 Chapter 1 of The Legends of Hawaii. This is a LibriVox recording, or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Legends and Myths of Hawaii by King David Kalakaua. Hawaiian Legends Introduction Part 1. General Retrospective The Legends following are of a group of sunny islands lying almost midway between Asia and America, a cluster of volcanic craters and coral reefs where the mountains are mantled in perpetual green and looked down upon valleys of eternal spring, where for two-thirds of the year the trade winds sweeping down from the northwest coast of America and softened in their passage southward, dally with the stately cocos and spreading palms and mingle their cooling breath with the ever-living fragrance of fruit and blossom. Deeply embosomed in the silent wastes of the broad Pacific, with no habitable land nearer than 2,000 miles, these islands greet the eye of the approaching mariner like a shadowy paradise, suddenly lifted from the blue depths by the malicious spirits of the world of waters, either to lure him to his destruction or disappear as he drops his anchor by the enchanted shore. The Legends are of a little archipelago, which was unknown to the civilized world until the closing years of the last century, and of a people who for many centuries exchanged no word or product with the rest of mankind, who had lost all knowledge, saved the little retained by the dreamiest of Legends, of the great world beyond their island home, whose origin may be traced to the ancient Kushites of Arabia, and whose legends repeat the story of the Jewish Genesis, who developed and passed through an age of chivalry, somewhat more barbarous perhaps, but scarcely less affluent in deeds of enterprise and valor than that which characterised the contemporaneous races of the continental world, whose chiefs and priests claimed kinship with the gods, and step by step told back their lineage not only to him who rode the floods, but to the sinning pair whose reactions to the forfeited joys of paradise was prevented by the large white bird of Karnay, who fought without shields and went to their death without fear, whose implements of war and industry were of wood, stone and bone, yet who erected great temples to their gods and constructed barges and canoes which they navigated by the stars, who peopled the elements with spirits, reverenced the priesthood, bowed to the revelations of their prophets, and submitted without complaint to the oppressions of the taboo, who observed the rite of circumcision, built places of refuge after the manner of the ancient Israelites, and held sacred the religious legends of the priests and chronological melees of the chief. As the mind reverts to the past of the Hawaiian group, and dwells for a moment upon the shadowy history of its people, mighty forms rise and disappear, men of the statue of eight or nine feet, crowned with helmets of feathers and bearing spears thirty feet in length. Such men were Kihar and Liloa and Umi and Lono. All kings of Hawaii during the 15th and 16th centuries, and Little Lesson Bulk and None the Lesson Valor, was the great Kamehameha, who conquered and consolidated the several islands under one government, and died as late as 1819. And beside Umi, whose life was a romance, stands his humble friend, Malkaleo Lio, who, with his feet upon the ground, could reach the coconuts of standing trees, and back of him in the past is seen Kana, the son of Hina, whose height was measured by paces. And, glancing still farther backward through the centuries, we behold adventurous chiefs in barges and double canoes a hundred feet in length, making the journey between the Hawaiian and more southern groups, guided only by the sun and stars. Later we see battles with dusky thousands in line. The warriors are naked to the loins, and are armed with spears, slings, clubs, battle-axes, javelins and knives of wood or ivory. They have neither bows nor shields. They either catch with their hands or ward with their own the weapons that are thrown. Their chiefs, towering above them in stature, have thrown off their gaudy feather-clothes and helmets, and with spear and stone halberd, are at the front of the battle. The opposing forces are so disposed as to present a right and left wing and centre, the king or principal chief commanding the latter in person. In the rear of each hostile line are a large number of women with calabashes of food and water, with which to refresh their battling fathers, husbands and brothers. While the battle rages, their wails, cries and prayers are incessant, and when defeat menaces their friends, they here and there take part in the combat. The augurs have been consulted, sacrifices and promises to the gods have been made, and as the warring lines approach, the war gods of the opposing chiefs, newly decorated and attended by long-haired priests, are born to the front. War cries and shouts of defiance follow. The priests retire, and the slingers open the battle. Spears are thrown, and soon the struggle is hand-to-hand all over the field. They fight in groups, and squads, around their chiefs and leaders, who range the field in search of enemies worthy of their weapons. No quarter is given or expected. The first prisoners taken are reserved as offerings to the gods, and are regarded as the most precious of sacrifices. Finally, the leading chief of one of the opposing armies falls. A desperate struggle over his body ensues, and his dispirited followers begin to give ground, and are soon in retreat. Some escape to a stronghold in the neighbouring mountains, and a few perhaps to a temple or refuge, but the most of them are overtaken and slain. The prisoners who are spared become the slaves of their captors, and the victory is celebrated with feasting and bountiful sacrifices to the gods. This is a representative battle of the past, either for the supremacy of rival chiefs or in repelling invasion from a neighbouring island. But here and there we catch glimpses of actual conflicts indicative of the war-like spirit and chivalry of the early Hawaiians. Far back in the past we see the beautiful Hina abducted from her Hawaiian husband by a prince of Molokai, and kept a prisoner in the fortress of Haupu until her sons grow to manhood, when she is rescued at the end of an assault which leaves the last of her defenders dead. Later we see the 800 helmeted chiefs of the King of Hawaii, all of noble blood, hurling themselves to destruction against the spears of the armies of Maui on the plains of Wailuku. And then, less than a generation after, Kamehameha is seen in the last battle of the conquest, when, at the head of 16,000 warriors, he sweeps the Oahuan army over the precipice of Nuanu and becomes the master of the archipelago. Finally we behold Kekua Okalani, the last defender in arms of the Hawaiian gods and temples, trampling upon the edict of the king against the worship of his fathers and dying with his faithful wife, Manono, on the field of Kwamu. In the midst of these scenes of blood, the eye rests with relief upon numerous episodes of love, friendship and self-sacrifice, touching with a softening colour the ruddy canvas of the past. We see Kanepahu, the exiled king of Hawaii, delving like a common labourer on the neighbouring island and refusing to accept anew the scepter in his old age because his back has become crooked with toil and he could no longer look over the heads of his subjects as he became a Hawaiian king. We see Umi, a rustic youth of royal mean and mighty proportions, boldly leap the palace wards of the greatly lower, push aside the spears of the guards, enter the royal mansion, seat himself in the lap of the king and through the exhibition of a forgotten token of love, receive instant recognition as his son. And now Lono, the royal great-grandson of Umi, rises before us and we see him lured from self-exile by the voice of his queen, reaching him in secret from without the wards of the Sovereign Court of Oahu, just exceeding pages with every detail of interest afforded by available tradition. Physical Characteristics A few general remarks concerning the physical characteristics of the Hawaiian islands would seem to be appropriate in presenting a collection of legends dealing alike with the history and folklore of their people. The islands occupy a place in a great waste of the Pacific between the 19th and 23rd degrees of North latitude and the 154th and 161st degrees of longitude west from Greenwich. They are 2,100 miles south-west from San Francisco and about the same distance from Tahiti. The group consists of ten islands, including two that are little more than barren rocks. The farthest are about 300 miles from each other, measuring from their extreme boundaries and their aggregate area is a little more than 6,100 square miles. The islands of the eight principal islands all are habitable, although the small islands of Nihau and Kahulawe are used almost exclusively as cattle ranges. The most of the shores of the several islands are fringed with coral, but their origin seems to be indisputably shown in the numerous craters of extinct volcanoes scattered throughout the group and in the mighty fires still blazing from the mountain heights of Hawaii. By far the larger part of the area of the islands is mountainous, but from the interior elevations some of them reaching altitudes of from 10 to 14,000 feet flow many small streams of sweet water widening into fertile valleys as they reach the coast, while here and there between them alluvial plateaus have been left by the upland wash. With rare exceptions the mountainsides are covered with vegetation, some of sturdy growth capable of being wrought into building materials and canoes while lower down the ohia, the palm, the banana and the breadfruit stand clothed in perpetual green with groves of stately cocos between them and the sea. Once the fragrant sandalwood was abundant in the mountains but it became an article of commerce with the natives in their early intercourse with the white races and is now rarely seen. Once the valleys and plateaus were covered with growing taro and potatoes now the cane and rice of the foreigner have usurped the places of both and in the few shaded spots that have been left in the forgiving and revengeless Hawaiian sadly chants