Kihapū
Pū, or conch shells (and the snails that make them) are big. In Hawaiian tradition, a hole was made in the pointed end of an empty conch shell, and then you could blow through it, making a sound like a horn. The loud sound of the pū can be heard for long distances. Today you can hear pū blown to signal the start of many Hawaiian events or ceremonies.
The pū you see here is a special one. It even has its own name: Kihapū.
There are many legends associated with it. We know that it was owned by a number of important Hawaiian aliʻi, or chiefs, one after another, and that it was passed down for hundreds of years.
Kihapū was said to be connected to the gods. Some say that gods owned it; others said that its sound could summon gods to participate in rituals like the awa ceremony, where men would drink the liquid prepared from the roots of the ʻawa plant.
One story about Kihapū explains how it came to be owned by an ali'i from the island of Hawaiʻi named Kiha. An old man lived with his magic dog named Puapualenalena, who could change his size and shape. The old man loved to drink ʻawa and so Puapualenalena would steal awa root from Kiha's special garden for him.
One day, Puapualenalena was caught, and he and his human friend were to be put to death. Fortunately for the two, Puapualenalena used his magic powers to sneak into the realm of the gods where he took this conch shell and brought it back to the chief as a offering. Pualenalena and the old man were spared, and Kiha treasured this powerful gift. And that's how it received its name, because it's the pū of Kiha, the chief. Kihapū is the name we still call it.
Kihapū = kee-hah-POO
Awa = ah-vah
Puapualenalena = poo-ah-poo-ah-len-ah-len-ah
Pū = POO