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Overview

After leaving Kanehunamoku, Wahanui’s party sees Paliuli and Palikea moving and towering ahead of the canoe. The narrator identifies the hills as two demigods sent by Kane and Kanaloa to destroy the travellers. Kaneapua warns that their collapse would kill everyone aboard.

Kaneapua calls for the pair to return below, saying that killing him would bring them shame. The account states that the hills are shamed and the travellers saved. This is a living, responsive landscape encounter in the Wahanui story; it does not describe a separate animal hidden inside either hill.

Moving hill formsPaired demigodsRespond to Kaneapua
01

Origins & earliest records

Fornander Collection IV, Legend of Wahanui, printed pp. 516–522; selected encounter on p. 518, with Hawaiian on facing pages. Translations revised and edited by Thrum from the collected Hawaiian manuscript corpus.

02

Records & interpretation

The complete voyage account identifies these named beings and narrates the encounter on p. 518. The historical English wording is followed without supplying a modern species identification.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Fornander Collection IV: Legend of Wahanui, pp. 516–522

    Hawaiian manuscript collection gathered by Abraham Fornander; translations revised and edited by Thomas G. Thrum · 1916–1917

    Complete voyage and return ending; encounter on p. 518. Individual narrator not identified in this edition.

  2. 02

    Fornander CollectionIV: Legend of Wahanui: Paliuli and Palikea

    Hawaiian manuscript collection gathered by Abraham Fornander; edited by Thomas G. Thrum · 1916–1917

    Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-lore, first series, Memoirs of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop MuseumIV, Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press,1916–1917. Hawaiian manuscript collection gathered by AbrahamFornander with native helpers; English translations largely supervised by W.D.Alexander, revised and edited by ThomasG.Thrum, as the independently read preface states. No particular tale’s otherwise unnamed translator or informant is invented.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

Fornander Collection IV: Legend of Wahanui, pp. 516–522

Fornander Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and Folk-lore, first series, Memoirs of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop MuseumIV, Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press,1916–1917. Hawaiian manuscript collection gathered by AbrahamFornander with native helpers; English translations largely supervised by W.D.Alexander, revised and edited by ThomasG.Thrum, as the independently read preface states. No particular tale’s otherwise unnamed translator or informant is invented.

  1. Wahanui seeks Kane and Kanaloa, initially refusing Kaneapua passage and twice being driven back by storms. Kaneapua later joins and corrects Kilohi’s mistaken identification of hidden Kanehunamoku as a dangerous dog. Two moving, towering hills, Paliuli and Palikea, are identified as demigods sent by Kane and Kanaloa to destroy the canoe. Kaneapua warns that their fall would kill everyone, then shames them into withdrawing below. Honunuikuaeaea subsequently supplies mooring and the travellers survive a ten-day storm. Wahanui completes his intended encounter, but later displays a forbidden gift prematurely on Kauai and is killed; the final revenge belongs to his surviving follower’s report.

    Printed518, full threat and withdrawal; complete surrounding English516/518/520/522

Selected historical English rendering only; Hawaiian facing pages not independently retranslated, entire collection not claimed read. Individual tale informant/translator not named in the inspected witness; Thrum revision and Alexander-supervised translation preserved. Existing public access is not a blanket worldwide reuse licence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textFornander Collection IV, original bilingual scanResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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