Menehune in Wai‘anae
Menehune in Wai‘anae
Wai‘anae Boy Says He Saw a Menehune
In 1964, a peculiar tale emerged from the quiet town of Waianae, when an young boy claimed to have seen a menehune. The story, published in a local newspaper, quickly captivated the community, stirring memories of ancient legends that had long been whispered about but rarely seen.
Now... when questioned by his school principal, Mr. Moore, and reporter, Bob Krauss, the 11-year-old boy said that he was watering the front lawn when he thought he heard somebody behind him. He turned and there was a short man dressed in a cloak and a helmet. He was about as tall as the mailbox.
Mr. Krauss asked the boy if he was excited to which he replied, “I don’t know what I was. He smiled at me, sort of mischievous, and then walked away. He had big eyes, like a cat. He walked real slow. When he went around the corner of the house, I got excited. I wanted to follow him but he disappeared.”
Intrigued by the boy’s account, Bob Krauss visited the home and spoke with the boy’s mother. She showed him something that added a chilling layer of credibility to the story: two sets of footprints embedded in the mud under a newly planted plumeria tree. There was another set at the corner of the house, and, most disturbingly, five muddy footprints leading up the wall and halfway across a large picture window. The presence of these footprints suggested that whatever the boy had seen was not merely a figment of his imagination.
Home of the Menehune.
Aunty Abigail Pilila‘au, a respected elder in Waianae, provided additional context that deepened the mystery. She explained that the area surrounding the boy’s home, known as Wai‘oli, was traditionally considered the home of the menehune. Even when Wai‘anae was a sugar plantation, the workers avoided planting cane in that area, out of respect for the menehune who were believed to dwell there.
Skeptics might wonder if the menehune could have been a prankster, perhaps a youngster wearing a mask.
But the boy dismissed this notion with a simple yet convincing observation: “No, because he smiled, and you can’t smile with a mask.”
When Mr. Krauss asked the boy if he had ever seen a real witch or goblin, the boy’s response was unexpected: “I don’t believe in things like that.” His straightforward denial only added to the credibility of his account. It was clear that the boy was not one to indulge in flights of fancy, making his insistence that he had seen a menehune all the more compelling.
The story left a lasting impression on those who heard it. The boy’s serious demeanor and the physical evidence of the footprints were enough to convince the adults around him, including his principal and the reporter, that the boy truly believed he had encountered a menehune.
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