Water of Life

The Hawaiian chants of old mention mysterious islands known as Kua-i-Helani (the Far-away Helani) which have been thought to be the ancient home of the Polynesians, far to the west. Iku was the chief and he had several sons. The youngest of these sons was Aukele-nui-a-Iku (Aukele the Great Son of Iku). He was very strong in mind and body and was the favored by the Self-reliant Dragon who was worshipped as the ancestor goddess of the Hawaiian chief families.

Aukele studied under the Self-reliant Dragon and learned much in the way of magic from her. One day, the Self-reliant Dragon bestowed upon Aukele a large bamboo stick. In it, was an image of the god Lono, a magic leaf which would provide food for any who touched it to their lips, and a piece of her own skin to protect Aukele as a cloak against harm.

"This skin will shield you." she said, "Against it, your enemies will fall to dust and ashes."

Aukele's brothers trained in the art of war and decided to set sail and conquer new lands. They consented to take Aukele with them, although he was armed with nothing but his bamboo stick. Soon, they were at sea and after long weeks, had run out of food. Aukele sustained them with his magic leaf.

After several more days, Aukele predicted that they would come to a land ruled by a woman. He warned his brothers that they must not reveal their boat as one of war, but claim to be on a voyage of discovery. However, the next day when they came in sight of land, and birds came to ask what their purpose was, the brothers declared that theirs was a war canoe. When the birds flew swiftly away, Aukele took his bamboo stick and jumped into the ocean abandoning his foolish brothers. He had left his cloak on the boat and his brothers threw it as hard as they could so that it fell onto the land. The chiefess found the cloak and shook it towards the boat before tossing it away. The cloak had fulfilled it's function and the brothers broke into ashes, drifting to the bottom of the ocean with the wreckage of their boat.

Aukele had reached the shore and found his cloak. Exhausted, he lay under a tree and fell asleep. A watchdog came onto the beach, smelled a man there and barked a warning. The chiefess heard her dog and sent two women to investigate with instructions to kill anyone they found.

Luckily, Aukele was being watched over by the image of Lono that was in his bamboo stick. Lono awakened him and told him the names of the two women that were coming to find him. When they came, Aukele greeted them by name. Ashamed, they sat and spoke to him becoming increasingly enamored of this handsome man. They decided to spare him that he may become the husband of their chiefess. Thus, they returned claiming that they could find no one at the forest or the sea. Perhaps the dog had made a mistake.

Not appeased, the chiefess again let the dog loose and he began barking anew. This time she sent her brothers in the form of birds. Lono again warned Aukele of the coming danger and provided him with the names of the brothers. Aukele greeted them by name and they too spared his life. They returned to their sister, telling her that they had found her a husband. At this, the chiefess was pleased and sent for Aukele to visit her.

Lono gave Aukele instructions not to enter the house or to sit down. He was first to wait for the women to greet him with "Aloha." Then he was to wait for the watchdog to come out. Next, the brothers would come out and offer him food. However, he was not to eat from the old calabashes they would offer. He would find new calabashes that he could eat from.

Aukele got ready and went to the house of the chiefess. There, he approached the door, but did not enter. The two women said "Aloha," and beckoned him inside, but he stood his ground. The dog rushed out to attack him and tried to bite him through his cloak, immediately turning to dust. Next, the brothers came and offered him food in moss covered calabashes. Aukele refused the food, instead walking a short way to where a green calabash vine was growing. He picked the calabashes hanging from it and found food and water inside.

The chiefess, though saddened by the loss of her dog, was impressed with this man who had passed these trials. They lived as man and wife and soon, the chiefess bore a son. These were happy times in which Aukele learned how to fly from the bird brothers.

After a time, Aukele received a visit from the ghosts of his brothers who reminded him of their watery grave. At this, Aukele became very depressed and would not eat for days. His wife was sympathetic and revealed to him the secret path to the living water of Kane with which he could restore his brothers to life. She told him to follow a straight line to the East, not swerving to left or right.

Aukele set off on the journey with his bamboo stick. After much time had passed, Aukele succeeded in finding the lush land that kept the living water of Kane. There, at the edge of a gigantic pit, he found one of the guardian's watchmen. He leapt on the back of the man and recited the names of his ancestors and explained his mission. The watchman told him to keep going East, but to avoid the bamboo groves on either side of the pit for the noise would wake the guardian, Pele's brother, who would cover the water and make it unattainable.

Aukele flew to the next watchman, who told him to continue East, but to avoid the lama trees on each side of him for they would make a tremendous noise which would wake the guardian who would cover the water.

The next watchman told Aukele to fly to the bottom of the pit and find the blind woman cooking there. He was to eat all her bananas. Then, when she became angry, he was to avoid her attacks and go quickly to sit in her lap and tell her who he was.

When he had done all this, Aukele made the blind woman lie down under a coconut tree. He got two young coconuts and dropped them into her eyes. She wept in pain, but Aukele instructed her to stop her crying and wipe the water from her eyes. This she did and was able to see. Then she helped him in his quest by painting his hands very black to resemble the hands of Pele's brother. Then she told Aukele that while Pele's brother was asleep, he must go to his door and request water from one of the servants. The first calabash would be nothing but dirty water which he must throw away. The second would be the living water of Kane which he could take to revive his brothers.

This Aukele did and once he had the calabash of the pure water of life, he flew along the path leading back to the outside world. In his haste, he brushed the leaves of the trees which prompted the sound of a great wind whipping the leaves this way and that, culminating in a sound like thunder which rolled across the pit. This awakened the guardian, who along with his servants, pursued Aukele. However, Aukele could fly very fast and escaped into the heavens, descending on the place where his brothers lay under the sea.

Aukele and his wife sprinkled drops of the water of life over the spot where his brothers lay and eventually, they detected movement in the water as the boat came up through the waves. Standing in the boat, were Aukele's brothers and there was a joyful reunion. Aukele gave them lands and homes and it is said that they live under their younger brother's rule to this day.

One day, Aukele decided to visit his family, making the trip to Helani. He found the land desolate, the only remaining inhabitant being a dragon who he found trapped in a reef near death. Remembering the Self-reliant Dragon who had favored him, he rescued the dragon and gave it new life. The dragon told him how the entire household of gods, men and dragons had found a new home in Oahu and Hawaii, leaving her to guard the place of his childhood.

Aukele returned home to the "Hidden Island of Kane" where he lived among the ghost gods who welcome the dead as they fly the path of sunset to the ancient home of their ancestors. There, he and his brothers presided as chiefs over the ghost gods, called aumakuas, who give peace to the spirits of the dead.

Water of Life
By Genesis