Battles in Puna

Puna

Battle 1:   Pele destroys Papalauahi

The lava flows slowly on the island.  The advancing molten rock can devour buildings, roads, and fill in fishponds along the shoreline, but it is easy to walk away from the flow.  There are stories of several ancient chiefs and their people that lost their lives to flows sent out by an angry Pele, perhaps a metaphor for the destruction wrought by her military might.

Papalauahi was the chief that once ruled the entire district of Puna (Westervelt 1999:29).  Pele appeared as a beautiful woman at a feast put on by Papalauahi.  She raced Papalauahi in the downhill sledding games, but she lost.  That was too much for her to bear, so she let loose the lava.  Many chiefs attending the feast were killed.  They were turned into lava tree molds.

Westervelt, W. D.  1999.  Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Puna

Battle 2:   Pele ruins Keliʻikuku

Aliʻi, the Hawaiian chiefs, elites and royalty, travelled to other islands to feast and dance, and to raid.  Chief Keliikuku from somewhere in Puna visited Oʻahu on one of the happier occasions (Westervelt 1999:32).  He shared stories of his lovely homeland, but those were taken as boastful, especially by a prophet of Pele’s named Kaneakalau.  Kaneakalau proclaimed that Pele had made the lands of Keliikuku a heap of ruins while he was gone.  Sure enough, upon his return to Puna Keliikuku found his lands charred and his people gone.  Keliikuku hung himself in despair.

Westervelt, W. D.  1999.  Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Puna

Battle 4:   Pele chases Kahawari off the island

There are several versions of the tale of the encounter between Kahawali and Pele.  It is a popular story and was told to the missionary Ellis during his travels in eastern Puna in the early 1800s (Ellis 1974:300).  In this version Kahawali is spelled Kahavari, and he was a chief in Puna.  He enjoyed sledding down puʻu, the steeply sloped volcanic cinder cones so prevalent throughout the islands, and this particular day he was at that puʻu called Kahoruaanaokahavari (the sliding place of Kavahari).  The modern spelling of this cinder cone in the eastern portion of the Kīlauea rift zone is Kaholuaokahawali (Pukui, Elbert and Mookini 1974:65).  Many locals were partying there at this occasion, and Pele decided to join in.  In disguise.  At the top of the puʻu Pele asked Kahavari for his sled, but he refused.  That was enough to bring Pele’s anger to a boil.  She exposed herself as the goddess of the volcano, and let the lava flow from the cinder cone.  The lava killed all of those in attendance, but Kahavari was able to keep ahead of the destruction.  He headed eastward passing other landmarks including the puʻu Kukiʻi before he leapt into his canoe, and escaped to Oʻahu. 

Kalakaua also refers to Kahavari as a local Puna chief, and indicates that he lived at Kapoho near the eastern point of the island of Hawaiʻi (Kalakaua 1990:501).  Kahavari’s parents were from Oʻahu, however.  And that is where he fled leaving behind his relatives and his people in the smoldering lava at the shores of Puna.

Westervelt refers to this chief as Kahawali, a chief from Kauaʻi that excelled in the sport of sledding (Westervelt 1999:37).  He travelled to the far eastern end of the Hawaiian chain, landing at Kapoho, and lived there for a while.  During one of the festive sledding days at the nearby puʻu called Halekamahina, Kahawali ran into the disguised Pele as mentioned in the other versions, and set off the anger and the lava.  The Westervelt, Ellis, and Kalakaua versions of the effrontery to Pele, her angered response, and details of Kahawari racing to the sea to escape are very similar to one another.  Westervelt offers an epilogue, however.  “The story ends with the statement that Kaha-wali joined his father on the island of Oahu and there remained.  Other legends say he went to Kauai and there gathered a company of the most powerful priests to return to Hawaii for the destruction of Pele and her volcanic fires…These priests who were also the rank of chiefs were all killed by Pele except Kaha-wali, who escaped to Oahua” (Westervelt 1999:44).  How and where they battled is not recorded.

Ellis, W.  1969.  Polynesian Researches Hawaii.  Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., Rutland, Vermont. 

Kalakaua, D.  1990.  The Legends and Myths of Hawaii.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Pukui, M. K., S. H. Elbert, and E. T. Mookini   1974.   Place Names of Hawaii (Revised and expanded edition).  The University of Hawai‘i Press, Honolulu.

