BEFORE SITTING DOWN TO WORK ON THE ASSIGNMENT (BELOW), PLEASE LEARN JUST A LITTLE ABOUT KAWAINUI:
From Sites of O’ahu, pages 230-32 (some information has been summarized and shortened)
Here were found the finest fat mullet on this side of the island. Here also, Haumea, the goddess dwelt with the fish attracting wood, Makalei. …
The awa fish at this pond were so tame that they were easily caught. The fish did not like persons with strong smelling skins (ili awa) and kept away from them. Otherwise they swam right up to a person in the water. — Mrs. Charles Alona, Sept. 28, 1939
“Many waters.” A large fresh water pond in Kailua, and famous for the o’opu kuia and for having once possessed the famous fish log Makalei. The o’opu kuia was a large fat mud fish, caught by many people joining hands and dancing in its waters to stir up mud, when the fish would run their heads up against the people, and so were caught. The fishes would cluster very thickly against particular individuals while leaving many others untouched, allowing some to fill up their calabashes rapidly. Thus, the old saying, “he ili ona ia” (he/she has attractive skin).
Hauwahine was the “keeper” of Kawainui, not an ’aumakua or an akua. Just the mo’o keeper. When the time came that no one continued to feed her, she “was gone.” — Louis Mahoe, Sept. 17, 1953
This pond was the site of the Makalei tree, a famous mythological tree which had the power of attracting fish. It did not poison, but only bewildered and fascinated them (the fish) — Emerson, Unwritten Literature
The “lepo ai ia,” or edible mud, was found only in Kawainui pond at Kailua, O’ahu. It was thick and jelly-like, like haupia pudding. A strict kapu was imposed when one dived to get it. No one was allowed to utter a word while the diver was in the pond getting it. If a word was spoken, ordinary mud rose up around the diver and covered him so that he died. There was no escape. — History of Kamehameha, Ka Na’i Aupuni, Sept. 4, 1906
KAWAINUI LAND JOURNAL
(NOTE: also plan on doing an event map connected with our huaka’i)
THIS DAY AND THIS ASSIGNMENT BOTH REQUIRE FLEXIBILITY, SINCE BOTH DEPEND ON THE WEATHER! IF THE WEATHER COOPERATES, WE WILL VISIT THE NATIVE GARDEN AT KAWAINUI. HERE IS THE ASSIGNMENT CONNECTED WITH KAWAINUI:
From our vantage point at Kawainui we can see the locations for three of the events in Hi’iakaikapoliopele: the encounter with Kanahau, the meeting with the moʻo Hauwahine and the sad funeral of the child at Oneawa. We will visit the native garden planted around the pōhaku on which Hauwahine would come up out of the water to sun herself, and also visit some of the small traditional structures around the base of the pu’u. If you are lucky, you will see the native mudhen, the alae’ula, which now thrives at Kawainui.
Part A (due on the field trip): Take a set of notes on a worksheet I will pass out. The notes will then become the basis for your land journal
Part B (due after the field trip)
As in the Ka’ena land journal, your assignment is to describe the cultural landscape at this wahi (place, area). A cultural landscape is any place that is the home of an indigenous culture, the place where that culture developed. It exists as a landscape in its present state, whatever that may be, but it also exists in mele, mo’olelo and in the memories and the understanding that people might bring to it. Thus, a cultural landscape has a dual existence; it lives both as a natural wahi and it lives in the ‘ike and mana’o of those who live there or who visit it. Refer in particular to spots connected with our moʻolelo, but also include lots of small details in your description, so that your readers will feel they are there, looking through your eyes. Use the notes you took on the field trip. Use the websites below to add details about nature of this cultural landscape and about exactly which indigenous plants you saw in the garden.
As always, write in the objective mode and pay attention to organization, so that the details you include do not seem random and unconnected.
Here are some resources that will help you do this assignment:
Kepa Maly’s excellent piece on the Hawaiian cultural landscape
IF THE WEATHER DOES NOT COOPERATE, HERE IS THE RAINY DAY ASSIGNMENT:
We will pick five episodes from the mo’olelo, and from the bus (sorry) we will summarize them and describe their current settings. On the positive side, a rainy day will give us the extra time needed to complete the circle around the North Shore and to follow the journey in the mo’olelo even further.
ALTERNATE OPTION
(ONLY FOR THOSE NOT ATTENDING THE FIELD TRIP)
Go to the MLC Hawaiian Collection and look at the book The Epic Tale of Hi’iakaikapoliopele, translated by Puakea Nogelmeier. Your assignment is to read pages 116-147, which cover the trip from Hawai’i Island through the events at Kawainui and Oneawa, as the two ladies travel towards He’eia. The events in this version of the mo‘olelo (by Ho‘oulumahiehie) are similar to those in the version we are reading in class (by Kapihenui), but not identical. Write out a side-by-side summary of each version that compares their similarities and differences. If you know how to use the column function in MSW, make use of it, but otherwise, just write out alternating summaries of each section. This will replace the land journal connected with the visit to Kawainui and the event map we are doing on the field trip. Write 750 words (3 pages) and submit this to Turnitin.com by the deadline for the land journal.
A FOCUS FOR THE KAWAINUI/PUNALU’U LAND JOURNAL
Avoid
A flow of ideas that seems random and scattered, or too much like a list.
Include
Paragraphs organized in some clear way with an implied or stated topic sentence.