Snaring the Sun
The Sun races across the sky so quickly that Hina cannot dry the cloth she makes. Her son Maui decides to do something extraordinary: catch the Sun with a rope. He watches its path, gathers coconut fibre and climbs a mountain to wait. In this Hawaiian tale, a daring plan promises longer days—but Maui has not forgotten the man who laughed at him.
Aloha ʻOe — Farewell to Thee
Maui was the son of Hina-lau-ae and Hina, and they liveddwelt at a place called Makalia, above Kahakuloa, on West Maui. Now, his mother Hina made kapas, cloths made from tree bark.Now, his mother Hina made kapas. The days were so short that drying them was hard work. She had to hang them out and bring them in again, day after day, until they were dry.And as she spread them out to dry, the days were so short that she was put to great trouble and labor in hanging them out and taking them in day after day until they were dry. Seeing this, Maui felt sorry for her. The days were so short that, as soon as she had spread her kapas out to dry, the Sun went down and she had to take them in again.Maui, seeing this, was filled with pity for her, for the days were so short that, no sooner had she got her kapas all spread out to dry, than the Sun went down, and she had to take them in again.
So he determined to make the Sun go slower. He first went to Wailohi, in Hamakua, on East Maui, to watch how the Sun movedto observe the motions of the Sun. There he saw that it rose toward Hana. He then went up on Haleakala, and saw that the Sun in its course came directly over that mountain.
He then went home again, and after a few days went to a place called Paeloko, at Waihee. There he cut down all the coconut trees and gathered large amounts of fibre from their husks. He made this into strong cord.There he cut down all the cocoanut-trees, and gathered the fibre of the cocoanut husks in great quantity. This he manufactured into strong cord.
A man named Moemoe saw this and mocked him:One Moemoe, seeing this, said tauntingly to him: “You will never catch the Sun. You are a lazy nobody.Thou wilt never catch the Sun. Thou art an idle nobody.”
Maui answered: “When I defeat my enemy and get what I want, I will kill you.When I conquer my enemy, and my desire is attained, I will be your death.” So he went up Haleakala again, taking his cord with him. When the Sun rose above the place where he stood, he made a noose in the cord. He threw it, caught one of the Sun’s larger beams and broke it off.And when the Sun arose above where he was stationed, he prepared a noose of the cord and, casting it, snared one of the Sun’s larger beams and broke it off. And thus he snared and broke off, one after another, all the strong rays of the Sun.
Then he shouted triumphantly:Then shouted he exultingly: “You are my captive, and now I will kill you for going so fast.Thou art my captive, and now I will kill thee for thy going so swiftly.”
And the Sun said: “Let me live, and you will see me go more slowly from now on. Look, haven’t you broken off all my strong legs and left me only the weak ones?Let me live, and thou shalt see me go more slowly hereafter. Behold, hast thou not broken off all my strong legs, and left me only the weak ones?”
So they made their agreement, and Maui let the Sun continue on its way. From then on it went more slowly. And that is why the days are longer in one season of the year than in another.So the agreement was made, and Maui permitted the Sun to pursue its course, and from that time on it went more slowly; and that is the reason why the days are longer at one season of the year than at another. It was this that gave the name to that mountain, which should properly be called Alehe-ka-la (sun snarer), and not Haleakala.
When Maui returned from this exploit, he went to find Moemoe, who had insulted him. But Moemoe was not at home.who had reviled him. But that individual was not at home. He kept searching until he found himHe went on in his pursuit till he came upon him at a place called Kawaiopilopilo, on the shore east of the black rockon the shore to the eastward of the black rock called Kekaa, north of Lahaina. Moemoe dodged him uphill and down. At last Maui grew furious, leaped on the fleeing man and killed him.Moemoe dodged him up hill and down, until at last Maui, growing wroth, leaped upon and slew the fugitive. And the dead body was transformed into a long rock, which is there to this day, by the side of the road.