CHAPTER X

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THE STORY OF OLOPANA AND HIS WIFE.

It is said that Olopana was once the king of the island of Hawaii, who made his permanent home in Waipio, where he lived with his wife Luukia. There are, however, three Olopanas spoken of amongst certain people: The Olopana mentioned in the story of Kamapuaa, the Olopana said to be of Tahiti, and the Olopana mentioned in this story. But the Olopana of this story was the Olopana who first went to Tahiti with his wife Luukia, the same as mentioned in the legend of Moikeha. The genealogy of Olopana cannot be recounted here, as it is not known. The only things known of Olopana are the events of his reign on Hawaii and his arrival at Tahiti, which are as follows.

Once upon a time Olopana and his wife Luukia were the rulers of the island of Hawaii, and all the people were under them. During their reign a great flood swept down the valley of Waipio and carried away the people and their houses into the ocean. It is said that in this flood Olopana and his wife were carried out to sea, which was the means of their reaching Tahiti. When Moikeha came to Hawaii and spoke of Olopana as being in Tahiti, the story was then made up that when they were carried out to sea in the flood, they must have actually swam all the way to Tahiti, as nothing had been heard of Olopana and his wife from the time of the flood until the arrival of Moikeha. According to some of the old people, however, it is said and believed that the passage to Tahiti was made in a canoe.

When the news was first brought here about Olopana being in Tahiti, the people of Hawaii were so divided in the belief that he was actually alive and in Tahiti that it was decided, as a means of settling these differences, to send Ulu, the king of Kau, in a canoe made of bulrushes. [129] After Ulu set out nothing more was heard of him, not even if he had reached Tahiti. After some time had elapsed a certain priest was sent in search of Ulu, but while in mid-ocean the priest discovered that Ulu had died, so he returned. Shortly after the return of the priest, Kapukini, a chief of Puna, was made king of Hawaii, there being no king over the island of Hawaii at this time.

Olopana in the meantime was living in Tahiti with his wife Luukia. Moikeha and his wife Kapo were the king and queen of Tahiti at this time. When Moikeha saw that Luukia was pleasant to look upon he took her to wife, as already spoken of in