There are three celebrated “owl” localities in the suburbs of Honolulu,
one in Manoa Valley, the second near the foot of Punchbowl Hill, and
one at Waikiki.
In Manoa the owl-god lived, and at Waikiki the famous “battle of the
owls” was fought.
Manoa Valley is one of the most beautiful rainbow valleys in the world.
The highest peaks of the island of Oahu are near the head of the
valley. The winds which blow down the Pacific Ocean from the northeast
strike these mountain-tops. Each cool breeze leaves its burden of
moisture in a fleecy cloud to fall down the mountain-side into the
valley. So cloud follows cloud, descending the slopes of the foothills
in gentle rain.
Almost all day long the valley is open to the sun, which, looking on
the luxuriant verdure and clinging mist, sends its abundant blessing of
penetrating light. Rainbows upon rainbows are painted on the steep
precipices at the head of the valley. There are arches and double
arches of exquisite beauty, smashed fragments of scattered color, broad
pillars of glorious fire blazing around green branches of ghost-like
trees, great bands of opal hues lying in magnificent masses on the
hillside, and lunar rainbows almost circular outlined in soft prismatic
shades in the time of the full moon.
When showers creep down the valley one by one, rainbows also chase each
other in matchless symmetry of quiet, graceful motion. Sometimes the
mist in the doorway of the valley has become so ethereal that splendid
arches hang in the apparently clear sky without cloud support.
It is no wonder that from time immemorial the Hawaiians have made the
valley the home of royal chiefs, with the rainbow-maiden as their
daughter. The story of this child of the skies is told in the legend
Ka-hala-o-Puna (The sweet-scented hala-flower of Puna). Woven into this
legend is also the legend of the owl-god of the family to which this
maiden belonged, for his home as well as hers was in Manoa Valley.
Almost in the middle of the valley is a hill on which many years ago a
temple was built and dedicated as the home of the owl-god Pueo. The
hill now bears the name “Pu-u” (hill), “Pueo” (owl)—“Puu-pueo,” or “The
hill of the owl.”
It was from this temple that the owl-god rescued the rainbow-maiden
three times when she had been thrice killed and buried by her faithless
suitor, a chief of Waikiki.
Ka-hala (the hala flower) had followed this chief almost to the lower
end of the valley, but she became weary. The angry chief struck her
with a bunch of hala nuts, killed her, and buried her under a mass of
leaves and dirt near the spot called Aihualama. Pueo, the owl-god, had
carefully watched the journey of this one of his people. When he saw
her struck down he hastened to the spot swiftly, dashed aside the dirt,
pulled out the body, and carried it in his claws back to the head of
the valley, where by charms and incantations he healed her wounded head
and restored her to life. Soon her beauty came back to her and
surrounded her so that she walked as if encompassed with rainbows.
Again the Waikiki chief, to whom she had been affianced by her parents,
came after her. Again he became angry because she grew weary in the new
way by which he led over a high ridge dividing Manoa from a neighboring
valley.
A second time he seized a bunch of hala nuts swinging on their long
stems, and with this as a club struck her on the head, killing her. He
covered the body with ferns and vines and went away. The watching
owl-god took the body tenderly, cared for it, and restored it to life.
Once more the radiance of a divine chiefess rested in rainbows around
the girl and her Manoa Valley home.
The third time the chief called for her she obeyed with trembling, and
followed him up the almost precipitous sides of Manoa Valley, over
ridges, across valleys and turbulent streams until they came to the
ridge by the Waolani Temple in Nuuanu Valley. There he killed her and
buried her. But Pueo scratched away the leaves and dirt, and again gave
her life.
At the head of Manoa Valley are many waterfalls pouring down the
precipices. The longer and most feathery of these falls are said to be
the tears of Ka-hala as she suffered from the attacks of the faithless
chief of Waikiki.
Pueo, the owl-god, was also Pueo-alii, or “king of owls.” He had
kahunas (priests) who consulted him by signs, and the aumakuas, or
ghost gods, sometimes in oracles. He was thought to be a chief leading
his army of ghosts along the hillside below the Puuhonua Temple. [28]
From his own residence on Owl’s Hill he governed all the valley,
apparently with much wisdom. It was said that one of the natives in the
valley displeased him. He captured the man and at once ordered the
death penalty, calling him a rebel. The man secured the attention of
the owl-god for a moment, and presented the plea that he ought to be
permitted to say something for himself before he was punished. This
seemed reasonable. The execution was delayed; the man proved that he
was innocent of the charge against him. The owl-god established a law
that a person must be proved guilty before he could be condemned and
punished. This came to be a custom among the Hawaiians as the years
passed by.
The legends say that the fairy people, the Menehunes, built a temple
and a fort a little farther up the valley above Puu-pueo, at a place
called Kukaoo, where even now a spreading hau-tree shelters under its
branches the remaining walls and scattered stones of the Kukaoo Temple.
It is a very ancient and very noted temple site. Some people say that
the owl-god and the fairies became enemies and waged bitter war against
each other. At last the owl-god beat the drum of the owl clan and
called the owl-gods from Kauai to give him aid.
They flew across the channel in a great cloud and reinforced the
owl-god. Then came a fierce struggle between the owls and the little
people. The fort and the temple were captured and the Menehunes driven
out of the valley. [29]