Hālau Puʻuloa (Mele Oli)

Translator’s Note: Though this translation includes diacritical markings, the transcription of this mele imposes no use of diacritical markings and represents the mele as it is inscribed on the original document. The lack of inclusion of diacritical markings in the transcription is also intended to allow for multiple interpretations of this mele that may extend beyond the translation that is offered here.

From the Bishop Museum Archives, MS Case 4 M61 Pages 94 to 95 
Attributed to Moekali, Date Unknown 

Bibliography

¹ The original collection of mele within which this mele was found must be examined again to verify the date that this mele may have been published.

² Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, 142.: Pukui defines kēhau as dew, mist, or dewdrop and also notes that it is a gentle land breeze of Oʻahu and other islands. The word kēhau is also found in the ʻili name Hanakēhau along the Southeastern border of the Waiawa ahupuaʻa as found on Registered Maps and documents from the Mahele, the process for privatizing land in Hawaiʻi beginning in 1848.

³ Nākoa, Lei Momi o ʻEwa, 20–23.: The “iʻa hāmau leo” refer to a specific oyster found in ʻEwa, especially in the Mānana ahupuaʻa. These oysters were prized more for their meat than for their pearls from which the contemporary name “Pearl City” has been derived.

⁴ Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, 11.: Land, earth. The word ʻāina may refer generically to any portion of earth, but is also used to refer to specific sections of land that may be divided and subdivided into districts, towns, villages, etc. The word is not exclusive to terrestrial locations and may also apply to sections of sea or fresh water. Due to its definitions that include land and water resources, the word ʻāina remains untranslated here to avoid excluding any resources that may be defined through this word.

⁵ Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, 93.: The word iʻa remains untranslated here as it defines not only fish, but marine animals of any sort, including oysters such as those referred to as the “iʻa hāmau leo” of ʻEwa.

⁶ Manu, Keaomelemele ; He Moolelo Kaao No Keaomelemele, 161.: The Moʻolelo of Keaomelemele contains more info on these famous oysters of ʻEwa for which the Moʻo Akua Kānekuaʻana is the guardian of.

⁷ It may be possible that “puakai ula” could be a poetic reference for the Easternmost loch of Ke Awalau o Puʻuloa, but more research must be done to verify this.

⁸ Sterling and Summers, Sites of Oahu, 17–18.: Kuhia is the name of one of the retainers of the Akua manō Kaʻahupāhau. Two ʻili in Waiawa share this name: Kuhialoko and Kuhiawaho. These names are found on maps and documents from the Mahele. Kuhiawaho is directly adjacent to the Westernmost loch of Puʻuloa.

Manu, Moses. Keaomelemele; He Moolelo Kaao No Keaomelemele. Edited by Mary Kawena Pukui and
     Puakea Nogelmeier. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 2002.

Nākoa, Sarah Keliʻilolena. Lei Momi o ʻEwa. Ke Kumu Lama 1. ʻAhahui ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, 1993.

Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Samuel H. Elbert. Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English,

English-Hawaiian. Rev. and enl. ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986.

Sterling, Elspeth P., and Catherine C. Summers. Sites of Oahu. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1978.

Manu, Moses. Keaomelemele; He Moolelo Kaao No Keaomelemele. Edited by Mary Kawena Pukui and
     Puakea Nogelmeier. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 2002.

Nākoa, Sarah Keliʻilolena. Lei Momi o ʻEwa. Ke Kumu Lama 1. ʻAhahui ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, 1993.

Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Samuel H. Elbert. Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English,
     English-Hawaiian. Rev. and enl. ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986.

Sterling, Elspeth P., and Catherine C. Summers. Sites of Oahu. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1978.