The legend of Manaiakalani is the story of the magical hook given to Maui by his father that raised the islands of Hawaii. The tale begins as Maui the Demigod, the smallest of his brothers and not as great a fisherman, was continually taunted by his brothers because of his weaknesses. Hearing Maui’s sadness, his father gave him the manaiakalani or magic hook. The next time Maui fished with his brothers, he used the hook his father gave him and caste the line and hook into the ocean while chanting a spell of power, commanding the hook to catch a great fish. The hook caught and the line went taught, and so Maui instructed his brothers to paddle… and paddle even harder when still whatever Maui caught did not come to the surface. They continued their fierce battle, until slowly and eventually, raised the islands of Hawaii.
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