Nuakea (deity) explained

In Hawaiian mythology, Nuakea is a beneficent goddess of milk and lactation.^[1]

This name was also a title for a wet nurse of royal prince, according to David Malo.^[2]

Nuakea was appealed to staunch the flow of milk in the mother's breasts.

Euhemerism

There was a chiefess named after the goddess—Nuʻakea, wife of Keʻoloʻewa, chief of Molokai.

Martha Warren Beckwith suggested that Nuʻakea was deified.^[3]

According to the myth, Nuʻakea was a goddess who came to Earth and married mortal chief Keʻoloʻewa, but it is known that historical Nuʻakea was born on Oahu.

Notes and References

1. Native planters in old Hawaii: their life, lore, and environment by Edward Smith Craighill Handy, Elizabeth Green Handy, Mary Kawena Pukui.
2. Hawaiian antiquities (Moolelo Hawaii) by David Malo
3. Hawaiian Mythology by Martha Warren Beckwith. See this page.