his wild songs of the past. Neither within the memory of men nor the reach of their legends which extend back more than a thousand years has there been an active volcano in the group beyond the large island of Hawaii which embraces two thirds of the solid area of the archipelago. The mighty crater of Haleakela, more than 30 miles in circumference on the island of Maui has slept in peace among the clouds for ages and hundreds of lesser and lower craters many of them covered with vegetation are found scattered among the mountains and foothills of the group their fires have long been extinct and the scoria and ashes buried at their bases tell the story of their activity far back in the past. It must have been a sight too ground for human eyes to witness when all these dead volcanic peaks aglow with sulfurous flames lit up the moonless nights of the eight Hawaiian seas with their combined bombardment of the heavens. On the island of Hawaii alone have the fires of nature remained unextinguished. At intervals during the past thousand years or more have Mauna Kea, Mauna Hualalai and Mauna Loa sent their devastating streams of lava to the sea and today the awful restless and ever-burning cauldron of Kilauea nearly a mile in circumference is the grandest conflagration that lights up the earth. Within its lurid depths its fiery grottoes and chambers of burning crystal dwell Pele and her companions and offerings are still thrown to them by superstitious natives. Do they yet believe in these deities after more than sixty years of Christian teaching? After their temples have been levelled and their gods have been destroyed after their taboos have been broken and the priesthood has been dethroned and dishonoured? The only answer is the offerings are still made. Although the channel and ocean coasts of the islands are generally bold, rocky and precipitous there are numerous bays and indentations partially sheltered by reefs and headlands and many stretches of smooth and yellow beach where the waves touched by the Kona or the trade winds breathe. Chase each other high up among the coco's roots and branches of the humble Hau Tree clinging to the sands. The harbour of Honolulu on the island of Oahu is the only one however where passengers and freight of ocean crafts may be received or landed without the aid of lighters. The most of the useful and ornamental growths of the tropics now flourish on the islands. The indigenous plants however are confined to the banana, plantain, coconut, breadfruit, Ohio, sugarcane, arrowroot, yam, sweet potato, taro, strawberry, raspberry and ojello. The lime, orange, mango, tamarind, papaya, guava and every other edible product aside from those named as indigenous are importations of the past century. The only domestic animals of the ancient Hawaiians were dogs, swine and fowls and the most formidable four-legged creatures found in their fields and forests were mice and lizards. Wild geese including a species peculiar to the islands ducks, snipe and plover were abundant in their seasons but seem to have been barely eaten and owls, bats and a few varieties of birds of simple song and not over-brilliant plumage made up about the sum total of animal life on the island a hundred years ago. But the native could well afford to be content with this limited provision since it did not include snakes, mosquitos, centipedes, tarantulas or scorpions. To what processes of creation or isolation do the Hawaiian islands see oh their existence? Were they raised from the depths of the ocean by volcanic action as plainly suggested by their formation? Or are they part of a great sunken continent which speculation sustained by misty tradition claims once occupied the Polynesian seas? Hawaiian melees mention islands no longer to be found and the facility with which communication was maintained between the Hawaiian and more southern groups previous to the 12th century renders plausible the assumption that this intercourse was abruptly terminated six or seven centuries ago by the disappearance of a number of intervening atolls or islands which had served as guides to early Polynesian navigators. The gigantic ruins of temples and other structures found on Easter and one or two other islands of the equatorial Pacific are almost unanswerable arguments in favour of the theory of a sunken Polynesian continent but the question will probably never be removed beyond the field of surmise. Historic outlines the source and early history of the Hawaiian people and in fact of the Polynesian race of which they are a part are involved in doubt. They have generally been regarded as an offshoot of the great Malayan family but more recent as well as more thorough investigation particularly by judge Fernanda the learned and conscientious historian with reasonable conclusiveness shows the Polynesian and Malayan races to be of distinct and widely different origin. Accepting this conclusion we trace the strictly Polynesian tribes to an Aryan beginning somewhere in Asia Minor or Arabia. There in the remote past it is assumed they were brought in close contact with early Kushite and Chaldeo-Arabian civilizations. Subsequently drifting into India they to some extent amalgamated with the Dravidian races and following the channels of the great Chaldean commerce of that period at length found a home in the Asiatic archipelago from Sumatra to Luzon and Timor. The exact time of their settlement on the large coast islands of southern Asia cannot be definitely determined but their legends and genealogies leave little room to doubt that it was contemporaneous with the Malay and Hindu invasions of Sumatra, Java and other islands of the archipelago during the first and second centuries of the Christian era. That the Polynesians were pushed out not at once in a body but by families and communities covering a period of years to the smaller and more remote islands of the Pacific. The first general rendezvous was in the Fiji group where they left their impress upon the native Papuans. Expelled from or voluntarily leaving the Fijis after a sojourn there of several generations the Polynesians scattered over the Pacific occupying by stages the several groups of islands where they are now found. Moving by the way of the Samoan and society islands the migratory wave did not reach the Hawaiian group until about the middle of the sixth century. Nanaula, a distinguished chief was the first to arrive from the southern islands. It is not known whether he discovered the group by being blown northward by adverse winds or in deliberately adventuring far out upon the ocean in search of new lands. In either event he brought with him his gods, priests, prophets and astrologers and a considerable body of followers and retainers. He was also provided with dogs, swine and fowls and the seeds of germs of useful plants for propagation. It is probable that he found the group without human inhabitants. During that period probably during the life of Nanaula other chiefs of less importance arrived with their families and followers either from Tahiti or Samoa. They came in barges and large double canoes capable of accommodating from 50 to 100 persons each. They brought with them not only their priests and gods but the earliest of Polynesian traditions. It is thought that none of the pioneers of the time of Nanaula ever returned to the southern islands nor did others immediately follow the first migratory wave that peopled the Hawaiian group. For 13 or 14 generations the first occupants of the Hawaiian islands lived sequestered from the rest of the world multiplying and spreading throughout the group. They erected temples to their gods, maintained their ancient religion and yielded obedience to their chiefs. The traditions of the period are so meagre as to leave the impression that it was one of uninterrupted peace little having been preserved beyond the genealogies of the governing chiefs. But later in the 10th or early in the beginning of the 11th century the Hawaiians were aroused from their dream of more than four centuries by the arrival of a party of adventurers from the southern islands probably from the society group. It was under the leadership of Nanamaoa. He was a warlike chief and succeeded in establishing his family in power on Hawaii, Maui and Oahu but stronger leaders were soon to follow from the south. The first was the high priest Pao from Samoa. He arrived during the reign of Kapaua the grandson of Nanamaoa or immediately after his death. The people were in an unsettled condition politically and Pao grasping the situation either sent or returned in person to Samoa for Pili, a distinguished chief of that island. Arriving with a large following Pili assumed the sovereignty of the island of Hawaii and founded a new dynasty. Pao became his high priest and somewhat disturbed the religious practices of the people by the introduction of new rights and two or three new gods. However his religion did not seem to differ greatly from that of the native priests and from him the last of the priesthood seven hundred years after claimed lineage and right of place. The intercourse thus established between the Hawaiian and southern groups by Nanamaoa, Pao and Pili continued for about one hundred and fifty years or until the middle or close of the twelfth century. During that period several other war-like families from the south established themselves in the partial or complete sovereignty of Oahu, Maui and Kauai and expeditions were frequent between the group and other distant islands of Polynesia. It was a season of unusual activity and the legends of the time are filled with stories of love, conquest and perilous voyages to and from the southern islands. In that age when distant voyages were frequent the Polynesians were bold and intelligent navigators. In addition to large double canoes capable of withstanding the severest weather they possessed capacious barges with planks corded and caught upon strong frames. They were decked over and carried ample sail. The navigators had some knowledge of the stars knew the prominent planets and gave them names were acquainted with the limits of the ecliptic and situation of the equator. With these helps and keenly watchful of the winds and currents of ocean drifts and flights of birds they seldom