Fornander collection of Hawaiian antiquities and folk-lore, Volume 2 (of 3)

In Short

This second volume of the Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-Lore presents a sweeping bilingual compilation of traditional Hawaiian epics, royal genealogies, and cultural accounts. Gathered from native storytellers and edited with detailed annotations, the text spans the heroic exploits of legendary figures alongside vivid descriptions of natural history, traditional house-building, and ancient religious practices. Across these pages, formidable warriors such as Kawelo and Kepakailiula battle monstrous enemies, supernatural beings, and rival chiefs to secure political dominance over islands like Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. Interspersed among these sweeping heroic narratives are shorter folklore tales of cunning ghosts, tricksters, and natural phenomena, as well as precise ethnographic records detailing native plants, fishing customs, and spiritual beliefs regarding the afterlife. The volume has endured as a monumental cornerstone of Hawaiian literature because it preserves the unvarnished voice, complex poetic chants, and living history of the Hawaiian people in both their native language and English.

The Story

The anthology opens with the legendary epic of Kawelo, a warrior of immense strength born on Kauai who spends his youth on Oahu mastering the arts of war and club-fighting. When the tyrannical chief Aikanaka seizes power on Kauai and oppresses the land, Kawelo equips a fleet of double canoes and voyages back to his homeland to reclaim his rightful standing. Supported by his loyal brother Kamalama and a handful of brave companions, Kawelo meets Aikanaka’s army at the base of Nounou hill. Waves of heavy infantry, fierce spear-throwers, and massive champion warriors like Kauahoa advance against Kawelo’s small force. Through strategic brilliance, unmatched prowess with his giant war club, and supernatural chants that demoralize his foes, Kawelo slaughters the opposing armies and reduces Aikanaka to a humble tiller of the soil. Yet victory brings betrayal: Kawelo’s ungrateful nephew Kaeleha conspires with Aikanaka’s remaining allies to stage a bloody rebellion. Struck down in battle by a barrage of thrown stones, Kawelo is presumed dead and placed upon an elevated platform in a temple to decompose for sacrifice. However, after several days of miraculous recovery, he revives, breaks his bonds, slaughters his treacherous enemies, and re-establishes his supreme rule over Kauai.

Following this epic, the narrative shifts to the clever saga of Pakaa and his brilliant son, Kuapakaa. Pakaa, once the high-ranking personal attendant to King Keawenuiaumi, falls into disfavor through court intrigue and escapes to Molokai, taking with him a sacred wind gourd handed down by the wind goddess Laamaomao. Pakaa raises Kuapakaa in secret, teaching him the names, natures, and direction of every wind across the entire Hawaiian chain. When King Keawenuiaumi sails past Molokai in search of his lost attendant, Kuapakaa stands upon the shore and taunts the royal fleet. Chanting intricate, poetic descriptions of incoming gales and black squalls, the boy warns the arrogant king that a terrifying tempest is brewing. Keawenuiaumi's foolish advisers dismiss the child's premonitions and order the fleet to paddle onward into open water. At his father's command, Kuapakaa opens the sacred gourd and releases the trapped winds, swamping the royal canoes and forcing the humbled monarch to come ashore and seek reconciliation with Pakaa.

The text then moves through a series of grand martial legends featuring demigods and heroic champions. In the legend of Palila, a holy child raised in the sacred temple of Alanapo is transformed into a perfect warrior gifted with supernatural flight. Armed with his mighty war club, Huliamahi, Palila flies across Oahu to face Olomana, a terrifying giant whose shoulders shade the sun. Jumping upon the giant's back, Palila cleaves Olomana in two, creating the iconic sharp peak of Mount Olomana. In another account, the miraculous child Namakaokapaoo defends his mother's sweet potato patches from a tyrannical chief by beheading the oppressor and obliterating the royal armies sent to avenge him. Meanwhile, the trickster Punia uses boundless cunning to outwit a school of man-eating sharks led by the great shark god Kaialeale. Punia tricks the sharks into killing one another off until only Kaialeale remains; he then leaps directly into the monster's open jaws with a bag of fire-making tools, lighting a fire inside the creature's belly and roasting its flesh from within until the shark runs aground and dies.

