Slowing the Sun

From "Slowing the Sun" inTales of the Menehune by Mary K.Pukui.

Retold here by Kaylen

INTRODUCTION:

Do you have enough time in the day to finish all of your work and still do things that you enjoy? Probably not. By the time you finish everything that is supposed to be done, the sun may be going down. Well, if you feel that there is just not enough time in a day, then you can relate to the god, Maui.

This is the legend of how Maui slowed down the sun. Maui is a mischievous boy who invented the kite. Maui knew that there was not enough time to fly his kite during the day because when he finally got his kite high up in the sky, it was dark and time for him to head back home. On his way, he noticed that other people hadn’t finished their business either. The fishermen hadn’t finished catching all of the fish that were needed. And Maui's mother, Hina, didn't have enough time to dry all of her kapa. So Hina asked Maui if he would talk to the sun and ask it to slow down so that there would be enough time to finish her work. Maui knew that the sun passed over Haleakala every day, so he did as his mother asked and went to talk to the sun. When Maui finally reached the top of the crater, he asked the sun to slow down, but the sun did not want to cooperate. Now that the sun refused to slow down what would Maui? To find out click the link on this page and listen to the legend of “How Maui Slowed the Sun.”