Lau-Haka

retold here by Tiloi
Adapted from ''Lau-Haka'' from Kaua'i Tales by Frederick B. Wichman

This legend takes place on the island of Kaua’i in Wainiha Valley at the Alaka’i Swamp.
Not too long ago a little boy was born. His name was Lau-Haka. His mother died at birth and his dad left him and never again returned to see him. So Lau-Haka lived with his mothers brother, Kane-‘alohi.

Kane-‘alohi taught Lau-Haka to be a bird catcher. He became very skilled at catching all kinds of birds. Lau-Haka was so skilled he could stay motionless or hours, holding a flower between his fingers so a honeycreeper could come, and he would catch it. He would also smear sap from a certain tree and it was sticky. Then he would imitate a bird’s call then it would come closer and closer and land on the tree that Lau-Haka smeared with sap. Then he would catch it take some feather and let it go so it can grow back its missing feathers.

The bird catcher’s home was in the Alaka’i Swamp. They had a little hut that they built for themselves. There was a little walk way to the hut. Every time someone would go through he walk way it would ripple the water so they could desert the hut. Their hut was a very safe place.
One day the chief of Waimea Valley heard about the bird catchers. He got really mad because the bird catchers weren’t paying the taxes that they had to live in the Koke’e forest. So the chief went up there to arrest the bird catcher. The chief didn’t know that when he went across the walk way he made the water ripple. When he got to the house it was empty. The chief followed the trail into Wainiha Valley and saw Lau-Haka and Kane-‘alohi. On the other side of Lau-Haka and Kane-‘alohi their was a huge cliff. The chief sent his warriors to kill Lau-Haka and Kane-‘alohi. Lau-Haka sent every warrior over the cliff. Then the King saw the Helmet Lau-Haka was wearing and said ''that use to be mine''. The chief invited Lau-Haka and Kane-‘alohi to his house. So the next day Lau-Haka and Kane-‘alohi went to the chiefs house. Lau-Haka felt something was wrong because no one was sitting in the middle of the house. So Lao-Haka threw his spear into the middle and the mat ripped. Lau-Haka got really mad. He ran around pushing warrior into the pit and then he got to chief, he was so scared he fell into the pit. Then Lau-Haka became the new chief of Waimea