SNARING THE SUN
Once upon a time in the beautiful land of Maui, there lived a young demigod named Maui. He was the son of Hina-lau-ae and Hina, and they made their home in a place called Makalia, high above Kahakuloa on West Maui. Maui’s mother, Hina, had a special talent for making kapas, but there was a problem: the days were so short that she struggled to dry them. Every day, she would hang them out, only to rush back to bring them in before the sun disappeared!
Seeing his mother’s struggle made Maui feel sad. He thought, “This isn’t fair! My mom works so hard, and the sun just won’t give her enough time.” So, he decided to do something about it—he would make the sun move slower!
Maui first traveled to Wailohi in Hamakua, on East Maui, to watch the sun’s movements. He noticed that the sun rose toward Hana and then climbed high over the great mountain, Haleakala. “I need to come up with a plan,” he thought.
After a few days, Maui returned to a place called Paeloko at Waihee. There, he cut down coconut trees and gathered a lot of strong fibers from the coconut husks. He twisted and braided them into a thick cord. But just as he was working, a trickster named Moemoe saw him and laughed, saying, “You’ll never catch the sun! You’re just a lazy little demigod!”
Maui, determined and confident, replied, “One day, when I conquer my challenge, I’ll make sure you regret those words!”
With his cord in hand, Maui climbed back up Haleakala. As the sun rose, he prepared a noose with his cord and, with a swift motion, he snared one of the sun’s bright rays! One by one, he caught the sun’s strong beams, breaking them off until he had captured them all.
“Now you’re my prisoner!” Maui shouted triumphantly. “I’m going to teach you a lesson for moving so fast!”
The sun, realizing it was in trouble, pleaded, “Please let me go! If you spare me, I promise to move more slowly from now on. Look, you’ve broken off all my strong legs and left me with only the weak ones!”
Maui thought for a moment and agreed. “Alright, I’ll let you go, but you must keep your promise!” And from that day on, the sun moved more slowly across the sky, giving everyone longer days to enjoy.
This is why, at certain times of the year, the days feel longer than others. And that’s how Haleakala got its name, which means “the sun snarer,” thanks to Maui’s cleverness.
After his adventure, Maui went looking for Moemoe, eager to show him what he had accomplished. But Moemoe wasn’t home. Maui chased him until he finally found him at a place called Kawaiopilopilo, near the shore. Moemoe tried to escape, but Maui was too quick. In a fit of anger, he caught Moemoe and turned him into a long rock that still sits by the road today, a reminder of the day Maui snared the sun.
And so, the legend of Maui and the sun lives on, teaching us that with determination and cleverness, we can overcome any challenge!
Carissa O'Connell
Avid explorer of all things related to Hawaiiana, Polynesian, and Asian culture
