Samuel Manaiakalani Kamakau was a 19th-century native-born historian, teacher, and politician whose writings preserved much of Hawaii's pre-contact traditional culture and history. Kamakau was the first person to write down the story of Kelea, the independent surf-struck chiefess from Maui. This version has been slightly edited.

Kelea was a beautiful chiefess with clear skin and sparkling eyes. Her hair fluttered like the wings of the 

 bird, and so she was called "Great-Kelea-Who-Flutters." She was the sister of Kawaukaohele, the chief of Maui. Surfing was her greatest pleasure. She lived at Hamakuapoko and Kekaha and at Wailuku, surf riding with all the chiefs.

When Lō Lale was the chief of Līhu‘e on O‘ahu, he sent some chiefs on a search for a wife for himself. The canoe expedition set out from Wai‘alua, circled Moloka‘i without finding a wife, circled Lana‘i without finding a wife, and set out to circle Maui.

When the chiefs reached Hana, they heard of Kelea, the beautiful chiefess who was the sister of Kawaokaohele. She was living at Hamakuapoko because of the surf riding there, reveling in the curling breakers of the midmorning when the sea was smooth and even. She enjoyed surfing so much that at night she dwelt upon the morrow’s surfing and awakened to the murmuring of the sea to take up her board. The early morning, too, was delightful because of its coolness, and so she might go at dawn.

When the wife-seekers heard these words about Kelea, they decided to obtain her as wife for their master and quickly got ready to leave Hana. The 

 residents tried to make them stay a little longer, but they would not listen. When they drew close to Hamakuapoko, they saw many people ashore, and when Kelea saw them her countenance faded at being seen by these strangers, and her heart pounded. But she heeded their voices inviting her to board the canoe and showed herself to be the unsurpassed one of east Maui. The men said, “O Chiefess, ride ashore on the canoe.” She agreed—perhaps because of the glance of one of them. The chiefess did not know that this was a “wife-snatching” canoe.

The first time, they rode a wave ashore, and a second time, they rode a wave ashore, but the third time there was a dashing away to vanish at sea. Those who searched for them found nothing; they searched on Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, and Kaua‘i without finding a thing.

When Kelea was landed at Wai‘alua, she was quickly taken up to Lihu‘e and became the wife of Lō Lale. They had three children, Kaholi-a-Lale, Luli-wahine, and Luli-kane. They were among the ancestral chiefs of O‘ahu, as you shall see later.

After living with her husband in the uplands of Lihu‘e for ten years, Kelea asked him to let her go down to the seashore of ‘Ewa to go sightseeing. He agreed. “You may go. Living on our inland land is dejecting—there is only the scent of 

Kelea went down to the plain of Ke-ahu-moa, to the rushing waters of Waipahu, to the “hand-holding” sands of ‘Ewa-uli. Beautiful was the view of the channels of Pu‘uloa. When she and her traveling companions reached Halawa, she inquired of them, “What is the place before us like? Is it as nice as the places we have passed through in coming this far?” Her companions answered, “Yes, even more so. It is dense with 

 and coconut trees, and it is also a place where one may watch the chiefs enjoying surfing.”

When Kelea heard the word “surfing,” desire rose in her, for surfing had been her favorite pastime. She said to her companions, “Let us continue our sightseeing and go to see the place that you two speak of.” They answered, “If it is your wish that we go, then that is what we shall do. You are the one whose sightseeing journey this is, and we two are merely to accompany you. That was the command of your husband to us.”

They went along until they entered the coconut grove of Kawehewehe in Waikiki. The 

 of the place saw this beautiful woman and welcomed her and shook down coconuts for the three to eat. They asked, “Where are you from? And where are you going?”

“We have come from Ewa from the upland of Lihue because we wanted to go sightseeing. This is the most pleasant place we have seen.”

 said, “This is a place for enjoyment. Over there is the 

 grove of Kahaloa where one may view the surfing of the chiefs.

Joyful at the thought of surfing, Kelea said to her companions, “Let us go on.” They entered the 

 grove of Kahaloa and watched the chiefs surfing in. Kelea inquired of the 

 “Is it possible to obtain a surfboard for the asking?”

“Who would not be if one had a board?” retorted Kelea.

 heard these words, they were astonished; those of Lihu‘e were accustomed to slicing 

 stalks, but of surf riding these people knew nothing. The 

 thought that Kelea had been born at Lihu‘e; they did not know she came from Maui.

 said that a surfboard could readily be obtained. So she asked them for a board and, perhaps because she was so beautiful, someone gave her one. When she received it, she went to the edge of the sea and rubbed off the red dir from her feet so as to look fresh. When she had finished, she dipped into the sea, then jumped upon her board and paddled off like an expert. Those who were watching saw that she managed her board like one trained, moving along easily and noiselessly without the least heeling over.

When Kelea reached the place where the surf broke, she left that place to the 

 and paddled on out to wait for a wave to rise. As she floated there, the first wave rose up but she did not take it, nor did she take the second or third wave, but when the fourth wave swelled up, she caught it and rode it to shore, and showed herself unsurpassed in skill and grace. The chiefs and people who were watching burst out in cheering.

While Kelea was surfing, the chief Kalamakua was working in his fields. When he heard those loud shouts he was startled and asked his men, “What is that shouting reverberating from the seashore?”

“It is probably because of a skilled woman surfer,” they answered.

The chief remembered the chiefess of Maui, Kelea. He left off his work and went to stand on the shore to watch. As Kelea rode in on a wave, the 

 ran to the edge of the sea and stood there. When the chiefess reached the sand, he took hold of her board and asked, “Are you Kelea?”

“Yes,” she answered. She stood up, naked.

 shoulder covering and wrapped it around her as a skirt, and took her to a 

 place. That was the beginning of her life as the 

THE LEGEND OF KELEA: "JOYFUL AT THE THOUGHT OF SURFING"

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