Hawaii Dog Names

Hawaii has a very strong sense of folklore and many stories and myths have been passed down through the generations. Dogs have a strong presence in these stories, myths, and beliefs. 

Amongst the most popular is the story of Kaupe, a cannibal dog-man. Kaupe's master was Kahilona, and they lived at Kaheikim, O’ahu, a kingdom that was lost to Kaupe. The stories say many people were eaten by this dog. Kaupe even went to Maui and to Hawai’i looking for men to eat. In Hawai’i he captured a chief and took him to O’ahu. Drowned in sorrow, the chief’s father came after Kaupe thinking of dying like his son, but he first visited Kahilona. 

Kahilona, Kaupe’s former master, taught the father several prayers and this was his family’s salvation.The man recited the prayers all the way to O’ahu, and he continued doing so when he got to Kaupe’s house. Thanks to the prayers, the dog fell asleep and the father was able to enter the house and bring out his son. It didn’t take long for Kaupe to start following them, but the father continued reciting the prayers Kahilona had taught him. They were able to hide behind a rock and Kaupe passed by, continuing to Hawai’i. The chief and his father went to Kaheiki, where Kahilona was. There, they received instructions from Kahilona to go back to Hawai'i and kill Kaupe, which they did successfully. 

Another dog that can be found in Hawaiian mythology is the dog Pa’e. Pa’e was a large, brindle-colored, adventurous dog who lived in the Ko’olau mountains on O’ahu. One day, Pa’e was seen by some servants who thought the dog would make a great meal for their chief. So, the servants decided to capture the dog. They were taking the dog to the chief when they reached the top of a cliff and they met a beautiful woman near a pool of water. The woman started calling “Pa’e”, and the dog answered, “here I am”. She asked him where he was going, and the dog said he was going to visit the chief. Then the woman told him to come home with her, and the dog followed. 

The servants got really scared and ran away, realizing that this dog belonged to one of the mo’o (lizard) of the Ko’olau mountains. After this story, brindle-colored dogs in Hawaii were called ‘ilio mo’o’ which means ‘lizard dog’, since Hawaiians believe brindle-colored dogs are protected by the lizard goddess.