Pioneer Kaua‘i rancher Valdemar Knudsen (1819-1898) was konohiki (headman) of over 100,000 acres of western Kaua‘i he leased from the Hawaiian government.
These lands of his were also home to several hundred Hawaiians who resided in the villages of Kekaha, Kaunalewa, Kolo and Poki‘i, and at other dwellings that lay alongside the pali that extends for miles between Waimea and Polihale, while his homestead was at Waiawa, by the entrance to Ho‘ea Valley.
As konohiki, he was sometimes, but not often, called upon by Hawaiians to settle their private differences.
Such was the case of a beautiful Hawaiian girl who had recently come to Poki‘i from another island and had made it her home.
Prior to her arrival, Poki‘i, situated about a mile east of Waiawa, had been peaceful.
But, trouble soon arose, for her charms were such that the men of Poki‘i found her irresistible.
And, she, in turn, took delight in luring them away from their wives and girlfriends.
Men fought over her while women wept in dismay.
Finally, outraged wives had called upon Knudsen for help.
Knudsen then sent for the girl, and watched her ride up to his Waiawa homestead on horseback.
She was, indeed, most attractive in face and figure, and he understood how men could have easily been captivated by her.
She slid from her horse and approached the lanai where Valdemar sat, smiling directly at him all the while.
“I’ve been informed about you…” he began to say.
But, before he could finish, she exclaimed, “What is it to me that men want me?”
She was not the least concerned that she’d been the cause of so much pilikia.
It was as if she hadn’t a conscience.
Then she laughed — a merry, mocking, ringing, mischievous, bewitching laugh that echoed against the pali.
Knudsen then knew what to do.
“You must leave today never to return!”
To this, she laughed again but quietly, this time, leapt upon her horse and rode away.
Not long afterwards, a messenger informed Knudsen that she’d married a handsome haole at Hanalei, and she was never heard from again.
•••
Hank Soboleski has been a resident of Kauai since the 1960s. Hank’s love of the island and its history has inspired him, in conjunction with The Garden Island Newspaper, to share the island’s history weekly. The collection of these articles can be found here: https://bit.ly/2IfbxL9 and here https://bit.ly/2STw9gi Hank can be reached at hssgms@gmail.com
