He piko pau 'iole.

Aloha kakahiaka e ko Maui a me nā hoa ma Las Vegas! Welcome to another episode of Morning Mana'o. He piko pau 'iole. An umbilical cord taken by a rat. This 'ōlelo no'eau is said in reference to a chronic thief. The umbilical cords of infants were taken to special places where the cords of other family members were kept for many generations. If a rat took a cord before it was hidden away safely, it was believed that the child would became a thief. Different 'ohana may have different ways of caring for the piko, but the most common in traditional times was to take the piko to a pōhaku piko. This pōhaku was located ma kai and usually made of porous rock, with pukapuka where the piko could be hidden. The salt water preserved the piko and purified it, keeping it free from defilement. The piko is a very personal part of the baby and contains his or her mana. Just like finger nails and hair, the piko could be used to cause harm upon the child, so the proper disposal of the piko was very important. In our 'ohana we took the piko of our first three children to our 'ohana pōhaku piko, where it was placed ceremonially. Our children can still visit this area and see the pōhaku piko they are linked to. Kamahiwa, our youngest child's piko was placed in the uplands of Mauna Kahālāwai, the mountain he is named after, forever connecting him to this wahi pana. Indeed, the traditions of kūpuna are kept alive through us . . . Ola nā iwi. Aloha nō, a hui hou!

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