failed to reach their destination however distant. Near the close of the twelfth century all communication between the Hawaiian and southern groups suddenly ceased. Tradition offers no explanation of the cause and conjecture can find no better reason for it than the possible disappearance at that time of a number of island landmarks which had their two force served as guides to the mariner. The beginning of this period of isolation found the entire group with the exception perhaps of Molokai and a portion of Oahu in the possession of the southern chiefs or their descendants. It has been observed that the first discovery and occupation of the islands by Polynesians from the society and Samoan groups occurred in the sixth century and that more than 400 years later a second migratory tide from the same and possibly other southern islands reached the coasts of Hawaii continuing for more than a century and a half and completely changing the political and to some extent the social condition of the people. Although nearly five centuries elapsed between the first and second migratory influxes from the south during which the inhabitants of the group held no communication with the rest of the world it is a curious fact that Pili, Pamakua and other chiefly families of the second influx traced back their lineage to the ancestors of the chiefs of the first migration and made good their claim to the relationship by the recital of legends and genealogies common to both. At the close of the second migratory period which concluded their intercourse with the world beyond them for more than 600 years or from AD 1175 to 1778 the people of the group had very generally transferred their allegiance to the newly arrived chiefs. The notable exceptions were the Mawaki and Kamawawa families of Oahu and Molokai both of the ancient Nannaua line although they were gradually crowded from their possessions by the more energetic invaders the high descent of the prominent native chiefs was recognised and by intermarriage their blood was allowed to mingle with the royal currents which have flowed down the centuries since they ceased to rule. A mere outline of the political history of the islands from the 12th century to the 19th is all that will be given here the legends following will supply much that will be omitted to avoid repetition Until the final conquest of the group by Kamehameha the first at the close of the last century the five principal islands of the archipelago Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Molokai were each governed as a rule by one or more independent chiefs the smaller islands of Lanai and Kahulawe were usually subject to Maui while Nihao always shared the political fate of Kauai on each island however were descendants of distinguished ancient chiefs and heroes who were recognised as of superior or royal blood and with them originated the supreme chiefs Kings or Maui of the several islands whose lines continued in authority with interruptions of interaction and royal feuds until the consolidation of the group by Kamehameha No one was recognised as a taboo chief however his genealogical record showed him to be of noble blood and intermarriage between the ruling families as well as between the lesser chiefs of the several islands in time united the entire aristocracy of the group by ties of blood and gave to all of royal strain a common and distinguished ancestry the nobility and hereditary priesthood claimed to be of a stock different from that of the common people and their superior stature and intelligence seemed to favour the assumption to keep the blood of the chiefly classes far back in the past a college of heraldry was established before which all chiefs were required to recite their genealogies and make good their claims to noble descent the legends of the group abound in stories of romantic and sanguinary internal conflicts and political and predatory wars between the islands but down to the time of Kamehameha but a single attempt had been made to mitigate the entire archipelago this bold scheme was entertained by a king of the island of Hawaii who reigned during the latter part of the 13th century he succeeded in overrunning Maui Oahu and Molokai but was defeated and taken prisoner on Kauai without further reference to the intervening years from the 12th century to the 18th a long period of wars festivals tournaments and royal and priestly pageantry we will now glance at the condition of the islands at the time of their discovery by Captain Cook a little more than a century ago it was estimated that the islands then contained a population of 400,000 souls this estimate has been considered large but when it is noted that 15 years later there were between 30 and 40,000 warriors under arms in the group at the same time with large reserves ready for service the conclusion is irresistible that the population could scarcely have been less Kamehameha invaded Oahu with 16,000 warriors principally drawn from the island of Hawaii he was opposed by 8 or 10,000 spears while as many more awaited his arrival on Kauai according to the figures of the reverent Mr. Ellis who travelled around the island of Hawaii in 1821 and numbered the dwellings and congregations addressed by him in the several districts through which he passed the number of people on that island alone could not have been less than 115,000 at the time of the arrival of Captain Cook Kalaniapu'u of the ancient line of Pili was king of the large island of Hawaii and also maintained possession of a portion of the island of Maui Kahikili the thunder at his name implied was Moe of Maui and the principal wife of Kalaniapu'u was his sister Kahahana who was also related to Kahikili was the king of Oahu and claimed possession of Molokai and Lanai Kamakahelei was the nominal queen of Kauai and Niihau and her husband was a younger brother to Kahikili while she was related to the royal family of Hawaii thus it will be seen the reigning families of the several islands of the group were all related to each other as well by marriage as by blood so had it been for many generations but their wars with each other were nonetheless vindictive because of their kinship or attended with less of barbarity in their hours of triumph at that time Kahikili was plotting for the downfall of Kahahana and the seizure of Oahu and Molokai and the queen of Kauai was disposed to assist him in these enterprises the occupation of the Hana district of Maui by the kings of Hawaii had been the cause of many stubborn conflicts between the chivalry of the two islands and when Captain Cook first landed on Hawaii he found the king of that island absent on another war-like expedition to Maui intent upon avenging his defeat of two years before when his famous brigade of 800 nobles was hewn in pieces connected with the court of Kalaniopu'u at that time was a silent and taciturn chief who had thus far attracted but little attention as a military leader he was a man of gigantic mould and his courage and prowess in arms were undoubted and seldom smiled or engaged in the manly sport so attractive to others and his friends were the few who discerned in him a slumbering greatness which subsequently gave him a name and fame second to no other in Hawaiian history he was the reputed and accepted son of Kyua the half-brother of Kalaniopu'u although it was believed by many that his real father was Kahikili of Maui but however this may have been he was of royal blood and was destined to become not only the king of Hawaii but the conqueror and sovereign of the group this chief was Kamehameha such in brief was the political condition of the islands when Captain Cook arrived he was an officer in the English Navy and with the warships resolution and discovery he was on a voyage in search of a northwest passage eastward from Bering Straits leaving the society group in December 1777 on the 18th of the following month he sighted Oahu and Kauai landing on the latter island and Niihau he was received as a god by the natives and his ships were provided with everything they required without then visiting the other islands in the group he left for the northwest coast of America on the 2nd of February 1778 and in November of that year returned to the islands first sighting the shores of Molokai and Maui communicating with the wondering natives of the latter island he sailed around the coasts of Hawaii and on the 17th of January dropped his anchors in Keala Keakua Bay he was hailed as a reincarnation of their god Oahu by the people and the priests conducted him to their temples and accorded him divine honours returning from his campaign in Maui the king visited and treated him as a god and his ships were bountifully supplied with pigs, fowls, vegetables and fruits the ships left the bay on the 4th of February but meeting with a storm returned on the 8th for repairs petty bickering soon after between the natives and white sailors and on the 13th one of the ships boats was stolen by a chief and broken up for its nails and other iron fastenings Keakua demanded its restoration and while endeavouring to take the king on board the resolution as a prisoner was set upon by the natives and slain fire was opened by the ships and many natives including four or five chiefs were killed the body of Keakua was borne off by the natives but the most of the bones were subsequently returned at the request of Captain King and the vessel soon after left the island if Captain Cook was not the first of European navigators to discover the Hawaiian islands he was at least the first to chart and make their existence known to the world it has been pretty satisfactorily established that Juan Gaetano the captain of a Spanish galleon sailing the Mexican coast to the Spice Islands discovered the group as early as 1555 but he did not make his discovery known at the time and the existence of an old manuscript chart in the archives of the Spanish government is all that remains to attest his claim to it native traditions mention the landing of small parties of white men on two or three occasions during the latter part of the 16th century but if the faces and ships of other races were seen by the Hawaiians in the time of Gaetano their descendants had certainly lost all knowledge of both 200 or more years