Kanaka-Nunui-Moe

retold by Shelby

Adapted from "Kanaka-Nunui-Moe" from Kauai Tales by Frederick B. Wichman

Many years ago there was giant named Kanaka-Nunui-Moe. This giant was a very friendly giant. He always wanted to help the people of Kapa’a and they were always very thankful. One day Kanaka-Nunui-Moe fell asleep and the dirt flew upon him and the gentle rains of Ka-Hale-Lehua lightly sprinkled upon him and turned into a hill.

One day he woke up and the sight of him scared everybody. After he woke up he started to walk around. While he was walking he saw that the faces of the people were sad. Later on, Kanaka-Nunui-Moe found out that it was because the chief wanted them to build a temple for him and they couldn’t do it. So the giant went and got big stones from the Waimea Canyon and built a wall, next he went back to the canyon and got Koa trees and built the temple inside the stone wall.

He was a done in half the time that it would take the humans. He went to tell the chief what he had done and the chief was so happy. The chief told all of his servants to go out and get food for Kanaka-Nunui-Moe. Kanaka-Nunui-Moe got tired, fell asleep and became a mountain, and has never woken up since.