CHAPTER VII

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THE DISPUTE BETWEEN KAKUHIHEWA AND LONOIKAMAKAHIKI ABOUT HAUNA.

The dispute between the king of Oahu and the king of Hawaii which ended in a contest, spoken of in this chapter, was the last one engaged in by the two, after which Lonoikamakahiki and Kaikilani returned together to Hawaii.

The cause of this dispute was entirely about Hauna. It came about in this wise: After Lonoikamakahiki had acquired Oahu through their former contests, Kakuhihewa begged of Lonoikamakahiki to restore to him the island of Oahu, going about it in a way as though he still owned the island, saying: “Say, King of Hawaii, I think you had better restore back to me the lands you have won and let our former wagers be done away with. I think you ought to propose another contest between us, and in case you should beat me in the new contest then the whole of Oahu shall be yours, including the men of high rank and those of the low rank.”

This request for a new contest, made by Kakuhihewa, was really the wish of Lanahuimihaku and his companion, for they had heard the remark made by Lonoikamakahiki that they would be put to death by being cut to pieces. This is the reason why Lanahuimihaku and his companion had urged Kakuhihewa to beg of Lonoikamakahiki for a new contest. To this request made by Kakuhihewa, Lonoikamakahiki did not give a subject for their contest.

Shortly after this, however, Lonoikamakahiki took up his calabash, which contained his personal effects as well as other things, and placed it in front of him, and then said to Kakuhihewa: “Say, King of Oahu, this calabash is filled with the bones of the chiefs who were killed in the battle on the top of Puumaneo, because there were six district chiefs that were slain by my father and their bones are in this calabash.”

Kakuhihewa upon hearing this said: “How you deceive! Who has taught you that that calabash could ever hold the bones of six chiefs?” Lonoikamakahiki said: “I say it. Tomorrow my foster-father Hauna will arrive and he will tell you people about the matter.” Kakuhihewa then said to him: “And who has brought you word that Hauna is to arrive tomorrow?” Lonoikamakahiki replied: “I, myself, say so because of my knowledge.” Kakuhihewa then asked of Lanahuimihaku and his companion: “Say, are the words spoken by the king of Hawaii true, that he can see the future and that Hauna is to arrive tomorrow?” Lanahuimihaku replied: “It is a lie; he has no knowledge of the future. We were the two men who were able to tell him of the future from the time of his father, and this Hauna, who is living on Hawaii, and the attendant whom he killed when we were out fishing were the only men who could tell of the future; but the king there knows nothing at all about the matter.” Kakuhihewa then again asked: “Is it true that Hauna is going to arrive here tomorrow?” Lanahuimihaku and his companion replied: “It is not true. Make a wager with him.”

Kakuhihewa then said to Lonoikamakahiki: “Say, King of Hawaii, since we have at last found a subject for another contest—the matter of the arrival of Hauna tomorrow—let us, therefore, have one.” Lonoikamakahiki replied: “What have you to offer as your wager? A good contest can only be made when one has something to place as a wager.” Kakuhihewa said: “Why not let Oahu be offered as against Hawaii?” Lonoikamakahiki made answer: “When you know that I have already won Oahu you come and again offer it for a wager.” Kakuhihewa said: “You must put away such thoughts, King of Hawaii. It was the small Oahu that we wagered before, and large Oahu is still my own.” Lonoikamakahiki then replied: “It is well, then. The stakes are the island districts. Oahu containing six districts and Hawaii also containing six.” After this bet was made and agreed on, that night Hauna arrived in Kailua, and so the next morning Lonoikamakahiki said to Kakuhihewa: “Hauna has arrived on Oahu.”