later for Cook was welcomed as a supernatural being by the Austrian islanders and his ships were described by them as floating islands a simple iron nail was to them a priceless jewel and every act and word betrayed an utter ignorance of everything pertaining to the white races Kalaniopu'u the king of Hawaii died in 1782 and Kamehameha through the assistance of three or four prominent chiefs succeeded after a struggle of more than ten years in securing to himself the supreme authority over that island this done, encouraged by the prophets assisted by his chiefs and sustained by an unwavering faith in his destiny he conquered Maui, Oahu Kauai and their dependencies and in 1795 was recognized as a sole master of the group although of royal stock the strain of Kamehameha from the old line of kings was less direct than that of his cousin Kiwaleo from whom he rested the Hawaiian sector but his military genius rallied around him the warlike chiefs who were dissatisfied with the division of lands became a prominent successor of Kalaniopu'u and in the end his triumph was complete to father ennoble his succession he married the daughter of his royal cousin and thus gave to his children an undoubted lineage of supreme dignity the existence of the Hawaiian islands became genuinely known to the world soon after the final departure of the resolution and discovery but it was not until 1786 that vessels began to visit the group the first to arrive after the death of Captain Cook were the English ships King George and Queen Charlotte and the same year a French exploring squadron touched up Maui in 1787 several trading vessels visited the group and the natives began to barter provisions and sandalwood for firearms and other weapons of metal in 1792 and again in 1793 Captain Vancouver of an English exploring squadron touched and remained for some time at the islands he landed sheep, goats and horned cattle and distributed a quantity of fruit and garden seeds his memory is gratefully cherished by the natives for his mission was one of peace and broad benevolence thence forward trading vessels in considerable numbers visited the group and during the concluding wars of Kamehameha the rival chiefs had secured the assistance of small parties of white men and to some extent had learned the use of muskets and small cannon readily purchased and paid for in sandalwood which was then quite abundant on most of the timbered mountains of the islands the harbour of Honolulu was first discovered and entered by two American vessels in 1794 and it soon became a favourite resort for the war, trading and wailing vessels of all nations in the midst of these new and trying conditions Kamehameha managed the affairs of his kingdom with distinguished prudence and sagacity he had managed his people to endure with patience the aggressions of the whites and to retain as far as possible their simple habits with his little empire united and peaceful Kamehameha died on the 8th of May 1819 at the age of about 1880 and his bones were so secretly disposed of that they have not yet been found Liho Liho the elder of his sons by Keo Puolani the daughter of his cousin Kyualeo succeeded his warlike father with the title of Kamehameha II some knowledge of the Christian religion had reached the natives through their white visitors but the old chief died the death of Kamehameha was immediately followed by an event for which history affords no parallel in October 1819 six months before the first Christian missionaries arrived on the islands Liho Liho under the inspiration of Kama Kahumanu one of the widows of his father suddenly and in the presence of a large concourse of horrified natives broke the most sacred of the taboos of his religion they were partaking of food from vessels from which women were feasting and the same day decreed the destruction of every temple and idol in the kingdom he was sustained by the high priest Hiwa Hiwa who was the first to apply the torch and within a few weeks idols, temples, altars and a priesthood which had held prints and subject in awe for centuries were swept away leaving the people absolutely without a religion but all did not peacefully submit to this royal edict against their gods in the twilight of that misty period looms up a grand defender of the faith of Kiawi and Umi and the altars of the Hawaiian gods this champion was Kikuwa Okalani a nephew perhaps a son of the first Kamehameha and a cousin perhaps a half-brother of Liho Liho his veins caused the royal blood of Hawaii and his bearing was that of a king he was above six and one-half feet in height with limbs well proportioned and features strikingly handsome and commanding he was of the priesthood and through the bestowal of some taboo or prerogative claimed to be second in authority to Hiwa Hiwa who traced his lineage back to Pao the high priest of Pili his wife Manono was scarcely less distinguished for her courage, beauty and chiefly strain the apostasy of Hiwa Hiwa left Kikuwa Okalani at the head of the priesthood at least so he seems to have assumed and the royal order to demolish the temples was answered by him with an appeal to the people to arm and join him in defence of their gods he raised the standard of revolt on the island of Hawaii and was soon at the head of a considerable army a large force was sent against him and every effort was made to induce him to lay down his arms but he scorned all terms refuse all concessions a battle was fought at Kuamu at first favourable to the defenders of the gods but the firearms of the whites in the service of the king turned the tide of war against them and they were defeated and scattered Kikuwa Okalani was killed on the field and Manono, his brave and faithful wife fighting by his side fell dead upon the body of her husband with a musket ball through her temples a rude monument of stones still marks the spot where they fell and it is told in whispers that the Kona passing through the shrouding vines attunes them to saddest tones of lamentation over the last defenders in arms of the Hawaiian gods four or five months before the death of Kikuwa Okalani Kalai Moku the prime minister of Liho Liho and his brother Boki were baptised under the formula of the Roman Catholic Church by the chaplain of a French corvette on a passing visit to the islands they scarcely knew the meaning of the ceremony and it is safe to say that at the time of the destruction of their temples and the repudiation of their gods the Hawaiian people knew little or nothing of any other religion the abolition of the taboo which had made them slaves to their chiefs and priests and held their fathers in bondage for centuries was hailed with so great a joy by the native massives that they did not hesitate when called upon to consign the priesthood and their gods to the grave of the taboo on the 30th of March 1820 some months after this strange religious revolution the first party of Christian missionaries arrived at the islands from Massachusetts they were well received they found a people without a religion and their work was easy other missionary parties followed from time to time and found the field alike profitable to the cause in which they laboured and to themselves individually they acquired substantial possessions in their new home controlled the government for the 50 or more years following and their children are today among the most prosperous residents of the group this is not said with a view to undervalue the services of the early missionaries to Hawaii but to show that all missionary fields have not been financially unfruitful to zealous and provident workers and now let it be remarked with emphasis that the value of missionary labours in the Hawaiian group should not be measured by the small number of natives who today may be called Christians but rather by the council and assistance of these thrifty religious teachers in securing and maintaining the independence of the islands and by degrees establishing a mild and beneficent constitutional government under which taxation is as light and life and property are as secure as in any other part of the civilised world they were politicians as well as religious instructors and practical examples of the value of Christian discipline when prudently applied to the acquisition of the needful and inviting things of life and the establishment of a civil system capable of protecting the possessor in his acquired rights in 1824 Liho Liho and his queen died while on a visit to England and their remains were sent back to the islands in an Englishman of war Kauri Kiya Uli a youth of ten years and brother of the deceased king was accepted as the rightful heir to the throne under the title of Kamehameha III and Kaohumanu one of the wives of Kamehameha I acted as regent and prime minister in 1827 and ten years later Roman Catholic missionaries arrived and were sent away by order of the government but in 1839 the priests of that denomination finally landed under the guns of a French frigate and allowed to remain meantime churches schools and printing presses have been established the Hawaiian had become a written language and the laws and decrees of the government were promulgated in printed form in 1840 the first written constitution was given to the people guaranteeing to them a representative government in February 1843 Lord Paulet of the English Navy took formal possession of the islands but in the July following their sovereignty was restored through the action of Admiral Thomas in November of the same year France and England mutually agreed to refrain from seizure or occupation of the islands or any portion of them and the United States while declining to become a party to the agreement the independence of the group Kamehameha III died in 1854 and was succeeded by Kamehameha IV the latter reigned until 1863 when he died and was succeeded by Prince Lot with the title of Kamehameha V in 1864 Lot abrogated the constitution of 1840 and granted a new one he reigned until 1872 and died without naming a successor and the legislative assembly elected Lunalio to the throne he was of the Kamehameha family and with his death in 1873 the Kamehameha dynasty came to an end he too failed to designate a successor but as but two of the accepted descendants of the first Kamehameha