Specifications
Artist: Tim Wollweber
Manufacturer: Tiki Farm
Original release year: 2020
Capacity: 568 ml approx. / 20 fl oz.
Height: 21 cm
Colour: Classic Brown
The Legend
A tribute to the ghost sisters of Hilo Hills…
According to Hawaiian legend, Hina is the goddess of the moon and the mother of Maui, the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Hina had two daughters – Hina Keahi, the mistress of fire, and Hina Kulu’ua, the mistress of rain. As a gift, Hina gave two Maui mountains to the sisters, Hala’i for Hina Keahi and Pu’uhonu for Hina Kulu’ua.
The story goes that the people of Hina Keahi’s mountain were always well looked after with food and crops. However, suddenly life became particularly hard with very little food and crops for her people, and they began to starve. Hina Keahi knew she had to do something to save them, so she requested an underground imu be made (a Hawaiian oven dug into the ground), and her people believed that a human sacrifice was to be given.
Hina Keahi, though, reassured her people that she was the mistress of fire and that she was the one to be buried, and she won’t be harmed. She asked them to wait for three days, and their prayers will be answered.
On the first day, she travelled the underworld and emerged as a stream. On the second day, she appeared as a pool by the sea. And on the third day, she arose as a cleansing spring. She then made her way to the imu where she was buried, asking her people to remove the rocks and leaves. To their amazement, there was no body, but there was an abundance of food, enough to last the people through the famine!
Meanwhile, on the hill of Hina Kulu’ua, the people were suffering from a long drought. Hina Kulu’ua hearing of her sisters’ feats on the neighbouring hill, and jealous of her beautiful sister’s popularity, decided to sacrifice herself the same way her sister had. Three days had passed with Hina Kalua’ua buried in the imu and no sign had arrived for her people. After five days a dark cloud arose above Pu’u-honu, and the people started to become restless. Uncovering the still smouldering pit, instead of discovering an abundance of food, they found ashes, the only remains of Hina Kalua’ua.
Hina Keahi learned of her sister’s senseless death and mourned for her. If only Hina Kalua’ua had used her powers as the mistress of rain, she could have brought an end to the drought!
To this day a crater remains at the summit of Hala’i, all that’s left of the ancient imu. However, at the neighbouring Pu’uhonu, the crater was buried by the people when they discovered the ash remains of their beloved chiefess.
