There’s a full course of tales about Kamapua`a, the pig god. Since they’re all mythical, where’s the historical angle asked for in this blog? It’s in the footnotes – a wealth of them to enjoy in two books about the rascal.  Below, a citation from each book.

[1] A greeting of “aloha” was customary anciently -- still endures in 2009. But back then, failure to say so to a stranger “…was taken as a nonverbal indication of evil intent.” You’ll have nui (big) difficulty reading that factoid elsewhere.

[2] ‘Opu aloha: (Lit. loving stomach) Refers to “one’s center of compassion”. Or, to have the heart of a chief, possessed of love, especially kindness and generosity. For me, this old saying, with meaning, explains the ali`i acceptance that they were obligated to take care of their subjects. Today, that aloha is expressed through the agencies presently in our community: King Lunalilo who gave his resources for the elderly; Queen Lili`uokalani, willing her wealth to support orphans; Queen Emma and Kapi`olani, each a founder of excellent Honolulu hospitals; Prince Kuhio who persuaded congress to assign Hawaiian lands for native homesteads throughout the islands; Princess Pauahi whose some 370,000 acres, and the billions from it, are for education of Hawaiians.

[1] See footnote 40, pg. 9 – in A LEGENDARY TRADITION OF KAMAPUA`A THE HAWAIIAN PIG GOD, by Lilikala K. Kame`eleihiwa.

[2] See footnote 7 & 8, pg. 32 – in THE O`AHU EXPLOITS OF KAMAPUA`A THE HAWAIIAN PIG GOD, by Collette Leimomi Akana     

Tags: Hawaiian Stories

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