The Dream Name

This story is about how I received my name, Kahokuahiahi, which, in Hawaiian, means evening star. It is a special name because it was given to my mother in a special way. In the Hawaiian custom, the name given to a child is highly important. There are different ways of getting a name for a child- I was lucky to receive my name.
One wrong name can cause certain doom to the child and/or the family of the child. A name chosen that was too powerful or too weak was also dangerous.

When my mother was pregnant with me, because a name could not be agreed upon, my mother sought the advice of my Aunt Sarah. Aunt Sarah was a wise and holy person in the town and could certainly be the one to show her the correct way to receive a name. They prayed together for an answer and a blessing to reveal a name for her child.

After the prayer, Aunt Sarah told my mother to go home and rest.She told her that when she slept, the name would come to her in a dream. My mother followed her Aunt Sarah's advice, and, in her dream, she saw a star rising in the evening sky. Upon awaking, she was very thankful that she now had been given the name of her son…Kahokuahiahi is my name.

This Hawaiian legend was told by Kohokuahiahi Tibayan from Oahu.

We at 9Isles thank Kohokuahiahi Tibayan for sharing this legend with us.