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Tale of The Night Marchers
It was a time of change for the islanders
a time of letting go
a time of ending things
a time of confusion
a time of saying no
a time when love died
It was a time of change for the islanders
a time of broken traditions
a time of knowing shame
a time of hidden faces
a time of broken families
a time when love died
It was a time of change for the islanders
a time of their truths
a time of influences
a time of the outsiders
a time to be one of them
a time when love truly died
The missionaries and their true mission ...
Hewahewa was King Kamehameha's high priest or prime minister-like.
Hewahewa embraced the new faith and convinced the King to destroy
the Heiaus', or Hawaiian temples, of their gods and goddesses and so
it was done and, of all the Heiaus, the King feared Waha Ula Heiau in Kalapana, which is my mom's village of the present time. Waha Ula Heiau is
Madame Pele's temple. Waha means mouth, and Ula is red, which means
this was the only Heiau where human sacrifices were made. The form of
ancient Hawaiian execution was a single thrust club of one's head, hence
'red mouth.' The King's fear was for naught. He ordered the scared warriors who carried out the execution/sacrifices to destroy the last temple. Having completed their mission with fear gripping them the more, as many still hold to the old beliefs, as night fell upon their return to the King's village on the opposite side of the island, they ran helter-skelter, with their torches going out, hundreds of the King's warriors perished in the sulfur pots. Tales of the Night Marchers that some may actually have heard, continue to make their rounds at many campfires.
The missionaries and their true mission ...
... in later years, their descendants, somewhat ashamed that the missionaries profited from the seemingly 'castration' of the Hawaiian people, have given away many of their ill-gotten gains through philanthropic donations. Mom's maiden/family last name carries her name within the context -- Pele. The villagers of Kalapana whose family were high priest and priestesses of Waha Ula Heiau, carries Pele's name.
Copyright ©
Hilo Poet
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