Alahula Pu'uloa, he alahele na Ka'ahupahau

Welina me ke aloha e nā hoa pepeiao. Greetings Morning Mana'o listeners. He momi kēia. Today's 'ōlelo no'eau is Alahula Pu'uloa, he alahele na Ka'ahupāhau. Everywhere in Pu'uloa is the trail of Ka'ahupāhau. This line is used in a mele very familiar to us, lohe pinepine 'ia, heard quite frequently, Pūpū A'o 'Ewa. It refers to the shark goddess, Ka'ahupāhau that lived at Pu'uloa and protected the people of the area from other sharks. Pu'uloa is wahi pana, place name for the area known today at Pearl Harbor. Ka'ahupāhau would move about constantly, watching out for other sharks and providing safety and protection for the kama'āina of Pu'uloa. Therefore, this 'ōlelo no'eau is said in reference to someone who exhibits these same characteristics - watchful, protective, looking out for others. It is also a poetic reference to someone who is familiar with a place and knows every corner, every nook and cranny. Reminds me of my Papa. He was always concerned about our welfare and very watchful over us. So much so that he often needed antacids to calm his ever so worried 'ōpū. He was a keen observer and when we would drive into the country he could identify every nook and cranny. Every turn had a story, every hill had a name. He knew what kind of fish to get ma kai at each gulch and where the pōhole was growing ma uka. Indeed, he was kama'āina with the land and nurtured it in the same special way he did his 'ohana. 'Ae, Alahula Pu'uloa, he alahele no Ka'ahupāhau. Aloha nō, a hui hou.
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