kiki a ola

Kiki A OLAby tom vincent

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Pi also known as Ola, was an ordinary man living

in Waimea, Kauai, who wanted to construct a

mano, or dam, across the Waimea River and a

watercourse therefrom to a point near Kikiaola.

Having settled upon the best locations for his

proposed work, he went up |to the mountains

and ordered all the Menehunes that were living

near Puukapele to prepare stones for the dam and

watercourse. The Menehunes were portioned off

for the work; some to gather stones, and others

to cut them. All the material was ready in no time

(manawa ole), and Pi settled upon the night when

the work was to be done.

Pi’s Watercourse

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When the time came he went to the

point where the dam was to be built,

and waited. At the dead of night he

heard the noise and hum of the voices

of the Menehunes on their way to Ki-

kiaola, each of whom was carrying a

stone. The dam was duly constructed,

every stone fitting in its proper place,

and the stone auwai, or watercourse,

also laid around the bend of Kikiaola.

Before the break of day the work was

completed, and the water of the [111]

Waimea River was turned by the dam

into the watercourse on the flat lands

of Waimea.

When the work was finished Pi served

out food for the Menehunes, which

consisted of shrimps (opae), this being

the only kind to be had in sufficient

quantity to supply each with a fish to

himself. They were well supplied and

satisfied, and at dawn returned to the

mountains of Puukapele rejoicing,

and the hum of their voices gave rise

to the saying, “Wawa ka Menehune i

Puukapele, ma Kauai, puoho ka manu

o ka loko o Kawainui ma Koolaupoko,

Oahu”—the hum of the voices of

the Menehunes at Puukapele, Kau-

ai, startled the birds of the pond of

Kawainui, at Koolaupoko Oahu.

The auwai, or watercourse, of Pi is

still to be seen at Kikiaola

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rese

arch

ess

ay

The Menehune are “pygmy people, about two

feet in height” and many of the Polynesian

traditions are said to have stemmed from their

culture. Many of the high chiefs in Hawaiian

culture were Menehune filling positions such

as Kahuna-Nui’s (similar to South American

shamans), Astrologers and advisors to the chiefs

of local areas. The Menehune are credited with

creating the nose-flute whistle, ukulele stringed

instruments and shark skinned drums, along

with the many buildings, ditches and carvings

that litter the Hawaiian archipelago. The little

people are considered magical and are seldom

seen by traditional Polynesian Hawaiians,

but can be seen at night signing chants and

local legends suggest they still live in caves

along Kauai cliffs and are heard singing and

playing around fields of taro they once planted.

Throughout the course of Hawaiian story telling

the Menehune leave the islands and travel to

New Zealand where it is believed they formed

Maoi tribes. They only returned under the

command of Ola to build many structures and

help in the planting of great taro fields.

It is believed Ola was a great-grandson of

Kualu-nui-kini-akua (Kualu of the little gods)

who was a monumental character in Menehune

civilisation. Kualu-nui-kini-akua guided the

Mu people, which originally consisted of three

separate groups: the Mu (the silent people),

the Wa (the loud people) and the Menehune to

settle in “New Zealand after the great deluge

from Kahiki (distant land)”. After this they all the

groups travel to the Hawaiian island of Kauai

where Ola is born.

Ola is the son of Kualu-nui-pauku-mokumoku

(a chief of the Mu people) and the chiefess

Kuhapu-ola from Pe‘ape‘a. Ola had a

tumultuous upbringing, with the chief of his

village attempting to take his life as a sacrifice

to the gods for breaking a tapu(taboo), his

Polynesian Mythology is a vast, broad and often

times lost understanding of a number of key

characters and events. The origins of most stories

is considered to be general Polynesian mythology

although on the island of Kauai there are number

of stories that refer to local figures and chiefs of

the area. These stories often involve a group

or race of people called the “Menehune” or Mu

people. This clandestine race is considered the

master builders and masons of the many projects

organized by the chief Ola.

Ola

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research essay

father Kualu-nui-pauku-mokumoku sees this

happening and saves his life, giving him the

name Ola which translates to “saved from

death”. Ola goes on to succeed his father and

becomes the highest chief of the Waimea canyon

area on Kauai. Ola holds a special relationship

with the Menuhune people and thus summons

them to build many structures for Ola and his

people that remain today.

