The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 8

(_c_) He may be born in shape of a beast, bird, fish, or other object, with or without the power to take human form or monstrous size.

(_d_) He may bear some relation to the sun, moon, or stars, a form rare in Hawaii, but which, when it does occur, is treated objectively rather than allegorically.

(_e_) He may be a G.o.d, without human kins.h.i.+p, either one of the "departmental G.o.ds" who rule over the forces of nature, or of the hostile spirits who inhabited the islands before they were occupied by the present race.

(_f_) He may be a mere ordinary man who by means of one of these supernatural helpers achieves success.

8. Poetry and prose show a quite different process of development. In prose, connected narrative has found free expression. In poetry, the epic process is neglected. Besides the formal dirge and highly developed lyric songs (often accompanied and interpreted by dance), the characteristic form is the eulogistic hymn, designed to honor an individual by rehearsing his family's achievements, but in broken and ejaculatory panegyric rather than in connected narrative. In prose, again, the picture presented is highly realistic. The tendency is to humanize and to localize within the group the older myth and to develop later legendary tales upon a naturalistic basis. Poetry, on the other hand, develops set forms, plays with double meanings. Its character is symbolic and obscure and depends for its style upon, artificial devices.

9. Common to each are certain sources of emotional Interest such as depend upon a close interplay of ideas developed within an intimate social group. In prose occur conventional episodes, highly elaborated minor scenes, place names in profusion which have little to do with the action of the story, repet.i.tions by a series of actors of the same incident in identical form, and in the dialogue, elaborate chants, proverbial sayings, ant.i.thesis and parallelism. In poetry, the panegyric proceeds by the enumeration of names and their qualities, particularly place or technical names; by local and legendary allusions which may develop into narrative or descriptive pa.s.sages of some length; and by eulogistic comparisons drawn from nature or from social life and often elaborately developed. The interjectional expression of emotion, the rhetorical question, the use of ant.i.thesis, repet.i.tion, wordplay (puns and word-linking) and mere counting-out formulas play a striking part, and the riddling element, both in the metaphors employed and in the use of h.o.m.onyms, renders the sense obscure.

PERSONS IN THE STORY

1. AIWOHI-KUPUA. A young chief of Kauai, suitor to Laie-i-ka-wai.

2. AKIKEEHIALE. The turnstone, messenger of Aiwohikupua.

3. AWAKEA. "Noonday." The bird that guards the doors of the sun.

4. HALA-ANIANI. A young rascal of Puna.

5. HALULU-I-KE-KIHE-O-KA-MALAMA. The bird who bears the visitors to the doors of the sun.

6. HATUA-I-LIKI. "Strike-in-beating." A young chief of Kauai, suitor to Laie-i-ka-wai.

7. HAUNAKA. A champion boxer of Kohala.

8. HINA-I-KA-MALAMA. A chiefess of Maui.

9. HULU-MANIANI. "Waving feather." A seer of Kauai.

10. IHU-ANU. "Cold-nose." A champion boxer of Kohala.

11. KA-ELO-I-KA-MALAMA. The "mother's brother" who guards the land of Nuumealani.

12. KA-HALA-O-MAPU-ANA. "The sweet-scented hala." The youngest sister of Aiwohikupua.

13. KAHAU-O-KAPAKA. The chief of Koolau, Oahu, father of Laie-i-ka-wai.

14. KAHOUPO 'KANE. Attendant upon Poliahu.

15. KA-ILI-O-KA-LAU-O-KE-KOA. "The-skin-of-the-leaf-of-the-koa (tree)."

The wife of Kauakahialii.

16. KALAHUMOKU. The fighting dog of Aiwohikupua.

17. KA-OHU-KULO-KIALEA. "The-moving-cloud-of-Kaialea." Guard of the shade at the taboo house of Kahiki.

18. KA-ONOHI-O-KA-LA. "The-eyeball-of-the-sun." A high taboo chief, who lives in Kahiki.

19. KAPUKAI-HAOA. A priest, grandfather of Laie-i-ka-wai.

20. KAUA-KAHI-ALII. The high chief of Kauai.

21. KAULAAI-LEHUA. A beautiful princess of Molokai.

22. KE-KALUKALU-O-KE-WA. Successor to Kauakahi-alii and suitor to Laie-i-ka-wai.

23. KIHA-NUI-LULU-MOKU. "Great-convulsion-shaking-the-island." A guardian spirit of Pali-uli.

24. KOAE. The tropic bird. Messenger of Aiwohikupua.

25. LAIE-I-KA-WAI. A species of the _ieie_ vine. (?) The beauty of Pali-uli.

26. LAIE-LOHELOHE. Another species of the _ieie_ vine. (?) Twin sister of Laie-i-ka-wai.

27. La.n.a.lANA-NUI-AI-MAKUA. "Great-ancestral-spider." The one who lets down the pathway to the heavens.

28. LAU-KIELE-ULA. "Red-kiele-leaf." The mother who attends the young chief in the taboo house at Kahiki.

29. LILI-NOE. "Fine-fog." Attendant to Poliahu.

30. MAHINA-NUI-KONANE. "Big-bright-moon." Guard of the shade at the taboo house at Kahiki.

31. MAILE-HAIWALE. "Brittle-leafed-maile-vine." Sister of Aiwohikupua.

32. MAILE-KALUHEA. "Big-leafed-maile-vine." Sister of Aiwohikupua.

33. MAILE-LAULII. "Fine-leaf ed-maile-vine." Sister of Aiwohikupua.

34. MAILE-PAKAHA. "Common-maile-vine." Sister of Aiwohikupua.

35. MAKA-WELI. "Terrible-eyes." A young chief of Kauai.

36. MALAEKAHANA. The mother of Laie-i-ka-wai.

37. MALIO. A sorceress, sister of the Puna rascal,

38. MOa.n.a.lIHA-I-KA-WAOKELE. A powerful chief in Kahiki.

39. MOKU-KELE-KAHIKI. "Island-sailing-to-Kahiki." The mother's brother who guards the land of Ke-alohi-lani.

40. POLI-AHU. "Cold-bosom." A high chiefess who dwells on Maunakea.