Kiaʻi pō [Guardians from the distant past]

I kekahi manawa ma kuu nohona i ke ao nei, kau mai la nā hoailona o na kiaʻi mai ka po mai, ke hoopakele a hoopalekana mai i aʻu i ka manawa puumake noʻu. I aʻu i holoholo hookahi wale nō i uka a i kai, ʻike pono ua mālama ʻia e kuʻu mau kiaʻi o ka pō. No ka mea, ua pale i aʻu i kuʻu hana makaʻu hūpō, a ua ola pipī hoʻi au me ko lākou kokua wale nō. At times during my life in this world, signs have come of the guardians from the deep past, that rescue and guard me in times of dire peril. When I travel alone in the uplands or by the sea, I know well I am cared for by these ancient watchers. Because, they shield me in my foolish unsafe doings, and I have barely survived only through their help. E piliwi ʻoe i kou makemake, eia hookahi wahi moolelo, he hoike ano wale. Believe as you will, here is a little story, by way of example. I kekahi manawa, ua noho kahua makou i ke kai o Kona Hema, i Pāpā. Auana wale au i kahakai, o ke kai papali keia, kai kū`ono, kai `opihi! I ke kai a maloo, hoowaiho na pokahu ohelohelo haʻakea, pō i nā ʻopihi. Ua malie ke kai, a i kahi kipoho ano nui, puni i ka pali, ua nana au i na opihi me ka manao e hele ihona i na pali, e kii i kekahi. Ua nānā mākaʻi au i ka moana, ua mālie, nalu ʻole. Kaino he hana maluhia ka ihona, oiai holo hookahi wale au, a ua maopopo pono ʻole na hoaaloha i hea au i auana ai... One time, we were camping at the sea in South Kona, at Pāpā. I was wandering along shore, a seaside of small cliffs, embayments, and opihi! At low tide, the pale pink boulders were exposed, covered with opihi. The sea was calm, and at a rather large embayment, surrounded by cliffs, I looked at the opihi, with the thought to go down the cliff and fetch some. I carefully inspected the ocean, it was calm, waveless. I supposed it was safe to go down, though I was traveling alone, and my friends didnʻt know where I was wandering... No laila ua hele iho au i kela pali me ka nihi pono, a hiki i ka ae kai, kai pii a iho i ka malie, a ua koho malie i kahi opihi, a ua kuʻi au i ka opihi me kuu manamana lima nui, a ua loaʻa me ka ʻiʻī ʻole. No laila ua mahalo au i Kanaloa, a ua kiola au i kela opihi mua, hoʻi i ke kai. A laila au i koho hou i kahi opihi, a kuʻi a loaʻa maalahi, a ua ʻai i keia ʻopihi, mea ʻono loa! So I went down that cliff, with great care, and reached the edge of the sea, the sea rose and fell calmly, and I chose leisurely an opihi, and knocked it with my thumb, and got it with no problem extracting it. Then I thanked kanaloa and tossed that first opihi, returning it to the sea. Then I chose another opihi, and knocked it easily, and ate this opihi, such a delicious one! Me ka malie au i pii i luna o kela kuʻono liʻiliʻi, a hoʻi hou i ka lihi o ia kipoho, ma hope o ekolu minuke paha ka piina a hiki i laila. Ua huli aku au i ke kai, a i aʻu i hele elima kapuaʻi paha, o ke kani kanono ma hope nō ia, a ua malu au i ke kai pahū i lewa luna, a paʻūpaʻū i aʻu i ke kai me ka ʻemo ʻole! Slowly I cimbed up that small embayment, and returned again to the edge of the cove, after three minutes maybe of climbing to get there. I turned from the sea and took maybe five steps, when there was an explosion of sound behind, and I was shaded by seawater shooting high above, then immediately completely drenched with seawater! Ua kūnāhihi hoʻi au, me ka waha alualu, a o ka hoʻi nō ia i ka lihi pali kai, a ma loko i kela kipoho iki ke kai leo nui kuʻi wale i ka huʻahuʻa, kai alai i na pohaku naʻu i kuʻi opihi i ka manawa mua wale. Ina ua poʻi au i laila i aʻu i kuʻi ʻopihi ai, ina ua pepehi a make no! Aole loa i loaa i kuu kino paha... I stood shocked indeed, with mouth slack, and returned to the edge of the seacliff, and within that little bay was a loud-voiced ocean rough with seafoam, hiding the boulders where I picked opihi just before. If I was hit there while picking opihi, I would be smashed and killed indeed! And my body maybe never found... Ua hoomanao au i kuu hana mahalo ia Kanaloa a me ka hookupu o ka opihi mua, a ua kamauli hou i kuu mau kiaʻi, i kāohi aku i ka nalu nui, i ka auana hawawa wale o keia pulapula hūpō i kela wahi makaʻuloa; hookuu wale i ka pakele pono oʻu. I recalled my act of thanking Kanaloa and offering the first opihi, and I thanked again all my guardians, who had held off the large waves while their stupid descendant was blundering mindless about in that dangerous place; releasing [the waves] only after I was safely away. a no laila kuu hookupu pono no na aumakua! And for that the aumakua receive my offerings! ʻOhu

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Kawehiokalaninui-I-iamamao Kanui March 20, 2008 at 10:54pm

Aloha E Kia'i Po,

Wow, thanks for the story and the way you did it...in Hawaiian and in English. Thank You for sharing that wonderful story that showed you are a good man with a brain...to honor our ancestors and showing respect.

My story is in English...an opihi story. Not like yours but the message was the same, learned the hard way.
My brother was doing the same thing in Hilo down Wa'awa'a and while picking opihi he did throw back the first opihi and continued to pick opihi. Like you, we didn't know where he went to and assumed he would be careful. All of a sudden the waves started picking up and pulled him from the rock into the abyss of the ocean. According to him, he thought he was going to die while struggling for dear life. Finally he got to the shore, without his full bag of opihi. He was thankful for not getting killed and walked back to the rock he began on and found his bag of opihi's still tied. He went to look for the big opihi he got off the rock before getting pulled down...it was gone. He thanked Keakua for saving him and never went picking opihi again.

My brother was not conscious about his surroundings and picked the biggest opihi he ever seen and lost it.

Thank you for sharing,

Kawehi.
- ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa > Kawehiokalaninui-I-iamamao Kanui April 5, 2008 at 6:28am
  
  That reminds me not only to give the first opihi, but also the largest one if I have more than one! Mahalo for your story of your brother.
  ʻOhu

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Spiritual World

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