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Overview

Pupualenalena lives at Puako on Hawaiʻi. After the spirit Kanikaa takes its first keeper away, the dog joins another man and eats the fish caught during their canoe trips. The new keeper says this would be acceptable if the dog supplied his favourite drink. Pupualenalena understands and repeatedly brings ʻawa stolen from Hakau’s field in Waipio. When guards follow the swift dog home, both it and its keeper are brought before the chief and threatened with death.

Hakau offers pardon if they obtain Kuana, the shell trumpet blown nightly by spirits above Waipio. Pupualenalena again understands the request. It waits until the spirit ruler and guards sleep, enters their house and takes the shell hanging above the ruler. With its head through the suspension cord, it runs away. The shell strikes a rock and loses a piece, waking the spirits, but they cannot catch the dog. Hakau receives the shell, rewards the keeper and dog with land nearby, and makes them favourites. No transformation or additional monstrous anatomy is described.

Understands requestsSwift nocturnal journeysRetrieves Kuana shell
01

Origins & earliest records

Fornander Collection IV, Legend of Pupualenalena, printed pp. 558–560, with Hawaiian on facing pages. The edition presents a collected Hawaiian manuscript and English translation revised and edited by Thrum, without naming this tale’s individual informant.

02

Records & interpretation

The complete short narrative names Pupualenalena, Puako, Hakau’s field and the shell Kuana. The English explicitly states that the dog understands both requests; its retrieval ends in pardon and land, rather than an unfinished escape.

In the literature

“the spirits woke up and gave chase”
Hawaiian manuscript collection gathered by Abraham Fornander; edited by Thomas G. Thrum · Fornander CollectionIV: Legend of Pupualenalena
Printed560, chipped-shell noise awakens spirits during dog’s escape · Historical English translation revised by Thomas G. Thrum; individual translator not named

The spirits pursue the dog after the stolen shell chips against a rock; the following sentence says they cannot catch it.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Fornander Collection IV: Legend of Pupualenalena, pp. 558–560

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

    Complete dog and shell-trumpet narrative; Hawaiian facing pages559/561. Thrum preface describes manuscript and translation history.

  2. 02

    Fornander CollectionIV: Legend of Pupualenalena

    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 Pupualenalena, pp. 558–560

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. After Kanikaa takes the dog’s original keeper, Pupualenalena joins another keeper and eats the catch during fishing trips. Understanding a request for the keeper’s favoured drink, it steals awa repeatedly from Hakau’s field. A persistent guard tracks it home, and Hakau threatens dog and keeper with death. He offers survival if they fetch Kuana, a nightly spirit-owned shell trumpet. The dog waits until ruler and guards sleep, steals the shell with its head through the hanging cord and escapes. A rock chips the shell, waking pursuing spirits, but they cannot catch it. Hakau rewards dog and keeper with nearby land.

    Complete narrative, English558/560, Hawaiian559/561

Specific historical translation/version only; Hawaiian facing pages present but not independently retranslated. Entire collection and the full Aukelenuiaiku voyage are not claimed read. Web tool failed on the item page; retained original primary cache was used without bypassing access restrictions.

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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