remained one a sister of Kamehameha V and the other a female cousin of that sovereign David Kalakaua was elected to the throne by the legislative assembly in 1874 receiving all but 5 votes of that body which were cast for the Queen Dowager Emma Widow of Kamehameha IV provision having been made for the event by a previous legislative assembly King Kalakaua with his queen was formally crowned on the 12th of February 1883 in the presence of the representatives of many of the nations of the old world and the new since the coronation the last of the Kamehamehas as passed away including the Queen Dowager Emma and King Kalakaua remains the most direct representative in the kingdom of the ancient sovereigns of Hawaii he draws his strain from Liloa through the great first family of Hawaii who joined their fortunes with the first Kamehameha in the conquest of the group his queen Kapiolani is a granddaughter of the last independent sovereign of Kauai and is thus allied in blood with the early rulers of the group she is childless and the princess Lilo Kalani the elder of the two sisters of the king has been named as his successor and is the wife of his excellency John O. Dominis an American by birth and present governor of the islands of Oahu and Maui the only direct heir in the families of the king and his two sisters is the princess Kareolani daughter of the princess Likiliki wife of Mr. Kleghorn a merchant of Honolulu following is a list of the sovereigns of Hawaii with the dates and durations of their several governments from the 11th to the 19th century it embraces only the rulers of the island of Hawaii who eventually became the masters of the group until the reign of Kalanioku which began in 1754 the dates are merely approximate Pilikai from AD 1095 to 1120 Kukohau from AD 1120 to 1145 Kaniohi from AD 1145 to 1170 Kanipahu from AD 1170 to 1195 Kalapana including the usurpation of Kamioli from AD 1195 to 1220 Kahai Moelia from AD 1220 to 1260 Kalauniohua from AD 1260 to 1300 Kuaewa from AD 1300 to 1340 Kahukapu from AD 1340 to 1380 Kaohola Nuiimahu from AD 1380 to 1415 Kiha from AD 1415 to 1455 Liloa from AD 1455 to 1485 Hakao from AD 1485 to 1490 Umi from 1490 to 1525 Tei-Li-I Oka Loa from AD 1525 to 1535 Kaewenui from AD 1535 to 1565 Kei-Kelani and Lonoi Kamatahiki from AD 1565 to 1595 Kea-Kea Lanikane from AD 1595 to 1625 Kea Kamahana from AD 1625 to 1655 Kea-Lani Wahine from 1655 to 1685 Kaewi and sister from AD 1685 to 1720 Alapanui from AD 1720 to 1754 Kalaniapu from AD 1754 to 1782 Kalaniapu from AD 1754 to 1782 Kamehameha first from AD 1782 to 1819 Kamehameha second from AD 1819 to 1824 Ka'ahumanu Regency from AD 24 to 1833 Kamehameha third from AD 1833 to 1854 Kamehameha fourth from AD 1854 to 1863 Kamehameha fifth lot from AD 1863 to 1872 Lunalio from AD 1872 to 1873 Kalakau from AD 1874 to the present Having thus briefly sketched the outline of the prominent political events of the islands the ancient religion of the Hawaiians will next be referred to and as the taboo was no less a religious than a secular prerogative it may properly be considered in connection with the priesthood a knowledge of the power scope and sanctity of the taboo is essential to a proper understanding of the relations existing in the past between the people and their political and religious rulers and this great governing force will now claim our attention End of Chapter 1 Chapter 2 of the Legends and Myths of Hawaii This is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Legends and Myths of Hawaii by King David Kalakau Hawaiian Legends Introduction Part 2 The Taboo Strictly speaking the ancient taboo or kapoo was a prerogative adhering exclusively to political and ecclesiastical rank It was a command either to do or not to do and the meaning of it was obey or die It was common to the Polynesian tribes and was a protection to the lives property and dignity of the priesthood and nobility The religious taboos were well understood by the people as were also the personal or perpetual taboos of the ruling families but the incidental taboos were oppressive, irksome and dangerous to the masses as they were liable to be thoughtlessly violated and death was the usual penalty Everything pertaining to the priesthood and temples was sacred or taboo and pigs designed for sacrifice and running at large with the temple mark upon them could not be molested It was a violation of perpetual taboo to cross the shadow of the king to stand in his presence without permission or to approach him except upon the knees This did not apply to the higher grades of chiefs who themselves possessed taboo rights Favourite paths springs, streams and bathing places were at intervals tabooed to the exclusive use of the kings and temples and squid, turtle and two or three species of birds could be eaten only by the priests and taboo nobility Yellow was the taboo colour of royalty and red of the priesthood and mantles of the feathers of the owl and mammal could be worn only by kings and princes feather capes of mingled red and yellow distinguished the lesser nobility Women were tabooed from eating plantains, bananas and coconuts also the flesh of swine and certain fish among them the kumu moano, uluwa honu, ea hahalua and naya and men and women were allowed under no circumstance to partake of food together hence when liholiho in 1819 openly violated this fundamental taboo by eating with his queen he defied the gods of his fathers and struck at the very foundation of the religious faith of his people the general tabooes declared by the supreme chief or king were proclaimed by heralds while the pululu a staff surmounted by a crown of white or black kappa placed at the entrance of temples royal residences and the mansions of taboo chiefs or besides springs, groves, pards or bathing places was a standing notification against trespass general tabooes were declared either to propitiate the gods or in celebration of important events they were either common or strict and frequently embraced an entire district and continued from one to ten days during the continuance of a common taboo the masses were merely required to abstain from their usual occupations and attend the services at the haiaos or temples but during a strict taboo every fire and every light was extinguished no canoe was shoved from the shore no bathing was permitted the pigs and fowls were muzzled or placed under calabashes that they might utter no noise the people conversed in whispers and the priests and their assistants were alone allowed to be seen without their places of abode it was a season of deathly silence and it was thought to be especially grateful to the gods some of the royal tabooes centuries back in the past were frivolous and despotic such as regulating the wearing of beards and compelling all sales to be lowered on passing certain coast points but however capricious or oppressive the taboo was seldom violated and its maintenance was deemed a necessary protection to the governing classes ancient Hawaiian religion the ancient religion of the Hawaiians of which the taboo formed an essential feature was a theocracy of curious structure it was a system of idolatrous forms and sacrifices engrafted without consistency upon the Jewish story of the creation the fall of man the revolt of Lucifer the deluge and the repopulation of the earth the legends of the Hawaiians were preserved with marvellous integrity their historians were the priests who at intervals met in council and recited and compared their genealogical melees in order that nothing might be either changed or lost how did the Hawaiian priesthood become possessed of the story of the Hebrew Genesis old to them when the resolution into discovery dropped their anchors in Kiala Kia Kuabe old to them when one or more chance parties of Spanish sailors in the 16th century may have looked in upon them for a moment while on their way to the spice islands and it was probably old to them when the Hawaiians found their present home in the 6th century and when the Polynesians left the coast of Asia one theory is that the story was acquired through Israelite-ish contact with the ancestors of the Polynesians while the latter were drifting eastward from the land of their nativity but the more reasonable assumption seems to be that the Hawaiian theogony so strangely perpetuated is an independent and perhaps original version of a series of creation legends common in the remote past to the Kushite Semite and Aryan tribes and was handed down quite as accurately as the Jewish version before it became fixed in written characters in fact in some respects the Hawaiian seems to be more complete than the Jewish version from the beginning according to Hawaiian story a trinity of gods existed who were the soul and all pervading intelligences of chaos or night a condition represented by the Hawaiian word oh these gods were Kane the originator Ku the architect and builder and Lono the executor and director of the elements by the united will of Hikapoloa or the trinity light was brought into chaos they next created the heavens three in number as their dwelling places and then the earth, sun, moon and stars from their spittle they next created a host of angels to minister to their once finally man was created his body was formed of red earth mingled with the spittle of Kane and his head of whitish clay brought by Lono from the four quarters of the earth the meaning of Adam is red and it will be remarked that the Hawaiian Adam was made of earth of that colour he was made in the image of Kane who breathed into his nostrils and he became alive afterwards from one of his ribs taken from his side while he slept a woman was created the man was called Kumu Honua and the woman Keola Kuhonua the newly created pair were placed in a beautiful paradise called Paliuli three rivers of the waters of life ran through it the waters of which grew every inviting fruit including the tabooed breadfruit tree and sacred apple tree with which are connected the fall and expulsion of the man and woman from their earthly paradise the three rivers had their source in a beautiful lake fed by the living waters of Kane the waters were filled with fish which fire could not destroy and on being sprinkled with them the dead were restored to life legends relate