These three puʻu, in legend and in fact, were/are an important part of the hydrology of Hilo. The puʻu are sponges which absorb water all rainy season and slowly release it into the underground streams during the dry season. They are/were on the border between the ahupuaʻa of Punahoa and Piʻihonua.
Our kūpuna knew their importance, it is essential knowledge encoded in the legends.
Hinakuluʻua, a rain goddess, is the personification of the Piʻihonua weather system which begins in the venturi between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and ends near Lyman House.
Hinaikeahi, a fire goddess, created the springs in the intricate lava tube, freshwater spring, and micro-spring system which begins in the hills and continues out into Hilo Bay. In the full version of the moʻolelo, each of the major springs she created is named. Here is Westervelt’s version of the story, in Peter Young’s blog.
These two akua, or elementals, figure in the moʻolelo of their sister/mother Hina of Waiʻanuenue and her courtship by the moʻo Kuna. You can see encoded into this story important information about the dangers of the river.
Since Peʻa and Honu were dismantled, it has changed the vitality of the springs, and the ecosystems which depended on them.
