kaimana and the story of tevelo's dream

8/14/2019 Kaimana and the story of Tevelo's Dream

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Gunter O. Swoboda !P. O Box 655Mona Vale, NSW 2103

AUSTRALIA [email protected]

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Chapter XXX

By Gunter O. Swoboda and An adaptation of Tom Linker s

Tevelo s Dream Copyright 2010

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The feathery touch of the afternoon breeze swept gently across

Kamaki as he sat stretched out against the gracefully arched palm

tree while savouring the pleasant numbness of the awa . A flash of

movement in the distance caught his eye and he languidly peered

across the sandy bay towards the rocky shoreline.

His eyes were not yet too dim to recognise the young boy for

Kaimana, Kekoas son, who now swooped along the rocky shoreline

onto the sand like the iwa swooping across the ranging waves of

the deep oceans.

The man smiled and watched the boys unusual terrestrial

antics. Unusual as Kaimana was mostly seen in the water, around

the water and below the water, but rarely away from the water.

As the boy closed the gap between them, Kamaki sat up and

braced himself for Kaimanas exuberant onslaught that would sweep

across him like the tide.

He could already hear Kaimanas voice float towards him form

the distance. T t , t t ! Grandfather, grandfather!

The call warmed Kamaki s heart. He and his old friend Kanoa

loved being the adopted grandfathers to this young impetuous boy.

The two had often spoken about the fact that the boy needed strong

men around him, men who could teach him the ways of ke kanaka

maoli in a way that his father, Kekoa, being a haole , could not.

Kamaki reflections were abruptly interrupted by Kaimanas less

than graceful arrival. Having thrown himself on the old man, the

young boy hugged him with a fierceness that almost robbed the old

man of his breath.

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Steady, boy, you ll break me in two!

Kamaki picked Kaimana up and placed him gently but firmly on

the ground next to him.

The boy pulled a face, his blue eyes flashing, and demanded A

story, t t , tell me a really good story!

Kamaki lovingly ruffled the young boys hair and sat back

against the palm tree. He narrowed his eyes. Hmm, let me think.

Tell me about Tevelo, t t .

Kamaki smiled again. Yes, Tevelo s story. The telling of this

tale had become a ritual for the two. And, Kamaki thought , it was

most definitely a good story to tell young Kaimana .

Maika i loa ! Very well then.

Kamaki sat forward towards Kaimana and crossed his legs.

Let me see, ah, yes... and so Kamaki began to tell the story

of Tevelo to his grandson as he had done on many occasions before.

This, Kaimana, is the story of Tevelo s Dream.

Tevelo had pulled the ti-leaf cape up over his chest as he lay

back on the crowded deck and he quickly lost himself in the

darkness and the soothing rhythm of the sea.

The stars overhead seemed to dance to the hypnotic pulse of

the ocean swells as they passed beneath the twin hulls of the

canoe. Tevelo noticed that a following sea had been steadily

increasing as they sailed upwind from Moloka'i towards landfall on

the North shore of O'ahu. It had been a long and eventful day, and

even with the distractions on deck, Tevelos mind drifted

effortlessly towards what would lie ahead.

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Excited, Kaimana couldnt resist. He is coming from Nukuhiwa,

isnt he, t t !

Kamaki smiled at the boy s fervour. Yes, he is. Now let me go

on. He paused and cleared his throat before continuing.

Nearly a year earlier, Tevelo had left Nukuhiwa for Hawaiki

and now he could hardly contain his excitement about finally

making landfall on the morning light. He knew he would be greeted

by his uncle Mata'ole and escorted to his new home in the village

just upland from the long right-handers sweeping across the reef

and into the small, protected cove at Laniakea.

Yes, it was here, on the lee shore at Laniakea that Tevelo

would soon begin working alongside the other kahuna as a

practicing kahuna k lai , a master wood carver.

Again Kaimana s eager voice chimed in. Is that t t K noa,

grandfather?

No, Kaimana. This was a very long time before K noa. Now pay

attention so you, too, can tell the story.