The most well known construction became

known as “Menehune Ditch” but officially

termed “Kiki-a-ola” which translates to

“container [acquired] by Ola” which is located

on the island of Kauai in the Waimea canyon.

This ditch is a watercourse that was said to

be built by the Menehune in a single night, all

carrying stones hand by hand, one by one to

build this impressive feat of engineering.

“The aqueduct originally spanned several miles and had walls that were an estimated 24 feet (7.3 m) high, with a footpath along the top of the wall. The small remaining section of Menehune Ditch is about 50 feet (15 m) long by 2 feet (.6 m) wide.”

It is believed this ditch is the remains of the long

gone koi fish pond that was built at the behest

of Ola; again by the Menehune. The construction

of the pond and ditch was to subsequently

irrigate the large taro fields further below in the

valley which again served Ola’s people. These

fields can still be found today with original

taro plants still growing believed to be from

the period that the ditch and pond where built,

believed to be around 1000 A.d. The ditch is a

special feat of this period and has been referred

to as “the acme of stone-faced ditches” by well

known archaeologist Wendell C. Bennett. The

ditch features 120 precisely cut basalt stones that

according to the legend were built in a single

night. This construction utilised a smooth, flat

cut face so that the individual stones fit together

forming a very smooth flattened surface. This

type of construction was hasn’t been seen in the

surrounding Hawaiian Islands or even further

through out the Polynesian island nations.

The building of the ditch is well recording in

local legends, the most common way Hawaiian

legends are passed on is through chants and

Hula dances, with many originating from the

Waimea Valley and this common phrase remains

today:

“Wawa ka Menehune i Puukapele, ma Kauai, puoho ka manu o ka loko o Kawainui ma Koolaupoko, Oahu” the hum of the voices of the Menehunes at Puukapele, Kauai, startled the birds of the pond of Kawainui, at Koolaupoko Oahu.(H. Rice, 1923, p. 33)

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There are many other examples of constructions

the Menehune have built through out the Hawaiian

islands, these range from ditches and ponds to

temples and religious sights that were used by

Hawaiian priests “Kahuna-Nui’s” to offer sacrifices

and confer with the many animalistic gods of the

Hawaiian Religion. Today the remaining portion

of Kiki-a-ola’s stones can be found in Waimea’s

Protestant church and Menehune road. This re-

purposing has been a common theme through

out the history of Hawaii. Different cultures have

be vying for control of the Island chain for a

long time, whether it is rivaling neighbor islands

and their people or Christian missionaries and

colonial powers the islands and their culture have

been fought over many times. This has created a

loss of traditional Hawaiian stories and activities

that formed the backbone of native identity and

history. This being the nature only fragments

of stories and people survive, passed on from

generation to generation often by word of mouth

only with no formal studies or archival of such

traditions existing many aspects are lost forever

or misinterpreted out of meaning. One of the

most well known rendition of the watercourse

construction story appears below:

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research essay

Pi was an ordinary man living in Waimea, Kauai, who wanted to construct a mano, or dam, across the Waimea River and a watercourse therefrom to a point near Kikiaola. Having settled upon the best locations for his proposed work, he went up to the mountains and ordered all the Menehunes that were living near Puukapele to prepare stones for the dam and watercourse. The Menehunes were portioned off for the work; some to gather stones, and others to cut them. All the material was ready in no time (manawa ole), and Pi settled upon the night when the work was to be done. When the time came he went to the point where the dam was to be built, and waited. At the dead of night he heard the noise and hum of the voices of the Menehunes on their way to Kikiaola, each of whom was carrying a stone. The dam was duly constructed, every stone fitting in its proper place, and the stone auwai, or watercourse, also laid around the bend of Kikiaola. Before the break of day the work was completed, and the water of the [111]Waimea River was turned by the dam into the watercourse on the flat lands of Waimea.

When the work was finished Pi served out food for the Menehunes, which consisted of shrimps (opae), this being the only kind to be had in sufficient quantity to supply each with a fish to himself. They were well supplied and satisfied, and at dawn returned to the mountains of Puukapele rejoicing, and the hum of their voices gave rise to the saying, “Wawa ka Menehune i Puukapele, ma Kauai, puoho ka manu o ka loko o Kawainui ma Koolaupoko, Oahu”—the hum of the voices of the Menehunes at Puukapele, Kauai, startled the birds of the pond of Kawainui, at Koolaupoko Oahu.

