In the Hawaiian religion, WÃÂkea, the Sky father, weds PapahÃÂnaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the parent couple of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii.
WÃÂkea was the eldest son of Kahiko ("Ancient One"), who lived in Olalowaia. He is the ancestor of the aliûi (nobility of Hawaii), the ruling class that make up the aristocracy known as the noho aliâÂÂi o HawaiâÂÂi (ruling chiefs of HawaiâÂÂi). WÃÂkea is the grandson of Welaahilaninui. The priests and common people come from his brothers, one of whom was called Makuûu.
WÃÂkea means expansive space, zenith, or heaven and Papa means foundation or surface; together, they create a symbol of land and sky or heaven and earth. Departed souls were believed to travel to the home of WÃÂkea. If they proved themselves pure, they would remain in his realm's comfort, but if otherwise they were sent to Lua-o-Milu.
WÃÂkea's first high priest was called Komoawa.
When WÃÂkea was on Earth in ancient times, he was a High Chief.
In one legend, WÃÂkea lives in Hihiku and marries PapahÃÂnaumoku, who is a princess of Olalo-i-mehani and a granddaughter of Princess Kaoupe-alii. The Hawaiian Islands were created by WÃÂkea and PapahÃÂnaumoku. Their daughter was Hoûohokukalani, who was a mother of Haloa by WÃÂkea.
In the genealogies, WÃÂkea and PapahÃÂnaumoku are 37th in the Kumuhonua genealogy, and 28th in the Kumuûuli. Kumuhonua, the ancestor of the Kumuhonua genealogy, was believed to be the first man in one tradition.
Together, PapahÃÂnaumoku and WÃÂkea created Hawaiûi, Maui, Kauaûi, and HoâÂÂohokukalani.
After WÃÂkea committed incest with his daughter, HoâÂÂohokukalani, she gave birth to Haloa-naka-lau-kapalili, meaning trembling long stalk. It was a stillborn baby, which they later planted and became the first kalo or taro, a staple of the Hawaiian diet. After Haloa-naka, HoâÂÂohokukalani gave birth to another child named Haloa, meaning long stalk, and he became the first kanaka or Hawaiian person.
The relationship between Haloa-naka and Haloa describes the balance of relationships between the land and the people that live in it. Haloa-naka, as the elder sibling, is responsible for the well-being of their younger siblings, that of which being Haloa. As Kalo, Haloa-naka upholds this by providing sustainance for the people, while the people take care of their older sibling by ensuring the life of the Kalo. Likewise, it is also inappropriate to argue in front of Kalo at any time as well as it is not allowed to argue in front of your older siblings, nor elders. WÃÂkea also had an affair with Goddesses Hina and Ka'ula while Papa was in Kahiki to create the islands of Molokaûi and LÃÂnaûi. Papa later returned and was aware of WÃÂkea's affair, so she gained revenge by sleeping with Lua to create the island of Oûahu.
Later on, WÃÂkea reunites with PapahÃÂnaumoku and they create Kauaûi, Niûihau, Lehua, and Kaûula.
In one tradition, the first person on Earth was the woman Laûilaûi. She and her husband Kealiûiwahilani are the parents of Kahiko, the father of WÃÂkea. WÃÂkea made the land and sea from the calabash or gourd (âÂÂipu) of PapahÃÂnaumoku. He threw it up high, and it became the heavens. He made the rain from its juice and from the seeds he made the sun, moon, and stars.
Wanting to sleep with his daughter, WÃÂkea made a bargain with his high priest, KomoâÂÂawa, to make PapahÃÂnaumoku go away for four nights. In her seclusion, it was kapu or restricted for her to eat certain foods; a tradition known as ûaikapu, which was a sacred eating arrangement established by WÃÂkea. The purpose of the ûaikapu was to separate the women from the men. In traditional Hawaiian society, men were responsible for cooking.
Examples of some foods that Hawaiian women could not eat: