by author Marie Alohalani Brown, Ph.D.
When Punaʻaikoaʻe reached the coast, he saw a great number of people gathered around others who were engaged in different games—wrestling, bowling, sledding, spear-throwing and so forth. As he wandered around enjoying the day, a man of that place named Hinale noticed him—and the strangeness of his features. Hinale was Kalamainuʻu’s brother, and he had heard rumors of the chief that had gone surfing with a beautiful woman but had never returned. He approached Punaʻaikoaʻe and engaged him in conversation. Upon learning his name and where he resided, Hinale realized that this was the man his sister had seduced and kidnapped. Feeling pity, Hinale invited Punaʻaikoaʻe back to his home to eat and rest before returning upland. There, Hinale broke the news to him that he was in danger.
“The woman you dwell with is my sister,” Hinale said. “She is not human but a moʻo. If she tires of you, she will kill you rather than set you free. She has done this before, and I feel pity for the humans she takes as her lovers. At the risk of my own life, I will tell you how to escape.”
Shocked, Punaʻaikoaʻe listened to Hinale, never uttering a word.
“When you first arrive home, do not let Kalamainuʻu know that you have arrived. In silence, creep to the cave, and you will see the truth of what I say. She will be in her terrible moʻo form, gobbling up spiders and their webs. Once you have seen what she truly is, then go back along the path until the cave mouth is no longer visible, and call out to her that you have returned as she instructed you. You will ask her to do something for you that will take her far away, and then you will find someone with a canoe, and make your way from Molokai to Hawaiʻi, and then seek refuge with the relatives of your first wife, the Pele clan, at Kīlauea.
After receiving Hinale’s instructions, Punaʻaikoaʻe returned to the cave, creeping in silence to a rocky outcropping where he could spy upon Kalamainuʻu without being seen. There she was, an enormous black reptile with powerful legs and a long, thick tail that she whipped back and forth as her sharp-toothed jaws snatched at spiders in the cave.
Horrified, Punaʻaikoaʻe backed out of the cave and went down the path, but still within shouting distance. It took him several minutes to calm himself down. He then called out to Kalamainuʻu that he was home. His life depended on his ability to hide the fact that he knew the truth about her. When he entered the cave, he saw that Kalamainuʻu had returned to her human form. Although the first words she spoke filled him with dread, he kept calm.
Where Gods Walk – 3 | Where Gods Walk – 5
Marie Alohalani Brown, Ph.D. is the Author of Facing the Spears of Change: The Life and Legacy of John Papa Ii (University of Hawaii Press); winner of the Palapala Poʻokela Award 2017 for the Best Book on Hawaiian Language, Culture, and History.