THE DISPUTE BETWEEN KAKUHIHEWA AND LONOIKAMAKAHIKI ABOUT HAUNA.
The dispute between the king of Oahu and the king of Hawaii which ended
in a contest, spoken of in this chapter, was the last one engaged in by
the two, after which Lonoikamakahiki and Kaikilani returned together to
Hawaii.
The cause of this dispute was entirely about Hauna. It came about in
this wise: After Lonoikamakahiki had acquired Oahu through their former
contests, Kakuhihewa begged of Lonoikamakahiki to restore to him the
island of Oahu, going about it in a way as though he still owned the
island, saying: “Say, King of Hawaii, I think you had better restore
back to me the lands you have won and let our former wagers be done
away with. I think you ought to propose another contest between us, and
in case you should beat me in the new contest then the whole of Oahu
shall be yours, including the men of high rank and those of the low
rank.”
This request for a new contest, made by Kakuhihewa, was really the wish
of Lanahuimihaku and his companion, for they had heard the remark made
by Lonoikamakahiki that they would be put to death by being cut to
pieces. This is the reason why Lanahuimihaku and his companion had
urged Kakuhihewa to beg of Lonoikamakahiki for a new contest. To this
request made by Kakuhihewa, Lonoikamakahiki did not give a subject for
their contest.
Shortly after this, however, Lonoikamakahiki took up his calabash,
which contained his personal effects as well as other things, and
placed it in front of him, and then said to Kakuhihewa: “Say, King of
Oahu, this calabash is filled with the bones of the chiefs who were
killed in the battle on the top of Puumaneo, because there were six
district chiefs that were slain by my father and their bones are in
this calabash.”
Kakuhihewa upon hearing this said: “How you deceive! Who has taught you
that that calabash could ever hold the bones of six chiefs?”
Lonoikamakahiki said: “I say it. Tomorrow my foster-father Hauna will
arrive and he will tell you people about the matter.” Kakuhihewa then
said to him: “And who has brought you word that Hauna is to arrive
tomorrow?” Lonoikamakahiki replied: “I, myself, say so because of my
knowledge.” Kakuhihewa then asked of Lanahuimihaku and his companion:
“Say, are the words spoken by the king of Hawaii true, that he can see
the future and that Hauna is to arrive tomorrow?” Lanahuimihaku
replied: “It is a lie; he has no knowledge of the future. We were the
two men who were able to tell him of the future from the time of his
father, and this Hauna, who is living on Hawaii, and the attendant whom
he killed when we were out fishing were the only men who could tell of
the future; but the king there knows nothing at all about the matter.”
Kakuhihewa then again asked: “Is it true that Hauna is going to arrive
here tomorrow?” Lanahuimihaku and his companion replied: “It is not
true. Make a wager with him.”
Kakuhihewa then said to Lonoikamakahiki: “Say, King of Hawaii, since we
have at last found a subject for another contest—the matter of the
arrival of Hauna tomorrow—let us, therefore, have one.” Lonoikamakahiki
replied: “What have you to offer as your wager? A good contest can only
be made when one has something to place as a wager.” Kakuhihewa said:
“Why not let Oahu be offered as against Hawaii?” Lonoikamakahiki made
answer: “When you know that I have already won Oahu you come and again
offer it for a wager.” Kakuhihewa said: “You must put away such
thoughts, King of Hawaii. It was the small Oahu that we wagered before,
and large Oahu is still my own.” Lonoikamakahiki then replied: “It is
well, then. The stakes are the island districts. Oahu containing six
districts and Hawaii also containing six.” After this bet was made and
agreed on, that night Hauna arrived in Kailua, and so the next morning
Lonoikamakahiki said to Kakuhihewa: “Hauna has arrived on Oahu.”
