Kamaile by Joni Keamoai

Kililau

Wainiha

Hali'i made her way into the tiny village of Wainiha as she did every third day of the week. She visited her patients who lived in the furthermost end of the fields. An elderly couple who could not make it out into the center of the village, to meet with the kahuna for healing and la'au, along with a Chiefess who was sickly and could not travel.  She knew all the Konohiki and their ohana in this area. Malanai was the youngest of her patients. She was a young chiefess married to Ha'ikū, Chief of Ha'ena. They had a teenage son named Kililau and a three-year-old daughter, named Hilina'i. Hali'i liked to spend time visiting Malanai and her ohana especially because the chiefess longed for company. Her husband and son were always busy training, as Kililau was set to be Konohiki after his father. Their training left her alone with Hilina'i who kept her on her toes, but still she felt a little lonely. Hali'i's visits were always welcomed, as they would converse and she could learn about what was happening in the surrounding areas. Malanai was born with an iron deficiency, which caused her to lose a lot of blood. She was constantly feeling weak and would sometimes faint. There was no way to indicate the level of blood loss but Hali'i knew the la'au that would help counteract her condition. She needed to eat foods that were rich in iron to help keep her strength up, so Hali'i brought herbs and la'au from her garden, along with vegetables and berries. It always made the young chiefess feel better. "Aloha Anake Hali'i!" Ha'ikū exclaimed as he saw her approaching their home. He called her Anake out of respect, as it was expected in their culture to do so. Respecting an elder was of the utmost important, especially a Kupuna.

"Aloha" Hali'i waved as she approached their hale, Ha'ikū was getting prepared to go hunting with his son Kililau, in turn teaching him the ways of a Konohiki. "Only take what is needed and always respect, malama and aloha the aina" he would say to him. "Pehea mai kākou?" Ha'ikū questioned as he gave her a hug and honi. It was custom to honi (kiss on the cheek) and hug in the Hawaiian way. Also to give Hā (exchanging of or mixing of breath).  It was more often done between men, warriors, or soldiers. "Maika'i no Mahalo" Hali'i smiled in response. She noticed he was preparing to leave the hale on a journey, "Ihea oe e hele ana?" Hali'i inquired, asking where he was headed to. He pointed to the mauna, "Maluna ō....makemake au e ho'ike ia Kililau ka wahi kupono no ka pepehi ana o ka pua'a." Replying that he wanted to show his son the places to go for hunting. "Oia? Malama pono i kau haalele ana" Hali'i replied, bidding him traveling mercies. Just as she entered the hale a tall, muscular boy came bustling out, almost running her over.

"Oh Kalamai e Tutu!" the boy replied somewhat flustered for almost running her over, he could feel the glare from his dad as he greeted Tutu Hali'i with a hug. She smiled and continued into the hale. "Nānā kau hele ana" Ha'ikū scolded the boy, picking up his eke (bag or sack) and pakini (bucket). They also carried a bundle of blankets and mats in case they ended up staying overnight. They had done this particular hike many times before and could easily navigate the trail at night, especially with the light from the moon. "Papa?" Kililau questioned as they walked toward the mountain trail. "Heaha? " Ha'ikū replied. "Is mama going to get better?" the question hit Ha'ikū like a ton of bricks. He often worried about his wife and her condition, after meeting with several kahuna and medicine women; the result was always the same. They did not know if she would ever overcome her sickness. Hali'i was the only one whom the chiefess liked and felt comfortable around. "Aale wau maopopo" he sighed. He decided to tell his son the truth, although he wanted to lie and say she'd get better in no time, he knew his actions would give him away. "Aole pilikia pops we can find a way to make mom's sickness go away." Ha'ikū liked Kililau's optimism; it was definitely something he would need to be a konohiki. They climbed to the top of the trail and stopped, taking in the view below. Ha'ikū explained the division of land that still made up one ahupua'a. He oversaw three sections of the land and his brother oversaw the section heading westward. As Kililau listened to his father, his eyes wandered, surveying the land before him, he knew the kuleana was a big one and needed to pay attention to his father's teachings or he'd have a hard time. Kililau's uncle was also training his cousin to be a konohiki and, like his own training, it could get rigorous at times and demanding. Ha'ikū and his brother Kahiau learned from their father Haupi'o, a strict, tough as nails Chief, who once trained under the best warriors on Kekuhihewa. He spared no time preparing his sons for their roles as Konohiki of the aina.

