Chiefess sacrifices self
in time of famine
‘Woman-of-the-Fire and
Woman-of-the-Water’
Long ago, not far from where the city of Hilo stands today, there lived two sisters. The older was chiefess of Hala'i Hill. She had power over fire and was called Woman-of-the-Fire. The younger ruled over a smaller hill, Pu'u Honu. She had power over rain and was called Woman-of-the-Water.
Woman-of-the-Fire was a good chiefess. Her people worked hard. Some were farmers and some were fishermen. The women made mats and beat kapa. Hala'i Hill was full of busy work or merry games.
Then famine came. The gardens were dry and without food, the ocean seemed empty of fish, even the ki and fern of the mountain slopes shriveled and died. Woman-of-the-Fire shared her food with her people until that, too, was gone. She saw men and women grow pale and weak and heard the children cry for food.
She called the men together. "Be strong," she said, "and do as I command you." To some of the men she said, "Gather wood -- dry wood for a fire. We shall need much. Bring stones from the sea -- good stones that can stand heat." To others she said, "Dig an imu. Make it broad and deep."
The men stared at their chiefess. Gather wood? Dig an imu? There was no food to cook! They wondered greatly, but their chiefess was kind and wise and had great power. They trusted her.
The wood was brought, stones gathered and a huge imu was made ready. The fire blazed until the stones were very hot. As the men cleared out the wood they wondered.
Now Woman-of-the-Fire walked slowly around the imu. They saw her point into it and heard her chant:
"Here are sweet potatoes.Then she turned to her people. "I shall make an offering to the gods," she said. "Only so can you be fed. I shall go into the imu. Do not try to hold me back but cover me until no steam appears. On the third day you will see a cloud over our imu. It will be like a woman with a shining face. That is your sign. Uncover the imu and you will find food."
Kalo is here,
And here are bananas.
Over there is pork
And here is fish.
Here are tender shoots of fern
And over there is chicken."
Woman-of-the-Fire went into the imu and her men covered her. Tears rolled down their faces for love of their chiefess, but they obeyed and covered her until they saw no steam. Then they watched beside the imu. With heavy hearts they watched for three long days.
"The cloud!" they cried. There, above the imu, was a shining cloud in the form of a beautiful woman. "It is the sign!" they said. Their hearts were full of fear as they took away the earth. What would they find?
They found the food the chiefess had named: sweet potatoes, pork and fish. There was food for men and women. The people were filled with joy and wonder as they spread a feast. "But our chiefess?" they asked. "Did she give her life to bring this food to us?"
Then they saw a woman coming from the shore. She was tall and beautiful and wore many lei of seaweed. The people stared. A shout went up: "It is she! It is our chiefess!" They went to meet her and fell on their faces before her, crying with joy.
"Come to the feast," she said. Woman-of-the-Fire told them of her visit to the gods. "They were pleased with my offering. They will bless your work and we shall have food in plenty."
AFTER THAT THE gardens grew well on Hala'i Hill and the story of the chiefess' offering spread. It came to the ears of Woman-of-the-Water and she was angry. "All men praise my sister!" she said, "I, too, can win their praise."
So she did as Woman-of-the-Fire had done. She commanded her men to dig on imu on Pu'u Honu. She commanded them to gather wood and stones. She walked around the heated imu chanting, then entered it and told her men to cover her.
Her people waited hopefully. On the third day they saw, above the imu, a dark cloud in the form of a woman. "It is the sign!" they shouted and uncovered the imu.
But there was no food there, only the ashes of Woman-of-the-Water. Sadly they pushed back the earth.
Word of this came to Woman-of-the-Fire. "Aue!" she said. "My sister envied my power. Her power was great but different. She could have caused rain to fall on Pu'u Honu to make the gardens grow. That I could not do. Instead she tried to do what I had done, though she had no power over fire. So she perished. Aue! Aue! Go bring her people here that we may share our food with them."
So all the people lived together on Hala'i Hill. They left the great imu open. People still look at it and remember how Woman-of-the-Fire offered herself that her people might have life. There is no such crater on Pu'u Honu.
Click for online
calendars and events.
