Sumara Gaspar

8/22/2022

Humanities 11

Ms. Terry

Truth Untold: Spirits of Ni’ihau

A lot of people don't truly understand the downsides of being a woman in a culture that
relies on them to provide. It’s mainly men as they cannot sympathize with our duties. Growing
up, a lot of my friends were excited to get to work, many boys in my village couldn’t wait to hunt
and fight and become men. This concept was so mind boggling to me as someone who wanted
to do more exploration. My mom has told me that I'm not a female but more mahu, in between.
Everyone believes in this concept, including my dad, but he still believes my short and slim
frame belongs to women's jobs. That’s why I continue to grow out my hair, to show the feminine
divinity. My grandma told me a story a while back about long hair. I wanted to cut my hair
because of how thick it was and long. For that reason I threw a tantrum. My grandma told me
that our hair holds mana that is sacred. To this day I refuse to cut my hair to show how strong
my mana is.
I hate the standard that they have set up in the village. It’s the same thing everyday. Ever
since I was young, I’ve had this dream of being able to explore different islands and even to
explore the island I live on. Kauai is so beautiful and I have heard great stories that motivate me
to travel, but my dad insisted on me staying in the village and attaining my duties as a woman.
He is a warrior for the great chief of our village, Keikai’i. My dad doesn’t sympathize with my
feelings of doing a man’s job. He always says “Kailani, plantations are your priority, stick to it.”
Blah blah blah. Hunting, fishing, fighting, he believes all of that is a man’s job. I’m just waiting for
the perfect time to seize an opportunity that will open his eyes to my abilities.
As I have mentioned, I live on the island of Kauai, right by the shore with sights of the
glistening blue ocean and sweet smells of the flower bushes surrounding our hut. It fits no more
than five people and has a leaky roof. I like to fix things, which is more useful and fun than
helping in the fields with my sister and my mother. Every once in a while I attend to the roof and
it lasts until the next stormy season. The rest of the village has put my talent to use which keeps
me busy throughout the day. I might have to make my own little tradeshop named “Kailani Fixes
and Fishes.” I also have another secret which is my fishing abilities. I love to sneak out and fish
when I can. If I came back with the fish in my hands I would land myself into some trouble, so
instead I trade with the men of the village, my fish and whatever valuables they have. I can only
fish during fishing season. Here in Hawai’i, we have kapu on when we are able to fish and hunt.
Therefore, I would only be able to trade during a certain period of time.
Fishing season starts tomorrow morning, which was announced by the chief. It always
feels like a competition with the rest of the islands. We have five men in our village who are
known for their strategic fishing abilities: Ekolu, Ekahi, Elua, Eha, and Elima. They were tall and
muscular and very strong men. They were also extremely reliable. This year has been rough
through maintaining supplies, this was definitely a struggle year. Everyone talks about how the
boys will bring a great deal of fish to feed the villages of Kauai. I think they will, but I think I can
do better. Afterall my name means sky and sea, I should be one with the ocean and live up to
my name. I’ve thought long and hard about my whereabouts for this season and I came up with
Ni'ihau. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the islands, Ni’ihau has very few visitors and is
said to be blessed with peace and abundance. Abundance specifically in fish. No man dares to
fish there for the reason of the man - eating spirits. When we were young, we were told of the
spirits on Ni’ihau that snatched unwelcome visitors. I overheard the five fishermen about
traveling to the island and getting the fish they need for the island. I was inspired and decided
that I would get a head start tomorrow morning for a couple hours and try to stay as hidden as
possible.

. . .

