On October 21st I met with several teacher candidates in the Kahuawaiola program out of the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. This workshop was conducted in Hawaiian. We learned "Nenue" (one-eye) and "Na Hiki o Makali'i" (seven eyes) which I learned from kupuna (elder) 'Aina Keawe. We also read a Hawaiian language story about Makali'i and learned "Koko a Makali'i/Net of Makali'i". In this story the god-chief Makali'i gathers all the food and plant life and binds them in a net in the heavens. The rat people volunteer to climb up to retrieve the foodstuff so life could continue on earth. They travel upon the back of a rainbow and nibble at the cordage thus releasing the food to earth. A part of that rope can be found impressed in rocks at South Point, Island of Hawai'i and the place where the rats landed is named for them, 'Iole.
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