs of
Hamakua on the Big Island.

Aloha i na makani o na moku!
[Aloha in the winds of the islands]

[Nuni-Lyn Anders]

On 2 Sep 1996, Sam Gon III wrote:
> Here are the names of the winds of O'ahu...

Mahalo, Sam, for this post! The effort you put into sharing your
knowledge is amazing.

My favorite:

> Kumuma'oma'o is of Kamaile

I love this part:

> Your thigh bone and upper arm bone
> will be made into fishhooks

I find it interesting that these particular bones are specified.

> The story of the wind gourd of La'amaomao is amazing in its original
> Hawaiian, because it uses metaphors that describe directly what death at
> sea might be like for an ancient Hawaiian. What would you feel and
> experience, adrift out on a stormy sea on a double-hulled canoe, as
> warmth and life leave you? It is written in that story! More on that
> later.

Would love to hear about it.

Nuni

[Dayle Turner]

Sam Gon III (sm...@aloha.net) wrote:

: Christopher G. Hill wrote:
: > At the summit of the mountain just north of

: > Pu`u o Kona (I don't know its name---the one that dominates the upper north
: > side of Kuli`ou`ou valley)

: Isn't it Lanipo? Kalama, e kokua mai ina a'ole pololei!

I don't think Chris is referring to Lanipo, which is the next named ridge
along the Koolau spine, but is a considerable distance east of Kuliouou
Valley. I can picture the peak Chris refers to, but don't know its name
and my maps offer no answer.

I attempted the Kaluanui (aka Mariner's) ridge to Pu'u o Kona traverse
about two months back but turned back after half an hour when I caught up
to another hiker, his girlfriend, and their larger German shepherd. The
hiker expressed agitation (by his tone of voice and body language) that I
was in their space. Rather than risk a confrontation along a sometimes
precipitous rocky ridgeline, I turned back.

--DKT

: Dayle Kalama Turner |=|=|=| Leeward Community College :
: Language Arts Division |=|=|=| 96-045 Ala Ike :
: tur...@hawaii.edu |=|=|=| Pearl City, Hawaii 96782 :
: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~turner/ |=|=|=| Phone: (808) 455-0258 :

[Nathan P Yuen]

Sam Gon III (sm...@aloha.net) wrote:

: Great! i haven't been there in years. I think it is great that the peak
: shares the name of the wind of Kuli'ou'ou... That seems to be a pattern,

: if you peruse the list of wind names, you will notice others that
: correspond to peaks and streams...

Interesting... I didn't know that the names of mountain peaks often
correspond to the names of its winds and streams. Heck... I didn't even
know the winds had names until you told us Sam. Thanks!

: Great phrase, one that I like a lot. If you have the book "Islands of

: Life" put out by The Nature Conservancy and coauthored by Gavan Daws &
: myself about 1990, you'll find the phrase describing the cliffs of
: Hamakua on the Big Island.

<gasp!> You co-authored THAT book? Wow! Lau-lau! I love all the
fantastic photographs in that book. Hmmm... now where did I put it.
Alas... I packed up a lot of my books when moving and gotta rummage
through the closets to find 'em.

--
o o __ __
\ / ' ` Don't Tread on Me!
|/ / __ \
(` \ ' ' \ ' Nathan Yuen, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
\ \| | @_/ |
\ \ \ /--/ ny...@lava.net, ny...@aloha.net
` ___ ___ ___ __ '

[Sam Gon III]

Nathan P Yuen wrote:
> If you have the book "Islands of
> : Life" put out by The Nature Conservancy and coauthored by Gavan Daws &
> : myself about 1990, you'll find the phrase describing the cliffs of
> : Hamakua on the Big Island.
>
> <gasp!> You co-authored THAT book? Wow! Lau-lau! I love all the
> fantastic photographs in that book. Hmmm... now where did I put it.
> Alas... I packed up a lot of my books when moving and gotta rummage
> through the closets to find 'em.
>

Oh, well. Gavan says I authored the part that people read, which is the
captions of all the photographs. Considering how many photos there are,
we turned out writing about the same amount of material...

I really enjoyed that project!

Aloha

Sam Gon III
(once again on Braven Kalama's machine...)

[Sam Gon III]

Dayle K. Turner wrote:

: > The story of the wind gourd of La'amaomao is amazing in its original

: > Hawaiian, because it uses metaphors that describe directly what death at
: > sea might be like for an ancient Hawaiian. What would you feel and
: > experience, adrift out on a stormy sea on a double-hulled canoe, as
: > warmth and life leave you? It is written in that story! More on that
: > later.

: As always, look forward to reading one of your posts.

: --

OK, here we go...

In "The Wind-gourd of La'amaomao" much of the story occurs on the ocean,
and deals with imagery associated with the hazards of seafarers. An
ancient story, it alludes to what must have been a common occurrence:
death at sea from exposure to the elements or other hazards. It points
out that Hawaiians, as sea-worthy a people as any in the world, were not
immune to the hazards of the sea, whether sharks, storms, or being lost
on the open ocean expanses. The imagery is amazingly descriptive, and in
particular takes notice of subtle aspects of the human body as it
succumbs to exposure to the cold and wet. Even the ukus (head and body
lice) aren't neglected!

Here are some of the lines, arranged to make some sense (pulled from
several places in the long narrative) English only this time:

the eyes are blinded by sea-spray
the mouth of the shark gapes open to snatch you up
The waves crashing down on the unprepared canoe
The waves overwhelm and swamp your canoe
you desire is to right it
this rope is pulled, that rope is pulled
the forward pieces of the canoe snap off
the aft pieces of the canoe snap off
the steersmen are sundered
The breath is held, the hair is drenched
the hair is parted in the middle
rigid with fear and hollow
this is the day of death
the ocean gapes open
the louse-eggs are cold
the lice of the wrong-doers are drenched
slapping and pounding to keep the body limber
the teeth gnash as though angry, the hands become slow
chilled by the cold, the skin turns blue
the rain soaks from above, the sea below, the wind from all sides
the scrotum shrinks, the penis becomes a button
bowed head, trembling, bewildered, shivered
the body hair bristles
the body curls in the storm
the numbed body falls into the sea
He is dead, he has fallen into the sea
you'll return only in spirit-form to land
you'll come to rest on the shores of Hanauma
crabs will tread on your teeth
you'll be cut up with shark's teeth
your bones will be obtained for fishhooks
the thigh bones, the long arm bones...

yikes, its enough to keep me a landlubber!

In Hawaiian some of the word choices and phrasing are far more effective
than the English translation. So go to Borders or your favorite
bookstore and look for the two books (same story, one in Hawaiian and
one in English translation) The Wind-gourd of La'amaomao is the English
version, and Paka'a a me Ku-a-Paka'a is the title of the Hawaiian
version.

[Nathan Yuen]

In article <510krv$4...@mochi.lava.net>, sm...@aloha.net wrote:

: yikes, its enough to keep me a landlubber!

Yikes indeed.... very graphic description of what happens.

: In Hawaiian some of the word choices and phrasing are far more effective

: than the English translation. So go to Borders or your favorite
: bookstore and look for the two books (same story, one in Hawaiian and
: one in English translation) The Wind-gourd of La'amaomao is the English
: version, and Paka'a a me Ku-a-Paka'a is the title of the Hawaiian
: version.

How interesting Sam. Thanks for sharing your extensive knowledge with us.