Hawaiian Skies: Hinaiaʻeleʻele 2026
Hinaiaʻeleʻele 2026 (ʻIulai 14 - ʻAukake 12, 2026)
Na Leilehua Yuen, Hawaiʻi Culture and Language Resident at Gemini / NOIRLab
For this malama's article, I have a special treat. In addition to the Hinaiaʻeleʻele early evening and early morning star charts, this article also includes a full sky chart featuring a moʻolelo about Māui in honor of the movie release of the live-action Moana. Before we begin, I want to note that Māui’s Fish Hook has become well known around the world because of this movie. It is the tail and stinger of Scorpius.
Click to view in detail (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/L. Yuen)
However, people seem to mistake many different hook-shaped asterisms for it. The huihui most commonly mistaken for ka Mānai-a-ka-lani and Ka-makau-nui-a-Māui (two additional names for Maui’s Fish Hook) is Ke-Kā-a-Makaliʻi, the Pleiades. Other similar shapes include Puppis, Leo, the Little Dipper, and the Big Dipper. I hope that these charts and stories will help you to find the true Maui’s Fish Hook in tonight’s night sky! One easy trick to remember is that Maui’s Fish Hook can be found in our summer skies, and Ke-Kā-a-Makaliʻi is present in the winter.
Māui is a hero famous throughout the Pacific Islands. There are hundreds of stories about him, so many, in fact, that no one knows them all! His stories are so old and have traveled so far and are so loved that they have changed to fit the places the people who tell them live. Stories of the Māui of Aotearoa are a bit different compared to stories of the Māui of Sāmoa. The Māui stories of Tahiti are different from those of Tonga. In Hawaiʻi we even tell them a bit differently on each of our own islands! For example, on Kauaʻi, Māui tries to catch the fish Luehu. On Hawaiʻi, he catches Pimoe. In many stories, his wife is captured by an eight-eyed bat. But in the Kumulipo, she is captured by the akua of the octopus.
The Māui story I want to share this month is the oldest I know. It is from the Kumulipo, a koʻihonua, a genealogy chant, for the ʻohana of King Kalākaua and his sister Queen Liliʻuokalani. The Kumulipo is so long it takes three hours to chant. Here, I’m just going to share the part about Māui.
In the old days, people would know the entire story already, so a storyteller would be able to reference certain adventures without having to tell the entire story of each one. Since many people today do not know the whole story, below the chant I will add a little more background.
The following excerpt is based on the Kalākaua text as edited and translated by Martha Beckwith. Note the famous typographical quirk from the Beckwith publication records: there is a skip from line 1988 to 1889, followed by 1990. This was a printing error in the book's numerical sequencing rather than a gap in the chant but is generally left in so that researchers can retain consistency in citations.
1983. Waolena ke kane, Mahui'e ka wahine — Waolena was the man, Mahui'e the wife
1984. Akalana ke kane, Hina-a-ke-ahi ka wahine — Akalana was the man, Hina-of-the-fire the wife
1985. Hānau Māui mua, hānau Māui waena — Born was Maui the first, born was Maui the middle one
1986. Hānau Maui-kiʻiki‘i, hānau Māui-a-ka-malo — Born was Maui-ki‘iki‘i, born was Maui of the loincloth
1987. O ka malo o Akalana i humea — The loincloth with which Akalana girded his loins
1988. Ho‘okauhua Hina-a-ke-ahi, hānau he moa — Hina-of-the-fire conceived, a fowl was born
1889. He huamoa ke keiki a Hina i ho‘okauhua — The child of Hina was delivered in the shape of an egg
1990. ‘A‘ohe ho‘i he moa o ka moe ana — She had not slept with a fowl
1991. He moa ka ka hānau ana — But a fowl was born
1992. Alala ke keiki, ninau Hina — The child chirped, Hina was puzzled
1993. ‘A‘ohe ho‘i he kanaka o ka moe ana he keiki ka — Not from sleeping with a man did this child come
1994. He keiki āiwaiwa na Hina-a-ke-ahi — It was a strange child for Hina-of-the-fire
1995. Ukiuki Kia‘i-loa ma lāua o Kia‘i-a-ka-poko — The two guards were angry, the tall and the short one
1996. O na kaikunāne ia o Hina — The brothers of Hina
1997. O na kia‘i ʻelua iloko o ke ana ha — The two guards within the cave
1998. Paio hakā Māui, hina ua kia‘i — Maui fought, those guards fell
