The heʻe, the octopus, is a common non coral invertebrate, which can be found in kai o kilo heʻe or kai uli (kai lū heʻe). There is much connection with the native hawaiians and their traditions of ʻoli (chants), moʻolelo (stories), and fishing. The heʻe is known to be a kinolau of Kanaloa, god of the deep ocean, and appears in the 8th era, when bringing life to human beings.
The octopus is part of a sub species called cephalopods, which means head to foot. Heʻe that live in colder waters tend to be larger than warm water heʻe. Heʻe reach maturity at 10 months and their life expectancy is known to be 12 to 15 months. The eggs of the heʻe hatch in 20 to 36 days and the female heʻe usually dies within 10 days after the young have hatched. The main octopus that can be found in Hawaiʻi is called Octopus cyanea. There are two types of octopus in Hawaiʻi. One is the day heʻe, heʻe mali, and the other is the night heʻe, the heʻe mākoko. He'e mali is found normally in kai o kilo he'e and is small, brown, and tan. This species was mainly eaten. The he'e mākoko is usually found in kai uli and is known for its rusty red skin with white spots. This species is nocturnal and was told to be used for medicinal purposes. Both dens are often found by piles of broken crabs and snail shells right outside of their entrances. There are many ʻŌlelo Noʻeau associated with the Heʻe. Ka i’a pipili i ka lima: the fish that sticks to the hand, which talks about the tentacles and the suction cups. He he’e ka i’a, he i’a kino palupalu: It is an octopus, a soft-bodied creature, which is pointing at a weakling. The one ʻōlelo noʻeau that is associated with Kāneʻohe is "He kai ‘ö he’e ko Kapapa", which means "a sea for octopus fishing has Kapapa", referring to the Kapapa isle. The he'e are mainly associated with kolohe (rascal) people who like to be mischievous. One 'ʻōlelo noʻeau is "Lūlū ka heʻe", which means shake for the octopus. There is a moʻolelo that comes with this wise saying. |