Kekaomakalii
Posted: Dec 12, 2010
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One of the stories associated with the Pleiades is that of the malicious chief Makalii, who was said to have lived on the Kona side of the Big Island. Legend says Makalii gathered all the food and crops in a large rope net and flung it into the night sky where it became stuck. As people began to fear they would starve, a rat is said to have offered help by climbing into the heavens and chewing through the rope net, spilling the food back down to the people. This began the great Makahiki festival, the start of which coincides with the rise of the Pleiades or “makalii” in the fall.
