Pili-kaaiea
Encyclopedia
In Hawaiian mythology
, Pili-kaaiea (or Pili-auau) was the 1st Alii Aimoku of Hawaii Island. He was sovereign king or chief
,
He was called a 'grandchild' of Lana-ka-wai on the Ulu line, but born and brought up in Kahiki. Because the chiefs of (the island
of) Hawaii
had carelessly intermarried with junior chiefly lines, Pa'ao
went to Kahiki to find a relative of pure blood who could compete in rank with the chiefly lines of the other islands. He recites a chant to invite Lono-kaeho to return with him. Lono-kaeho declines the invitation, but sends Pili in his place. Pili becomes high chief and wins the support of the people and he becomes the ancestor of the chiefs of Hawaii on the Ulu line down to the late 19th century (Beckwith 1970:372-373).
Hawaiian mythology
Hawaiian mythology refers to the legends, historical tales and sayings of the ancient Hawaiian people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion...
, Pili-kaaiea (or Pili-auau) was the 1st Alii Aimoku of Hawaii Island. He was sovereign king or chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
,
He was called a 'grandchild' of Lana-ka-wai on the Ulu line, but born and brought up in Kahiki. Because the chiefs of (the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of) Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
had carelessly intermarried with junior chiefly lines, Pa'ao
Pa'ao
Paao is either a figure from a Hawaiian legend or a historical character. He is said to have been a high priest from Kahiki, specifically "Wawau" and "'Upolu." In Hawaiian prose and chant, the term "Kahiki" is applied in reference to any land outside of Hawai'i, although the linguistic root is...
went to Kahiki to find a relative of pure blood who could compete in rank with the chiefly lines of the other islands. He recites a chant to invite Lono-kaeho to return with him. Lono-kaeho declines the invitation, but sends Pili in his place. Pili becomes high chief and wins the support of the people and he becomes the ancestor of the chiefs of Hawaii on the Ulu line down to the late 19th century (Beckwith 1970:372-373).