Kamaki stretched one of his legs out in front of him and then

tucked it back.

Tevelo had shown great discipline and desire by studying

faithfully for many years to earn the greatly desired title of

kahuna. He had journeyed far and wide, learning from the great

wood carvers and master shipbuilders of Rarotonga, Kahiki Nui,

Hiva Oa and Ra'iatea.

He understood very well the properties of wood on water and

the subtleties of shape and form and function. He understood the

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how to shape the hull and the right design for the sails. He also

understood the effects of wind, wave and current.

As part of his long apprenticeship, Tevelo designed and built

dozens of watercraft; everything from model racing outriggers to

large, multi-hulled voyaging canoes. As a young apprentice on

Nukuhiwa, he learned the seafaring secrets of his ancestors and

carefully shaped them with his own fresh ideas.

When is he going to land on O ahu, t t ?

Kamaki knew when Kaimana would interject and patiently dealt

with his grandson s interruptions.

Soon, little one, soon.

Kaimana leant forward intent on the next part of the story.

Now Tevelo was just a half-day sail from his final

destination at Laniakea where he would make a new home and set

about the honored tradition of his trade on behalf of his new

family.

Tevelo drew in the humid night air and exhaled it slowly

through his nose, trying unsuccessfully to contain his growing

excitement about what lay ahead. He knew that Hawaiki was a good

place to try out new ideas and explore new ways of doing things.

This was a place where the people loved fresh ideas and where they

were both encouraged and highly valued.

Tevelo stared up into the void as the night sky put his soul

on a wonder.

Did he go to sleep, grandfather? On the deck of the canoe?

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He did, Kaimana, and at daybreak, when he woke, he saw a

lush, forested mountains skirted by a series of small, rocky

headlands and sandy bays. The intense morning sun shone brightly

off the billowing white clouds caressing the highlands. There were

many houses on shore and the people of the community were already

heading out on various water crafts to greet the canoe that Tevelo

and the others had sailed from Moloka'i.

Tevelo and the other crewmen lowered sail and slowly paddled

the hulking canoe into the shallow waters of a protected bay near

the mouth of a small stream where they dropped the large stone

anchor overboard.

Conch shells sounded their arrival, punctuated by important

speeches and all the other formalities of welcoming an important

guest. The sights and sounds of this new island almost overwhelmed

Tevelo.

Everything seemed so different from his home island of

Nukuhiwa. Although he could easily interpret all but the

lengthiest chants, the language still sounded different to him.

Tevelo fine-tuned his language skills over the next several days

as he met members of his extended family and others from the

village where he would make his new home.

In a few short weeks he had settled into his new life in

Hawaiki, amiably going about his work in the h lau and enjoying

his free time pursuing water sports and talking with the young

single wahine of the village.

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Kaimana had been listening very earnestly but at this point in

the story he often stopped Kamaki.

T t , is that like father when he came to Kaua i?

Kamaki thought carefully for a moment, more for the dramatic

effect than for any other reason. Well, yes, a little. But for

your father, Kekoa, it was even stranger than for Tevelo. But

that, my boy, is another story, and with that he continued.

As winter arrived, Tevelo began paying closer attention to

the increasing size of the waves at the break in front of the

h lau . Several of the local chiefs were fond of riding the

powerful waves shoreward on their long olo boards.

The sport of he'e nalu , surfing, was not new to Tevelo as he

had ridden the surf at Taipivai on Nukuhiwa as a child. The

difference here in Hawaiki was that he'e nalu was a highly

celebrated activity carried out in nothing short of treacherous

ocean conditions.

As a kahuna k lai , Tevelo was encouraged to add his ideas and

expertise to the growing interest in the shaping of the olo boards

used by nearly all the alii of the village. Many of the lesser

chiefs or alii in his village had asked about wave sliding on

Nukuhiwa and Tevelo shared stories about the wave sliders he had

met and the waves he had seen during his distant travels beyond Te

Henua.

