Apukohai is a sea monster in the mythology of Kauaʻi, one of the Hawaiian islands. In the tale of Kawelo, a giant of enormous strength, the two meet as he sets out for Oʻahu, and after a fierce fight the giant wins, helped by an owl god and the fish Ulu-makaikai.
- A monster of the sea in the story-lore of Kauaʻi, one of the Hawaiian islands.
- The giant Kawelo meets it on his way to Oʻahu and kills it after a hard fight.
- He wins by calling on an owl god and the fish Ulu-makaikai for help.
- The tale is printed in M. Beckwith's Hawaiian Mythology (Honolulu, 1970).
- The comic strip Sherman's Lagoon casts a figure in a huge Tiki mask as Apukohai.
What it is
Apukohai is a monster of the sea in the mythology of Kauaʻi, one of the islands of Hawaii. It is known through the story of Kawelo, a giant whose strength is described as enormous. In the tale, Kawelo leaves Kauaʻi and sets out for Oʻahu, and on that journey the two meet. A fierce struggle follows. The giant wins, but the story shows that his own power was not the whole of it: he calls on the owl god and on a fish named Ulu-makaikai, and with their help he kills the creature.
Apukohai, drawn and placed
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
- Lineage
- Hawaiian mythology, the lore of Kauaʻi
Peoples and places
The monster belongs to the lore of Kauaʻi, one of the islands of Hawaii. Its tale also touches Oʻahu, since the giant Kawelo is bound for that island when the meeting takes place, so the story joins two Hawaiian islands in one episode. The account is printed in Hawaiian Mythology by M. Beckwith, issued by the University of Hawaii Press at Honolulu in 1970, and it is through that book that readers now meet the creature.
At a glance: who, where and when
Peoples
What people believe
In the story, strength alone does not settle a fight: help can be called for, and the account says Kawelo called for it. The helpers named are an owl god and a fish called Ulu-makaikai. With their aid the giant kills the monster. The episode records a world in which a deity and a sea creature can be summoned to a fighter's side, and in which their backing, added to a warrior's own great force, brings the fight to its end. The invocation is part of how the tale explains the victory.
Today
The name has also been picked up in comics. In the strip Sherman's Lagoon, Apukohai appears as a figure in a huge Tiki mask who fires lightning bolts from the clouds, and on occasion his own kitchen sink as well. Another character in the strip, Kahuna, sums him up as a tough nut.
Questions people ask about Apukohai
What is Apukohai?
It is a monster of the sea in the mythology of Kauaʻi, one of the Hawaiian islands. It appears in the story of Kawelo, a giant whose strength is enormous, who meets it on a journey and kills it with help he calls down from an owl god and a fish.
Where does the story come from?
The account belongs to the island of Kauaʻi and is preserved in a collection of Hawaiian myth. It is printed in M. Beckwith's Hawaiian Mythology, published by the University of Hawaii Press in Honolulu in 1970.
Who killed Apukohai?
Kawelo, a giant whose strength was enormous, kills it. The two meet as he leaves Kauaʻi for Oʻahu, and after a fierce struggle he wins, aided by the owl god and the fish Ulu-makaikai.
Does Apukohai appear anywhere outside old tales?
The name turns up in the comic strip Sherman's Lagoon, where a figure wearing a huge Tiki mask hurls lightning bolts, and even his kitchen sink, down from the clouds. The character Kahuna calls him a tough nut.
What is Ulu-makaikai?
Ulu-makaikai is a fish. In the story it is one of the two helpers Kawelo invokes, beside the owl god, and with their aid he kills Apukohai.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Apukohai", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Names and customs differ from one community to the next, and some knowledge is closed to outsiders and left out here. This page describes belief and practice. It does not say that any of it works, it is not a how-to, and it is not medical advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-17.
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