Kaulana wale ka ʻamaʻama o Kaihuopalaʻai, ke kaikunāne o Kaihukuʻuna. ʻO Pueo ke kāne a Kaihukuʻuna a ua hoʻouna ʻia akula ʻo ia i Honouliuli i ke kaikoʻeke i iʻa. Ua hoʻolako ʻia maila nō a nui, ʻaʻole naʻe ma ka hāʻawi lima ʻana, akā ma ke kai nō. Na ke keiki kupua a Kaihuopalaʻai, he puhi i kapa ʻia ʻo Laumeki, i alakaʻi aku i ka ʻanae i kahi o Kaihukuʻuna mā. I ko Pueo hoʻi ʻana, i kēlā me kēia wahi āna i kū ai, kū pū akula ka ʻanae. Hahai akula ʻo Laumeki iā Pueo, hahai pū akula ka ʻanae a hiki loa aku i Lāʻiemaloʻo, a pēlā i paʻa ai ka holo ʻana o ia iʻa a hiki i kēia lā. Wahi a J.M. Mokumaiʻa, ke hoʻi ka ʻanae holo a komo aku i nā ʻEwa, loli kona inoa a kapa ʻia he ʻanae pali, a penei nā ʻano: “[ʻO ka ʻanae holo,] he aʻiaʻi maikaʻi kona unahi a ʻo kona kino, ʻaʻole nō he puʻipuʻi. Ke nānā iho ʻoe ua piha kona paʻa ʻana i ka ʻupena a loaʻa aku iā ʻoe, a pau kona kapalili ʻana, a laila puka maila ka hou o ka iʻa a kū a keʻokeʻo...a i ka hoʻihoʻi ʻana aʻe hoʻi i ke kūlana o ka ʻanae pali, ua maʻa ka mea kākau nei i ka inoa o ia iʻa a me kahi e loaʻa ai... ʻO ke ʻano o ka ʻanae pali, puʻipuʻi kona kino. Ke nānā iho ʻoe kohu iʻa loko. Uliuli maikaʻi kona unahi, aia ma ka mahamaha he ʻula. Ke nānā iho ʻoe i nā ʻaoʻao a i ʻelua ma ka nuku, he ʻula, no ka mea no ka ʻai mau i ka limu. Ua like nō hoʻi ia me ke kaikamahine i milikaʻa ʻia e nā kūpuna; ke nānā aku ʻoe, puʻipuʻi maikaʻi, mōhāhā ka maka, ʻula ka papālina, maikaʻi ke kīkala, nepunepu e pilikia ai kou noʻonoʻo. Pēlā nō kēia iʻa he ʻanae pali.” (Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, 30 April 1925).
As descendants of the land and all the plants and animals that evolved before them, genealogy established our ancestors’ kuleana (duty and privilege) to mālama the “resources” (kūpuna) that sustained them (a responsibility that continues for us today). This meant never overdrawing and also taking at the right times, which necessitated a deep understanding of the life cycles of the plants and animals they depended upon. The ʻanae (Mugil cephalus or striped mullet) is a delicious native fish that was widely caught and also raised in fishponds. Our kūpuna recognized and named several distinct growth stages of this fish including: pua ʻama (fingerlings), kahaha (hand length), ʻamaʻama (8 in.), and ʻanae (1 ft. or longer). All size classes were eaten, but ʻamaʻama were and still are very popular, and for good reason: many fish that size (legal size now is 11 in.) have had a chance to reproduce, thus playing their full role in sustaining the population. They spawn from winter through spring, so the season is closed then to make sure reproductive adults can do their special dance undisturbed. Pua ʻama look the most different from the other stages, as they are a bluish silver and their scales are not yet prominent. Their head becomes broader with age and their snub nose earned them the nickname puaʻa iki (little pig), so they can be used alongside or in place of a pig in offerings. Waiʻanae (water of the ʻanae) is renown for an abundance of ʻanae, especially in places like Pōkaʻī where fresh and salt water mix. The famous movement of the ʻanae holo from Honouliuli to Lāʻie Maloʻo is recorded in story and still takes place today (flip for this moʻolelo and more).
