Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Island Chronicles | January/February 2004

Island Chronicles

The Magic Flute Myth

High above Kaua'i's jeweled waterfalls and its forests of crimson lehua blossoms was the mythical land of Pihanakalani. Here, gods and countless supernatural creatures lived quietly among the misty cliffs and valleys. The mere presence of these deities charged Pihanakalani with tremendous spiritual power. In addition, the life-restoring waters of the spring Waiokeola flowed in this sacred upland, bringing eternal youth and abundance to everything nearby.

Kahalelehua was one of many kupua, or magical shape-shifters who lived in Island Chronicles of special beauty. Her particular talent was being able to take different forms at will-either that of a beautiful, young woman or a lehua tree laden with deep russet flowers. She was benevolent as well as good-natured, and one day the gods asked her to adopt and raise a royal child. Kahalelehua felt honored to do so and, thus, she became the guardian of Kauakahiali'i, the young prince of Pihanakalani.

Kahalelehua was very protective of her little ward. She was ever-mindful of his lineage, making sure that his attendants were demi-gods and that none of his servants were humans. In fact, she was so distrustful of overly inquisitive humans that whenever curious bird-catchers or medicinal herb-gatherers approached the lower reaches of Pihanakalani, Kahalelehua would send a thick fog to blanket the land. She would then assume the form of a large lehua tree and quickly gather the tiny Kauakahiali'i very safely in her branches until all potential danger was gone.

As Kauakahiali'i grew into a handsome young prince, Kahalelehua remained faithful to her duties that safeguarded the birthrights of his bloodline. To entertain him and pass pleasant hours, she gave Kauakahiali'i two extraordinary musical instruments, which he soon played expertly. One of the instruments was a magical gourd-whistle named Kanikawa, which produced bursts of loud, low tones. The other was a bamboo nose flute called Kanikawi, whose sweet, high melody had the ability to enchant listeners.

It happened one day that Prince Kauakahiali'i heard by chance his attendants whispering about the peerless beauty of Kaililauokekoa, a high-ranking princess of the district of Koloa. Inspired purely by the thought of such a pretty royal companion, Kauakahiali'i took up his nose flute and brought forth a haunting melody, which floated down to the land of mortals. Unaware that Kanikawi's endearing message could be heard by the princess, Kauakhiali'i continued his musical reverie over a period of several nights.

The princess was mesmerized by the sounds of the nose flute and the tender words that reached her ears. The next evening, she set out to find the source of this sweet and hypnotic music. She climbed to the edge of Pihanakalani and, at dawn, stood in the midst of the lush garden of the gods. As expected, the guardian Kahalelehua had already hidden the prince in the safety of her strong lehua branches and he was told to be silent and invisible to the princess. For three days, the princess wandered through Pihanakalani, searching in vain. However, she remained persistent, which caused Kahalelehua to show compassion toward her. The guardian then took her human form and allowed the pair to meet face-to-face. They were so well-matched that Kahalelehua sent a request to the high chief of Koloa, asking permission for his daughter and the prince to marry. He agreed to this and the couple lived happily at Pihanakalani for several months.

The princess soon told her husband to expect that occasionally she would fall into a very deep sleep from which she could not be awakened, and the day eventually did arrive when she could not be roused from her slumber. After waiting a year for her in this state, Kauakahiali'i sadly abandoned her side, certain that she was hopelessly dead. Before departing Pihanakalani, he tucked the gourd whistle, Kanikawa, into the shawl that she wore and took its mate, the nose flute Kanikawi, with him. As Kauakahiali'i was about to take another bride, his beautiful wife, Kaililauokekoa, appeared bearing Kanikawa. Thus, the two lovers were reunited along with Kanikawi and Kanikawa and they returned to a former happiness on Kaua'i. And so it was that the nose flute became the messenger of affection and served as a fitting accompaniment to hula and chant.

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