Wā ‘Elua

Nehu
Ke Keiki

Hānau ka ‘Ehu,

hānau ka Nehu i ke kai lā holo

Second Epic

Nehu
The Child

The ‘Ehu gives birth,

the Nehu gives birth in the sea swimming

He Ka‘ao No Kihapi‘ilani

Ha‘i hou ‘ia e Keonaona Kapuni-Reynolds

No Maui kēia kanaka ‘o Kihapi‘ilani. ‘O Lonoapi‘i ka mua, he kāne ia, ‘o Pi‘ikea kona muli, he wahine ia, ‘o Kihawahine kona muli iho, he wahine, a ‘o Kihapi‘ilani kona muli iho, he kāne. ‘O Lonoapi‘i ke ali‘i o Maui i ia manawa a ‘o Pi‘ikea, ka wahine a Umi. Ua noho ‘o Kihapi‘ilani me kona kaikua‘ana ‘o Lonoapi‘i.

I kekahi lā ua lawe mai kekahi i mau ‘ūmeke i piha i ka nehu iā Lonoalii, a ua hā‘awi aku ‘o ia i nā Nehu a pau i nā kānaka koe ‘o Kihapi‘ilani. Iā Kihapi‘ilani i lawe aku i kekahi o nā i‘a Nehu mai loko mai ‘o ka ‘ūmeke, nini mai ‘o Lonoapi‘i i ka i‘a a me ka wai pa‘akai i nā maka ‘o Kihapi‘ilani. Ma muli o kēia hana ho‘ohilahila iā Kihapi‘ilani ua iho ‘o ia i kahi o ke Kahuna ‘o Apuna e ‘ike i kāna mea e hana ai.

Ha‘i aku ‘o Apuna iā ia, “‘A‘ole e pono ia‘u, e hele na‘e ‘oe a Ko‘olau i Keanae, i ‘ō Kahoko lā, aia iā ia ko alanui e hele ai, nāna ‘oe e ha‘i aku.” A nonoi aku ‘o Apuna, “‘O Kula ko‘u ‘āina?” ‘Ae aku ‘o Kihapi‘ilani, “‘Ae.” A ‘o Kula ko Apuna ‘āina. A hiki ‘o Kihapi‘ilani i mua o Kahoko ma Keanea, ī aku ‘o ia no ka hilahila, a pane hou mai ‘o Kahoko, “A, e hele aku ‘oe i Kauwiki aia i laila ‘o Lanakila, nāna e kōkua aku iā ‘oe. Nonoi hou aku ‘o Lanakila, “‘O Koolau ko‘u ‘āina, pane aku ‘o Kihapi‘ilani, “Nou ia.”

Hiki aku i Kauwiki kahi ‘o Lanakila a kuhikuhi aku ‘ia ‘o ia i Hawai‘i. “Eia ka wa‘a, eia ke kanaka, aia ‘o Hawai‘i ke kipu maila ke ao, o ka pūnohu kou maka e hele ai.” A nonoi hou ‘o Lanakila, “‘O Hana nei na‘u e ‘ai?” pane aku ‘o Kihapi‘ilani, “‘Ae, Nou ‘ia.”
Hāhai aku ‘o Kihapi‘ilani, a hiki aku i ka hale o kona kaikuahine, ‘o Piikea, ka wahine a Umi, a ‘uē aku lāua. A ‘ike ‘o Piikea i ka hilahila, kauoha aku ‘o ia i kona kāne ‘o Umi e kāua me kona kaikūnane ‘o Lonoapi‘i. Ua ‘ōlelo ‘ia o kēia ke kāua i holo ai nā wa‘a he nui, i ka hiki aku ‘ana o ka wa‘a mua i Maui, akahi nō a ho‘olele ‘ia ka wa‘a hope i Kohala, ‘A‘ole ka po‘e i holo aku ma ka wa‘a, ua hele aku lākou ma ka wāwae, ma luna o kēia mau wa‘a. He ala wa‘a nō ia.

I ka hiki aku ‘ana o nā kānaka i laila, ua kāua aku lākou, a o Umi kai lanakila. Ua ho‘i hou ‘o Umi i Hawai‘i a ‘o Kihapi‘ilani ke ali‘i ‘o Maui. Ma muli o ke kiloi aku ‘ana ‘o ka Nehu ma kona alo e Lonoapi‘i, ua ho‘omake ‘ia ‘o Lonoapi‘i e nā kāne a Umi. ‘A‘ole he maika‘i ka ho‘ohilahila.