instances in which these waters were procured through the favour of the gods for the restoration to life of distinguished mortals as a specimen of the chance perpetuating these traditions and embellishing the plainer prose recitals the following extract relating to the creation is given Kane of the great night Kuh and Lono of the great night Hikapaloa the king the tabooed night that is set apart the poisonous night the barren desolate night the continual darkness of midnight the night the reviler O Kane O Kukapaloa and great Lono dwelling in the water brought forth by heaven and earth quickened increased moving raised up into continents Kane lord of night lord the father Kukapaloa in the hot heavens great Lono with the flashing eyes lightning like has the lord established in truth O Kane master worker the lord creator of mankind start work bring forth the chief Kumu Honua and Ola Kuhonua the woman dwelling together are they too dwelling in marriage is she with the husband the brother among the angels created was Kanaloa the Hawaiian Lucifer who incited a rebellion in heaven with the results strangely enough related in immortal song by Milton when man was created Kanaloa demanded his adoration this was refused by Kane as angels and man were alike the creations of deity whereupon Kanaloa ambitiously resolved to create a man of his own who would worship him Kane allowed him to proceed with his seditious work he made a man in the exact image of Kumu Honua but could not give it life he breathed into its nostrils but it would not rise he called to it but it would not speak this exasperated him and he determined to destroy the man made by the gods he therefore crept into Kumu Honua in the form of a Mu or lizard and through some deception not definitely stated by tradition Kumu Honua and his mate committed some offence for which they were driven from paradise by the large white bird of Kane Kumu Honua had three sons the second of whom was slain by the first the name of the Hawaiian came is Laka Kapili was the youngest son and thirteen generations are named between him and the Deluge whereas the Hebrew version records about ten in the corresponding line of Zeph the Hawaiian Noah is called Nuu at the command of the gods he constructed an ark and entered it with his wife and three sons and a male and female of every breathing thing the waters came and covered the earth when they subsided the gods entered the ark which was wrestling on a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley and commanded Nuu to go forth with all of life that the ark contained in gratitude for his deliverance Nuu offered a sacrifice to the moon mistaking it for Kane descending on a rainbow that deity reproved his thoughtlessness but left the bow as a perpetual token of his forgiveness continuing the genealogical record ten generations are given between Nuu and Kupule who removed to a southern country taking with him as a wife his slave woman Ahu so was it with Abraham Kupule established the practice of circumcision and was the grandfather of Kini Lao Amano whose twelve children became the founders of twelve tribes from one of which the Menehune the Hawaiians are made to descend a story similar to that of Joseph is also given and mention is made of the subsequent return of the Menehune people to the land set apart for their occupation by Kane two brothers led them over deserts and through waters and after many tribulations they reached their destination this would seem to imply that the Menehune people were one of the tribes of Israel yet it is more probable that they had their origin in some one of the other twelve ships into which the early Asiatic tribes were in many instances divided and that the stories of Joseph and the Exodus became a part of their folklore through contact with other races the genealogical line from the Hawaiian Adam to the grandson of Kupule that is until the time of Jacob has been brought down through three distinct traditional channels the agreement of the several versions is remarkable but the one brought to the islands by the high priest Pao in the 11th century and retained by his ecclesiastical successors is regarded as the most authentic it was an heirloom of the priesthood and was never communicated beyond the wards of the temples with the settlement of the Menehune people in the land set apart for them by Kane the Hawaiian legends ceased to remind us of the Hebrews there the similarity of historic incident abruptly ends and with an uncertain stride of twelve or thirteen generations the chiefly line is brought down to Waqea and his wife, Papa mythical rulers of superhuman attributes who must have existed before the Polynesians left the Asiatic coast although in some legends they are connected not only with the first settlement of the Hawaiian archipelago but with the creation of its islands a few of the many legends relating to the creation and first settlement of the islands will be noted one of them in substance is that Hawaii Loa a distinguished chief and fourth in generation from Kine Lao Amano sailed westward and guided by the Pleiades discovered the Hawaiian group he gave to the largest island his own name and to the others the names of his children another tradition refers to Papa the wife of Waqea as the taboo descendant of Hawaii Loa and superior encased to her husband mutual jealousies embittered their lives and led to strange events Waqea found favour with the beautiful Hina and the island of Molokai was born of their embrace in retaliation Papa smiled upon the warrior Luwa and the fruit of their meeting was the fair island of Oahu hence the old names of Molokai Hina and Oahu Alua quite as fanciful a legend relates that an immense bird laid an egg on the waters of the ocean it was hatched by the warm winds of the tropics and the Hawaiian group came into being shortly after a man and woman with a pair each of dogs hogs and fowls came in a canoe from Kahiki landed on the eastern coast of Hawaii and became the progenitors of the Hawaiian people 56 generations are mentioned from Waqea to the present ruling family the legends of the 29 generations covering the period between Waqea and Mawaki which brings the record down to the 11th century when the second migratory influx from the southern islands occurred abounding wars, rebellions and popular movements in which giants, demigods and even the gods themselves took part and it was doubtless during that period that the idolatrous forms and practices of the Hawaiian religion as it existed a century ago were engrafted upon the older and simpler creed confined to the worship of the god head when the high priest Pao arrived with Pili he introduced some new gods while recognising the old strength and enlarged the scope of the taboo and established a hereditary priesthood independent of and second only in authority to the supreme political head different grades of priests also came into existence such as seers, prophets astrologers and kahunas of various function including the power of healing and destroying in fact the priesthood embraced 10 distinct grades of colleges each possessing and exercising powers peculiar to it and the mastery of all of them was one of the qualifications of the high priesthood the chuchila deity of the entire body was Uli the form of the hiyao or temple was changed by Pao and his successors and the masses mingled less freely in the ceremonies of sacrifice and other forms of worship the high priesthood became more mysterious and exclusive and assumed prerogatives above the reach of royalty the old Hawaiian Trinity Kani, Ku and Lono remained the supreme gods of the pantheon but Kanaloa the spirit of evil was accorded beneficent attributes and exalted among them the regions of Po or death were presided over by Milu a wicked king who once ruled on earth while the spirits of favorite chiefs were conveyed by the divine messenger Kua Hiro to the presence of Kaonohio Kala whose beatific abode was somewhere in the heavens another belief was that the ruler of Po was Manua and that Milu did not follow Akeya the first king of Hawaii to that place but dwelt in a region far westward although significant of darkness Po was not without light like Tartarus it could be visited by favorite mortals and the dead were sometimes brought back from it to earth Pele the dreadful goddess of the volcanoes with her malignant relatives was added to the Hawaiian deities during the second influx from the south and temples were erected to her worship all over the volcanic districts of Hawaii at that period were also introduced La Amau Maau the god of the winds the poison goddesses Kalaipahau and Kapo and many other deities but the worship of the Hawaiians was not confined to Kānei Kū, Lonoh and Pele Hiaos were erected to the war gods of the kings and great sacrifices were frequently made to them generally of human beings preceding, during and following campaigns and battles humbler temples were also maintained to fish, shark, lizard and other gods where sacrifices of fish and fruits were offered to the superstitious masses the land abounded in gnomes and fairies and the waters in nymphs and monsters whose caprices are themes of a bountiful store of folklore most every stream, gorge and headland is connected some supernatural story and the bards and musicians of old earned an easy support by keeping alive these legends of the people to some supernatural powers were given and malignant and beneficent spirits assumed human forms and flitted among the palms in the guise of birds the people made their own household gods and destroyed them when they failed to contribute to their success for example at Ninole on the southeast coast of Hawaii is a small beach called Kahloa the stones of which it was thought propagated by contact with each other from the large stones the people made gods to preside over their games when a stone was selected for a god it was taken to the Hiao where certain ceremonies were performed over it it was then dressed and taken to witness a long game or pastime if the owner was successful it was accepted as a god if unsuccessful more than once or twice it was thrown away or wrought into an axe or adzey sometimes a stone of each sex was selected wrapped in kapa and laid away in time a small pebble was found