When Kakuhihewa heard these words from Lonoikamakahiki, he sent out his
messenger, Kuleonui, a man famous for being a very fast runner, and
told him: “You must go around Oahu and look for Hauna. When you find
him, kill him, and seize all his property, so that we may be able to
defeat the king of Hawaii.” At this Kuleonui started on his trip around
the island of Oahu; but he was unable to find Hauna. He therefore
returned and reported to Kakuhihewa, saying: “I have made a circuit of
Oahu but was unable to find Hauna. He has not arrived even, nor is
there a canoe to be seen at sea coming this way, nor is there one
hauled up on the shore; none at all.” At this Kakuhihewa began to think
that he would beat Lonoikamakahiki. Kakuhihewa then went to
Lonoikamakahiki and again asked him: “Has Hauna arrived?”
Lonoikamakahiki replied: “He has arrived.”
When Kakuhihewa heard this from Lonoikamakahiki, he again sent Kuleonui
to make another circuit of Oahu. Again Kuleonui started out and
returned to the king to whom he reported, saying: “I have not found
him. He has not even arrived,” repeating what he said at the other
time.
But, on the first circuit made by Kuleonui on that day, Hauna had
already arrived in Kailua and was playing konane with a couple of women
when Kuleonui came by, and was recognized by Hauna as a person out
looking for some one, by the way he was glancing around. By this, Hauna
knew that Kuleonui was a messenger and was able to conceal his identity
and was in this way missed by the sharp eyes of the messenger of
Kakuhihewa.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT HAUNA.
While Hauna was living on Hawaii he thought he would come in search of
Lonoikamakahiki, so he therefore made ready his personal effects and
placed them in his canoes. The chief articles of value that Hauna
placed on the canoes, however, were a large number of feather cloaks.
The canoes were loaded from stem to stern with these articles. These
were the only things in the canoes.
On this voyage from Hawaii he made land at Kailua, where he saw a
couple of women playing konane with their husbands. When Hauna saw the
game he knew at once by the position of the stones that the men were
beaten, so he said to the women: “You two are beaten, providing I was
to play you women. I know I can beat you two.” The women replied: “Here
is the konane board, go ahead and play.” Hauna said: “Let us delay the
game for a while until the messenger of Kakuhihewa passes by; after he
passes we will continue with the game. We must, however, cover up the
board with a piece of kapa; after that we can discuss as to our wagers,
and when that is settled we will begin.”
After Kuleonui had passed the place the bet was discussed and agreed on
in the following manner: the women said to Hauna: “We have nothing to
offer on our side excepting ourselves. If you beat us in this present
unfinished game you can take us as your property.” Hauna then said: “I
have two double canoes filled with things that are valuable; the chief
articles of value on the canoes, however, are a large number of feather
cloaks. If you two beat me, you two shall have the goods in the canoes
together with the men on board.” The women replied: “It is a bet.”
Hauna then said: “Let me make the first move.”
It was a fact that before the game was continued, and before the bets
were settled and the board covered with the piece of kapa, Hauna knew
very well that he was beaten; but upon seeing Kuleonui it gave him an
excuse to propose that the board be covered over until the messenger of
Kakuhihewa passed by. According to his request the board was covered
over. But when the kapa was removed, in order to continue the game,
Hauna caught up some of the stones which gave the women the best
advantage with the kapa. Hauna then made the first move and after a few
more moves the women were beaten. At this he said: “I have won you
two.” The women replied: “We have husbands of our own and we cannot see
how we can straighten out this difficulty.” The husbands of the two
women replied: “You two had better not consider us, because you made
your own bet and have lost it yourselves.” The husbands then said to
Hauna: “You can take the women as your own property, for you have won
them; they were not staked by others; they made the bet themselves.”
Because of this Hauna took the women and tied them together with a loin
cloth and led them to the place where the canoes were lying. Because
these women were led by Hauna, the place where this act took place was
given the name of Kaohao and it so remains to this day. The place is in
Kailua, Koolaupoko, Oahu.
The women were taken by Hauna to the canoes where he said to one of
them: “This canoe shall be yours with everything in it from stem to
stern, including the men. The men shall be your servants; they are not
for you to sleep with.” And as he had spoken to her, so in like manner
he spoke to the second woman. He then left the women and proceeded to
meet Lonoikamakahiki.