Westervelt, W. D.  1999.  Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Hilo, Puna, Kau and Kona

Battles 25 through 29:   ʻUmialīloa establishes his dominion over the entire island

Hākau had been a ruthless ruler, so many chiefs were supportive of ʻUmi at the outset (Fornander 1996:96).  There were concerns about having this new ruler born of a women of unrecognized rank, however (Elbert 1959:160), and the high chiefs of each district declared their independence from the new island ruler (Elbert 1959:158).  After ʻUmi had been slighted in an encounter in Hilo he decided to march his army there.  Starting in his royal home in Waipiʻo valley, he took the high mountainous trail of Poliʻahu (Kamakau 1992:16) in an attempt to stay undetected as he approached Hilo.  A fisherman named Nau from Puʻuʻeo just north of Hilo discovered the advancing army and met them at a narrow pass above Kaūmana where the army of ʻUmi had to proceed in single file.  There Nau single handedly killed many warriors [25] until they finally figured a way around (Elbert 1959:166; Kamakau 1992:17).  The army advanced upon and destroyed the chiefs of Hilo [26] after that, thus taking control of the Hāmākua and Hilo districts. 

ʻUmi and his army headed southeast to Puna and defeated the Puna chief Huaʻa at the battle of Kuolo near Keaʻau [27] (Elbert 1959:168).  ʻUmi’s army then moved south and may have set up headquarters at Ahuaʻumi (Kamakau 1992:35).  From there he set to attack the amazing blind Kaʻū [28] warrior ruler named Imaikalani (Iʻi 1959:20) at the battle of Kapaliikua (Kamakau 1992:408).  Imaikalani could throw five spears with each hand, and had the help of forty spear carriers and his two birds that guided him in battle, but he fell to the crafty general in ʻUmi’s army named Piʻimaiwaʻa (Kamakau 1992:18).  ʻUmi’s militia then took Kona and Kohala by defeating ʻEhunuikaimalino [29] (Kamakau 1992:19), thereby establishing his authority over the entire island.    Soon after that ʻUmi moved the seat of power for the island from Waipiʻo to Kailua in Kona. 

Elbert, S. H. (editor)  1959.  Selections from Fornander’s Hawaiian Antiquities and Folklore.  The University of Hawai‘i Press, Honolulu.

Fornander, A. 1996.  Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

I‘i, J.  1959.  Fragments of Hawaiian History.  Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu.

Kamakau, S. M.  1992.  Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, Revised Edition.  The Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.

Hilo and Puna

Battles 61 through 65:   Kalaniopuʻu’s failed attempt to kidnap Kamehameha

Alapaʻinuiakauaua and his aliʻi entourage, including a young Kamehameha who was born during the reign of Alapaʻi, were staying at the royal center in Piʻopiʻo at Hilo sometime in the 1750s when suddenly Kamehameha’s father died.  Alapaʻi’s nephew Kalaniopuʻu claimed that Alapaʻi was responsible for that death.  Kalaniopuʻu then tried and failed to kidnap Kamehameha.  In retribution, Alapa’i sent his warriors out to attack Kalaniopuʻu’s troops that were camped at a nearby hill overlooking the royal fishpond of Kalepolepo [61] (Iʻi 1959:3; Kamakau 1992:76).  Kalaniopuʻu survived the engagement and retreated to the edge of the forest at Pā‘ie‘ie [62] (Fornander 1996:144) where the next day they ambushed and slaughtered most of the onrushing Alapaʻi troops along a narrow path in the woods.  Alapaʻi then sent out another squad to chase Kalaniopuʻu through Puna.  Battles were fought at Kualoa [63] and Mokaulele [64] and Mahinaakaka [65] as Kalaniopuʻu worked his way southward to his home and base of power in Kaʻū.  The victorious Kalaniopuʻu declared himself ruler of Kaʻū and Puna, and independent of Alapaʻi.  Alapaʻi left him alone.

Fornander, A. 1996.  Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

I‘i, J.  1959.  Fragments of Hawaiian History.  Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu.

Kamakau, S. M.  1992.  Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, Revised Edition.  The Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.

Puna

Battle 75: Imakakoloa rebels against Kalaniopuʻu

Around this time the aged Kalaniopuʻu decreed that when he died his son Kiwalaʻo should rule over the land and the sea (Kamakau 1992:107).  He also proclaimed that Kamehameha should then be entrusted with the war god Kūkāʻilimoku, and serve Kiwalaʻo in that capacity.  As Kalaniopuʻu weakened, younger chiefs began to assert their might.  Imakakoloa, a chief from Puna, seized the products of his district, refusing to pass them on to supply Kalaniopuʻu’s extravagant ways at a time when many were suffering under drought stricken conditions around the island (Fornander 1996: 200; Kamakau 1992:106).  Kalaniopuʻu rededicated several luakini (war) heiau, including Moaʻula in Waipiʻo and Kānoa near Hilo, as he moved east with his army from Waipiʻo valley to deal with the rebel.  There was a battle in an unidentified part of Puna that lasted a long time where Imakakoloa’s army was defeated.  Imakakoloa was able to escape, and he hid out in the small villages in the barren lands for a year without being caught.  Kalaniopuʻu eventually sent out one of his priests, Puhili, to systematically destroy all the villages in Puna until Imakakoloa was found.  Starting at the southern border of Puna, Puhili set fire to everything in his way.  Imakakoloa was delivered, and the fires stopped.  In his discussion about the depravities of warfare, Kamakau mentions a battle at Opihikao in Puna (Kamakau 1992:233), but does not say when that took place or who was involved.  Perhaps this battle is associated with the efforts of Kalaniopuʻu to deal with the rebel Imakakoloa. 

