Slowing the Sun

retold here by Ilima
Adapted from "Slowing the Sun" from Tales of the Menehune by Caroline Curtis

Maui loved kites. He would start off with small ones, then he made them bigger and bigger until he made his biggest kite. He went to go fly it, he shouted for the winds to help him. He shouted for the winds from Waipio and Hilo to fly his kite with him. The winds came rushing towards him. The kite was at the highest buts he still called for the winds of the ocean and the mountains to help him fly his kite. The kite was alive in the sky until darkness came towards and Maui turned and saw the sun setting in the west. He went home and saw farmers and fishermen coming in already.

He went home and saw his mother crying over the kapa she was making because the sun didn’t stay out long enough for it to try so he knew he had to slow down the sun’s flight. So, he went to Haleakala, and beat the sun’s legs off. He told the sun to go slower, but he wouldn’t. So he beat some more legs off. He told the sun, once again, to go slower. The sun agreed to the promise. Then Maui asked if he kept a promise. The sun replied that he had to because Maui had beaten off all of his strong legs, so he had no other choice.

The promise Maui and the Sun made was in the Spring and Summer seasons, the Sun had to go the slowest it could. But in the Fall and Winter, the Sun could go as fast as it wanted to.