Though dad had no inclination that anything was amidst there was an unsettling feeling of activity that interrupted the otherwise quiet rhythm of the day. The cold chill from the ocean beat at my dadʻs back while the drizzle effectively stung his skin. Tutu Pua reached for the pile of dried leaves that lay at dadʻs feet shook it out and gently placed the oversized ‘ahu la’i (ti-leaf cape) upon dadʻs shoulders. After the initial itch and discomfort dad settled into the warmth that the pile of dry leaves provided him.
Whatever was left of the sun was quickly fading and now that he no longer had the chill to occupy his thoughts dad was little more attentive to his surroundings. Out in the distance, littered on the shoreline, dad could make out the familiar shapes of at least a hundred family members all patiently awaiting the go ahead to huki the lau. They had been at this for so long that dad drifted in and out of consciousness awakened by tutuʻs formidable chanting. Dad caught himself, he stretched and straightened his body in an attempt to shake the weariness away. It was then that he saw them.
Tutu continued on with his chanting never skipping in tempo. Though dad had no inclination that anything was amidst there was an unsettling feeling of activity that interrupted the otherwise quiet rhythm of the day. Dad glimpsed over the side of the flat bottom boat and spied two shadows weaving amongst each other. Each wider than the boat they were posted in. He noticed that the shadows seemed to gain speed with each passing. Before dadʻs curiosity had a chance to fester his senses were completely overwhelmed. It was the sound that impacted him first. The initial swoosh of them as they exited the water. Quickly followed by the sensation of water dripping over his face and the smell of the ocean passing overhead. Dad looked up and witnessed the underbelly of the hahaluas flying above them, close enough to actually touch. He was way too young to know what they were and he was more frightened than amazed.
That was dad’s first account of the hahalua and heʻd be lucky enough to see them a few more times before Papa’s passing in 1953. Tutuʻs ‘aumakua, whose names have escaped with time, worked collaboratively with papa to provide fish for the ‘ohana. As witnessed in this recollection they would aggressively surround the fish and centralize them within the net. When they were finished they’d leap out and the huki would commence. I’m told Tutu Pua was an excellent fisherman noted for his skills as a lawai’a kilo. Without a doubt, much of the credit lay with the hahalua. But maybe more impressive than his skill as a fisherman was his ability to maintain the symbiotic relationship with his ‘aumakua well into the 1900’s.
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