AUDIENCE PARTICIPATIONS AND STORIES

Hawaiian Legend:
San Gabriel Valley-Long Beach Area-Laguna Hills Councils

Break the group into 2 parts. 

• The first group will say “Hang Ten Dude!”,
  when they hear the words Surf or Wave. 
• The second group will say, “Chomp, Chomp!”,
  every time they hear the word Shark 

Practice before starting

This chant or story is about the surf rider Mamala was translated from Hawaiian. This is the story...

Kou was a noted place for surf sports and water games of chiefs long ago. East of Kou was a pond with a beautiful grove of coconut trees belonging to the chief, Hono-kau-pu. In this area were the finest surf waves of old Honolulu, this surf bore the name of Ke-kai-o-Mamala (The sea of Mamala) When the waves were high, the surf was known as Ka-nuku-o-Mamala (The nose of Mamala).

Mamala was a chiefess of kupua character, meaning she was a shark as well as a beautiful woman. She was able to assume whichever shape she desired, and had for her husband a shark-god, Ouha.

Mamala and Ouha swam together as sharks and as humans played konane on the large smooth stone at Kou, and drank awa together. Mamala was known as a very skillful wave rider, the people on the beach would watch her and respond with applause over her athletic feats.

One day the chief of Hono-kaupu was watching her ride the waves.  He chose Mamala to be his wife, so she left Ouha to live with her new husband. Angry, Ouha as a shark tried to injure both of them, but was driven away. He took his human form and fled to Ka-ihi-Kapu where he appeared as a man offering shrimp and fish to the women of the area. The shrimp and fish escaped his basket, and the women ridiculed the shark-man god. Ouha could not endure the shame of this, and cast off his human form forever becoming the great shark god of Waikiki.

Kamehameha: Hawaii's Greatest King
Heart of America Council

In ancient Hawaii, legends told of a day when a great king would unite all the Hawaiian islands. The sign of his birth, kahuna (priests) claimed, would be a comet.

And so it goes that Kamehameha was born in 1758, the year Halley’s Comet made an appearance over Hawaiian skies. Kamehameha was born in Paiea on the Big Island of Hawaii. His father was said to be Keoua, a grandson of Keaweikekahialiiokamoku, who once ruled a large portion of the island. Translated, Kamehameha means "the lonely one."

Another legend tells of a kahuna who prophesized that the man who moved the 7,000-pound Naha Stone would become the greatest king of Hawaii. When Kamehameha was 14, the story goes, he moved the massive rock, and then lifted it and turned it completely over.

Kamehameha grew up in the court of his uncle, Kalaniopuu. When Kalaniopuu died in 1782, his power was divided between Kamehameha and Kalaniopuu’s natural son, Kiwalao, who inherited his father’s throne. Civil war broke out, however, and Kamehameha emerged as the Big Island’s ruler.

Many more battles ensued. During one raid in Puna, Kamehameha slipped and caught his foot in a crevice of lava. Seeing this, one of his fleeing opponents returned and beat him on the head with a canoe paddle until it broke. As a result, Kamehameha proclaimed Mamalahoe Kanawai, or "Law of the Splintered Paddle," providing protection to unarmed noncombatants in war. "Let the aged, men and women, and little children, lie down safely in the road," his law decreed.

Having gained control of his home island, Kamehameha turned to the other Hawaiian islands. Using weaponry purchased from American and European traders, the king conquered Maui and Molokai, then turned his attention to Oahu. In 1795, Kamehameha invaded the shores of Waikiki beach and led his army to Nuuanu, where a bloody battle with Oahu chief Kalanikupule ensued. Hundreds of Oahu’s warriors were killed, driven over the valley’s Pali cliffs.

In 1810, Kaumualii, the king of Kauai, peacefully surrendered his island to Kamehameha to avoid further bloodshed. With that, Kamehameha fulfilled his destiny of uniting all the Hawaiian islands under one rule.

The Hawaiian kingdom enjoyed a period of peace during Kamehameha’s reign. The king unified the legal system and used taxes to promote trade with the Americans and Europeans.

Kamehameha died in 1819, and his son, Liholiho, took the throne. Kamehameha’s bones were hidden by his kahuna. Today, his final resting lace remains a mystery.

Kamehameha, The Lonely One
Alapaha Area Council

June 11 is King Kamehameha Day in Hawai'i. This official holiday was established in 1871 by King Kamehameha V to honor his grandfather, Kamehameha I. The celebration begins with a parade of floral floats, costumed riders on horseback, and marching bands that begins in downtown Honolulu and ends in Waikiki. Across from the 'Iolani Palace, the regal statue of Kamehameha I is draped in fragrant flower lei.

Legend surrounds the birth and death of Hawai'i's greatest warrior-king. Kamehameha I, also known as Kamehameha the Great, he was born in North Kohala on the island of Hawai'i, sometime between 1748 and 1761. It is said that he was born on a stormy night, during which a bright star, Kokoiki, appeared in the heavens. Some historians believe that Kokoiki refers to Haley's Comet, which was visible in the night skies in November or December of 1758.

Kahuna, or Hawaiian priests, witnessing the celestial event prophesied the birth of a child who would grow up to be a mighty chief, destined to unite all of the Hawaiian Islands. At that time, Hawaii was besieged by warring clans. The ruling ali'i (chief) of Hawaii Island ordered the infant to be put to death.

Thus the swaddled newborn was spirited away to Waipi'o Valley, where he was raised in secrecy by foster parents. He was named Pai'ea, after the hard-shelled crab found along the Hawaiian shore. Pai'ea was safe and well cared for in Waipi'o Valley.

In time, the aging ali'i no longer felt threatened by Pai'ea. After five years Pai'ea was allowed to return to his parents in Kailua-Kona. There he was given the name Kamehameha, or "The Lonely One," and finally allowed the training and care befitting a young ali'i.

Kamehameha grew up to be the great leader as the priests had foretold. The young warrior was present when his uncle Kalani'opu'u boarded Captain James Cook's ship, the HMS Discovery in 1779.  Bright, ambitious and resourceful, he used foreign weapons and skills to his advantage. In 1790 he and his warriors confiscated a small schooner, the Fair American, that was captured in retaliation for an earlier skirmish with another American vessel. The lone survivor of the Fair American was an Englishman named Isaac Davis. Davis, along with another prisoner named John Young, eventually became a trusted advisor to Kamehameha, teaching him the use of the muskets and cannon aboard the small ship.

Kamehameha soon amassed a formidable army and a huge fleet of war canoes. By 1810, the islands of Hawai'i, Maui, O'ahu and Kaua'i were under his rule, and the Hawaiian Kingdom was established.

With unification came peace and prosperity. Kamehameha the great warrior became known as a great statesman. Among his accomplishments were the establishment of trade with foreign countries and the development of the sandalwood industry. He was also known as a just ruler, introducing the Law of the Splintered Paddle, which protected the weak from the strong and insured that every man, woman and child had the right to "lie down to sleep by the roadside without fear of harm." In 1816 he introduced the Hawaiian flag, with its Union Jack in the upper corner and 8 stripes representing the eight main Hawaiian islands.

Kamehameha died on May 8, 1819 in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawai'i. As was the ancient tradition, his bones were hidden to protect their mana, or power. To this day, no one knows where he rests.