🧚 Paao From Samoa

Ka-meha-meha is the chief name around which Hawaiian history gathers.1 It is the nimbus of a cloud of stories, legends and chants.2 Hawaiians never reckoned history by dates, but by genealogies—as did the Hebrews.3 They measured time not by the years but by the lives of men; not by the days passed, but by the deeds done.4 These genealogies formed the most essential part of Hawaiian literature.5 They proved the royal descent of the high chiefs.6

When Ka-meha-meha became king of “The Rainbow Islands,” his royal chant took the supreme place.7 Other genealogies lost their importance except as they blended in that of the great king.8 He traced his royal blood to Pili, “from a foreign land,” and through Pili back to Wa-kea, a Polynesian chief of perhaps the second century; and thence back through a series of hero-gods to Kumu-Honua, “the first created.”9 It is a remarkable genealogy and worthy of study.10

In November, 1736, he was born in North Kohala, Hawaii.11 Pili had settled in North Kohala about thirty generations preceding.12 A quarter of a century is accepted as the average life of a generation.13 Pili, therefore, landed in Hawaii in the early part of the eleventh century.14

The story of Pili depends upon another story which must be told first.15 In fact the Hawaiian traditions tell a great deal more about Paao, the founder of the high-priest family of Hawaii, than about Pili, the ancestor of kings.16

Not far from the year 1100 A.D., two priest brothers were living on Upolu, one of the Samoan Islands.17 Lonopele, the elder, lived in one of the luxurious valleys opening upon the seacoast.18 Paao, the younger, was a seaman as well as a priest.19 He lived near the beach, where he kept a small fleet of canoes.20

In some way bitter feeling arose between the two households, making them jealous and suspicious of each other.21 One day Lonopele came to the temple where his brother was making ready to sacrifice a sacred black hog.22

“Where are you, O Paao,” he cried, “that you prepare a sacrifice for the favour of the gods, when you do not watch your oldest boy?”23

“What is your thought?” asked Paao.24

“Some of my choice fruits, brought from Tahiti, are beginning to ripen; and each night Kaino, your son, creeps under the low branches, and gathers whatever is good.”25

“It is false!” angrily replied the father.26

Theft was considered the greatest of crimes among the Polynesians.27

“No!28 It is true.29 He is coming even now from his feast.30 If he touches my fruit again he shall die.31 It is tabu” (sacred).32

“E!33 Kaino!” called the father.34

The boy came near, evidently having just been eating.35

“Have you taken fruit from Lonopele in the night?”36

“No. I have fruit at home, but better are the baked dog and fish.37 I would not eat his fruit.”38

Lonopele became angry, and cried out: “May the god, Kanaloa, curse you and break your body into fragments, for your falsehood.”39

“Cut open my stomach, O my uncle, and I shall be proved innocent.”40

The ancient days had little of the modern care for children.41 Fathers and mothers readily gave away their babes, or slew them with their own hands.42 Paao determined to substitute his son for the sacrifice he was preparing, and thus prove his guilt or innocence.43 No trace of fruit was found in the body.44

Lonopele bowed his head in shame and hastened away.45 When the flush of indignant anger had passed, Paao grieved over the body which lay decomposing upon the altar.46 The Hawaiian traditions say that after this act he determined to leave Upolu.47 He called together a few of his trusted friends and told them his purpose.48 They agreed to prepare their large canoes, and go with him, seeking the “Burning-Java,” or Hawaii, somewhere toward the north.49

The sides of the boats were to be built two or three feet higher.50 This was done by hewing boards with stone axes, and sewing them to each other through holes, drilled by bones, using cords of cocoanut fibre for thread.51 Thus canoes were prepared capable of carrying thirty to sixty persons.52

Dried bananas, pigs, fish, and pounded taro were made ready.53

One day Paao saw his brother’s son coming near the boats.54

In a fit of anger he rushed upon the boy and slew him.55

Lonopele soon discovered the murder, and made war upon Paao.56

Paao and his friends launched their canoes as fast as possible, placing in them their families and such provisions as were at hand.57 His warriors, defeated by Lonopele, hastened to the canoes, and shoved out into the deep waters.58

