Domingo Gomes, Waianae, Oahu

I had a chance to talk with Domingo Gomes about what he had to say on Kaku Nui. Domingo is the oldest active opelu lawai’a in Waianae, Oahu. I fished with his brother, Patrick, who is an expert trapper and I learned how to throw net from his brother, Louie who was an expert thrownet Lawai’a. Louie passed away some years ago but Pat is still going strong. I learned and fished with them during my early teens.

Domingo says his father was an expert Lawaia who specialized in opelu net fishing and also hook and line opelu fishing. He had trained Kaku Nui and fished off of Nanakuli during the 1930’s to the 1960’s, when he later opened up a Hawaiian food restaurant right here in Nanakuli. After he died, my aunt Nona took over and ran the restaurant for about 8 years and then gave it up. It was called Barney Restaurant.

Domingo remembers his dad teaching him not to take the Kaku Nui, no matter what, even when night fishing. If it came and took a few hooks to steal opelu, his father would say “Let it go, leave it be, it will be full in a short while and you can hook all you want after it is full. It will keep all other predators away and you will make up any losses easily”.

Domingo told me two stories: the first one of a Kaku Nui six feet long at Makaha. As soon as it heard Domingo’s engine it would come. Domingo said even though he would throw a few opelu to it, the kaku wouldn’t take them. He said there was so much food that it was never hungry. The opelu just swam about Kaku Nui, paying little attention to the big fish. It was so easy to fish with Kaku Nui present. The worst thing that could happen while fishing opelu was that the giant kahala would show up. There was no fishing when kahala were present so Kaku Nui was always a welcoming sight. With Kaku Nui there, no kahala ever came near while Domingo fished. So from one generation to the next, Lawaia were taught to leave be the Kaku Nui.

The second story was of a giant tiger shark at Kaena. Domingo fished Kaena with Henry Leslie, another long time opelu fisherman who was originally from Kealakekua. Whenever the shark arrived, it was surrounded with opelu. One day Domingo told Henry “We go try put the net down.” Fearing the shark would tear their nets, they hesitated but lowered the nets into the water as the opelu were being cooperative and feeding aggressively. The net went down and palu (chum) was opened above. A large amount of opelu took the bait and the net was hauled in with the shark just resting there. They were allowed to fish for awhile but when the shark decided to leave, all the opelu left with it, no matter how much they fed palu. This lasted for several months. It was always a good feeling when the shark came around because they knew they could fish and nothing would hinder their efforts.