In the later sections, the collection turns toward historical traditions, military chronicles, and ethnographic studies. It details the rise of King Kamehameha I, describing his incredible physical build, his humble youth farming at Halawa, and the legendary warriors who served him, such as Nalu and Hema. These historical narratives are balanced by detailed entries on Hawaiian natural lore and material culture. The text outlines the origin stories, physical properties, and practical uses of indigenous trees like the red ohia, the lehua, and the versatile kukui nut. Native writers explain how the ti-leaf root was boiled down during famines or distilled into okolehao, and how coconut trunks were hollowed out and covered with shark skin to fashion sacred hula drums. The volume concludes with precise instructions on traditional architecture, describing the intricate structural framing, thatch-binding techniques, and sacred rituals required to build durable grass houses.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Kawelo sets sail from Oahu to reclaim Kauai from the oppressive ruler Aikanaka, anchoring his double canoes offshore at Wailua. His brother Kamalama steps onto the beach to challenge Aikanaka’s scouts, single-handedly turning back early attacks with terrifying spearwork.

Battles at Nounou hill Aikanaka dispatches wave after wave of warriors and legendary champions to crush the invaders at the base of Nounou hill. Kawelo enters the fray with his massive war club, felling armies, slaying the giant Kauahoa, and reducing Aikanaka to a powerless farmer.

Betrayal and resurrection Kawelo’s ungrateful nephew Kaeleha conspires with defeated rebels to pelt the hero with a deluge of stones until he falls motionless. Left for dead inside a temple to decompose for sacrifice, Kawelo miraculously revives on the platform, breaks free, and slaughters his opponents to reclaim sole rule over Kauai.

The wind gourd released On Molokai, the young Kuapakaa stands on the shore and chants the names of all the island winds to warn King Keawenuiaumi of an impending storm. When the king’s arrogance drives the fleet forward, Kuapakaa opens his father's sacred gourd, unleashing a tempest that swamps the canoes and forces the monarch to yield.

Palila strikes the giant Endowed with supernatural powers from the gods at Alanapo, the warrior Palila flies across Oahu using his heavy war club to propel himself through the air. He confronts the giant Olomana, leaps onto the giant's massive shoulders, and cleaves him in two to form the sharp mountain peak.

Punia outwits the shark god Determined to fish for lobsters in a bay guarded by man-eating sharks, the trickster Punia uses clever mind games to make the school turn on itself. He then leaps into the gaping maw of the monstrous shark chief Kaialeale, building a fire inside the beast's stomach to kill it from within.

Kapunohu uproots the taro Visiting his sister on Oahu, the mighty champion Kapunohu pulls up eight whole patches of taro with his bare arms to provide firewood and food. Impressed by his peerless strength, King Olomana appoints Kapunohu commander-in-chief, leading to the total conquest of Oahu.

Conquest of Maui The hero Kepakailiula faces the aging King Kakaalaneo in single combat, catching thrown spears between his arm and torso before hurling them aside. Kepakailiula kills the king with his war club, breaks the bodies of the fleeing Maui defenders, and installs his father-in-law as ruler.

Duels of the island champions During a beachside gathering on Maui, the brown-skinned warrior Pupukea defends his chief against the arrogant champion Makakuikalani. Pupukea delivers a single devastating blow with his long spear that drives Makakuikalani’s helmet down over his eyes, securing victory for Hawaii over Maui.

The legend of Kamehameha The text records the early life and rise of King Kamehameha I, highlighting his massive frame, broad shoulders, and early years spent tilling the soil in Kohala. It chronicles the unlearned courtier Hema and the invincible lance-master Nalu, who fought fearlessly against overwhelming odds.

Spiritual realms and the afterlife The narrative details the leap-off points of the soul across the Hawaiian islands, such as Kekaa on Maui, where wandering spirits jump into the realm of the dead. It explains how souls engage in traditional sports, spear-throwing, and surfing in the spirit world, occasionally returning to re-enter their physical bodies.

Lore of plants and craft Native contributors describe the origins and traditional uses of Hawaiian flora, detailing how ti-leaves were used to detect man-eating stream sharks and how coconut trunks were carved into sacred hula drums. The volume closes with a guide to traditional house construction, detailing thatch binding and house-warming rituals.

