he
left her home very early in the morning and climbed up, higher, higher,
until the heat of the rays of the sun beat strongly upon her and
weakened her so that she could scarcely crawl along her beautiful path.
Up a little higher and the clouds no longer gave her even the least
shadow. The heat from the sun was so great that she began to feel the
fire shriveling and torturing her. Quickly she slipped down into the
storms around her rainbow and then back to earth. As the day passed her
strength came back, and when the full moon rose through the shadows of
the night she said, "I will climb to the moon and there find rest."

But when Hina began to go upward her husband saw her and called to her:
"Do not go into the heavens." She answered him: "My mind is fixed; I
will go to my new husband, the moon." And she climbed up higher and
higher. Her husband ran toward her. She was almost out of reach, but he
leaped and caught her foot. This did not deter Hina from her purpose.
She shook off her husband, but as he fell he broke her leg so that the
lower part came off in his hands. Hina went up through the stars, crying
out the strongest incantations she could use. The powers of the night
aided her. The mysterious hands of darkness lifted her, until she stood
at the door of the moon. She had packed her calabash with her most
priceless possessions and had carried it with her even when injured by
her cruel husband. With her calabash she limped into the moon and found
her abiding home. When the moon is full, the Hawaiians of the long ago,
aye and even today, look into the quiet, silvery light and see the
goddess in her celestial home, her calabash by her side.

The natives call her now Lono-moku, "the crippled Lono." From this watch
tower in the heavens she pointed out to Kahai, one of her descendents,
the way to rise up into the skies. The ancient chant thus describes his
ascent:

"The rainbow is the path of Kahai.
Kahai rose. Kahai bestirred himself.
Kahai passed on the floating cloud of Kane.
Perplexed were the eyes of Alihi.
Kahai passed on on the glancing light.
The glancing light on men and canoes.
Above was Hanaiakamalama." (Hina).

Thus under the care of his ancestress Hina, Kahai, the great sea-rover,
made his ascent in quest of adventures among the immortals.

In the Tongan Islands the legends say that Hina remains in the moon
watching over the "fire-walkers" as their great protecting goddess.

The Her