This moʻolelo shares the spiritual authority and kuleana carried through these ancestral lines.

 

Kihawahine, the powerful moʻo (serpent) goddess, and Kihapiʻilani were siblings, both children of Chief Piʻilani, King of Maui.

 

The term “Kiha” is associated with serpents and lizards, symbolizing sacred guardianship and spiritual power.

 

The Kaumualiʻi ʻohana kuleana lands in the ʻili of Kihapiʻilani at Wailua are known as the home and dwelling place of Mokila, a sacred and renowned moʻo guardian of the rivers, streams, and freshwater springs of Wailua.

 

It is said that the royal lineages of Kauakahi, Kamakahelei, Kaumualiʻi, and Piʻilani are directly connected to the sacred wahi pana in the uplands of Wailua Puna, Kauaʻi, known as Pihanakalani.

 

Kauakahialiʻi resided at Pihanakalani, and in the moʻolelo of Kamehameha and the Nāhā Stones of Wailua, it is told that the Priestess of Pihanakalani was present on Moku o Keawe (Hawaiʻi Island) when Kamehameha lifted the sacred Nāhā Stones, which originated from Wailua, Kauaʻi.This moʻolelo shares the enduring spiritual authority, genealogy, and sacred responsibility carried through these ancestral lines.