The Pebble Lizard (The Land)
• The Legend: The goddess Hi iaka fought a giant supernatural lizard (Moʻo).
• The Battle: She struck the lizard with lightning bolts from her supernatural skirt.
• The Result: The lizard was torn into pieces, which turned into the rocky hills and pebbles ( ili ili) of the town.
2. The Wells of Kamapua a (The Water)
• The Legend: The pig demi-god Kamapua a chased two goddesses.
• The Escape: The women "dissipated" into the ground to hide from him.
• The Result: Kamapua a dug giant holes to find them, which then flooded with water. These became the underground waterways and springs found in Mo ili ili today.
3. Kōnāhuanui (The Mountain)
• The Role: This is the highest peak watching over the area.
• The Connection: It catches the clouds to create the rain and lightning that power the other two stories.
Design 1: The Shattered Lizard
• The Solid Blocks (Lizard Head): These represent the heavy, physical head of the Mo o (lizard). They show the creature’s presence before it was transformed into the landscape.
• The Diagonal Lines (Lightning): These represent Hi iaka’s lightning bolts striking the lizard. The way the lines cut into the blocks shows the power of the strike hitting his body.
• The Pattern (The Pebbles): The repetition of blocks and lines creates a visual of broken stone, symbolizing the lizard being shattered into the pebbles (ʻiliʻili) that formed the rocky hills of the town.
Design 2: The Hidden Wells & Hunter
• The Triangles (Pig Man Ears): These represent Kamapuaʻa in his supernatural form as he hunts for the goddesses.
• The Circles (The Wells): These represent the "Wells of Kamapuaʻa"—the deep water holes flooded by the goddesses—as well as the broken pieces of the lizard scattered in the earth.
• The Vertical Lines (Downpour & Digging): These represent the downward path of the rain and the "Digging Ways" of the pig god as he carved into the ground.
Design 4: The Rain & The Ridge
• The Stacked Triangles (Kōnāhuanui): These represent the high peaks of Kōnāhuanui, which "catch" the clouds to create rain.
• The Zig-Zag (The Lightning): This represents the lightning born from the rain clouds. It shows Hi iaka’s power striking the lizard and shattering its body into the rocky soil.
• The Center Line (The Stream): This represents the mountain streams found all over Hawaii. It mimics the deep "ribs" of the mountains where rainwater collects and flows down to feed the land.
