Chief Ma‘ilikūkāhi, who reigned over the island of Oʻahu in the mid-1400s, resided in Waikīkī and used it as his seat of government. He was greatly loved by his subjects who enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity. Ali‘i (royalty) from all points came to Waikīkī to enjoy surfing, sports, games, hula, and other entertainment. The maka‘āinana (common people) living in Kālia gladly supplied their chiefs with the fruits of their labor. The sharing of food was an integral part of Hawaiian culture. Lavish banquets featured poi and the freshest seafood from some of the most productive fishponds in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The ocean teemed with crab, lobster, shrimp, octopus, limu (seaweed), and other delicacies easily harvested. The fishponds, as well as the harvest from the ocean, came under the stewardship of the chiefs. Their actions were always dictated by the knowledge that greediness or waste displeased the gods. John Papa Iʻi, a member of the royal court, told of a huge harvest from Moehonua’s fishpond in Kālia given as tribute to Kina‘u, a son of King Kamehameha I. The King, instead of being pleased, was dismayed because of the waste of so many fish. According to 19th-century historian Samuel Kamakau it was thought that fish ponds were protected by mo‘o, lizard-like deities whose bodies were 12 to 30 feet long. Proper reverence and respect for the mo‘o, as well as diligent maintenance of the ponds, made the