He shared his thoughts about the design and construction of

the papa hee nalu he had seen ridden at Kahiki, and again at

Rarotonga. As a result, Tetua, one of the alii from his village

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had then asked Tevelo to design a board that could be ridden in

the towering winter surf at Laniakea and up the coast at Paumalu.

Tevelo was excited about the prospect of building a papa hee

nalu for one of his new chiefs. He was certain that if he did a

good job on the board that he would enhance his reputation as a

kahuna k lai throughout Oahu and beyond.

He therefore set about talking with the other kahuna in the

h lau and soon discovered that the long olo board was considered

the singular weapon of choice in challenging the fierce winter

breakers outside the cove at Laniakea.

Tevelo knew that the time was right to enhance his reputation

and that he needed to carefully apply all his skill and knowledge

to the task. He reasoned that there might be a precursor hidden in

the hee nalu as he had witnessed it in his younger days at Kahiki

and Raro. He let his mind drift back to his apprenticeship in

Kahiki. Perhaps there was something he observed or experienced in

Kahiki that he could apply to his board-building in Hawaiki. He

wrestled with his thoughts and memories for several days before

giving in to the notion that he might not possess the skill and

insight he needed to build the new board for his friend Tetua.

Doubt began to tug at his confidence and his work suffered as a

consequence.

Kaimana nodded knowingly. I know what that feels like, t t .

We all do, Kaimana, Kamaki reassured the little boy,

suppressing a smile with respect to the child s earnest

observation.

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That night, the old man continued, Tevelo sought counsel

and it was decided that he needed to seek help from the gods as a

solution to his dilemma. He set about the customs of cleansing,

fasting and prayer in preparation for his journey.

After eating the right amount of the weke ula or goatfish,

Tevelo climbed to the wooded foothills behind his village and set

himself on the path.

After three days of meditation and prayer, he drifted into a

deep and turbulent sleep. In his dream he revisited his homeland

at Nukuhiwa and traveled through time and space to observe all the

waves he had seen ridden and all the craft used to ride them. He

saw the bundles of coconuts tightly bound with sennet rope that he

and his childhood friends used to ride the surf at Taipivai. He

observed the small wave sliders ridden prone on the waves of

Punaruu in Kahiki and Angarei near Aitutaki. He dreamed of the

olo boards of Hawaiki as they challenged the towering swells of

Po haturoa and Haakaano on Molokai.

In all that he envisioned, Tevelo found no secrets to the

design of a new and innovative papa hee nalu that would serve his

alii and cement his reputation as kahuna k lai.

Panic gripped him as his dream began to slowly falter and

break apart. The silent void engulfed him as he drifted helplessly

on the edge of consciousness.

For a terrifying moment Tevelo lay suspended in a desolate no-

mans land until at last, his mind calmed and a fresh image began

to reveal itself to him.

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His new image was so lifelike that he was now immersed in the

dream as a participant, not as an observer as before. He found

himself on the deck of a waa kaulua , a double-hulled canoe, in

the deep waters offshore from his village at Laniakea. He was

onboard with the hookele, the navigator, and several others he

did not recognize.

He could hear them talking excitedly as one of them motioned

for Tevelo to work the harness at the bow. They spoke the old

language, but Tevelo understood perfectly and did as told. He

moved forward and grasped the line at the bow and was startled to

see a large man just under the surface of the water.

His shipmates had first baited, then roped the tiger shark

around the midsection and the man was now forcefully tugging

forward against the captivity of the thick sennet looped around

the massive girth of its body.

Kamaki watched his grandson wiggle with excitement but the boy

kept his hand over his mouth to stop him from calling out and

interrupting the natural beat of the story.

Tevelo could smell the salt spray as it careened off the bow

and foamed across the surface of the water. The open sky was deep

blue, littered with large billowing clouds of white and gray and

silver. The wind was calm and the ocean surface shone like a

finely polished stone mirror. The sun hit the surface of the water

and reflected its heat upon his body as Tevelo was embraced by the

clarity and precision of his dream. He realized that there was a

message within his dream and he paid close attention to the

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details of the ship and the actions of its crew ... and the

captive tiger shark.

