CHAPTER IV
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THE REIGN OF KILA AND THE JEALOUSY OF HIS BROTHERS.
After the death of Moikeha, his dead body was taken to the cliffs of Haena where it was deposited until a convenient time for Kila to remove it to Tahiti. Soon after this Kila began to assume the reins of government and ruled in place of Moikeha, according to the wish of his late father, his mother and aunt, and his mother’s father.
When he became king of Kauai and had taken charge of things just as his father had done before him, he saw that his reign was not going to be as peaceable as he would like to have it, as his brothers were jealous of his being made the king of Kauai. This jealousy on the part of the brothers, coupled with their hatred of him for having been sent to Tahiti, made them feel all the more bitter against him. However, with all this bitter feeling entertained by his brothers, all his commands during any of the large undertakings were always obeyed, they not having the courage to refuse to obey the orders of the king. But with all this obedience on their part, Kila’s reign was not altogether satisfactory. The older brothers often met secretly to consult one another as to the best way of concealing their hatred and bitter feelings from their brother. At one of these meetings they adopted a certain course and decided to draw Kila into consenting to do a certain thing, although it was several days after the proposition was matured, in the following way:
Upon coming to him, one of the brothers said: “Say, Kila, we believe it best that we all go and bring back the bones of our father for you to remove them to Tahiti.” Upon hearing the request of his brothers, which he thought quite proper, he immediately consented to the proposition. He was, however, actuated to readily accede to this request because he had on another occasion already talked with his mother and aunt on the matter. When the brothers heard that he was willing to carry out their request, they proceeded to get the canoe ready for their journey to Haena for the purpose, as has been said, of removing the bones of their father to their home before the same were to be taken by Kila to Tahiti.
When the mothers, Hooipoikamalanai and Hinauu, saw the boys preparing the double canoe, they approached them and asked them: “What journey is this that you are going to undertake with the canoe you are preparing?” The boys replied: “We are going after the bones of our father and bring them here, for Kila to remove them later on to Tahiti.” The mothers again asked: “How many of you are going?” The boys replied: “All of us, including our brother.”
When Hooipoikamalanai and Hinauu heard these remarks they replied: “If you are going with your brother, then we too will accompany you.”
The boys remarked: “Why should you two go, to take up that much room of the canoe? Do you think we would not be able to bring the bones by ourselves?”
The mothers replied: “We are not going to allow your brother to accompany you, for we know you do not respect him and you do not treat him as you should. We are not sure that you will take good care of him.” When the boys heard their mothers make these remarks they were afraid lest their scheme would fall through, so they swore in the name of their god that no harm would come to the king. When Hooipoikamalanai and her sister saw that the boys had sworn to take good care of the king, they allowed him to accompany his brothers.
Very early in the morning, after everything was made ready, the brothers took Kila and set sail for Oahu. The winds from Kauai during the night being very favorable, they soon were in sight of Molokai. Kila all this time was on the covered platform. As the paddlers were robust and strong they soon arrived off the coast of Kauwiki, at Hana; about midnight they arrived at Waipio, Hawaii. Immediately upon their arrival, while Kila was still asleep, they took him off the canoe and left him on the beach at Waipio, he in the meantime not knowing his brothers’ actions. The brothers then proceeded to kidnap a young man from Waipio whose skin was similar to Kila’s and returned to Kauai. When they reached Puuloa on their way home, Umalehu, Moikeha’s eldest son slew the boy they had brought from Waipio, then cut off his hands and took them to their mothers for the purpose of showing them all that was left of Kila, with the report that he had been eaten by a shark.
Upon their arrival home, they went to their mothers with the dead boy’s hands, and with their hair cut in the shape of a war helmet to show their grief [118] for Kila. When they saw their mothers they fell down before them weeping and wailing. By the language used in their wailing, Hooipoikamalanai made out that their brother either was dead, or they were wailing for their father. So in order to be sure Hooipoikamalanai and her sister asked them: “Which one of you is it that has been injured?” The sons replied: “Kila has been eaten up by a shark. Upon arriving at the place where our father’s bones were laid, we prepared them, took them on to the canoe and we started on our return. When we reached the steep cliffs, where one has to swim to get around them, our canoe got turned over and Kila was attacked by a shark and all we could save of him were his hands which you now see.”
When the mothers heard this account of the death of Kila, Hoopoikamalanai and her sister Hinauu wailed and expressed a desire to take their own lives, their grief for their son was so great. Hooipoikamalanai and her sister then inquired of their sons: “Where, then, are the bones of your father?” The sons replied: “We lost them in the ocean. When our canoe was overturned we all went to the rescue of Kila, and therefore the bones of our father were neglected and they disappeared.” After this Hinauu and her sister traveled around Kauai mourning for Kila, in which the common people also joined with them.
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