The second legendary owl locality is found near the foot of Punchbowl
Hill. [30]
Honolulu as the name of even a village was not known. Apparently there
were very few people living along the watercourse coming down Nuuanu
Valley. It may have been that even Kou, (the ancient name for
Honolulu,) had not been heard. At any rate, the seacoast was a place of
growing rushes and nesting birds. A dry heated plain almost entirely
destitute of trees extended up to the foothills. Taro patches and
little groves of various kinds of trees bordered each watercourse. The
population was small and widely scattered. There was a legend of a band
of robbers which infested this region. It was almost a “desolate
place.”
Down Pauoa Valley dashes a stream of beautiful clear water. This passes
along the eastern edge of a small extinct crater known as Punchbowl
Hill, whose ancient name was Puu-o-wai-na. The water from this stream
was easily diverted into choice taro patch land. Here not far from the
upper end of Fort Street at Kahehuna lived a man by the name of Kapoi.
His grass house was decaying. The thatch was falling to pieces. It was
becoming a poor shelter from the storms which so frequently swept down
the valley. Kapoi went to the Kewalo marsh near the beach, where tall
pili grass was growing, to get a bundle of the grass to use for
thatching. He found a nest of owl’s eggs. He took up his bundle of
grass and nest of eggs and returned home.
In the evening he prepared to cook the eggs. With his fire-sticks he
had made a fire in his small imu, or oven. An owl flew down and sat on
the wall by the gate. Kapoi had almost finished wrapping the eggs in ti
leaves and was about to lay them on the hot stones when the owl called
to him: “O Kapoi! Give me my eggs.”
Kapoi said, “How many eggs belong to you?”
The owl replied, “I have seven eggs.”
Then Kapoi said, “I am cooking these eggs for I have no fish.”
The owl pleaded once more: “O Kapoi! Give me back my eggs.”
“But,” said Kapoi, “I am already wrapping them for cooking.”
Then the owl said: “O Kapoi! You are heartless, and you have no sorrow
for me if you do not give back my eggs.”
Kapoi was touched, and said, “Come and get your eggs.”
Because of this kindness the owl became Kapoi’s god, and commanded him
to build a heiau (temple) and make a raised place and an altar for
sacrifice. The name of the place where he was to build his temple was
Manoa. Here he built his temple. He laid a sacrifice and some bananas
on the altar, established the day for the tabu to begin and the day
also when the tabu should be lifted.
This was talked about by the people. By and by the high chief heard
that a man had built a temple for his god, had made it tabu and had
lifted the tabu.
Kakuhihewa was living at Waikiki. He was the king after whom the island
Oahu was named Oahu-a-Kakuhihewa (The Oahu of Kakuhihewa). This was the
especial name of Oahu for centuries. Kakuhihewa encouraged sports and
games, and agriculture and fishing. His house was so large that its
dimensions have come down in the legends, about 250 x 100 feet.
Kakuhihewa was kind, and yet this offence of Kapoi was serious in the
eyes of the people in view of their ancient customs and ideas.
Kakuhihewa had made a law for his temple which he was building at
Waikiki. He had established his tabu over all the people and had made
the decree that, if any chief or man should build a temple with a tabu
on it and should lift that tabu before the tabu on the king’s temple
should be over, that chief or man should pay the penalty of death as a
rebel.
This king sent out his servants and captured Kapoi. They brought him to
Waikiki and placed him in the king’s heiau Kapalaha. He was to be
killed and offered in sacrifice to the offended god of the king’s
temple.