Nualolo Kai

"Wa'a!" Kana'i yelled from shore, sending the ladies running from inside the hale onto the porch. Before anyone could speak, Alohi ran past them toward the water. "Alohi your dress!" Kapua started, her voice quickly fading to a whisper, "that girl" she shook her head, knowing Alohi would not listen. Kaulana laughed at her mom. "And what is so funny?" Kapua questioned, turning to face her daughter. "You mum, you already know she's going to do whatever she wants" Kaulana replied. "Yes but it is our kuleana to make sure she is safe....what would happen to us if anything happened to her?" she continued. "Mom i get it, but when has Alohi ever listened to anyone? I mean except her dad but only when he's furious and yelling, she barely listened to her mom." "May she rest in aloha" Kapua agreed nodding her head. They both shook their heads watching Alohi run up from the shore, bottom of her dress soaking wet. "Any mail?" Kaulana inquired. "There is but its for you Anakē" she responded handing the letter to Kapua. "Ahh its from your uncle Leomana" she explained signaling to her daughter. "Ooh are they visiting?" Kaulana replied smiling from ear to ear. She missed their ohana so much especially their yearly gatherings on holidays. Kaulana watched as Kapua's smile faded into a frown and finally tears as soon as she read the note, dropping it to the ground. "Its your aunt ....she passed yesterday" she announced through tears, sobbing she dropped to the ground. "Mum" Kaulana hugged her breaking her fall, Alohi stood there in silence, her heart breaking for the two ladies that had cared for her all her life.

Manā

"A Letter arrived to Nualolo yesterday in the late afternoon" Makani announced, informing Ho'omana of the latest news. "Kapua's sister Kahea has passed away" he continued. Ho'omana's heart sank at the news. He instructed Makani to send a letter to Nualolo finding out of Kapua's plans and if they would like to travel home to Manā. His thoughts drifted to his daughter and the promise he had made to her, and so, he decided right then and there, he would send for her on the same boat as the ladies and allow her a visit in Manā. A few days had passed before the ladies were set to arrive and finally the day had arrived. Ho'omana was anxious to see his daughter. Her first time visiting Manā as a young lady and with so many things going on in the village, he was nervous of her meeting young men her age. She was a teenager and he remembered being a teenager, meeting Lilina for the first time. He knew she would be the one, the moment they met but he was too shy to make a move and instead focused on his training. Suitors vied for her attention, but none were successful at winning her heart. It was her little brother Iokepa, who brought attention to Ho'omana. He could not stop talking about the one boy he wanted to be like, who was good at every sport. Lilina rolled her eyes but was intrigued, finally noticing Ho'omana. Ho'omana shuddered at the thought of a young man falling for his soon to be fifteen-year-old daughter. "Lakou i ne'i" Makani yelled. Kuha'o had gone by canoe to retrieve the ladies at dawn and had arrived just as the sun was setting.

Ho'omana ran onto the porch and instantly smiled at the sight of Alohi; she was already running toward him with bags in hand, dropping things. Makani followed after her, picking them up as they dropped. "Papa!" she shouted nearly tackling her father. "Whoa whoa!" he laughed pointing to all her dropped items, "Oops kalamai" she nodded toward Makani. He just waved returning the items to her. Kapua and Kaulana made their way to the hale as well but were set to travel by cart to the next village over. "I will miss you" Alohi pouted as the ladies placed their luggage on the porch. "You can visit" Kaulana laughed hugging her "and besides there's a river where we can swim" "really?" Alohi's eyes sparkled. "Yes and its big and my brother built a canoe so we can go paddling up and down the river" Kaulana continued. Now she was excited. "Can i go visit them Papa please?" she begged. "Yes as long as you listen and do all your chores" he replied. She barreled into his arms for a hug. It was like a whole new world for her and she was excited to explore.

Wainiha

"Mama!" Kililau shouted almost frightening his mom. "Heaha?" she replied running toward the front door. "Look we caught a huge boar" he exclaimed. Malanai smiled in relief, she had thought something had happened to him or Ha'ikū. "Pala" Hilina'i shouted running toward her brother, he reached out and carried her lifting her up in the air. "Kili not too high and besides you're dirty and she's already had her bath" "ok mom" he obliged handing his baby sister over to her. He needed a bath, but had to help his father with the pig first before heading to the nearest fresh water pond behind their lo'i (field).

(*note: Inclusion of characters not on character list will occur throughout the story, the only ones on the list are recurring characters – Mahalo for reading...i'll try and hurry to publish the next chapter...can anyone guess who it's named after?)