1999. Kahe ka wai ‘ula i ka lae o Māui — Red blood flowed from the brow of Maui
2000. O ka ua mua ia a Māui — That was Maui’s first strife
2001. Ki‘i i ka pū ‘awa hiwa a Kāne ma laua o Kanaloa — He fetched the bunch of black kava of Kane and Kanaloa
2002. O kaua ʻalua ia a Māui — That was the second strife of Maui
2003. O kaua ʻakolu ke ku‘eku‘e o ka ‘ahu‘awa — The third strife was the quarrel over the kava strainer
2004. O ka ua aha o ka ‘ohe a Kāne ma lāua o Kanaloa — The fourth strife was for the bamboo of Kane and Kanaloa
2005. O kaua ʻalima o ka paehumu — The fifth strife was over the temple enclosure for images
2006. O kaua ʻaono o ka ʻanu‘u — The sixth strife was over the prayer tower in the heiau
2007. Nunu Māui, nīnau i ka makuakane — Maui reflected, asked who was his father
2008. Hō‘ole Hina, "‘A‘ole āu makua — Hina denied: "You have no father
2009. O ka malo o Kalana o ka makua ia" — The loincloth of Kalana, that was your father"
2010. ‘Ono i ka i‘a na Hina-a-ke-ahi — Hina-of-the-fire longed for fish
2011. A‘o i ka lawai‘a, kena Hina-a-ke-ahi — He learned to fish, Hina sent him
2012. "E ki‘i ʻoe i kō makuakane — "Go get it of your parent
2013. Aia ilaila ke aho, ka makau — There is the line, the hook
2014. O Mānai-a-ka-lani o ka makau ia — Manai-a-ka-lani, that is the hook
2015. O ka lou ana o na moku e hui ka moana kahiko" — For drawing together the lands of old ocean"
2016. Ki‘i ana ka ʻalae nui a Hina — He seized the great mudhen of Hina
2017. Ke kaikuahine manu — The sister bird
2018. O kaua ʻahiku o na ua a Māui — That was the seventh strife of Maui
2019. O ke kupua ʻeu nana i ho‘olou — He hooked the mischievous shape-shifter
2020. Ke ‘a, ka waha, ka ʻopina o Pimoe — The jaw of Pimoe as it snapped open
2021. O ka i‘a ‘Aimoku e halulu ai ka moana — The lordly fish that shouts over the ocean
2022. Lilo Pimoe moe i kaina a Māui — Pimoe crouched in the presence of Maui
2023. Ulu aloha o Mahanaulu‘ehu — Love grew for Mahana-ulu-‘ehu
2024. O kama a Pimoe — Child of Pimoe
2025. Lawena uka ai Māui i na i‘a koe ka pewa — Maui drew them ashore and ate all but the tailfin
2026. I ho‘ohalulu a‘e Kāne ma lāua o Kanaloa — Kāne and Kanaloa were shaken from their foundation
2027. O kaua a hikilele ‘iwa a Maui — By the ninth strife of Maui
2028. Ola Pimoe ma ka pewa — Pimoe "lived through the tailfin"
2029. Ola Mahanaulu‘ehu ma ka hi‘u — Mahana-ulu-‘ehu "lived through the tail"
2030. Lilo Hina-ke-kā ia Pe‘ape‘a — Hina-ke-ka was abducted by Pe‘ape‘a
2031. O ke akua pe‘ape‘a o Pe‘ape‘a — Pe‘ape‘a, god of the octopus family
2032. O ka ua ho‘olawa ia a Māui — That was Maui’s last strife
2033. I waluhia ka maka o Pe‘ape‘a-makawalu — He scratched out the eyes of the eight-eyed Pe‘ape‘a
2034. Kikeke ka ua ia Moemoe — The strife ended with Moemoe
2035. Kilika ke kaua a Maui i ka La — Everyone knows about the battle of Maui with the sun
2036. I kipuka ‘ahele a Maui — With the loop of Maui’s snaring-rope
2037. Lilo makali‘i i ka La — Winter became the sun’s
2038. Lilo ke kau ia Maui — Summer became Maui’s
2039. Inu i ka wailena ma ke kuna — He drank the yellow water to the dregs
2040. O Kane ma laua o Kanaloa — Of Kāne and Kanaloa
2041. O kaua i ka ho‘upa‘upa — His battles were an onslaught
2042. Puni Hawai‘i, puni Maui — Around Hawai‘i, around Maui
2043. Puni Kauaʻi, puni Oʻahu — Around Kauai, around Oahu
2044. I Kahulu‘u ka ēwe i Waikane ka piko — At Kahulu‘u was the afterbirth [deposited], at Waikane the navel cord
2045. Ha‘ule i Hakipu‘u i Kualoa — He died at Hakipu‘u in Kualoa
2046. O Māui-a-ka-malo — Maui-of-the-loincloth
2047. O ka ho‘okala kupua o ka moku — The lawless shape-shifter of the island
2048. He moku--no — A chief indeed
Click to view in detail (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/L. Yuen)
Now let us look at our star charts starting with the early morning chart. Let us imagine that on our voyage guided by the previous moʻolelo of Māui, a pre-dawn cast-off takes advantage of the morning offshore breezes, and we see the stars long enough to navigate to the open ocean before the onshore winds rise. Please note that while the names depicted in this moʻohōkū are traditional, their meanings are derived from the storyteller’s art and folk etymologies, not from linguistic studies.
