Unwritten Literature of Hawaii Part 49

XXVIII.--THE HULA Mu'U-Mu'U

The conception of this peculiar hula originated from a pathetic incident narrated in the story of Hiiaka's journey to bring Prince Lohiau to the court of Pele. Haiika, standing with her friend Wahine-oma'o on the heights that overlooked the beach at Kahakuloa, Maui, saw the figure of a woman, maimed as to hands and feet, dancing in fantastic glee on a plate of rock by the ocean. She sang as she danced, pouring out her soul in an ecstasy that ill became her pitiful condition; and as she danced her shadow-dance, for she was but a ghost, poor soul! these were the words she repeated:

Auwe, auwe, mo' ku'u lima!

Auwe, auwe, mo' ku'u lima!

[Translation]

Alas, alas, maimed are my hands!

Alas, alas, maimed are my hands!

Wahine-oma'o, lacking spiritual sight, saw nothing of this; but Hiiaka, in downright pity and goodness of impulse, plucked a hala fruit from the string about her neck and threw it so that it fell before the poor creature, who eagerly seized it and with the stumps of her hands held it up to enjoy its odor. At the sight of the woman's pleasure Hiiaka sang:

Le'a wale hoi ka wahine lima-lima ole, wawae ole, E ha ana i kana i'a, ku'i-ku'i ana i kana opihi, Wa'u-wa'u ana i kana limu, Mana-mana-ia-kalu-e-a.

[Translation]

How pleased is the girl maimed of hand and foot, Groping for fish, pounding sh.e.l.ls of opihi, Kneading her moss, Mana-mana-ia-kalu-ea!

The answer of the desolate creature, grateful for Hiiaka's recognition and kind attention, was that pretty mele appropriated by hula folk as the wreath-song, already given (p. 56), which will bear repet.i.tion:

Ke lei mai la o Ka-ula i ke kai, e-e!

Ke malamalama o Niihau, ua malie.

A malie, pa ka Inu-wai.

Ke inu mai la na hala o Naue i ke kai.

5 No Naue ka hala, no Puna ka wahine, No ka lua no i Kilauea.

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[Translation]

Kaula wreathes her brow with the ocean; Niihau s.h.i.+nes forth in the calm.

After the calm blows the Inu-wai, And the palms of Naue drink of the salt.

5 From Naue the palm, from Puna the maid, Aye, from the pit of Kilauea.

The hula _mu'u-mu'u_, literally the dance of the maimed, has long been out of vogue, so that the author has met with but one person, and he not a pract.i.tioner of the hula, who has witnessed its performance. This was in Puna, Hawaii; the performance was by women only and was without instrumental accompaniment. The actors were seated in a half-reclining position, or kneeling. Their arms, as if in imitation of a maimed person, were bent at the elbows and doubled up, so that their gestures were made with the upper arms. The mele they cantillated went as follows:

Pii ana a-ama,[402]

A-ama kai nui; Kai pua-lena; A-ama, pai-e-a,[403]

5 Naholo i lea laupapa.

Popo'i, popo'i, popo'i!

Pii mai pipipi,[404] alea-lea; Noho i ka malua kai O-u,[405] o-i kela.

10 Ai ka limu akaha-kaha;[406]

Ku e, Kahiki, i ke kai nui!

I ke kai pualena a Kane!

A ke Akua o ka lua, Ua hiki i kai!

15 Ai humu-humu, E lau, e lau e, Ka opihi[407] koele!

Pa i uka, pa i kai, Kahi a ke Akua i pe'e ai.

20 Pe'e oe a nalo loa; Ua nalo na Pele.

E hua'i e, hua'i e, hua'i, O Ku ka mahu nui akea![408]

Iho i kai o ka Milo-holu;[409]

25 Auau meliana i ka wai o ke Akua.

Ke a e, ke a mai la Ke ahi a ka Wahine.

E hula e, e hula e, e hula e!

E hula mai oukou!

30 Ua noa no Manamana-ia-kalu-e-a, Puili kua, puili alo; Holo i kai, holo i uka, Holo i ka lua o Pele-- He Akua ai pohaku no Puna.

35 O Pi,[410] o Pa,[410] uhini mai ana, O Pele i ka lua.

A noa!

[Footnote 402: _A-ama_. An edible black crab. When the surf is high, it climbs up on the rocks.]

[Footnote 403: _Pai-e-a_. An edible gray crab. The favorite time for taking these crabs is when the high tide or surf forces them to leave the water for protection.]

[Footnote 404: _Pipipi_. A black seash.e.l.l (Nerita). With it is often found the _alea-lea_, a gray sh.e.l.l. These sh.e.l.lfish, like the crabs above mentioned, crawl up the rocks and cliffs during stormy weather.]

[Footnote 405: _O-u_. A variety of eel that lurks in holes; it is wont to keep its head lifted. The _o-i'_ (same verse) is an eel that snakes about in the shallow water or on the sand at the edge of the water.]

[Footnote 406: _Akahakaha_. A variety of moss. If one ate of this as he gathered it, the ocean at once became tempestuous.]

[Footnote 407: _Opihi_. An edible bivalve found in the salt waters of Hawaii. Pele is said to have been very fond of it.

There is an old saying, _He akua ai opihi o Pele_--"Pele is a G.o.ddess who eats the opihi." In proof of this statement they point to the huge piles of opihi sh.e.l.ls that may be found along the coast of Puna, the middens, no doubt, of the old-time people. _Koele_ was a term applied to the opihi that lives well under water, and therefore are delicate eating.

Another meaning given to the word _koele--opihi koele_,--line 17--is "heaped up."]

[Footnote 408: _O Ku ka mahu nui akea_. The Hawaiians have come to treat this phrase as one word, an epithet applied to the G.o.d Ku. In the author's translation it is treated as an ordinary phrase.]

[Footnote 409: _Milo-holu_. A grove of milo trees that stood, as some affirm, about that natural basin of warm water in Puna, which the Hawaiians called _Wai-wela-wela_.]

[Footnote 410: _Pi, Pa_. These were two imaginary little beings who lived in the crater of Kilauea, and who declared their presence by a tiny shrill piping sound, such, perhaps, as a stick of green wood will make when burning. Pi was active at such times as the fires were retreating, Pa when the fires were rising to a full head.]

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[Translation]

Black crabs are climbing, Crabs from the great sea, Sea that is darkling.

Black crabs and gray crabs 5 Scuttle o'er the reef-plate.

Billows are tumbling and las.h.i.+ng, Beating and surging nigh.

Seash.e.l.ls are crawling up; And lurking in holes 10 Are the eels o-u and o-i.

But taste the moss akahakaha, Kahiki! how the sea rages!

The wild sea of Kane!

The pit-G.o.d has come to the ocean, 15 All consuming, devouring By heaps the delicate sh.e.l.lfis.h.!.+

Las.h.i.+ng the mount, las.h.i.+ng the sea, Lurking place of the G.o.ddess.

Pray hide yourself wholly; 20 The Pele women are hidden.

Burst forth now! burst forth!

Ku with spreading column of smoke!

Now down to the grove Milo-holu; Bathe in waters warmed by the G.o.ddess.

25 Behold, they burn, behold, they burn!

[Page 215] The fires of the G.o.ddess burn!

Now for the dance, the dance!