THE KIKO BEAD STORY

Kiko'Ola: The youngest son of Kū-ka-ili-moku (Ku) and the embodiment of sarcasm.

He had over 300 brothers and sisters, all older than him and all worthy of his contempt. All the powers of land and sea and air were manifested in his siblings and his cousins. Although he wished he could swim like the sharks, they were just dolphin bait. Fly like a gull? Sure and end up begging and stealing like one for the rest of your life.

Oh no, he had wisdom and mirth, why he had the answer for everything. The others were too stupid to see it.

He, too, watched the hairless monkeys squabble over dirt and rocks and water. He watched his father favor the taller ones, the stronger ones, the ones with greatest numbers or the prettiest women and it made no sense.

They only fought well because of his father's power. As such, the battles became less amusing. Why even watch a battle when you knew the winners before it was over?

No, cunning should be admired as well as treachery. Why did the people of the land need protection when they had strength, speed and greater numbers than the people of the south?

His father at first rebuked Kiko'Ola's idea. What would Kiko'Ola know? He is only the smartest of all the children of the gods.

Kiko'Ola knew how to reach his father, through the voice of his brother, the near-sighted one.

Hawaiian legend holds that the wearer of Kiko'Ola’s Tiki will enable the wearer to detect sarcasm and rudeness.

Written by Mike Searson