nrv8n8, there is a description of Kihawahine as resembling the puhi uha, which is a mottled white, gray, and black eel, but the author says "much more darker" and that her skin is incomparably shiny. Something cannot be shiny unless it is smooth and reflects light. Therefore we have an additional clue in regards to what a moʻo looks like besides the description of Kamakau. She also appears as a young, very beautiful woman right after she dives in the water which surrounds the hale of the kahuna that cares for her. The story gives a detailed description of the ritual and the imu covered with a makaloa mat, while the walls of the hale built for her within one day of time with the help of Lonoapii's people is covered with kapa dyed with olena and mao. There is more to it, but I am now in the process of translating it. I would love to hear more about her lineage as I have accessed all that is available online (and I am very thorough), but hemahema in genealogy. Not my area of expertise. It is very heartening to follow this discussion since as I mentioned before, my thesis is on moʻo and I hope that my work will be of interest to others.
Yes, I'm not surprised about the puhi uha...here at Anaeho'omalu Bay, our sacred ponds and the main one which meets the ocean and has still old wood for a cage of holding is full with HUGE black eels...they have a special breeding and holding area in the pond. These ponds was built for visiting rivals Kings. When I was under 10 years old before the hotel there was ever built - when there was only the Rockerfeller hotel aka: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, we would take our visiting 'ohana from the mainland to this beach. It was deserted because not many people knew about this sandy beach with it's very very old coconut trees right at the shoreline - typical set up of a sanctuary setting for our Kohala Coastal beaches. But one of the old ponds were just behind the trees - it was ALWAYS so eerie and we were not allowed to go into that area. If you traveled north from the shoreline you would get to the main one that now has railings for sake of safety. In the beginning when tourist who stayed at the hotel went to that pond in curiosity - they had accidents and added the safety rails - not good to do such alter to a sacred site, but you know for sake of lawsuits they did that...GRRR...But anyway...HUGE black eels there at that particular pond but like I said, we were not allowed to be in that area to disturb the mana there. The energy because it was visited by rival Kings, was overwhelming. But the shoreline beach was just AWESOME. There is a story coming out of that area which talks about it today of the entity being seen still today but I think it has to do with a baby who either fell into the pond or was bred in the pond and you can hear the baby cry each night...KS preschool takes the kids to that area as part of one of their annual field trips...when I or my husband attends (unless someone here remembers the story...ah me I get my senior moments and here I have one of them...lol) I will remember to bring back the story to Maoliworld. But yeah the puhi is an understanding connection to this ONE particular pond...just looking at the multitude of HUGE black eels there is overwhelming and they just give people the creeps because of the way they behave down at that pond - it's like they are fighting like the rival Kings of the past.
Alohalani > HALE O KEAWE-A-HEULU aka: NAIHEJanuary 23, 2009 at 9:57am
Okay...when I go on that field trip before the end of the summer I'm going to see if I can video from my phone those HUGE eels and hopefully I can convert it to post it on Maoliworld...my phone storage is not huge for video so I won't be able to tape a lot of the area but I will do my best to give a view. SMILE.
I just found out some not so good news...KS will not do anymore field trips for the rest of the year because of budget cuts so we are not visiting the area. So I will have to make a trip down in that area - Maunalani. It's an hours drive from Kohala and will have to fit it into my schedule but not able to do it now because it's too windy to go down there - the walk area with handrails and the shoreline with off shore winds will be to unstable to walk a long the area for pictures. Right now with the weather being so on the chilly side with the snow on the mountains it is too windy and not safe at this time. I will wait until it gets warmer after the Spring. I'll keep you all posted.
Kainoahemolele > HALE O KEAWE-A-HEULU aka: NAIHEFebruary 16, 2009 at 5:17pm
Moʻo are have been connected to wearing the lei ʻāpiki, the name given to the ʻilima lei because it was believed to attract mischievous spirits. Kihawahine appears in the moʻolelo of Kihapiʻilani as a young woman wearing this lei on her head. Not sure if that is what you are looking for in terms of associations.
Yes...exactly, Mahalo Alohalani. I thought it was closely related to 'ilima because of what the chiefs mainly wore back then as an initial or given before any other lei ...mahalo for the confirmation. One of my 1st cousins, a Pa'a'ua married Naihe...her middle name is Pi'ilani and I know this is said to be the mother of Kihapi'ilani, and some mythology connection to Liloa in Hamakua then it connects to here in Kohala...Hawaii and Maui descendants.
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