Mokuola and the Ulu
Posted: Dec 12, 2010
There is a small Island in Hilo bay names Mokuola, after the son of Ulu. Ulu was a man who was said to have lived in Waiakea, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Ulu and his wife had a son, who was very sick and could not gain weight, no matter what Ulu and his wife did for him. Eventually, Ulu decided he would sacrifice himself in order to please the gods and save his son. He made offerings to the gods, and then disappeared. Outside of his house then grew an abundance of breadfruit trees, which his wife used to feed their son. His mother named the breadfruit tree Ulu, in honor of her husband. Upon eating the large yellow-green fruit of these trees, Mokuola, their son, became healthy, and grew to be a strong, well-known man. When he died his bones were buried on Mokuola Island, in Hilo bay, which was named after him.