The People

• Kawelo: A fierce and deeply skilled warrior from Kauai who excels in club fighting and supernatural chants. Driven by a desire to liberate his homeland from tyranny, he faces overwhelming military forces and survives brutal stone beatings, ending up as the resurrected, absolute ruler of Kauai.
• Kamalama: The brave younger brother and primary lieutenant of Kawelo. Loyal to a fault, he commands the vanguard in battle, fearlessly engages multiple champion spear-throwers at once, and stands as Kawelo's most trusted confidant.
• Aikanaka: The tyrannical chief of Kauai who usurps power and drives Kawelo's family into exile. Weak-willed and dependent on his generals, he is ultimately defeated by Kawelo and forced to live out his days as a humble agricultural laborer.
• Pakaa: The former personal attendant and royal steward to King Keawenuiaumi. After being displaced by jealous rivals at court, he retreats to Molokai with the sacred wind gourd of Laamaomao, carefully educating his son so they can eventually regain their high royal standing.
• Kuapakaa: The brilliant, sharp-tongued young son of Pakaa. Armed with exhaustive knowledge of every wind in the Hawaiian archipelago, he single-handedly confronts the royal fleet from the shore, using poetic chants and his father's wind gourd to humble the king.
• Keawenuiaumi: The monarch of Hawaii who foolishly relies on deceitful advisers instead of his loyal steward Pakaa. Proud and slow to heed warnings, he is forced to submit to Kuapakaa's manufactured tempest before realizing his past mistakes.
• Palila: A demigod warrior raised in the sacred temple of Alanapo who possesses the power of supernatural flight. Seeking to rid Oahu of lawless obstructions, he fearlessly attacks and slays monstrous opponents like the giant Olomana.
• Punia: A master trickster who uses sharp intelligence to overcome terrifying physical odds. Seeking food and revenge, he systematically tricks a ravenous pack of man-eating sharks into destroying themselves.
• Pupukea: A stocky, muscular champion warrior from Hawaii who serves King Lonoikamakahiki. Resilient and dismissive of unsolicited advice, he slays the Maui general Makakuikalani in single combat, securing military triumph for his king.
• Kamehameha I: The famous historical king of Hawaii, portrayed in his youth as a massive, muscular man who farmed the land at Halawa before rising to unite the islands through martial brilliance and generous leadership.

In Its Own Voice

"When Kaehuikiawakea arrived in the presence of Aikanaka, he fell face down. Aikanaka then asked him: 'Speak the word. Open your mouth and speak the word, I am listening.'"

A messenger returns to King Aikanaka after his front-line forces are annihilated by Kawelo's vanguard.

"Because the small canoe is swamped, the large canoe will meet the same fate. Troubles will overtake the king, troubles will overtake the priest, troubles will overtake the unstable ones, the followers of the king."

Kuapakaa chants his dire warning of an incoming storm to King Keawenuiaumi's fleet.

"Olomana then turned and said to Palila: 'Where are you from, you haughty youngster? No one has ever dared, before this day, to climb up my shoulders; and here you have done it.'"

The giant Olomana confronts the supernatural warrior Palila just before their fatal duel.

What It's Really About

Beneath its thrilling accounts of club-fighting, spear-throwing, and monster-slaying, this collection is fundamentally an exploration of chiefdom, obligation, and the delicate balance between human action and divine force. The stories repeatedly contrast righteous leadership with corrupt tyranny. Rulers who govern through cruelty, like Aikanaka, or who rely on arrogant, flattering advisers, like Keawenuiaumi, inevitably suffer defeat and humiliation. Conversely, true leaders like Kawelo and Kamehameha are defined not merely by physical strength, but by their devotion to family, their respect for spiritual traditions, and their deep ties to the land.

The text also examines the power of hidden knowledge and spoken words. In Hawaiian tradition as presented here, a chant is not merely decorative; it is a potent tool capable of summoning gale-force winds, demoralizing giant foes, or restoring a broken body to life. Kuapakaa’s ability to name every wind across the islands gives him direct power over the ocean, just as Kawelo’s poetic invocations grant him victory on the battlefield. Intelligence and quick wit are celebrated alongside martial prowess, showing that a resourceful youth like Punia or Kuapakaa can outsmart monstrous gods and powerful kings alike. Finally, the collection serves as a living repository of mana—the spiritual power embedded within ancestral genealogies, sacred places, and the natural landscape of Hawaii.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers an irreplaceable direct window into the authentic storytelling traditions, historical memory, and material culture of pre-contact and nineteenth-century Hawaii. Unlike modern retellings that sanitize or simplify indigenous folklore, this collection presents the narratives in raw, unadorned prose alongside their original Hawaiian text. Readers who appreciate epic mythology, comparative folklore, or Pacific island history will find themselves immersed in a rich literary world filled with vibrant heroes, complex family rivalries, and breathtaking supernatural feats.

The experience of reading the text is both deeply rewarding and uniquely challenging. The narrative pace reflects traditional oral storytelling, frequently pausing for lengthy poetic chants, dense recitations of ancestral lineages, and precise lists of geographic placenames. Readers must navigate historical period attitudes, violent martial clashes, and archaic cultural practices surrounding warfare and tapu. Furthermore, the inclusion of bilingual parallel texts and occasional translator footnotes requires an engaged, patient reading style. Yet these very difficulties give the book its profound authenticity. The vivid descriptions of ancient life—from the thrill of surf-riding at Wailua to the quiet craftsmanship of binding a grass roof—stay with the reader long after the final page, offering an unvarnished, majestic portrait of Hawaiian heritage.