Slowing the Sun

retold here by Taisha

Adapted from "Slowing the Sun" from Maui Legends by Harriet Coan

This legend is about how Māui slows the sun. Māui was the person that made the kite. One day Māui was out flying his first kite. Māui’s kite was kind of small, and Māui thought he could build a larger one. So Māui went on building larger kites until he was satisfied.

One early morning, before the sun arose, Māui took his kite down into the valley. When he got there the sun was rising and since his kite was so large he asked the winds of Hilo, the winds of Waipi‘o and finally the winds of the ocean to come and help him fly his kite. When they did come, they came with power.

While Māui was flying his kite he noticed the darkness creeping into the valley and he went home with his kite. When he got there his mom asked Māui if he could slow the sun. Māui spent a couple of days watching the sun.

Then one night, Māui went up the mountain with some food and a war club. He waited for the sun in the cave. When the sun rose he lassoed it with his lasso and made a deal with the sun to slow down, but the sun would always disagree. Until one last strike of Māui’s club. The sun had no more strong legs or rays, so the sun had to agree. Māui said the sun would be able go fast across the sky for half of the year, but slow the other half of the year. So that is how Māui slowed the sun.