The Menehune
It seems almost all cultures around the world have tales of small humanoids that range from evil to benevolent, and all the things inbetween. Hawaiian folklore is no exception and Menehune lore is fascinating. Menehune are said to be about 3 feet tall and were said to live in the mountains, far away from modern civilization. Legend has it that they once lived among humans and even helped Hawaiians of centuries past build the temples, roads, walls, and fishponds that helped the island thrive.
Unlike many other tales of the small folk, Menehune were said to be quite industrious and interested in the success of humans. It is said they were exceptional engineers and craftsmen, though often kept to themselves in remote villages. It is also said that they preferred to work during the night and if anyone ever witnesses their methods or interrupted the project, they would simply quit working and never return to finish.
They are cited for completing many notable works and projects, and one of their most famous is the Alekoko Fishpond on Kuai. The pond was being built for the royal family and the princess and her brother were curious about the Menehune. One night, they decided to spy on them and they snuck out to the mountains. However, they were discovered by the Menehune and, as punishment, the siblings were turned into stone pillars. Because their work was interrupted, they symbolically left two gaps in the fishpond wall. The gaps have since been filled it, but the two pillars in the mountains remain. It is believed to be around 1,000 years old.
In an interview with Hawaii Public Radio, the late Frederick Bruce Wichman an educator, storyteller, and historian said the Menehune were sent for by the first settlers of Hawaii from their distant, fantastical homeland, “He sent back to wherever their homeland was, for the Menehune and brought them in. They came with their chief, their high priest, eventually, they ended up with ten divisions of men and seven of women, each with their own particular skill.”
However, Frederick Bruce Wichman says that, unlike many tales, Menehune were an actual race of people. He goes on to say, “They were real people. They had engineering skills far beyond what Hawaiians ended up with. One heiau in Wailua, has rocks they estimate at about 30 tons, that have been moved there. Nobody has the faintest idea how they got them there.”
This is somewhat corroborated by the fact that the 1820 census from the island of Kauai listed 65 people as Menehune.
The blog image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Learn more here.
Thank you to Nadine for this blogstonishing suggestion!