Note 29 — Introductory material

While Umi was living in humble circumstances in Waipunalei, Hilo, he and Koi one day went down to the beach at Laupahoehoe, the great bathing place in those days, where they saw Paiea and several people of the place out surf riding. While looking on they often heard praises of Paiea and his great skill in the use of the surf board. Umi approached one of the people of the place and whispered to him: “Is that the best Paiea can do, just to rise up with the surf and fall back again? That is not the way surf is ridden in our land. One must ride clear to the edge of the beach before he can be called an expert.” When the fellow heard this he went over to Paiea and repeated to him what he had heard. Upon hearing this expression of criticism against his skill as a surf rider, he called Umi to come to him. When Umi came up to Paiea, he was asked: “Is it true that you passed the remark that has been reported to me by this man?” Umi replied: “It was only a casual remark on my part; I did not think that he would take it seriously.” Paiea then said to Umi: “Let us have a race surf riding. If you beat me I will be your servant, and if I beat you, you will be mine.” Umi accepted the challenge and wager. Not satisfied with this wager, Paiea further put up two double canoes and one single canoe against Umi’s whale’s tooth necklace. Again Paiea offered four double canoes thinking to wager them against the bones of Umi,29 but a young man belonging to Laupahoehoe stepped in and helped Umi by matching four double canoes against the four offered by Paiea. This young man was very wealthy, but Paiea’s stock of wealth was already exhausted. Because of this assistance to Umi by the young man, Paiea said to him: “If your intention was to conspire against me I would have been killed, for you have very many relatives.” Paiea was but a petty chief under Liloa, while the young man was a high chief, a resident descendant of the soil of Hilo and Hamakua.