Fishhook 'Makua's Son' ~ Original Glass Sculpture
“Fishhook 'Makua's Son' ~ Original Glass Sculpture"
Sculpted Glass | 19" x 11"| Special Edition #2 of 50
A Daniel Moe glass sculpture in the shape of a fish hook with depictions of "Mauka's Son'. Makua's Son is number 2 in a series of one-of-a-kind fishhooks to be created. The legend of Makua is told below:
Makua-kau-mana, a pious priest living in Kaulua-nui on Oʻahu, was a devout worshiper of the gods Käne and Kanaloa. He was especially attentive to his son, whose mother died during childbirth. Wishing for his son to become an even greater priest, Makua prayed to his gods daily. He made sure to call upon Käne and Kanaloa even while performing simple tasks like cultivating his garden.
The gods' visits - Käne and Kanaloa heard Makua's prayers and decided to test his piety. They visited him disguised as strangers and gave him gifts, including a digging stick and a carrying pole to ease his labor. They appeared a second time disguised as old men, teaching Makua new prayers and rituals.
On their third visit, dressed as chiefs, the gods tested Makua's devotion. They falsely claimed his son had broken a sacred rule, a kapu. Though Makua was prepared to slay his son in a show of fidelity, the gods stopped him, revealing his loyalty was true.
The boy is taken - After the gods were satisfied with Makua's devotion, they sent a messenger to take his son. One day, a giant whale washed ashore. As many villagers, including Makua's son, climbed onto the whale's back, it suddenly re-awakened. The whale carried the boy out to sea while everyone else fell off.
Makua grieved for his son's loss, but the gods later appeared to him in a dream. They revealed that the whale was their messenger and that Makua's son was being taken to their world to be taught their sacred knowledge.
Makua's journey and temptation - Later, Makua was swallowed by a giant fish sent by the gods and taken to the hidden land of Käne-huna-moku, the "deathless land of beautiful people." In this paradise, Käne and Kanaloa appeared in human form and revealed their identities.
However, there was one rule in this land: Makua was forbidden to weep. The gods tested his restraint with a cruel illusion in which he saw his son being forced into the sea by his wife and devoured by a shark. Overwhelmed by grief, Makua could not hold back his tears. For breaking the rule, he was returned to his home, cast upon the beach.
A reunion and a lesson - On the beach, his son rejoiced at his father's return. Makua, however, was sad that he had lost his chance to live in the gods' beautiful land forever. His friends reproached him for losing the joy of that good land. He lived to a good old age and was buried on Oʻahu. The myth illustrates that even the most pious of men can fall victim to grief, a fundamental part of the human experience.
