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| Auhea wale `oe E ka Hulu Manu E hula mai `oe E kô leo nahenahe Hiehie nô `oe Ke `ike aku I koni koni ahe I ka pu`uwai He aloha lâ, he aloha I mili mili a`e E pakika e pahe`e I ka poli pumehana Ha`ina `ia mai Ana ka puana E hula mai `oe E ka Hulu Manu | Where are you, O Hulu Manu Dance to me with Your sweet voice You are a dignified person, I can see And are giving Stinging pain to my heart This is a love, a love To be cherished So smooth as it slides Into this warm bosom Tell The refrain Sing to me, O Hulu Manu |
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Source: L. Lee Collection, Translated by Joseph Kahaulelio - Kauikeouli, Kamehameha III, was deprived of his culture, his religion, his power and his sister, the great love of his life. The kapu system was abolished in 1819, when he was 5 or 6 years old, and his power was neutralized by the office of Kuhina Nui held by Queen Ka`ahumanu and later, his half-sister Kinau. He was forbidden by the missionaries to marry his sister, Princess Nahi`ena`ena, who was banished to Lahaina in the hopes of keeping the pair apart. Their genuine love, physical, spiritual and enduring, horrified the missionaries, although any children born of this arched union would have produced ali`i of the highest rank. The king finally rebelled and by 1833, had slipped into a life of debauchery, drunken parties, gambling, horse racing, women and lawlessness. His companions or court favorites in this decadent lifestyle were given the name Hulu Manu or bird feather. Just as a feather could be easily "plucked" the name inferred that any of the young men could be removed at the whim of the king. June, 1834 the king attempted suicide after Princess Nahi`ena`ena refused to join him at Pu`uloa. Troubled by her brother's dissolute life, and in defiance of the missionaries, Kauikeouli and Nahiena`ena married in the ancient Hawaiian way, July, 1834. An heir to the throne was born Sept 17, 1836, but lived only a few hours. The princess became seriously ill, her condition worsened and on December 30, 1836, she passed away. The shock of her death put an end to his hedonistic life. Hulu Manu was disbanded and he resolved to improve himself and be a good king. He remained in seclusion in Lahaina for 8 years and built a mausoleum for his sister/wife, her child and their mother, Queen Keopulani. | |