Identifier: legendsofoldho00west (find matches)
Title: Legends of old Honolulu
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Westervelt, W. D. (William Drake), 1849-1939
Subjects: Legends -- Hawaii Honolulu
Publisher: Boston, Press of Geo. H. Ellis co. (etc.)
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ahiti went on around toHauula. They went up to the tabu land back ofHauula. They pulled up the tabu flags. Thenthey dammed up the waters of the valley abovethe village until there was sufficient for a mightyflood. The storms from the heavy clouds drovethe people into their homes. Then the Tahitiansopened the flood-gates of their mountain reser-voir and let the irresistible waters down uponthe village. The houses and their inhabitantswere swept into the sea and destroyed. Thusvengeance came upon the cannibals. The Tahitians were fish, therefore theywent back into the ocean to swim around theislands. Sometimes they came near enough tothe haunts of fishermen to be taken for food.They bear the name hilu. But there are twovarieties. The red hilu is cooked and eaten,never eaten without having felt the power offire. The trace of the cannibal feast is alwaysover its flesh. Therefore it has to be removedby purification of the flames over which it isprepared for food. The blue hilu, the natives
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POI POUNDER ■^ THE NEW YORKJPUBLiC LIBRARyi ASTOh, LENOXJTItD£N FOUNDATIONa THE TWO FISH FROM TAHITI 145 say, is salted and eaten uncooked. Thus thelegend says the two fish came from Tahiti, andthus they became the origin of some of thebeautiful fish whose colors flash like the rainbowthrough the clear waters of Hawaii. Another legend somewhat similar to this istold by the natives of Hauula. There is a valleynear this village called Kaipapau (The valley ofthe shallow sea). Here lived an old kahuna, orpriest, who always worshipped the two greatgods Ka-ne and Kanaloa. These gods had theirhome in the place where the old man continu-ally worshipped them, but they loved to go awayfrom time to time for a trip around the island.Once the gods came to their sisters home andreceived from her dried fish for food. This theycarried to the sea and threw into the waters,where it became alive again and swam along thecoast while the gods journeyed inland. By andby they came to the little river on w

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