He manu hanohano ka ʻio ke ʻike aku ma kona kīkahakaha ʻana ma ka lewa. Ua ʻōlelo ʻia e nā kūpuna “He ʻio au, he manu i ka lewa lani” ma ka haʻi ʻōlelo ʻana e pili ana i nā aliʻi kiʻekiʻe.
ʻAʻohe lua o nā manu ke hiki ke lele i luna keikei e like me ka ʻio. Ua hiki i ka ʻio ke ʻike i nā wahi like ʻole mai kāna kiʻena a kāhea ʻia ʻo ia e Kepelino ʻo ia ka-ʻio-nui-maka-lana-aumoku. A ʻo ia hoʻi ka inoa piha o ka mōʻī ʻo Kamehameha IV, Kaʻionuimakalanaʻaumoku (ʻIolani). No laila, ua mahalo a hōʻihi ʻia ka ʻio e nā Hawaiʻi.
Wahi a ka makuahine ʻohana (ʻanakē) o Kawena Pukuʻi, ʻo Puʻuheana ka inoa:
He akua nui o ʻIo, he akua kapu loa aohe hoopukapuka wale ia o ka inoa. O ke kino io ke kino nana hewa, nana pono. O kona kaulike ia, he hoopaʻi ka hewa a he apono i ka pono.
Ma kekahi pule kalanaola no Kamehameha ua oli ʻia e kekahi kahuna no Maui, “O wai ka eu o luna nei? O Io-uli o ka lani, o Io-ehu, o Io-mea.” ʻO kēia mau inoa ʻio ʻekolu ʻo ia nā ʻepaki ʻekolu o ka ulu ʻana o ka ʻio. He kinolau kēia manu ʻio no Uli, kekahi o nā akua Hawaiʻi he 83 i helu ʻia e Kalākaua. Wahi a Pukuʻi, ʻo ʻIomea ka mea ʻihiʻihi loa.
He ʻaumakua ka ʻio no kekahi mau ʻohana. Wahi a Ahuʻena Taylor, he ʻaumakua ka ʻio no ka ʻohana Kamehameha. No ia kumu ka inoa ʻo ʻIolani no Kamehameha IV. A ma muli o ua mōʻī nohea ua kapa ʻia ka hale aliʻi ʻo ʻIolani a me ke kula ʻo ʻIolani. Ma mua, aia ke koleke ʻo ʻIolani ma Kaliu, Nuʻuanu kāhi o ke kula haʻahaʻa ʻo HBA (Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy) ma ke alanui Bates.
‘Oiai ua mahalo a hōʻihi ʻia ka ʻio e nā kūpuna o kākou ʻaʻole pēlā i kēia au hulihuli o kākou. Aia kekahi mau kānaka ke hana ʻino a kīpū nei i nā ʻio. Aloha ʻino nō. ʻO ko kākou kūpuna ʻaʻole hoʻi lākou i hana ʻino iki i ka ʻio.
Eia kekahi moʻolelo a Pukuʻi e pili ana i ka ʻio a me kona kupunawahine. ʻOiai ua hopu ʻia kekahi ʻioʻio moa e kekahi ʻio ʻaʻole i hana ʻino ke kupuna i ka ʻio. ʻŌlelo ʻo Pukuʻi. “ʻAʻole ʻo ia (ke kupuna) i kīpehi i pōhaku, ʻaʻole i namunamu akā ua noho wale ʻo ia, noʻonoʻo, a hoʻopuka i mihi i ka ʻio, ʻōlelo ʻo ia penei, “E huikala mai e ʻIo i ka hewa o koʻu waha. ʻAʻole ʻoe i hōʻeha iki i kekahi o mākou a no mākou wale nō ka hewa. Ua ʻōlelo au ma mua na ka moʻopuna kēia mau ʻioʻio moa akā hele wale mai kekahi e hopu wale me ka noi ʻole. E huikala mai iā mākou e ʻIo.” Ma hope o kēlā, ʻaʻole i hoʻi mai ka ʻio. ʻAʻole i nemanema hoʻi ke kupuna i ka ʻio ʻoiai ua ʻike ʻē ʻia e ia na ka ʻio i lawepio i ka ʻioʻio moa.
No laila, e nānā hou kākou i nā ʻōlelo a Puʻuheana, ka ʻohana makuahine o Pukuʻi. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia, “O ke kino io ke kino nana hewa, nana pono. O kona kaulike ia, he hoopaʻi ka hewa a he apono i ka pono.” I ka noʻonoʻo o nā kūpuna, na lākou poʻe ʻio ka hoʻokaulike ʻana i nā waonāhele a me nā wahi a pau o Hawaiʻi. I loko o kekahi mele kahiko e pili ana i ka ʻio, “ʻAʻohe akua nāna e aʻe (i) ke kapu kuahiwi.” Eia kekahi hou, ua ʻōlelo ʻia hoʻi no ke aliʻi, “He ʻio au, ʻaʻohe lālā kau ʻole.”
E hōʻihi hou kākou i ka ʻio,
he kiaʻi kilakila maoli ʻo ia i ka ʻāina.
