Ola, the chief, wanted to turn some of the water of the Waimea River, so that it could flood the taro land. “Let us dam the river,” he told his men, “and build a wall to lead water to the taro patches.”
The work was hard. Day after day the men were up at dawn carrying stones, chipping them and fitting them into the wall. They worked willingly for this taro patch would give food to all the village. Moreover, Ola paid the workers well. Each evening men took home fish, vegetable food, or kapa for their families.
But one man did little work. That one was Pī. Pī was kind and jolly, but lazy. He liked to spend his nights in feasting and, his days in sleep. Since he did little work on the chief’s wall he received little pay.
“Mother,” said Pī’s children, “all the other boys and girls have fish tonight. Give us our share.” But Pī was sleeping and had brought no fish.
Another day the children said, “Our kapa clothes are ragged. Why can’t each of us have a new pā‘ū or malo as the other children have?” But the mother had no kapa for them.
“O Pī,” she scolded, “why don’t you do some work? Your children are hungry. They go with ragged clothes and cry for food. Others work on the wall and bring home food and kapa while you sleep. O Pī, work that your children may have life!”
Pī looked at his little ones with their tear-stained faces. “Yes, I shall get you food,” he said. “My children shall have all that others have.” But work in the hot sun, day after day, did not appeal to Pī. He wanted to do some great thing and earn a large reward! He made a plan.
Next morning he went to his upland taro patch at dawn. He dug all his taro, heated the imu, and left the taro to steam. He was hot and tired, but did not stop to rest. He took the mountain trail and, deep within the forest, found a menehune guard. “Tonight a feast will be made ready,” he told the guard, “a feast for all the menehune. You will find it beside the wall the chief is having built.”
The sleepy guard knew that Pī asked for help. “We will come,” he promised.
Pī gathered a backload of ti leaves and cut a small kukui tree, which he dragged down. He opened his imu, peeled the taro, and pounded poi. His arms and back were aching, but he worked till the taro was all pounded. Then he made the poi into small bundles and wrapped each one in a bit of ti leaf. These he tied firmly to the branches of his kukui tree. Evening had come, and the workmen had gone home. No one saw Pī plant his kukui tree beside the wall. He stood a moment admiring it in the moonlight. It seemed to be very full of nuts, but each nut was a bundle of delicious poi.
Pī heard a humming on the trail above. The menehune were coming, and he must hurry, for his feast was only half prepared. While Pī was catching shrimps the menehune were at work. Stones were passed from hand to hand all the way from the mountain quarry, while others of the little men chipped the stones so that each might fit its place. Meanwhile skillful workers built the dam and the long wall which was to lead the water to the taro land.
Before the first faint streak of dawn this great work was finished. Pī’s work was finished too, and from the shadows he watched his little friends enjoying poi and shrimps—all the poi and shrimps that they could eat. Then he heard the happy hum of their voices as they hurried back to the forest. Just before daylight Pī went home to sleep.
The chief and his men came to work and stood staring in surprise. “Finished!” they cried. Already water was flowing from the river and soaking the taro lands. The men examined the dam, they touched the wall of the water course, and they wondered at the careful chipping and fitting of the stones. At last they turned to Ola. “Menehune!” they said. “In one night the menehune have finished this great work, O heavenly one!”
“Yes,” Ola answered, “but why did they come? I do not know the menehune. Why should they come to work for me?”
The men looked at each other wondering. Suddenly someone shouted, “Pī! He has made friends of the menehune.”
“Go,” Ola told a servant, “and ask Pī. If this work was done at his request, Pī shall be rewarded.”
The servant found Pī sleeping, but awakened him. “Yes,” Pī answered sleepily, “I saw how hard the chief’s men worked and asked the menehune to come down. I made a feast for them.” That night Pī’s children had new kapa, good fish, and other food.
A section of that menehune wall may be seen today near the Waimea River. Men still wonder at the rocks, chipped with stone tools and fitted together in one night.
Translated by Mary Kawena Pūku‘i from a Hawaiian newspaper