It’s the next morning, after spending all night preparing my boat to set sail to Ni’ihau, I
feel ready and confident. The sun isn't out yet, I have some time to prepare my escape before
anyone sees me leave. My arms have a deadly pain and my body is dragging itself to get to the
bot. I slowly creep out the hutt with a pack I filled with supplies I will utilize for the next few days.
Before I set foot out of the hut onto the grassy floors of the island, I hear a creek behind me, I
feel my face turning hot in fear that I got caught. I turn around to see my little sister look at me.
“Kailani, where are you going,” she whispered. I didn’t know how to respond. She’s no longer a
teenager, so I feel that I can tell her anything without her telling my mom and dad.
“I’m going to prove dad wrong,” softly speaking.
 “So what are you doing?” she said with confused expressions. I paused.
“I’m going to Ni’ihau.”
“Why so far? What will you tell them when you come back?” I hadn’t planned that far
ahead in terms of what I was going to say. I hope that I come back with enough fish to distract
them from the fact that I had run away.
“We need food Kea, Kauai reefs won’t do the job. You've heard what people say about
Ni’ihau.”
“People have said that it’s cursed,” she snapped back.
“I have to go, please don’t tell anyone. I promise you I will be back in no time.”
“And if you don’t?” I saw sadness sweep over her face. I hugged her tightly. I had
nothing to say.
“I love you” I said before I turned toward the door. I heard a little sniffle but I couldn’t turn
my head to see her brown eyes teared up in blue. I made my way out the door.
After a couple hours at sea, I was finally able to see the Niihau shoreline. I was way
ahead of the boys and fortunately enough I wasn’t caught. I was able to set up my sleeping area
for the next couple of days as well as setting up an area for cleaning the plentiful fish. This
would only take me an hour or so. As soon as I was done setting up, I was immediately back on
the water. Usually when I go out on the boat and I look back on the Kauai shoreline, I see busy
people and many creatures following each other around. Niihau was different. It was silent, it
had an eerie sound. I looked to see the shoreline empty and sad. I took some time to be grateful
for not being encountered with the other boys of our village. I soon started to pull my nets up
and took a look at some of the beautiful shimmery scales of the fish. I felt so confident in this
moment. I knew I was destined for a greater position with the skill and knowledge I had. I had so
many fish and thought about how many I would have to clean. I stopped my journey there for
the day and set forward to my camping area. Cleaning the fish was a pain all by myself. I grew
bored and decided to see if I would be able to find where the boys would be staying. I took the
boat out and shortly I saw the campsite and immediately turned around. They were close by. If
they dare to find me hiding out, I fear what they might say or how they will approach me.
Night grew over the horizon and I was ready to end my day. I was worried I would be
found while I slept. I had to immediately stop myself from thinking these recurring thoughts
before they came true. I closed my eyes and imagined my dad being proud of how many fish I
had caught and how smart I was. Everyone in the village will have a little respect for me and my
talents. I felt my mind go silent for a minute followed by a scream of a man. My eyes shot wide
open. I was afraid for my life. I was conflicted on who it could’ve been considering that the five
boys and I are the only ones truly on the island, or on this side of the island as a matter of fact.
“Maybe I could help,” I thought to myself. This could be my heroic break. My tent area I had set
up for the night was small and hidden, as intended. Whatever had caused the scream could've
missed me and my safety is all that matters at the moment. I thought it could have possibly
been an animal. I kept to myself as the rest of the night fell and the fear that was racing in my
head started to quiet down.
A single beam of light directed in my sleep area. I sat up to see that my area was
unbothered, not a single item had been touched. I was feeling at peace and calm in comparison
to how I felt last night. I stood on my feet and tied my hair into a bun that would do the job of it
not being in the way. I walked out and saw skies of beautiful pigmented blue. I walked off into
the collected trees. There was a stream I would utilize to rinse my body and face. I also found it
to be clean enough to drink from, which was great because I wasn’t in the mood for traveling so
far. The crunch of leaves below my feet sounded so magical. The shape and color was no
different from the ones back home, yet they felt and sounded different. I thought it was due to
the uneasy sleep. I questioned whether or not I should have taken the boat out. I silenced that
thought and continued to clean my face. I had a large ipu nui to fill with water and bring it on the
boat. I made my way back to the shore and saw from a far distance that the boat used by the
boys was out on the water, already ahead of me. I feared not and grabbed my net and the water
and set sail.
I finally had finished my last round of nets for the day. I was beyond exhausted. I took a
break and looked out to see if I could still see the boats. Nothing. There was not a single person
in sight. It felt so unreal, I felt like the last person alive. As untrue as that was, it purely felt like
that. I walked along the shore to see if I was able to spot the boys again. After what felt like
forever, I saw them and noticed that there were only four men. I assumed Elima was doing a
task, maybe retrieving water from a spring. I saw them cleaning some of the fish they had
caught. I overheard some conversation. I could see that Ekahi was trying to calm the other two
down. Ekahi was the leader of the group, so if anyone was to calm the group it would be him.
“They took him, I know it. We waited all day, we got back from the water, nothing. You
cannot convince me otherwise. What if I’m gone tomorrow then what? U still gonna go fishing,
they gonna come after you guys next!” Eha was starting to get angry. Who was the ‘they’ he was
talking about? I couldn’t hop into the conversation, they think they are the only people on this
beach.
“Eha’s right, we was warned of the man snatching spirits, we can’t stay here much
longer,” Ekolu piped in. It hit me instantly. I remembered this story. Key word, story, which is
what I thought it was. See naturally what is shown of me is a woman, so I was never too afraid
of this story, but it seems they are and they think that's what took Elima. I felt goosebumps crawl
up my arms and to the back of my neck. They continued back and forth until Ekahi silenced
them and told them to just wait. Night arose and I couldn’t listen in to the conversation anymore.
I ran back to my spot. I should have done something last night. I felt my stomach turning and
this knot of regret built. I laid down and thoughts were racing through my head. I suddenly came
up with an idea.
The night continued and I had such a hard time falling asleep. I kept turning and twisting
in my spot. I started to see some sunrise so I ran to the spring to rinse my face and I ran over to
the boys spot. There's a huge line of black rocks from the forest line to the ocean. The rocks pile
up as high as a hut and as they make way to the water, it shrinks. I start climbing the rocks and
peep over to see the boy's status as I have done the past couple of times. I see three men:
Ekahi, Ekolu, and Elua. My heart dropped. I Heard Ekahi said that even though this island is
evil, they had to keep going and continue the journey. Ekahi mentioned that there are only two
more days until the kapu had been placed down again. If they went home with what they had
caught, the village would go starving. As I was about to rise above my hiding spot, I heard Ekahi
share an idea.
“We are fishermen and we lead dangerous lives. We have to continue with this. How
about tonight, we go in the canoe and we take turns keeping watch for the spirit, alright?” The
other two agreed and so did I. I went back to my spot and grabbed my ipu nui filled with water. I
made my way out to the boat and stayed on the water a little late in the evening. I finally got
back to shore and once I was finished cleaning, I fell asleep. I was so drained of energy from
the previous night I couldn’t do it. I woke up the next morning a little earlier than I had yesterday.
I decided to check on the boys. Ekahi said that they would be out on the water that night. I still
checked their usual spot. No one was there. I went closer to the water and I could spot a canoe
out on the water. Although it was really big. It seemed there was a big bird. It was moving a lot. I
could slowly start to see it make its way to the shore. I was absolutely frightened but my feet
couldn't move. I felt stuck. This bat-like creature with an empty black mouth and big beady eyes
flew to the forest, far away from me, but it felt so close. I took my last breath of Ni’ihau air before
I collapsed.
I woke up and it was so bright. I saw two men above me. It was Elua and Ekahi. “Wake
up! Hello~ Kailani!” They continued to get my attention. I sat up and they sighed in relief. “We
thought you were dead,” Elua said with broken words of sadness.
“Yeah, thank the gods I'm not,” I shot back.
 “What are you even doing here? How long have you been here?” Ekahi questioned.
“I heard you guys were coming here to get the fish for our village. I have skills right so
why not put em to use. Eh, if a man can do it, so can a woman. I even got here before you
guys.” I took a short breath. “I regret it. I know what has been going on these past two days. I’ve
thought about it and I came up with a solution.”
“Whatever it is, it better be good otherwise we gonna give you up to that spirit shit.” Elua
seemed fed up with what went down within the couple moments that have passed.
“Trust me, I think this will work. Do you guys trust me?” They shook their heads in
approval. I told them my plan. We were not gonna fish tonight. Instead we were gonna spend
the day on the beach building a log house. I had them do that job as I was not strong enough to
do that. Instead, I carved out men from wood to place as bait. It would be like a fish bait, but for
a creature 50x its size. Alas, it was built and the fake men looked good, I also added a touch of
shells for eyes.
“I don’t know but it’s lookin good Kailani,” Ekahi said with his hand patting my shoulder. I
gave him a nod.
“Separate,” I commanded. “You must not fall asleep. Stay alert and keep watch. Good
luck boys.” We ran to our designated spots and watched this hut for hours. I was frightened but I
was ready. I kept dozing off and did some jumping to wake me up. Not too much, I didn’t want to
attract the attention of these spirits. Finally, the night had fallen into a rich blue sleep and the
creatures awoke. I made eye contact with Elua and Ekahi. We were ready.
The spirits peered around the house and waited for the fake men to fall asleep. Sure
enough they got tired and charged for the men. That was our call. Elua threw the torch inside
the house and lit the spirits on fire. Ekahi and I had enough time to get our supplies on the
canoe and make our way to Kauai safe and sound.

