O‘opu were a very important cultural resource to the Native Hawaiians. Besides being a food source, they were also used in religious ceremonies.
Of the 5 species of O‘opu, O‘opu Nakea, O‘opu Nopili, and O‘opu Akupa were favorites for eating. Typically, the fish were wrapped in bundles of ti leaves, then cooked over hot coals. O‘opu were also eaten dried or raw. O‘opu alamoo was not eaten by the Hawaiians. Many considered this fish to be kapu (forbidden or sacred) because they believed it was related to the mo‘o (lizard) gods. It was bad luck to find this fish in one’s fishing net, because it was believed to keep the other fish away. If one caught this fish in a net, it was customary to throw the fish out of the net with an exclamation of disgust, in order to ensure a successful catch. O‘opu Naniha was also seldom eaten and not considered to be a good food fish. The Hawaiians also ate juvenile O‘opu and would catch them in nets as they recruited from the ocean to the streams. The Hawaiian name for these juveniles is hinana. People would stand along the stream banks and extend large nets across the width of the stream to gather the hinana. It was said that these fish were so prized by the Hawaiians that they would not even share them with their neighbors. Hinana were therefore considered “I‘a pi ia” or “fish stingily regarded.”
Besides being a favorite food fish, O‘opu Nopili was also used ceremonially. The name of this O‘opu comes from the Hawaiian word for cling (pili). It refers to the fish’s ability to climb up waterfalls by clinging to rocks. It was used in the mawaewae (weaning) ceremony for first-born children, so that blessings and luck would cling to the child. It was also used in house-warming feasts, with the intent that good luck would cling to the house.