The Woman of the Fire and the Woman of the Water

retold here by Sarah
Adapted from"The Woman of the Fire and The Woman of the Water" from Hawaii Island Legends Pikoi, Pele, and Others by Mary Kawena Puku‘i

Once many moons ago there lived two sisters and both of them were chiefesses. The older of the two was the chiefess of Häla‘i Hill and she had the power over fire so her people called her the Woman of the Fire. The younger of the two ruled over another hill called Pu‘u Honu and had the power over rain so her people called her The Woman of the Water.

Häla‘i Hill was such a very good little village, always such a busy place. Here the cheifess was was the best and everyone trusted her. But when the famine came everything was dry and the people were hungry. So the chiefess had an idea she told her strongest men to get her firewood, sea stones, and to dig the biggest imu. Although the people didn’t understand why there making way for a feast, but they did trust her. After all of the work was done The Woman of the Fire told her people that she would be a sacrifice to get food from the gods, so she did a chant for the food that her people would eat. She told them to wait for three days until a cloud of smoke in the shape of a woman came up out from the sand that is the sign to uncover the imu and there will be food for a feast. When the villagers covered their chiefess tears began to form in thier eyes. So the village waited for three days and they saw the sign. They unburried the imu and the feast began. Soon someone saw a woman with many leis walking towards thier feast. Soon the people noticed that the woman was their chiefess and you could see the villagers' excitment. As they feasted the chiefess told the storyof her visit with the gods.

Soon this news spread to her younger sister the woman of the water in Pu‘u Honu. Since the famine was in Pu‘u Honu too The Woman of Water would do the same for her people to get glory as her sister did . So the Woman of Water demandedher people to get stones, make an imu, and get firewood. The Woman of the Water told her village about the food they would feast on after and did the chant. She got in the imu and the villagers covered her. Her village waited for three days and then a dark smoke cloud appeared over the imu, but surprisingly there was no food to eat only ashes lay in that imu.

When the woman of fire heard about this she couldn’t understand why her sister would do such a thing. The Woman of the Fire thought that instead of using the imu she could have made it rain and the plants would grow for their food. After all of that happened The Woman of the Fire let the people of Pu‘u Honu live with her people in Häla‘i Hill.