THE PĀKUʻI OF OLD
In the ancient Kailua described by Samuel Keko‘owai’s “Makalei, ka Laau Pii Ona a ka I‘a,” the first konohiki of the restored fishpond of Kawainui is a man named Pāku‘i. Although he is initially a subordinate to Ahiki, Pāku‘i rises to his new post as a result of dedicated service, hard-earned lessons in kaulike, the ascension of Ahiki to hoa ali‘i status, and the Haumea-engineered return of harmony to the land and people of Kailua.
As Keko‘owai's mo‘olelo comes to a close, the once-slighted descendant of the goddess Haumea is adopted by Olomana (the ruling chief of the Ko‘olau districts) and named as Olomana's successor. In one of his first official acts, this descendant – the ‘ehu-haired boy named Kahinihini‘ula – appoints Pāku‘i as konohiki, honors him with oversight of the fish-attracting branch by which Kahinihini has drawn the fish swarms back to Kawainui, and instructs him in the preparation and serving of these fish at the wedding feast that will celebrate the return of pono relationships to their ‘āina.
Of particular note here is Kahinihini's reminder to Pāku‘i that the kānaka – the subjects, the workers, the commoners of Kailua – should be fed first since they are the mole (the taproot, the foundation) on which the ali‘i are supported. Failure to acknowledge this precept is, indeed, what first sets Keko‘owai's story in motion.
“E ka luna aina o ke alii, i keia la ke hoolilo nei au ia oe i konohiki nui ... a i hooiaio no kuu olelo ia oe, ke waiho nei au me oe ia Makalei ka laau i ona a ka i‘a ... O ka i‘a a pau e paa mai la i ka upena ka ae a pau i kula kahea aku i kou alo kanaka e kii mai a hoihoi aku e hoomakaukau no ka papaaina a na ‘lii hoao. Hanai mua aku i na kanaka i paa ka houpo, aia i ka mole ka papaaina a na lii.”
Kahinihini to Pāku‘i: “O land-steward of the chief, today I am naming you to the position of konohiki nui ... and in verification of this appointment I am leaving with you the fishing-attracting Mākālei branch... All of the fish that are caught in nets, throw them in baskets and have your people prepare them for the wedding feast of our ali‘i. But feed the kānaka first for they are the foundation on which rests the eating mat of the chiefs.”
(Samuel Keko‘owai, “Makalei ka Laau Pii Ona a ka I’a ...” Nupepa Kuokoa, January 10, 1924.)
As Keko‘owai's mo‘olelo comes to a close, the once-slighted descendant of the goddess Haumea is adopted by Olomana (the ruling chief of the Ko‘olau districts) and named as Olomana's successor. In one of his first official acts, this descendant – the ‘ehu-haired boy named Kahinihini‘ula – appoints Pāku‘i as konohiki, honors him with oversight of the fish-attracting branch by which Kahinihini has drawn the fish swarms back to Kawainui, and instructs him in the preparation and serving of these fish at the wedding feast that will celebrate the return of pono relationships to their ‘āina.
Of particular note here is Kahinihini's reminder to Pāku‘i that the kānaka – the subjects, the workers, the commoners of Kailua – should be fed first since they are the mole (the taproot, the foundation) on which the ali‘i are supported. Failure to acknowledge this precept is, indeed, what first sets Keko‘owai's story in motion.
“E ka luna aina o ke alii, i keia la ke hoolilo nei au ia oe i konohiki nui ... a i hooiaio no kuu olelo ia oe, ke waiho nei au me oe ia Makalei ka laau i ona a ka i‘a ... O ka i‘a a pau e paa mai la i ka upena ka ae a pau i kula kahea aku i kou alo kanaka e kii mai a hoihoi aku e hoomakaukau no ka papaaina a na ‘lii hoao. Hanai mua aku i na kanaka i paa ka houpo, aia i ka mole ka papaaina a na lii.”
Kahinihini to Pāku‘i: “O land-steward of the chief, today I am naming you to the position of konohiki nui ... and in verification of this appointment I am leaving with you the fishing-attracting Mākālei branch... All of the fish that are caught in nets, throw them in baskets and have your people prepare them for the wedding feast of our ali‘i. But feed the kānaka first for they are the foundation on which rests the eating mat of the chiefs.”
(Samuel Keko‘owai, “Makalei ka Laau Pii Ona a ka I’a ...” Nupepa Kuokoa, January 10, 1924.)
Ka Pāku‘i Hou: The New Pāku‘i
A grant from the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation in 2015 allowed Hika‘alani to hire Kaleomanu‘iwa Wong as Pāku‘i Hou, the 21st century guardian-keeper-caretaker of Kawainui. Formerly an O‘ahu Army Natural Resource Program Coordinator with 15 years of conservation experience in the Wai‘anae and Northern Koʻolau mountains, Kaleo is now responsible for managing our Department of State Parks curatorship responsibilities at Ulupō, for conducting ‘āina restoration and education programs at Ulupō Nui, for running our second Saturday community workdays at Ulupō Nui, for designing and implementing project Pili Mai, and for overseeing the soon-to-be built burial preserve at Wai'auia.
Kaleo is also no stranger to supporters of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Mālama Hōnua Worldwide Voyage, the Hōkūle‘a, and the Hikianalia. He was tasked with navigating Hōkūle‘a from Aotearoa to Australia in May 2015, with captaining the Hikianalia to Nihoa in June 2015, with captaining the Hikianalia to Kailua and He‘eia in October 2015, with navigating the Hōkūle'a across the Atlantic Ocean in April 2016, with sailing her up the east coast of Turtle Island in July 2016, and with taking her from Rapa Nui to Tahiti in April of 2017. He was named to the 2017-18 Papa Mau cohort of the First Nations Future Project. And he received a Masters Degree in Hawaiian Language from UH Mānoa in June of 2018. Photos and stories of his many activities can be found on the Hikaʻalani facebook, on Instragram at @uluponui, and on the Activities page of this website.
Contact Kaleo at kaleomanuiwa@gmail.com to learn more about how to get involved in our Hawaiian culture- and ʻāina-based activities at Ulupō Nui.
Kaleo is also no stranger to supporters of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Mālama Hōnua Worldwide Voyage, the Hōkūle‘a, and the Hikianalia. He was tasked with navigating Hōkūle‘a from Aotearoa to Australia in May 2015, with captaining the Hikianalia to Nihoa in June 2015, with captaining the Hikianalia to Kailua and He‘eia in October 2015, with navigating the Hōkūle'a across the Atlantic Ocean in April 2016, with sailing her up the east coast of Turtle Island in July 2016, and with taking her from Rapa Nui to Tahiti in April of 2017. He was named to the 2017-18 Papa Mau cohort of the First Nations Future Project. And he received a Masters Degree in Hawaiian Language from UH Mānoa in June of 2018. Photos and stories of his many activities can be found on the Hikaʻalani facebook, on Instragram at @uluponui, and on the Activities page of this website.
Contact Kaleo at kaleomanuiwa@gmail.com to learn more about how to get involved in our Hawaiian culture- and ʻāina-based activities at Ulupō Nui.