Fornander, A. 1996.  Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Kamakau, S. M.  1992. Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, Revised Edition.  The Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.

Hilo and Puna

Battles 78 and 79:   Kānekoa and Kahai stir up discontent among the three island factions

With the death of Kīwalaʻō, the island was split into three ruling factions.  The highest ranking chief of the three groups was Keawemaʻuhili.  He ruled over Hilo, Puna, and part of Hāmākua.  The next highest ranking chief was Keōua, who ruled over Kaʻū.  Of lesser rank was Kamehameha, who had the support of the chiefs of Kona, his home Kohala, and part of Hāmākua.  Kānekoa and his brother Kahai had joined forces with Kīwalaʻō at the battle of Mokuʻōhai, but after Kīwalaʻō was killed there, they fell in with Keawemaʻuhili.  For undisclosed reasons Kānekoa and Kahai rebelled against Keawemaʻuhili in a battle somewhere in Hilo [78].  Their rebellion was suppressed and they fled to Kaʻū where Keōua took them in (Fornander 1992:316; Kam 92:124).  Kānekoa and Kahai soon were dissatisfied with their lot there, and took up battle against Keōua at a place between ʻOlaʻa and Kīlauea [79] (Fornander 1992:316; Kamakau 1992:124; Desha 2000:170).  Kānekoa was killed then, but Kahai escaped to Kamemameha in Kona where he implored Kamehameha to make war on Keōua and Keawemaʻuhili. 

Desha, S. L.  2000.  Kamehameha and His Warrior Kekūhaupi‘o.  Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.

Fornander, A. 1996.  Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Kamakau, S. M.  1992.  Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, Revised Edition.  The Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.

Puna

Battle 88:   The skirmish at Pāpa‘i in Kea‘au

Leaving Hilo, Kamehameha’s forces traveled to nearby Laupāhoehoe by canoe, and used this frontier zone as a staging area for raids on Hilo.  During his encampment at Laupāhoehoe Kamehameha set out on a task that became famous in Hawaiian lore.  He decided that he needed to secure a sacrifice for war preparation ceremonies, so he organized the crew of his personal war canoe to sail east past Hilo to the Puna coast without notifying anyone else (Fornander 1996:318).  He landed at Pāpa‘i in Kea‘au where he saw fishermen with their families along the shoreline, folks living under the rule of his enemy Keawema‘uhili.  Kamehameha ran towards the assembled group.  Most of them fled, but two men were trapped and stood to fight the oncoming warrior.  The fishing folk had but their paddles for weapons, and they used them as best they could against this unknown assailant.  That turned out to be sufficient, because Kamehameha inadvertently stepped into a crevice in the lava, got stuck, and could not leave the spot.  The fighting fishermen took advantage of the situation to rain blows with their paddles down on the chief’s head.  With the help of his canoe crew Kamehameha was able to extricate himself and escape to Laupāhoehoe. 

Fornander, A. 1996.  Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Hilo, Puna and Kaʻū

Battles 97 through 102: Kamehameha’s forces strike into Keōua lands

Fornander (1992:326) mentions that Keʻeaumoku with the foreigners John Young and Isaac Davis attacked Keōua’s forces somewhere in Hilo [97].  At the same time Kamehameha’s army under the direction of Ka‘iana took a fleet of war canoes to South Point [98].  Keōua’s warriors set out in canoes and attacked Ka‘iana’s men just off the coast there.  The battle moved to land at Paiaha‘a below Kamā‘oa [99] (Desha 2000:288).  The fierce battle lasted for three days.  The two forces continued fighting at Kamā‘oa [100] and Ua‘ohulelua [101], where the struggle was worst of all (Kamakau 1992:153).  Keōua maneuvered north to Punakoki in Puna [102] (Desha 2000:288) (called Puʻuakoki in Fornander 1996:327, and Puakokoki in Ellis 1974:210, and Puaʻakoki in Kamakau 1992:15) then made a stand before Ka‘iana’s pursuing army.  They fought for three more days until Ka‘iana fled, boarding his canoes and leaving the east side of the island for the last time (Desha 2000:288). 

Desha, S. L.  2000.  Kamehameha and His Warrior Kekūhaupi‘o.  Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.

Ellis, W.  1969.  Polynesian Researches Hawaii.  Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., Rutland, Vermont. 

Fornander, A. 1996.  Ancient History of the Hawaiian People.  Mutual Publishing, Honolulu.

Kamakau, S. M.  1992.  Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii, Revised Edition.  The Kamehameha Schools Press, Honolulu.