with them it increased in size and was finally taken to the Hiao and formerly made into a god such is the story that is still told the people believed that the spirits of the departed continued to hover around their earthly homes and the shades of their ancestors were appealed to in prayer the owl and a bird called the ally were regarded as gods and scords of other deities controlling the elements or presiding over the several industries and amusements of the masses were recognised then placated by the high priest and the high priest and many other deities and many other deities they had a god of the winds of the husbandmen the warrior the canoe maker the hula dancer the distiller the orator the doctor and the sorcerer and many gods of the sailor and the fisherman were located either to the higher gods of the pantheon or to the war god of the king or supreme chief he was next to the king in authority and always have distinguished blood surrounded by seers prophets and assistants and claiming to hold direct intercourse with the gods he was consulted on all matters of state consequence and the auguries of the temple were always accepted with respect and confidence and sometimes had charge of the war god of the king and in such cases went with it to the field of battle Hua one of the ancient kings of Maui defied the priesthood and slew his high priest as a warning to ruling chiefs the story of the consequences of Hua's madness has come down with great conciseness through the chroniclers of the priesthood Hua's kingdom became a desolation wherever he travelled all vegetation perished and he finally died of famine on Hawaii and his bones were left to whiten in the sun there were several classes of priests or kahunas beside those who were connected with the temples they were seers doctors and dealers in enchantment and subsisted by praying upon the people through their superstitions all physical illness was attributed either to the anger of the gods witchcraft or the prayers of the malignant kahuna the afflicted person usually sent for a kahuna whose first business was to discover the cause of the malady through incantation this ascertained an effort was made to counteract the spells or prayers which were wearing away the life of the patient and sometimes with so great success that the affliction was transferred to the party whose malice had invoked it the belief that one person might be prayed to death by another was universal by the ancient Hawaiians and not a few of the race would term pale today if told that one priestly strain was earnestly praying for his death in praying a person to death it was essential that the kahuna should possess something closely connected with the person of the victim a lock of his hair a tooth, a nail pairing or a small quantity of his spittle for example hence the office of spittoon bearer to the ancient kings was entrusted only to chiefs of some rank who might be expected to guard with care the royal expectation the belief was general that the spirits of the dead might be seen and conversed with by the kilos or sorcerers and the spirits of the living it was claimed were sometimes invoked from their slumbering tabernacles by priests of exceptional sanctity the spirit of the dead was called unihipili while the disembodied and visible spirit of a living person was known as a kahuaqa of all the deities Pele was held in greatest dread on the island of Hawaii where volcanic eruptions were frequent with her five brothers and eight sisters all representing different elemental forces she dwelt in state in the fiery abysses of the volcanoes moving from one to another at her pleasure and visiting with inundation of lava such districts as neglected to cast into the craters proper offerings of meats and fruits or angered her in other respects one of her forms was that of a beautiful woman in which she sometimes sought human society and numerous legends of her affairs of love have been preserved she was regarded as a special friend of Kamehameha the first and the suffocation of a portion of the army of kahua near the crater of Kilauea in 1791 was credited directly to her the last public recognition of the powers of Pele occurred as late as 1882 on the island of Hawaii the village of Hilo was threatened a broad stream of lava from Morna Loa after a devastating journey of 25 miles or more reached a point in its downward course within a mile or two of the bay of Hilo its movement was slow like that of all lava streams some distance from their source but its steadily approaching line of fire rendered it almost certain that the village and perhaps the harbour of Hilo would be destroyed within a very few days trenches were digged walls were raised and prayers were offered but all to no purpose downward moved the awful avalanche of fire Ruth, a surviving sister of the fourth and fifth Kamehamehas was then living in Honolulu she was a proud stern old chiefess who thought too little of the whites to attempt to acquire their language the danger threatening Hilo was reported to her I will save the fishponds of Hilo said the old chiefess Pele will not refuse to listen to the prayer of a Kamehameha she chartered a steamer left Honolulu for Hilo with a large number of attendants and the next day stood facing the still moving flow of lava ascending an elevation immediately back of the village she caused to be erected there a rude altar before which she made her supplications to Pele with offerings fed to the front of the advancing lava this done she descended the hill with confidence and returned to Honolulu the stream of fire ceased to move and today its glistening front stands like a war surrounding Hilo a remarkable coincidence explained the whites the work of Pele whispered the natives although the last of the temples of that goddess had been destroyed 60 years before without discussing the cause a natural one beyond a doubt it may be remarked that the result has been something of a renewal of the natives of faith in the discarded gods of their fathers all the minor gods of the Hawaiians seem to have been independent and self controlling it is not claimed that they derived their powers from were directed by or were responsible to the supreme god head hence the mythology of the Polynesians strong though it be in individual powers and personations of the forces and achievements of nature presents itself to us in a fragmentary form like an incongruous patchwork of two or more half developed or half forgotten religious systems one of the most noted of the independent deities of the group was Kalaipahoa the poison goddess of Molokai some centuries back she came to the islands with two or three of her sisters from an unknown land and left her mark in many localities she entered a grove of trees on the island of Molokai and left in them a poison so intense that birds fell dead in flying over their branches the king of the island was advised by his high priest to have a god hewn from one of the poisoned trees hundreds of his subjects perished in the undertaking but the image was finally finished and presented to the king wrapped in many folds of kapa it came down the generations of fear and was finally seized by the first Kamehameha and at his death divided among his principal chiefs K'ula was the principal god of the fishermen on all the islands of the group rude temples were erected to him on the shores of favourite fishing grounds and the first fish of every catch was his Jew his wife was Hina and she was appealed to when her husband withheld his favours Laiapua and Kaneapua were gods worshipped by the fishermen of Lanai and other fish gods were elsewhere recognised there were a number of shark and lizard gods they were powerful and malignant and greatly feared by the classes who frequented the sea hayaus were erected to them on prominences overlooking the ocean and the offerings to them of fish and fruits were always liberal they assumed the forms of gigantic sharks and lizards and not unfrequently lashed the waters into fury and destroyed canoes Moa Ali was the great shark god of Molokai and Oahu and Apu Kohai and Uhuma Kakai were the evil gods infesting the waters of Kauai Lono Akihi was the eel god of all the islands and Uka Nipo was the shark god of Hawaii among the celebrated war gods of the kings of the group was that of Kamehameha the first it was called Kaili or Kukaili Muku and accompanied the great chief in all of his important battles it had been the war god of the Hawaiian kings for many generations and was given in charge of Kamehameha by his royal uncle Kalariopu it was a small wooden image roughly carved and adorned with a headdress of yellow feathers it is said that at times in the heat of battle it uttered cries which were heard above the clash of arms it is not known what became of the image after the death of Kamehameha the public hyals or temples of the Hawaiians were usually ward enclosures of from one to five acres generally irregular in form the walls were frequently 10 feet in thickness and 20 feet in height and the material used was unhewn stone without mortar or cement they narrowed slightly from the base upward and were sometimes capped with hewn slabs of coral or other rock not too firm in texture to be worked with tools of stone within this enclosure was an inner stone or wooden temple with small dimensions called aluakina or House of Sacrifice and in front of the entrance to it stood the lele or altar consisting of a raised platform of stone the inner temple was sacred to the priests within it stood the anu a small wicker enclosure from which issued the oracles of the kaolas or prophets and around the walls were ranged charms and gods besides the entrance to this sacred apartment were images of the principal gods and the outer and inner walls were surrounded by lines of stone and wooden idols the enclosure contained other buildings for the accommodation of the high priest and his assistants also a house for the governing chief or king some distance removed from the domiciles of the priest it was used temporarily by him when on a visit of consultation to the temple or as a place of refuge in a time of danger on each side of the entrance to the outer enclosure was a taboo staff or elevated cross and near it was a small walled structure