What's Up Hawaii?

   Aloha everyone! Dianne here, with another look at what is going on in the Hawaiian Islands! I hope this weeks Blog finds you are all well and ready to start this new week with a bang.  Because Saint Patrick's Day is just around the corner, on Wednesday in fact, I thought I would journey back in time, to the days of Hawaiian Mythology and the Menehune which were known as the Leprechauns of the Hawaiian Islands! Growing up, my Dad had told me, because my heritage had a variety of backgrounds, I was a Heinz 57. I am Canadian, French, English, Scottish, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Danish, & German, and a bit Italian! Well now, the German, that explains the love for Kraftwerk! ;-) The one that is missing is Hawaiian! I would have been born in Honolulu, because my Dad being in the military, was in and out of Honolulu. We were going to move there, but mom didn't want to leave family!

   It wasn't until many months ago, that I had learned from a wise man, that because I was a combination of things, I wasn't a Heinz 57 at all. I was in fact, like him, (a mixed bag of beautiful light)!  ;-) Well,  thanks to finding that out, I will probably never be the same!!! lol We are both Irish! There is something about that phrase, that sounds much better than once thinking, when I was a little girl, that I could be linked to the Heinz Ketchup Dynasty! Well, I was just a little girl. lol Speaking of that other mixed bag of beautiful light, he has a different look into Hawaiian Mythology, that will definitely get your attention. It's quite interesting, to say the least...http://hawaiianlife.com/content/uli-mother-creation

                     *The Menehune Of Hawaiian Mythology - St. Patrick's Style*

   In Hawaiian Mythology, many centuries ago before settlers arrived from Polynesia, there were small, drawf sized people, with the height of a man's knee, and some capable of fitting in the palm of your hand, who perform marvelous feats of construction. It is said that they do this all in one night. Known as the Menehune, they were said to have lived in Hawaii. They lived in the deep forests and in the hidden valleys of the Hawaiian Islands. The Menehune were said to be superb craftspeople. Legends say that the Menehune built temples, fishponds, roads, canoes and houses. Legend has it that on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands there lives Menehunes whose ancient ancestors were Leprechauns visiting from Ireland. It has been said that back in ancient times with Kauai, being the garden isle, it was intreaging to the Menehune, because the beautiful landscape with all the natural beauty of the green grasses and trees, with beautiful gardens, was like being back in Ireland.

   Even though most people know of Leprechauns in Ireland, the mystical shy little forest dwellers, the Menehune settled in Kauai. They would roam the deep forests at night.  In recent years many Hawaiian sources have suggested that the Menehune were indeed mythic creatures, that came from the early period of the evolution of Hawaiian society, around the sixth century. One thought was that they were decendants of the Marquesas islanders who were believed to have first occupied the Hawaiian Islands, anywhere from 0 to 350 A.D. When the Tahitian invasion occured about 1100 A.D. the theory goes, the first settlers were subdued by the physically larger Tahitians. Remnants of these earlier inhabitants of Hawaii would naturally then hide from new invaders, staying in secret places in the valleys by day, but hunting for food during the dark of night.

   Historians believe that they come from Tahitian Manahune, which is a commoner, and refers to a race of people who were in social rather than physical stature. Today they speculate  and argue back and forth that they might have not been imaginary at all. The Menehune legends come from the settlers that reached Hawaii six or seven hundred years later, from the islands of Tahiti. They think that this second wave of immigrants may have defeated the decendants of the original Marquesans, which drove them north from the Big Island to Kauai, where they made their home. It has been said, that it was later on, that they emerged into their "elf" guise. That explanation comes from the Tahitian home islands, where the word Manahune, a variation derived from the Menehune, refers to the class of workers and slaves. They were said to have intermarried with Polynesians, which offspring ended up being smaller than the Hawaiians. Many theorized that the Menehune were tales made up by the Alii, the higher or lesser chiefs of the islands, because of the explanation to the construction of the fishponds, temples and other structures so they wouldn't have to give credit to the common people, the maka ainana, that really done the work, that they built and constructed those things.

   While the Menehune are not limited to Kauai, the island has it's share of stories about these Leprechaun-like people. Even though they had been tagged as creatures of myth a census in the 1820's officially counted 65 Menehune living in Wainiha Valley. The mystical little people were dubbed the master builders because of their capability to complete major projects in just one night. An aqua duct that funnels water for irrigation from the Waimea River, the Alekoko Fishpond and Menehune Ditch, were both attributed for the over night efforts. They worked at night, so they wouldn't be seen. The Hawaiians were lucky that the Menehune were discrete. It allowed them to go unnoticed, so they could finish their work. Their work was fascinating!

   They were in a double row, which went on for about 25 miles to distant Makaweli on the west side.They passed stones hand to hand to build a fishpond for a princess and her brother. It was said that one night the royals snuck up on the Menehune as they worked. It was said that they fell asleep watching. The Menehune discovered them in the morning and turned them into twin stone pillars, that can be seen to this day. They are in the Mountains above the fishpond. For being interrupted by the pair, they left two gaps in the fishpond wall.  It wasn't until the late 1800's that Chinese workers filled in the gaps. It is also said that the Menehune, who enjoyed singing and dancing, were also good at archery. They were known to use magic arrows to pierce the heart of angry people to ignite feelings of love instead of hate. Whether you believe in the Hawaiian Mythology of these fascinating little people or not, with St. Patrick's Day approaching, you can't help but wonder about the Menehune, who are known as the Leprechauns of the Hawaiian Islands! ;-) 

   Well, I hope you all enjoyed this weeks blog. With Mike sending out Tiki's this past weekend at HawaiianLife on Facebook, it got me thinking about the gods and mythology, and with St. Patty's Day just around the corner, I thought an article on the playful little elves, would be a different twist to a story that tied the Irish to the Hawaiians! For anyone that is lucky enough to be on the islands, I'll send a link of different local events that are planned for St. Patrick's Day, this Wednesday!  So, I hope everyone has a beautiful week and whether you have Irish in you or not, and whether you are lucky enough to be a mixed bag of beautiful light, ;-) I hope you all have a very safe and a very Happy Saint Patrick's Day.....;-) Until next time, Mahalo!

http://www.hawaiiforvisitors.com/events/saint-patricks-day.htm

Aloha,

Di