Māmā-akua-lono

retold here by Jasmine

Adapted from "Māmā-akua-Lono" from More Kaua'i Tales by Frederick B. Wichman

Niolopua, a god of sleep, and his wife Hina, sister Māmā-akua-lono, and his two bird brothers Ūlili and Kolea were off to find the island of Kaua‘i, to find the Mū people, the very first settlers of this land.

Lono, god of agriculture, had told Niolupua and his family to look for the Mū people and help them. Lono also sent two ocean gods Keauakā and Keauamili to help them with their journey.

Every day Māmā-akua-lono made Kawa, for her brother, then gave him a piece of sugar cane to help sooth his pains and to help him go to sleep, and give everyone on the canoe good dreams. When she did this, she would pour some over the canoe, that would be the offering to Lono.

Soon Hina was getting very jealous of Māmā-akua-lono, because she had nothing to do. All she did was sit in the canoe while her brothers Ūlili and Kolea could fly freely from the trapped canoe to help look for Kaua‘i, Māmā-akua-lono made the Kawa, and her husband worked on the canoe so it would head in the right direction.

When they finally found the island of Kaua‘i, Niolopua, Hina, Kolea, Ūlili, and Māmā-akua-lono landed the canoe in Waialua River where there were three caves and Niolupua named them Mauana Kapu or the sacred caves.

Māmā-akua-lono’s cave was by the river and every day taught the Mū women how to beat kapa under a lehua tree. Hina was never invited and she was very angry.

One day Hina made a dam in the river next to Māmā-akua-lonoʻs cave. By noon it was flooded. Māmā-akua-lono tried to swim out but when she was in the middle of the lake Hina broke the dame causing her to go down with it to the ocean. Her brothers soon found out about the flood but it was too late, they couldn’t do anything but make her fall asleep. Then they cried because they knew of the death that was coming for her.

Soon Lono heard their cries then saw the woman who was loyal to him so much by making the kawa for him so he sent the ocean gods Keauakā and Keauamiki to save her. So out they went and carried her to the island of Maui.

There at Maui she got married, and taught the women how to make kapa, but the people never knew how much she missed the island Kaua‘i.When she felt that it is time for her to leave, she got on a canoe and called out for her brothers to come and help her get back to Kaua‘i. When she gets back, Hina and Māmā-akua-lono apologize and become friends.

Till this day if you go to Waialua River you can see three rocks on the top of a mountain, representing Niolopua, Hina, and Māmā-akua-lono.