The Birth Of Haloa & Haloanakalaukapalili

Papa & Wakea

Ho’ohokukalani

The Birth Of Haloa & Haloanakalaukapalili

Papahanaumoku

Wakea

A goddess Earth Mother who gave birth to all things by making love with the sky. Papa is known as a primordial force of creation who has the power to give life and heal. She is the beautiful consort of the sky god Wakea and mother of all Hawaiian islands. Papahanaumoku literally translated means; a broad place that gives birth to islands. She is a supporting rock providing us all firm foundations for our body, mind, and spirit. Representing providence, thankfulness, fertility, earth, weather, grounding, the harvest and her symbol is the moon, rainwater and rocks. To this day the sky and earth remain lovers, for the sky giving its beloved rain to the earth for fertilization.

Wakea the sky father built numerous religious sites for the gods: Ku, Lono, Kane and Kanaloa. Eventually Wakea placed restrictions/ aikapu on certain activity between men and women, including not eating together, certain foods and during a women's time of the month, they including Papa, were confined to the menstrual house for days. Wakea and Papa then had a daughter named Ho’ohokukalani. When she became an adult Wakea, impregnated her but a premature baby was born to them and they gave him the name Haloanakalaukapalili.

She who sets the stars in heaven and the celestial regions. Hoohokukalani is the Irresistible goddess daughter of Papa & Wakea. She was born to perpetuate the Hawaiian lineage without her we wouldnt have a Hawaiian race. As she grew into a mature adult Wakeas desire for her grew inside him and they ended up marrying. Hoohokukalani becomes a mother to all the Kalo plants and Kanaka in Hawaii.

Papahanaumoku ame Wakea

The beginning of this story takes place with the long love story of Papahanaumoku (Earth Mother) and Wakea (Sky Father) and the creation of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawai’i, their eldest child was born to them, Maui, and Kaho’olawe.

Foundations of Hawaiian culture, Ohana & Kuleana

Wakea took a new wife Ka’ula, and she gave birth to Lana’ika’ula. Wakea took a new wife Hina and she gave birth to the island Moloka’inuiahina. Papa returned from Tahiti furious and jealous she took a new husband Lua and the island O’ahualua was born. Papa returned to Wakea and born were the islands of Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, Lehua and Ka’ula.

Haloanakalaukapalili

Haloanakalaukapalili, the Kalo is considered to be the older sibling, and Kanaka Hawaii, the younger sibling. It is taught that taking care of your older siblings and mother they will nurture and take care of you. This is the relationship Hawaiians have to Kalo, it is our Kuleana to care for eachother. The Kalo plant in itself is an important Ohana that needs to be cared for and loved. Kalo is a vital part in the geneology of the Hawaiian people as their most important crop. It is the Kanakas responsibility & Manao to take care of the Aina, so that the Aina will feed the people.

& Haloa

Haloanakalaukapalili

Haloa

The powerful lineage created a stillborn baby devastated, the deities, Wakea ame Hoohokukalani, buried him along the east side of their house. Some legends say that as Hoohokukalani mourned for her premature son, she cried over his grave those tears from her eyes soaked the deep earth below Eventually from that very spot where the gods buried their baby boy, a plant began to grow.

This plant whose first heart-shaped leaf quivered in the breeze was the first Kalo plant and the source of all Taro plants in Hawaii. The kalo plant was given the precious name of Haloanakalaukapalili, after the way the Ha or long stock of the Kalo plant stands tall in the wind with its quivering leaf, and he was loved.

Wakea and Hoohokukalani paired again and a second child was born from the gods. He was a healthy baby boy they gave him the powerful name, in honor of his older brother, Haloa. His name meaning long breath, and infers to the strength and endurance of the Hawaiian people. Haloa was the first kanaka or first human being in the Hawaiian race, therefore Haloa or Kanaka is the younger brother of Haloanakalaukapalil or Kalo plants. If we interpret this legend as our geneology there are two lines of lineage, one connecting us to earth, land and our natural world, and one connecting us to our powerful Kanaka of ancient days.

Why this Moolelo is important to us:

Learning about how we are all connected to one another and how we are one with the Aina is one of the most blessed things we can be studying. Knowing our connection to the Earth Mother, Sky Father and a Daughter of the stars in heaven, makes us focus on the right path, the greater responsibility that we all have that doesnt stop at our friends and family but stretches directly to the Land what is mother nature, and the food we nourish our bodies with. The story of Haloa explains how we are related to the first born Haloanakalaukapalili, the source of all Kalo plants, and Haloa our ancient ancestor the first Kanaka of the Hawaiian race. It is important to us in all ways possible, our body mind spirit and soul, this Moolelo explains what is so clear about all our connections to the Aina.

How this Moolelo relates to us as students:

Now that we’ve learned the mo’olelo of our ancestors and been taught these important stories about the past we have a clear connection from our Hawaiian heritage to the Taro. We used to just think of taro and planting kalo as a job that needed to be done for growing food and to make taro, as important as that is, we learned that we are related to the Kalo and the Land so we must nurture it as it nourishes our bodies in return, this changed all of our perspectives and gave new life to the Kalo plant. As a student, we face new challenges every day but remembering what our ancestors were made of and the tasks they had to handle it makes us appreciate and work harder for everything we have and want to achieve. Kalo/ Poi gives us the same nutirnets and strength we need, nuturing our body, mind and soul it reminds Hawaiians of our essential connection to nature and our duty to the sacred Aina.