Puana-kau (Rigel) can be translated as “emplaced story,” and so we find our story emplaced in the stars.
Mai-a-kū, Orion’s Belt, ia proper name. It may have long ago lost its original meaning, but in storytelling, it could reference the beginning and end of the journey. The three largest stars are often seen as three paddlers. In the Kumulipo version of this story, Māui has three brothers. Let us make the three paddlers be Māui’s brothers: Māui-Mua, Māui-Waena, and Māui-Kiʻikiʻi. At the rising of Mai-a-kū, all those going on the journey must be at their places in the great waʻa.
Capella and Betelgeuse form a bright pair; “Kaulua” translates as “two of a kind.” Kaulua-lena and Kaulua-koko, the yellow and red. Kaulua-koko also is known as ʻAua (to caw). Māui was known for his bird-like cry. Koko also translates as “blood,” and Māui’s forehead was bloodied in his first strife.
Kapuahi (Aldebaran) translates as “firepit” or “hearth.” Māui’s mother is Hina-i-ke-ahi, Hina-of-the-fire. Māui’s (Atik’s) wife is Hina-ke-kā, Hina-the-bailer (Pleiades). During the era of voyaging, Kapuahi was at zenith just south of Kalae, “South Point,” on the island of Hawaiʻi. Hina-ke-kā was at zenith over Oʻahu, Maui, and northern Molokaʻi.
The great adventures of Māui, enumerated in the Kumulipo, are known as “The Strifes of Māui.” Kāne (Mira) and Kanaloa (Mirfak) are among those against whom Māui strives, taking their ʻawa, strainer, and bamboo. We also know that there are stars in the constellations of Hercules and Ophiuchus which belong to this moʻo-hōkū. But precisely which ones? We must continue to study. Let us revisit our moʻolelo as we look at the morning star chart.
Long ago, Waolena and Mahuiʻe were the ancestors of a family. Among their descendants were A-kalana, a man, and Hina-a-ke-ahi, his wife. Kalana and Hina’s children were Māui the first-born, Māui the middle child, and Māui-kiʻikiʻi. Then came Māui-a-ka-malo, who was born unexpectedly in Kalana’s absence.
Māui-a-ka-malo was born in the shape of an egg! Hina’s husband was not a rooster, but her son was a rooster! The baby chirped, and Hina was puzzled. What a strange child!
Then we begin the Strifes of Māui, sometimes compared to the Labors of Hercules.
Kapuahi, the firepit, is at the mouth of the cave-like Hyades, and so it seems to fit the first strife of Māui. Hina had two brothers, Kia‘i-loa and Kiaʻi-a-poko, who were tall and short and who guarded her cave. Perhaps they are the long and short horns of Taurus if we end the left horn on Mahasim instead of Elnath. They were angry about the birth of this strange child. Māui fought and conquered them, but his forehead was bloodied. Kaulua-Koko, as we discussed, could possibly refer to the blood. Kaʻa-lolo (Hamal) translates as “dizziness, perturbation,” which could go with a bloodying knock to the head. Another candidate added to this moʻo-hōkū.
