In which I share another story of little magical helpers

 There are lots of magical beings in the Hawaiian Islands.  I thought it was interesting that the Menehunes share many of the traditions of European little people, especially their need to finish a task in a single evening--and if they cannot finish, it is abandoned forever.  

Pi’s Watercourse (Hawaii)

Pi was an ordinary man living in Kauai who wanted to construct a mano, or dam, across the Waimea River and a watercourse therefrom to a point near Kikiaola.

Having settled upon the best locations for his proposed work, he went up to the mountains and asked all the Menehunes (the magical little people) that were living near Puukapele to prepare stones for the dam and watercourse.

The Menehunes were portioned off for the work; some to gather stones, and others to cut them. All the material was made ready, and Pi settled upon the night when the work was to be done. When the time came he went to the point where the dam was to be built, and waited.

At the dead of night he heard the noise and hum of the voices of the Menehunes on their way to Kikiaola, each of whom was carrying a stone. The dam was duly constructed, every stone fitting in its proper place, and the stone auwai, or watercourse, also laid around the bend of Kikiaola. Before the break of day the work was completed, and the water of the Waimea River was turned by the dam into the watercourse on the flat lands of Waimea.

When the work was finished Pi served out food for the Menehunes, which consisted of shrimps (opae), this being the only kind to be had in sufficient quantity to supply each with a fish to himself.

The auwai, or watercourse, of Pi is still to be seen at Kikiaola.

Another time Pi also asked the Menehunes to wall in a fish-pond at the bend of the Huleia River. They commenced work toward midnight, but at dawn the walls of the pond were not sufficiently finished to meet, so it was left incomplete, and has remained so to this day.

The watercourse of the Waimea