Hawaiian History

Tales from the Night Rainbow (Page 2)

By Pali Jae Lee and Koko Willis

Na Ali'i: The Chiefs

To us, they were invaders. Pa'ao had gone back to Tahiti and gathered thousands of people to come to Hawai'i and take over the land. The men were tall fierce warriors. They did not believe in the force of light, only in the force of the closed fist, in mighty armies that killed, took and plundered.

The people on Lana'i were the first to see them approaching. They said the red malo of the invaders could be seen from horizon to horizon making the sea itself take on a red hue. Soon the sea did turn red with the blood of our people as thousands were slaughtered and enslaved. The native population that could, made a run for Kaua'i where they would he safe. You had to be well schooled in the tides of Kaua'i to get ashore safely. Many of the people who could not get to the boats in time hid in mountain caves. The people who were caught were used as fishbait and human sacrifices, and their bones were used to decorate the tiki statues of the Tahitian gods.

The Tahitians who became the rulers of our islands called themselves na ali'i (the rulers or chiefs) and they called our people Mana hune (small power) because they thought we were a joke. In fact the people who lived here before the ali'i came were much smaller than these warriors, and had no knowledge of how to use a spear of club or any manner of war weapon. The early people had used their minds to cooperate with the world and had no war leaders or chiefs to lead them into battle. They were fishermen and farmers. They shared all they grew and caught with the community. To be a warrior you must be trained in the ways of war. No one in our Islands had such training at that time. Since the Tahitians did not consider mind power to be power at all, the people were as they said - Mana hune (small power).

Some of the people who were living in the Islands at that time were the descendants of Menehune, a man who had 16 sons. The two names merged and all people who were here before the Tahitians took over our islands were called the Menehune. In truth there were many different lines of families before the Tahitians. As a group they called themselves the Mu and the Islands the Mu also. Individually family groups were known by their own name. On Kaua'i there was the Kama kau po and the Nawao. On O'ahu the Lae and Pae and Kea families. On Maui there were the Ahu and the I families as well as many Lae family members. Some families were just known by their 'aumakua and nothing else.

The people on Moloka'i who were my ancestors called themselves Ka Po'e Ao Hiwa (the light carriers, or the people who tended the Sacred Light). Other families on Moloka'i had names to do with the Light or the Rainbow.

Legends and stories of the Menehune's great deeds came about because the ali' i would give orders when they wanted a fishpond built, or a temple or a ditch, and allowed a very short time for it to be done. The ali'i would order the maoli (natives) to do the job and go off laughing. If the work was not accomplished in the given time, all the people of that place would be slaughtered.

When such orders were given the maoli or pre - a/i'i came out of hiding - down from the mountains, from the caves - and they worked together as one person to accomplish the task. These jobs were done at night because during the day other work had to be done. When enough people were not available on one island, fireballs were sent up as a signal to the ancient ones on other islands that help was needed.

When the first rays of dawn began to show on the day the project was to be completed, the boats were already gone. The people had returned to their caves and mountains. There was no sign of anyone. Since the ali'i knew it was not possible for the people of that certain site to do the work by themselves, they thought the ghosts of their ancestors helped them. When they happened to see or hear people coming down from the mountains for such a project, they hid, for the burial places of the ancient ones were in the mountains. This is how the stories of the night marchers began. In those days, the ones who marched were flesh and blood. They would not bow to the rule of the blood thirsty ali'i so they hid away, waiting for a time when the land would be at peace again. Some families lived several generations in the mountains before they knew things would not change back to the old ways, ever again.

The ali'i people ruled through a system of chiefs. War was accepted as a way of life. They thought everything could be taken by force. They were always fighting - brother fought brother, father fought son. They had no peace in their hearts, and as it is with wars, no one won, for with wars, all lose.

On Moloka' i we were not bothered as much as people on other islands but we had our time of trial also. The ali'i feared the people who lived on Moloka'i for they thought all who lived there had great personal power.

The reason for this belief was that when Pa'ao's warriors came to invade Moloka'i's shores they found the people standing there waiting for them. They did not run. They stood together as a silent army. No fist was raised. When the warriors began to beach their boats the chanting began. It began small and became a mighty roar. The warriors threw their spears but they fell short of hitting anyone. Men trying to come onto the beach were falling back into the surf choking, unable to breathe. They did not invade Moloka'i's shores at that time. They called Moloka'i - Pule-o-o (powerful prayer) and this was brought back into being many times through the centuries after that.

In time there was mixing of blood. The lines that had more of the pre - a/i'i blood were called sacred and the chiefs who had such blood were called the sacred chiefs. Tahitians came to conquer our islands and in many ways were conquered themselves. They took many of our chants as their own. They took many of our teachings and our parables. Many ali'i came to Moloka'i and walked among our people as friends or family. They gave us no orders. Some of their children were raised by the learned ones on Moloka'i so they would know all things. Some of these men grew to be great chiefs. Some still saw more glory in battle than in awareness and love and their bodies died in battle for they had much to learn. Although some returned to their warring ways, others did not.

To us they were invaders. They took our women and our heiau. They felt free to walk among us and take our food or whatever they desired. They gave us orders and called us commoners. We were not commoners. We were the ancient ones who had lived here many generations before they invaded our shores with their red malo. They came to conquer with raised fists and war clubs. Many would learn new ideas and put down their clubs to pick up a simple bowl of light.