The Amazing Feats of Haumea

Haumea is a powerful female deity capable of shapeshifting. Papa is another of her names. She is the wife of Wākea and saved his life in the story we call Kāmehaʻikana. Bound to an ʻulu tree next to a blazing imu in which he was to be cooked, Wākea was about to die. Haumea arrived and asked the ilāmuku if she could give her husband one last kiss. The executioner consented, and she approached her kāne aloha, leaned in as though to kiss him, then struck the ʻulu tree with great force. It opened wide like the mouth of a cave and she shoved Wākea in and followed after him. The tree quickly closed up behind them, leaving the onlooking crowd in shock. This hana kupanaha, or amazing feat resulted in her being worshiped by the name Kāmehaʻikana. Joseph Mokuʻōhai Poepoe penned a version of this story and published it in his column Ancient Hawaiian History.

In this same story, Haumea saves Muleiʻula's stillborn child. Here is some background to contextualize the passage below:

Haumea is summoned to go to ʻOlopana, a chief of Oʻahu at the time, because his daughter, Muleiʻula was having trouble giving birth. The child was stuck in the birth canal and she was exhausted. So, Haumea gave this woman her child-birthing medicine, the amazing blossoms called Kanikawī and Kanikawā, and that is how the child and the placenta were delivered. But the child was not well when he came out. Haumea spoke to Olopana, saying:

“There is nothing wrong with your daughter now. She will live. Your grandchild, however, is not going to survive. He has come out of the womb stillborn. His entire body is blue.”

“What should be done?” ʻOlopana asked the unfamiliar woman, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

Haumea answered, “I have one last solution, but I want you to fully confirm your promise that I shall be the one to raise your grandchild. Do you agree to this?”

ʻOlopana agreed, “If you perform your work and my grandchild lives, then you shall take him to raise, since you are the one responsible for his life.”

“It is set. I shall do my work so that “our” grandchild survives," said Haumea to Olopana.

She commanded the chief's men to start a fire. In no time, the fire was blazing, as per the orders of this shape-shifting woman of Kalihilihiolaumiha. She separated the child's placenta from the caul. She took the child and cradled him in her arms, then she threw the placenta into the fire with the navel string still connecting the placenta to the belly of the child.  

[Helu 3]
She broiled the child's placenta in the fire for some time, then the moment arrived when the child moved. He continued to move until he was actually crying, which progressed until breath had fully retuned to his chest. Then he kept breathing until his breath was really strong. The child fully came back to life. 

When he did so, his grandfather, ʻOlopana, leapt toward him and took his grandson into his arms. That's when Haumea said: “The child is mine to care for; however I will leave him here with you so that his mother can nurse him. The day I come to get him is the day I will take him with me.”

The editor has inserted diacritics in this version of the story. Should you be interested in viewing the original, simply click here.