In the snowy breakers of the surf which washes the beach below these mountains, are broken coral reefs-the fishing grounds of the Hawaiians…. Across the channel from Haleakala rises Mauna Kea, “The White Mountain”-the snow-capped-which almost all the year round rears its white head in majesty among the clouds. Haleakala (the House of the Sun), the mountain from which Maui the demi-god snared the sun, looks down ten thousand feet upon the Kauiki headland. For many years it was the site of a fort around which fierce battles were fought by the natives of the island Maui, repelling the invasions of their neighbors from Hawaii. ONE of Maui’s homes was near Kauiki, a place well known throughout the Hawaiian Islands because of its strategic importance. Manai-i-ka-lani ‘Made fast to the heavens’–its name The legends of Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand and the Hervey group make this youngest Maui “the discoverer of fire” or “the ensnarer of the sun” or “the fisherman who pulls up islands” or “the man endowed with magic,” or “Maui with spirit power.” The legends vary somewhat, of course, but not as much as might be expected when the thousands of miles between various groups of islands are taken into consideration… They accomplished little as a family, except on special occasions when the youngest of the household awakened his brothers by some unexpected trick which drew them into unwonted action. In each of these groups of islands, separated by thousands of miles, there are the same legends, told in almost the same way, and with very little variation in names….įOUR BROTHERS, each bearing the name of Maui, belong to Hawaiian legend.
There are three centers for these legends, New Zealand in the south, Hawaii in the north, and the Tahitian group including the Hervey Islands in the east. The Maui story probably contains a larger number of unique and ancient myths than that of any other legendary character in the mythology of any nation. MacDonald, a writer of the New Hebrides Islands, gives the derivation of the name Maui primarily from, the Arabic word “Mohyi,” which means “causing to: live” or “life,” applied sometimes to the gods and sometimes to chiefs as “preservers and sustainers” of their followers. It may mean “to live,” “to subsist.” It may refer to beauty and strength, or it may have the idea of “the left hand” or “turning aside.” The word is recognized as belonging to remote Polynesian antiquity. The meaning of the word is by no means clear. Maui is a demi god whose name should probably be pronounced Ma-u-i, i. Global Recognition of Hawaiian Independence by 1875.King David Kalakaua – The Technology King.7 Maui County Charter Amendments on the ballot 2020.Radio and Newspaper Ads – 2018 Election.