Maui’s second strife was taking the ceremonial ʻawa of Kāne and Kanaloa. Third, he quarreled with them over the ʻawa strainer. His fourth strife was for the bamboo of Kāne. This is purely speculative, but I wonder if Keoea (Vega) might be the ball of ʻawa and Keoea-ʻeha (Lyra) the strainer? That would leave the Bamboo of Kāne. Bamboo associated with that akua was used to make the knives for kahe ule, subincision, part of manhood ceremonies. By preparing the ʻawa and undergoing subincision, Māui was no longer a child but a man.
Māui’s fifth strife was over the temple enclosure for the images. I am going to postulate that Humu (Altair) and the enclosure-like portion of Aquila are the paehumu for which Māui strove. A “paehumu” is the enclosure around the home of an aliʻi or around a heiau, delineating the sacred area. “Humu” is an abbreviated form of the word.
Click to view in detail (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/L. Yuen)
Now we move to the evening chart.
Gaining the right to go to the prayer tower was his sixth strife. I am going to propose Rasalhaugh as the prayer tower, with the name Nuʻu, as we know there is a star named Nuʻu. Both nuʻu and ʻanuʻu are words for “prayer tower,” and nuʻu also is a summit. In Nā Inoa Hōkū it is translated as “zenith.” From the latitude of Hawaiʻi, Rasalhaugh would have been a zenith star for Micronesia during the great voyaging era. It is in the constellation Ophiuchus, which we know is part of this moʻo-hōkū.
Māui accomplished the second through sixth strifes so he could establish himself as a man of rank, as his father was not there to speak for him. When he had accomplished these things, he thought about his status in the world and asked who his father was. His mother said, “You have no father. Your father was the loincloth of Kalana.”
Hina wanted fish, so Māui learned to fish. She told him to go to his father to get the fish and gave him a fishline and a hook named Mānai-a-ka-lani, “Needle of the Chief,” a hook that could draw together all the lands of the ancient ocean. She had been telling him he had no father, but Māui was a pest. He just kept pestering her until she gave in and told him. Indeed, there are several stories where Māui gets what he wants through sheer peskiness.
Māui grabbed ʻAlae-nui-Hina, the great mudhen of Hina and bird-sister of the fish Pimoe. Māui learned the secret of fire from her and used her as bait. That was his seventh strife.
Māui caught the great fish Pimoe and pulled him ashore. How humiliating for this amazing being who now had to abase himself! But Māui felt love grow for Pimoe’s daughter, Mahanauluʻehu, so Māui did not eat him up completely. Instead Māui ate all but his tailfin. Kāne and Kanaloa were shaken from their foundation! So, Pimoe did not die but lived through his tailfin, and Mahanauluʻehu, the child of Pimoe, also lived. This was the eighth strife
Then Maui’s wife, Hinakekā, was abducted by Peʻapeʻa, god of the octopus people. This was Māui’s last strife. He scratched out all eight eyes of that octopus!
So Māui had nine official strifes, and then after arriving back home with his wife (or wives?), took care of some personal business with a tenth strife. This tenth was the one which ended all his strife by ending Moemoe, who had ridiculed him when Māui had announced he would slow the sun; he had called Māui a lazy braggart.
The chant tells us how everyone knows about Māuiʻs battle with the sun, how he used a loop of his snaring rope to catch the sun and make it go more slowly so that his mother’s kapa would not be spoilt and all humans could have the benefit of longer days. Winter became the Sun’s; he could go as fast as he wished. Summer became Māui’s, and the Sun traveled slowly.
Māui drank the ʻawa-stained water dedicated to Kāne and Kanaloa to the dregs, assuming the rights of rank.
His battles were an onslaught. Around Hawaiʻi, around Maui, around Kauaʻi, around Oʻahu. His afterbirth was placed in Kahulu‘u, and his navel cord in Waikane. He died at Hakipuʻu in Kualoa.
Māui of the loincloth, lawless shapeshifter of the island, was a chief, a chief indeed.
If we look at the moʻolelo and moʻo-hōkū through a storyteller’s lens, we can see Hawaiian poetic conventions contained in the star names. We began by setting the stage, announcing the characters, and establishing the nature of our protagonist. We took him on his journey and then brought him home to attend to personal business. We followed him from birth to death. Perhaps it is rather inductive, but it does give us some wonderful hypotheses to test against other moʻolelo, run through planetariums, and ask our sailing friends to try out.
Click to view in detail - Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/L. Yuen
Click to view in detail - Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/L. Yuen