The auwai, or watercourse, of Pi is still to be seen at Kikiaola.

At one time Pi also told the Menehunes to wall in a fish-pond at the bend of the Huleia River. They commenced work toward midnight, but at dawn the walls of the pond were not sufficiently finished to meet, so it was left incomplete, and has remained so to this day.

(H. Rice, 1923, p. 33)

Pi was an ordinary man living in Waimea, Kauai, who wanted to construct a mano, or dam, across the Waimea River and a watercourse therefrom to a point near Kikiaola. Having settled upon the best locations for his proposed work, he went up to the mountains and ordered all the Menehunes that were living near Puukapele to prepare stones for the dam and watercourse. The Menehunes were portioned off for the work; some to gather stones, and others to cut them. All the material was ready in no time (manawa ole), and Pi settled upon the night when the work was to be done. When the time came he went to the point where the dam was to be built, and waited. At the dead of night he heard the noise and hum of the voices of the Menehunes on their way to Kikiaola, each of whom was carrying a stone. The dam was duly constructed, every stone fitting in its proper place, and the stone auwai, or watercourse, also laid around the bend of Kikiaola. Before the break of day the work was completed, and the water of the [111]Waimea River was turned by the dam into the watercourse on the flat lands of Waimea.

When the work was finished Pi served out food for the Menehunes, which consisted of shrimps (opae), this being the only kind to be had in sufficient quantity to supply each with a fish to himself. They were well supplied and satisfied, and at dawn returned to the mountains of Puukapele rejoicing, and the hum of their voices gave rise to the saying, “Wawa ka Menehune i Puukapele, ma Kauai, puoho ka manu o ka loko o Kawainui ma Koolaupoko, Oahu”—the hum of the voices of the Menehunes at Puukapele, Kauai, startled the birds of the pond of Kawainui, at Koolaupoko Oahu.

The auwai, or watercourse, of Pi is still to be seen at Kikiaola.

At one time Pi also told the Menehunes to wall in a fish-pond at the bend of the Huleia River. They commenced work toward midnight, but at dawn the walls of the pond were not sufficiently finished to meet, so it was left incomplete, and has remained so to this day.

(H. Rice, 1923, p. 33)

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original myth

Pi’s Watercourse

Production Logotype

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Corporate colours

RGB: R: 250, G: 232, B: 11

CMYK: C: 4%, M: 2%, Y: 98%, K: 0%

RGB: R: 65, G: 173, B: 73

CMYK: C: 75%, M: 5%, Y: 100%, K: 0%

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branding

Costume Design

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Stylized Hawaiian Rainbow

Warrior Helmet

Ola’s Cape

Front

Cape Fabric

Died fur in strong bold colours.

Ola’s Cape

Back

Ola’s Briefs

Ola’s Staff

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costume design

Set Design

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Set Design

With dressed Ola

Set Design

Cross Section

Lighting -projecting background gradient

Object Spacing

Stage

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set design

Ola is an Ancient Hawaiian Ali'i who famously worked with the Menehune to create feats as fish ponds and aqueducts in a single night.

OlaJohn AdamsLaniaSarah EastmanMaliaJessica DoeKoaLewis DrewKalaJames DoeMakuaPeter KensLiloSteph Grent

Menehune:James DeenPeter ToshJay LyallStacey PeraltaPaul RoundDave WasselMax GentWriters:Kala AlexanderKona LiloMusic:Ash Keating

The Story Of OlaCast in Order of Appearance:

Program Design

Front

To be worn by audience members in

final scene of theater production.

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Program Design

Back

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Initial Research

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The Story Of Ola Her Majesty’s TheatreUntil Nov. 2016





References:Beckwith, M. (1940). XXIII Mu and Menehune

People. Retrieved from http://sacred-texts.com/

pac/hm/hm25.htm

Thrum, T. (1907). Hawaiian Folk Tales. Chicago,

U.S.A.: A.C. McClurg & Co. P: 110 – 111.

No Ka Menehune Wiki. (n.d.) Kiki-a-‘Ola

(Menehune Ditch). Retrieved from: http://

nokamenehune.net/?page_id=66

H. Rice. (1923). Hawaiian Legends, Journal 3.

Honolulu, HI.: Bishop Museum.

All design work completed by the author, Tom Vincent.

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references

kiki a ola

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