One of the men shouted for the hookele to steer hard to

leeward to fatigue the shark by making it swim against the capture

line and the full force of the swell and light winds.

Tevelo was in awe of the brilliant colors and crisp sounds

humming within his consciousness.

Just as he was adjusting his grip on the sennet noose, he was

awakened from his dream by the laughter of children collecting

shellfish from the stream just upland from the village. He awoke

to the thick, muted colors of sunrise, his spirit filled with the

joy of renewal and a focused sense of purpose. He was both

refreshed and stimulated by the dream and felt compelled to go

straight to work in the first light of the h lau.

The old man paused for a moment to draw breath. Go on,

grandfather, don t stop now!

Patience, my boy. A man needs to draw breath. But he carried

on.

Tevelo deftly rolled up his sleeping mat and hurriedly began

the short trek back to the village at Laniakea. With each stride

homeward he looked for the hidden message, the manao , of his

dream. He relived the dream exactly as he had experienced it,

noting the fine details taken in by his heightened senses. He

recalled how the men on board had worked as a team, each one

complementing the work of the other towards the whole. He

remembered the feel of the soft grain of the breadfruit wood

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outrigger of the canoe as it surfed effortlessly across the thick

open-ocean swells. He contemplated the emerald surface of the sea

and the agile, flowing outline of the great shark as it powered

through the water, towing the full heft of the canoe and its

occupants towards the depths of Kanaloa!

Tevelo carefully sorted through his ideas arranging the most

useful and innovative one s into a plan of action. Before he

reached the shelter of the h lau Tevelo knew he had the answers he

had been so desperately seeking. His focused study and good

fortune brought a broad smile to his face and lightness to his

stride.

At this point Kaimana clapped with enthusiasm while Kamaki

carried on with his tale.

On his way to the h lau Tevelo passed by the cookhouse

where he picked up a large gourd of water to quench his thirst. He

then stepped into the cool shade of the h lau and carefully

assessed one of a number of large ulu or breadfruit planks he had

been saving for a voyaging canoe outrigger.

Ulu was the wood of choice for an outrigger because of its

light weight, easy carving properties and incredible buoyancy. As

far as Tevelo knew, no one had ever considered using ulu to

construct a papa hee nalu . The material of choice for papa hee

nalu in Hawaiki had always been the heavy, dense woods of the

mighty koa and wili .

As Tevelo recalled the sleek powerful outline of the captured

shark he became joyfully aware of the innovations he was about to

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contribute to the design of papa hee nalu O Hawaiki . He rejoiced

in the thought that his new design and the use of ulu for a new

papa were part of the creative process so revered in his adopted

homeland.

Besides, he placed a high value on his own cumulative wisdom

and the accomplishments he had made in the field over the many

moons as a kahuna k lai . He had never been one to follow

conventional thought in the design of watercraft and there was no

use in starting that kind of thinking now.

After his pule , or prayer, Tevelo selected his tools from his

kit and began to scribe the outline of his design on the surface

of the ulu plank.

He and his apprentice spent the remainder of the day chipping

the excess wood away from the lines he had drawn onto the

lightweight ulu , carefully revealing each subtlety of form and

function.

The following morning Tevelo sent his apprentice for a fresh

supply of coral and sharkskin sanders and kukui ash to use in the

finishing process of the board. Meanwhile, Tevelo continued to

liberate the new shape from the plank under the watchful eyes of

his fellow kahuna , many of whom doubted Tevelos new design would

serve its intended purpose.

The template was short and rounded and had too much

displacement in the hull. The rails were too soft and the entire

board was just too thin, especially in the scooped area running

the length of the foredeck. Furthermore, the wide point was carved

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aft of center and the deep vee of the aft hull led to a narrow,

square tail. No one had ever seen such a craft, especially carved

from ulu wood.