. . .
After we arrived on the islands, questions arose and greetings arrived. Everyone was
proud to hear about my fishing journey. Including my dad. I felt so loved and warmed. Nearly
half a season had passed and there was a story going around. I wasn’t too interested in the
village rumors until I heard it slip out from my sister's mouth.
“They are so brave. I wonder what Kailani was doing?” my sister asked my mom.
“Wondering what?” I stepped in after eavesdropping.
“What you were doing,” she said. “Didn’t you hear about Elua and Ekahi? They
interacted with the man eating spirit. What were you doing?” I was baffled and lost.
 “You must not be hearing the story correctly. I made a plan to burn em. Then Ekahi
grabbed the boat and we left.” I said confidently.
“Pssh, I know you're smart and you got attention for the amount of fish you caught, but
you don’t need any more credit. I was just wondering what you were doing.” She looked at me
with this face of disgust. My mom sat quiet in disbelief. Was she saying that there is a story of
how they saved themselves? They wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. I stormed out of the
house and found Elua and Ekahi.
“What in the hell do you think you're doing?!” I shouted. Spit was leaving my mouth
along with my angry words.
“Uhh… cleaning?” Elua said.
“Smart ass. What are you telling everyone? I saved you guys. I made the plan.” I was
starting to shake. I worked so hard and they threw around my name like I was some dainty
princess who needed saving.
“Look, we appreciate your help, but did you think that they were going to believe a
woman saved us? Our reputations for being the strong men we are would be in shambles if we
ever mentioned you saved us. I mean look at you, let's be real here alright. I’m not letting my
name be under yours.” Ekahi had this smirk on his face that looked so slappable. I opened my
mouth to say something back to his pettiness. He placed his hand over my mouth to silence me.
I stopped. He leaned in closer to meet my eyes. “After all, you are just a woman.”