The battle was evidently fierce, for the legends say that some of the prophet friends who could not escape to their canoes, leaped from the precipitous cliffs to “fly” to the boats, and were dashed to pieces on the rocks below.59 Lonopele probably drove them over the brink of a precipice.60 One of the priest-friends leaped into the water, calling for Paao to return and rescue him.61 “Not so,” answered Paao, “we have left the shore.62 It would be an evil omen to turn back.63 We will wait for you where we are.”64 The legends say, “The priest flew like a bird to the canoes” and was warmly received by Paao.65 Lonopele sent a storm to destroy the canoes.66 Probably he launched his own fleet and made pursuit.67 Two great fish aided the fugitives.68 The Aku pushed the boats.69 The Opelea hindered the storm waves by opposing his great body and breaking their force.70 Lonopele ordered his magic bird to take up great waves of water and pour them from the sky, overwhelming the fugitives.71 The canoe-men hurriedly arranged mats covering the boats, and the water was turned into the sea.72 Thus they escaped.73

The days passed.74 Sometimes showers fell upon the mats arranged like funnels, filling the water calabashes afresh.75 Sometimes they passed through a school of fish, and caught all they could, drying them for future use.76 Some died and descended to the “bountiful islands in the world under the waters.”77 Some of the canoes were abandoned.78 And they sailed on almost hopelessly, still moving northward.79

One day Paao said: “I was watching the stars last night and my thought is that some water-god has put his hands under out boats and moved us away from Hawaii.”80

An astrologer said: “I have heard the pilots from the burning islands talk about the water-gods and one of them claimed that sometimes a strange god had turned their boats from a straight path.”81

The action of the ocean currents was supposed to be the malicious work of some strange deity.82

That night Paao could not sleep.83 He studied the stars.84 He felt a breeze that seemed to him in some way different from the ordinary sea-breezes.85

“Do you feel the new wind from the eastern star?” he said softly to his steersmen.86

“Aye!” they replied.87 “We have to hold the steering paddles more firmly.”88

Paao awakened his prophet and whispered: “Does the new wind have a voice for you?”89

The prophet sniffed the air, then stepped upon the high prow and breathed again.90

“Aye, the wind has the voice of smoke, perhaps the smoke of the burning-mountain.”91

“Say nothing about the voice.92 We will change our course and sail toward the bright star.”93

During the day the men said, “this is a new wind and it has the storm voice.”94

The next day came, and then the next.95 Paao and his prophet alternated between hope and fear.96 The awful suffering of hunger and thirst was among them.97 If a mistake had been made there was no possible escape from starvation.98 In the very early morning of the third day, as Paao was restlessly looking eastward, his wife crept to his side.99

“O my Paao,” she said, “I am about to die.100 I have just dreamed of the green-walled paradise.101 I smelled the sweet Maile blossoms and the leaves of our marriage wreath.102 I saw the spirits of my sons stand by the cocoanut tree.103 The vision is from the gods, I must surely die.”104

“Hush,” said Paao quickly, “I too have heard the voice of the Maile born on the winds but I was awake.105 You shall not die.106 Call the astrologer, and then listen to his words.”107

The astrologer came quickly.108

“Take breath strong and deep and tell me what the winds say.”109

“I hear no voice,” was the reply.110

Paao handed his friend a calabash with a little precious water, bidding him bathe his parched mouth and nostrils.111

“Now what do the winds say?”112

“Hawaii!113 Hawaii!! and the strong voice of the Maile blossoms, and the gentle voice of the sugar-cane.114 I can hear the bread-fruit call ‘Come and eat.’115 The Lau-hala’s voice comes over the sea.116 Awake, awake, oh canoe-men!117 The fingers of the morning touch the mountains of Hawaii.118 The morning is raising its hand to beckon us on.119 O friends of the canoes, awake!120 Hear the land voices.121 Hear the wind that has no salt in it.122 Awake and hear Hawaii.”123

In a moment shouts and songs of gladness were heard from all the canoes.124 When hope begins to grow, it ripens rapidly.125 New life, new strength, pervaded the weakened wanderers.126 The steersmen unconsciously changed the course of the boats toward the blue haze of land outlined by the dawn.127

Thus the day passed.128 There was no longer any need to husband food.129 They ate the last morsels.130 They drained the water from their calabashes.131 They cheered each other from boat to boat.132 They toiled hard in rowing, and as the night dropped its shadows around them, they made preparations for landing in this new home.133