When Kakuhihewa heard these words from Lonoikamakahiki, he sent out his messenger, Kuleonui, a man famous for being a very fast runner, and told him: “You must go around Oahu and look for Hauna. When you find him, kill him, and seize all his property, so that we may be able to defeat the king of Hawaii.” At this Kuleonui started on his trip around the island of Oahu; but he was unable to find Hauna. He therefore returned and reported to Kakuhihewa, saying: “I have made a circuit of Oahu but was unable to find Hauna. He has not arrived even, nor is there a canoe to be seen at sea coming this way, nor is there one hauled up on the shore; none at all.” At this Kakuhihewa began to think that he would beat Lonoikamakahiki. Kakuhihewa then went to Lonoikamakahiki and again asked him: “Has Hauna arrived?” Lonoikamakahiki replied: “He has arrived.”

When Kakuhihewa heard this from Lonoikamakahiki, he again sent Kuleonui to make another circuit of Oahu. Again Kuleonui started out and returned to the king to whom he reported, saying: “I have not found him. He has not even arrived,” repeating what he said at the other time.

But, on the first circuit made by Kuleonui on that day, Hauna had already arrived in Kailua and was playing konane with a couple of women when Kuleonui came by, and was recognized by Hauna as a person out looking for some one, by the way he was glancing around. By this, Hauna knew that Kuleonui was a messenger and was able to conceal his identity and was in this way missed by the sharp eyes of the messenger of Kakuhihewa.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT HAUNA.

While Hauna was living on Hawaii he thought he would come in search of Lonoikamakahiki, so he therefore made ready his personal effects and placed them in his canoes. The chief articles of value that Hauna placed on the canoes, however, were a large number of feather cloaks. The canoes were loaded from stem to stern with these articles. These were the only things in the canoes.

On this voyage from Hawaii he made land at Kailua, where he saw a couple of women playing konane with their husbands. When Hauna saw the game he knew at once by the position of the stones that the men were beaten, so he said to the women: “You two are beaten, providing I was to play you women. I know I can beat you two.” The women replied: “Here is the konane board, go ahead and play.” Hauna said: “Let us delay the game for a while until the messenger of Kakuhihewa passes by; after he passes we will continue with the game. We must, however, cover up the board with a piece of kapa; after that we can discuss as to our wagers, and when that is settled we will begin.”

After Kuleonui had passed the place the bet was discussed and agreed on in the following manner: the women said to Hauna: “We have nothing to offer on our side excepting ourselves. If you beat us in this present unfinished game you can take us as your property.” Hauna then said: “I have two double canoes filled with things that are valuable; the chief articles of value on the canoes, however, are a large number of feather cloaks. If you two beat me, you two shall have the goods in the canoes together with the men on board.” The women replied: “It is a bet.” Hauna then said: “Let me make the first move.”

It was a fact that before the game was continued, and before the bets were settled and the board covered with the piece of kapa, Hauna knew very well that he was beaten; but upon seeing Kuleonui it gave him an excuse to propose that the board be covered over until the messenger of Kakuhihewa passed by. According to his request the board was covered over. But when the kapa was removed, in order to continue the game, Hauna caught up some of the stones which gave the women the best advantage with the kapa. Hauna then made the first move and after a few more moves the women were beaten. At this he said: “I have won you two.” The women replied: “We have husbands of our own and we cannot see how we can straighten out this difficulty.” The husbands of the two women replied: “You two had better not consider us, because you made your own bet and have lost it yourselves.” The husbands then said to Hauna: “You can take the women as your own property, for you have won them; they were not staked by others; they made the bet themselves.”

Because of this Hauna took the women and tied them together with a loin cloth and led them to the place where the canoes were lying. Because these women were led by Hauna, the place where this act took place was given the name of Kaohao and it so remains to this day. The place is in Kailua, Koolaupoko, Oahu.

The women were taken by Hauna to the canoes where he said to one of them: “This canoe shall be yours with everything in it from stem to stern, including the men. The men shall be your servants; they are not for you to sleep with.” And as he had spoken to her, so in like manner he spoke to the second woman. He then left the women and proceeded to meet Lonoikamakahiki.

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