Tevelo listened to the good-natured banter of his peers as he

made a final pass down the hull of the board with the basalt blade

of his drawknife. He felt energized by his work, delighting in the

creative process and the anticipation of a finished product for

his friend Tetua.

After a sizeable midmorning meal of baked fish and kalo ,

Tevelo and his apprentice were ready to apply the finish to the

new board. They each worked on a portion of the hull, applying the

coral sanding blocks across the grain to remove the small remnants

of wood left from the initial carving and shaping. This process

was repeated on the scooped deck of the board until the entire

surface was smooth and free of imperfections.

Next they fine sanded the surface with dried sharkskin and

applied a coat of the kukui ash mixture to tint the wood and

create a non-slip surface for the rider. The entire board was then

polished to a high gloss with a wad of coconut husk and coarse

kapa . After a final inspection, Tevelo declared the board

completed and sent his apprentice to bring Tetua to the h lau to

inspect the board.

As he waited for Tetua to arrive, Tevelo surveyed the horizon

and was fully satisfied with the clean blue lines wrapping into

the bay at the foot of the village. A light offshore breeze shaped

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the face of each oncoming swell before it thundered onto the reef

in an explosion of cylindrical energy.

Several of the chiefs were out riding papa olo and it was a

perfect day for Tetua to challenge the mast-high swells of

Laniakea on the new board. Tevelo felt the excitement of the

moment deep within his naau . This day, Tevelo knew, was the

portent of a new way of thinking for all the kanaka hee nalu .

Tetua arrived with a few friends to view the new board and all

were surprised by what they saw. Tevelo had crafted a papa hee

nalu that looked more like the narrow, upturned h lua sled than

the typical wave riders sliding board.

Tetua openly criticized the stunted length and soft curves of

the board as he petitioned his friends to take it out into the

giant waves breaking shoreward beyond the cove.

There were no takers and Tevelo quickly decided he would have

to be the one to put his ideas on the line by riding the first

wave on the new board. He tightened his malo at the waist and

hoisted the board off the shaping blocks onto his muscular

shoulder.

It was much lighter than the olo koa boards he had been

accustomed to riding. He felt at ease with the new material and

dynamic shape as he set the board into the shallows. He found the

boards sweet spot as he paddled out towards the point, testing

the rail-to-rail stability of his design with a shift of his

weight. He was confident that this new board would ride easily and

his mind raced with anticipation.

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Approaching the break he spotted a set looming up in the

distance. He positioned the board for the largest wave of the set

and paddled swiftly down the huge face. Coming to his feet he

could feel the buoyancy of the ulu tear across the surface of the

water. He leaned into the wave and dropped his hand into the face

for stability and direction.

The wave jacked heavily on the shallow reef and nearly threw

him off as he set his inside edge and trimmed the board down the

line. His speed increased rapidly as the wave began to pitch from

top to bottom in a cascade of snarling foam that pushed the board

along faster than any watercraft he had ever ridden.

Tevelo leaned forward on his inside rail just as the lip of

the wave enveloped him. He stood fully upright deep within the

curl and buried his hand even farther into the face of the wave.

All sense of time was frozen as a steady thunder roared from

the vortex and propelled him forward in a liquid tunnel of sea

spray and slashing wind. At one point in the ride Tevelo looked

out from the shadows of the curl to see a crowd of villagers

hurriedly gathering along the beach and out towards the rocky

headland.

At this point Kamaki stopped and looked at the young boy. And

what happens next? he asked.

The young boy s chest puffed out in pride at being asked to

carry on with the next part of Tevelo s tale. His voice, young,

but firm and strong, rang out.

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As the wave hurtled shoreward Tevelo was forced into a speed

crouch, pulling his hand from the face and resetting his edge. The

new board was working better than he ever imagined, almost

magical, as it danced within the very soul of the wave. He felt

invincible within the watery cave of the spinning tube as he

arched sweetly off the bottom and positioned his board perfectly,

deep within the churning mass. Here he rode for what seemed an

eternity until the wave finally surrendered completely, spitting

him out onto the flats at the foot of the bay.

