Pareu | Haumea IV. - Pua Hau - fuchsia

100% Organic cotton | Organic dye | Designed in Hawaiʻi | Made in the USA | Dimensions: 70" long x 44" wide

Haumea IV. - Pua Hau

I ka wā i hāpai keiki aʻe ai ʻo Koananai, kekahi aliʻi wahine o Kauaʻi, ʻo ka ʻono nō ia i ka heʻe mākole o Kalihi Kai i hoʻohui ʻia me ka wana o ʻAnini. ʻO ka hana nō ke kiʻi a kāna kāne, a Kalalea, me nā aliʻi ʻē aʻe, a pau aʻe ia ʻono. I ka puni ʻana o ka ʻōpū o Koananai, hala aʻela ʻaono pō, ʻaono ao, ʻaʻohe mea a hemo iki o ke keiki. Hoʻouna ʻia akula ʻo Kaikialaweo, he punahele na Kalalea, e kiʻi i ke kahuna, iā Kanoeoalakaʻi, i lalo o Wainiha a hōʻike maila nō kēlā i nā mea e pono ai kona kōkua ʻana i ke aliʻi wahine. I kona wā i hiki aku ai i mua o Koananai mā, nīnau akula ia i ka mākaukau o nā mea i kauoha ʻia a pane aʻela ʻo Kalalea: “Eia, ua mākaukau ka wai, he wai puna o Kaluaokuahine, a me ʻelua pua hau o Hōmaikawaʻa, a me nā kiliʻoʻopu, a i kai o Kalihi. Ua mākaukau.” wahi a Kalalea. Lālau akula ʻo Kanoeoalakaʻi i kēia mau mea a pau a pule aʻela i kona wahi ʻAumakua inu ʻawa, a pau ia, hāʻawi akula ia iā Kaikialaweo e kuʻi i nā pua hau a me nā kiliʻoʻopu, a wali kēia mau mea, hui pū me ka wai. Ia wā i hāʻawi aku ai ke kahuna iā Koananai, ua hana ʻia a ka ʻapu, a ʻī akula ia, “E inu ʻoe.” I ka wā nō i hoʻomaka ai ʻo Koananai e inu, kuʻi iho ana ka hekili, ʻōlapa ka uila, nei ke ōlaʻi, kahe ka wai ʻula, ua ka ua koko, pouli ka lewa. Ia wā koke nō, ʻalalā ana ke keiki i waho. (Aahoaka, Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, 3 February 1877) Ua like nō kēia me ka moʻolelo kupanaha no ko Haumea hoʻohānau ʻana iā Muleiʻula, kekahi aliʻi wahine o Oʻahu. He nani maoli nō ka lāʻau a Haumea lāua ʻo Hina i makana mai ai iā kākou.

Hinahaukaekae was often confined to the walls of Malae heiau on Kauaʻi because if she went out, she had to be back before nightfall. The beautiful blossom her mother gifted her that changes color over the day (from pale yellow to red) was meant to help her keep time, but when she rushed out one fine morning, she left it behind. While out, she met children who needed light wood for their kite, fishermen who needed the same for net floats, a man whose canoe outrigger was too heavy, people who lacked carrying nets for their ipu, and a woman who needed medicine for a terrible dry cough and for her sister who was struggling in childbirth. In her desire to help, she got distracted and lost track of time. As the sun set, her feet sprouted roots, her arms stretched into limbs and her body became the hau tree, ultimately providing the people with wood, fiber, and medicine (Polihale & Other Kauaʻi Legends, Wichman, 1991). Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is also a kinolau of Haumea, so this story helps us see that Hina and Haumea are two different faces of the same feminine force. Haumea is well known for assisting women who are struggling in labor with her blossoms kanikawī and kanikawā. In the story of Aahoaka, another Kauaʻi tale, the aliʻi wahine Koananai was given an ʻapu (medicinal mixture) of two hau flowers, two stalks of kiliʻoʻopu sedge, and the water of Kaluaokuahine to induce labor (flip for this story in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi). The incredible hau plant with its many uses is a wonderful gift from our most ancient akua wahine.