He fell to a prone position and stroked the few remaining

fathoms to the beach where he was met with the cheers of the

villagers and the hearty embrace of his friend Tetua. All

afternoon the men of the village wagered on the sport and took

turns riding Tevelos new shape. Each and every rider marveled at

the speed and maneuverability of the new papa . Before the sun set

Tevelo had several impassioned requests for his new design. Word

had spread quickly and one such request had even come via

messenger from the ahupuaa of M kaha, nearly a half-day journey

across the mountains to the West.

Here Kaimana stopped respectfully for it was his grandfather

who would finish the story.

Indeed, Kaimana, it had been a good day, a day that would

eventually change the thinking of most all the kanaka hee nalu .

Tevelo was duly excited about the events of the day but was

already busily planning design changes he would make in the next

board he constructed.

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That night one of the tumu hura composed a chant in honour of

Tevelos celebrated ride and the magnificent new board. The night

air of Laniakea was filled with the chatter of gossip as the

entire village honored their brother from Nuuhiwa in song and

poem. Tevelo was deeply humbled to hear his name in the same

breath as the legendary watermen Paao-Mai-Upolu , Moikeha Nui

and Laa-Mai-Kahiki .

Just the same, he quietly slipped away from the festivities

and dutifully ascended the hill behind the village. Here at the

foot of the heiau he prayed and gave his thanks before returning

home. His new insights had given him all that he needed to

solidify his reputation as a truly gifted kahuna k lai and he was

overwhelmed by his good fortune and the strength and wisdom of his

own skills and imagination.

In the orange glow of the evening firelight Tevelo thought

long about the beauty of his new home in Hawaiki and on the

colorful images of the people of his village riding his designs

shoreward on the great waves of Laniakea, Paumalu and P p kea

Nui. He was thankful for his new family and friends, and his skill

as a craftsman in the honored tradition of the kahuna k lai .

As the moon slipped behind the mountains Tevelo lay back on

his kapa bed and fell into an easy sleep. In the quiet darkness of

midwinter Tevelos slumber was transformed by the thunderclap of

the breakers on the outer reefs and the scent of the salt spray in

the cool night air. Childhood dreams of riding waves in the gentle

surf at Taipivai embraced him as he slept and filled his head with

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the simple joys of the sun on his back as he and his friends

surfed shoreward on a bundle of dried coconuts.

Having finished the tale the old man and the young boy sat

quietly under the gently swaying palm tree. Neither said a word

for a very long time. Then Kaimana threw his arms around Kamaki

and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mahalo nui, t t ! One day I will be like Tevelo and Paao-

Mai-Upolu and you, K noa and father and I will ride the big

waves!

Kamaki smiled and gently ran his hand through the young boy s

hair. How things had changed, he thought , and yet they had

remained the same.

PAU:

To understand the significance of this story, which is a

chapter in the sequel of Mountains of the Sea , my first novel, is

to know that it is a story within a story.

Some years ago, Kamaki Linker, my hale aik ne and ka u kumu ,

shared Tevelo s story with me. At the time of the sharing I was in

the process of writing Mountains of the Sea and Kamaki used

Tevelo s Dream to convey some of the lessons of the culture of

Hawai i and of the culture of carving a papa he e nalu , a

surfboard, to me in a way that has a tradition in Polynesia dating

back probably fifteen hundred to two thousand years.

It is a gift that I deeply cherish and from which I continue

to learn from and although he is no longer with us when I sit down

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to write anything to do with surfing and Polynesia I feel his

presence and influence.

Since his passing this story has sat on my computer untouched

and undisturbed and it recently occurred to me that to allow it to

disappear into some electronic void would be to do it a

disservice. Stories are meant to be told, they are meant to be

shared to teach knowledge and wisdom that otherwise would wither

like fruits on a vine.

I therefor decided to honour my friend and mentor by including

the story of Tevelo s Dream and the mana o , the lessons, it

contains by including its teaching in the sequel to Mountains of

the Sea .

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kaimana and the story of tevelo's dream

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