in which were slain the victims for the altar when the augury was required by the king he frequently visited the hyal in person and propounded his questions to the kaolas if the answers from the anu were vague and unsatisfactory other methods of divination were resorted to such as the opening of pigs and fowls the shapes of the clouds the flights of birds etc after prayers by the priest the animals were killed the auguries were gathered from the manor in which they expired the appearance of the intestines which were supposed to be the seat of thought and other signs sometimes the spleens of swine were removed if auguries of war were required and held above the heads of the priest while prayers were offered before engaging in war or any other important enterprise attended by doubt or danger human and other sacrifices were made of which there were 15 different kinds and the first prisoners taken in battle were reserved for the altar the priest named the number of men required for sacrifice and the king provided them sometimes from prisoners and malifactors and sometimes from promiscuous draughts along the highway the victims were slain with clubs without the temple walls and their bodies with other offerings were laid upon the altar to decay when the king or other high chief made a special offering of an enemy the left eye of the victim after the body had been brought to the altar was removed and handed to him by the officiating priest after making a semblance of eating it the chief tossed it upon the altar during the construction of high owls human sacrifices were usually offered as the work progressed and when completed they were dedicated with great pomp and solemnity and the altars were sometimes heaped with human bodies in dedicating ordinary temples the kaiopokio prayer was employed but in consecrating high owls of the first class the kuawili invocation was recited a prayer continuing from sunrise to sunset oil and holy water were sprinkled upon the altars and sacred vessels and the services were under the direction of the high priest and generally in the presence of the governing chief the ordinary services in the temples consisted of offerings of fruits and meats and of chants, prayers and responses in which the people sometimes joined women did not participate in the ceremonies of the temples but the exclusion found ample compensation in their exemption from sacrifice when human bodies were required temples of refuge called puhounuaz were maintained on Hawaii and possibly on Lanai and Oahu in the remote past but concerning the latter there is some doubt one of the puhounuaz on Hawaii was at Honaunau near the sacred burial place of Hali Okiawui and the other at Waipio connected with the great high owl of Pakalani their gates were always open the priests guarded their entrances anyone who entered their enclosures for protection whether chief or slave whether escaping criminal or warrior in retreat was safe from molestation even though the king pursued these places of refuge with the right of circumcision which existed until after the death of the first Kamehameha suggest a Polynesian contract with the descendants of Abraham far back in the past if not a kinship with one of the scattered tribes of Israel in further evidence of the wanderings of the early Polynesians in western and southern Asia and of their intercourse with the continental races it may be mentioned that the position towards phallic worship attested by tradition and existing symbols followed them far out into the pacific and that connected with their story of the creation so closely resembling the Hebrew version is the Buddhist claim of previous creations which either ran their course or were destroyed by an offended godhead nor is Hawaiian tradition content with the mere advancement of the theory of successive creations it makes specific reference to a creation next preceding that of their Kumu Honua or Adam and gives the names of the man and woman created and destroyed they were Waila Ahilani and Owe it has been mentioned that the birds Pueo and Alai were sacred and sometimes worshipped among the sacred fish were the Aku and Opelu how they became so is told in a legend relating to the high priest Pao who migrated to the islands in the 11th century and induced Pili to follow him before visiting Hawaii Pao lived near his brother probably on the island of Samoa both were priests and well skilled in sorcery and divination the name of the brother was Lonopele both were affluent and greatly respected Lonopele's lands were near the sea and produced the choicest varieties of fruits one season when the fruits were ripening Lonopele discovered that someone was surreptitiously gathering them in the night time and accused one of the sons of Pueo of stealing them indignant at the charge and discerning no better way of disproving it Pueo killed and opened his son and showed his brother that there was no fruit in the stomach of the boy grieved at the death of his son and holding his brother accountable for it Pueo concluded to emigrate to some other land and built strong canoes for that purpose about the time they were completed a son of Lonopele chanced to be in the neighbourhood and Pao remembering the death of his own son ordered the boy to be killed he was missed and search was made for him and his body was finally found near Pueo's canoes Lonopele charged his brother with the murder Pueo did not deny it and Lonopele ordered him to leave the island to avoid further trouble Pueo set sail at once with a party consisting of 38 persons one tradition says Pili was of the party but he must have left Samoa some years later as Pueo sent or went for him after reaching Hawaii those who were moving from the shore several prophets standing on the cliffs above expressed the desire to join the party very well was the answer of Pueo if you are prophets as you say leap from the cliffs and I will take you aboard several leaped into the sea and were dashed against the rocks and drowned finally Makua Kaumana a prophet of genuine inspiration who was to have accompanied the expedition reached the shore and discovered the canoes of Pueo far out on the ocean raising his voice he hailed Pueo and asked that a canoe might be sent back for him not so returned the priest in a loud voice which the favouring winds bore to the belated prophet to return would be an omen of evil there is room for you but if you would go with us you must fly to our canoes and flying the prophet reached the canoes in safety observing the canoes of Pueo as they were disappearing in the distance Lonopeles sent a violent storm to destroy them but the strong fish Akku assisted in propelling the canoes against the storm and the mighty fish of Pueo swam around them and broke the waves with his body the malignant brother then sent the great bird Ki ha ha kai wainapali to vomit over the canoes and sink them but they were hastily covered with mats and thus escaped destruction after a long voyage Pueo landed in Puna on the coast of Hawaii thenceforth the Akku and Opelu were held sacred by Pueo and his descendants following is a list of the supreme and principal elemental industrial and tutula deities of the Hawaiian group the god head Kane the organiser Kuu the architect and builder Lono the executor Kanaloa the Lucifer or fallen angel rulers in the realms of Pueo or death Arkaya the first Hawaiian king who after life founded the island kingdom of Kapapa Haonao Moku in the realms of Pueo or death Milu the successor of Arkaya or Hu according to another belief accompanied Arkaya to Pueo and became the perpetual ruler of a kingdom on its western confines Manua referred to in some legends as the supreme sovereign of Pueo with him abide the spirits of distinguished chiefs and priests who wander among beautiful streams and groves of cow trees and subsist upon lizards and butterflies minor celestial deities Kayano Hiokala the eyeball of the sun a celestial god with an abode somewhere in the heavens and to whose presence the departed spirits of chiefs were conducted Kuaharo the messenger who conducted the souls of distinguished chiefs to Kayano Hiokala Ola Puea a god of Maui who bore the spirits of noted chiefs to the celestial paradise Kamehameha sought to secure possession of a very sacred image of this god inherited by Kahekili Moi of Maui the volcanic deities Pele the ruling goddess of the volcanoes with her sisters Hii Aka Wawahi Lani the heaven-rending cloud holder Makoi Nawa Hiwa the fire-eyed canoe breaker Hii Aka Noho Lani the heaven-dwelling cloud holder Hii Aka Hoi Kei Puli Apele the cloud holder kissing the bosom of Pele Hii Aka Kapu Enaina the red hot mountain-lifting clouds Hii Aka Kaliaya the wreath encircled cloud holder Hii Aka Opeo the young cloud holder and their brothers Kamo Hoalii or King Moho the king of vapor or steam Kapu Hoiika Hiola god of explosions Kei Ua Ki Po god of the night rain or rain of fire Kanei Kahili the husband of thunder or thundering god Kei Ua Hii Kamakawa the fire-thrusting child of war the last two were hunchbacks Akuwa Pao the war-god of Pao taken from the temple of Manini by Umi Kukaili Moku the war-god of Kamehameha the first bequeathed to him by Kalaniopu deities of the elements La Amau Ameo god of the winds the Hawaiian Aeolus whose home was on Molikai Hinaku Luai a goddess of the rain Hinakiali and Aokui Paile sisters of Hinaku Luai Mualio a powerful gnome of Lanai conquered by Kaolulao a prince of Maori Kula, a god of the fishermen Hinah, wife of Kula La Iapua and Kaniapua gods of the fishermen of Lanai Hinahele and her daughter Aiai Kula goddesses of the fishermen of Hawaii Ukanipo the great shark god of Hawaii Mu'aali the principal shark god of Molokai and Oahu Lonowakiki the great eel god of all the group Apukohai and Ahumakai Ka evil shark or fish gods of Kauai gods of the arts and industries Aqua'ula the god of inspiration Haululi a god of speech special to Kauai Koliamuku the deified chief who first learned the use of herbs and the art of healing from the gods he was a patron of the kahunas Ollonopuha and Makanuai Iloni deified disciples of Koliamuku Ka'anahua the second son of the high priest Luahumui and Kukau gods of the husbandmen Lakakane god of the hula and similar sports Mokua'uli god of the canoe makers Hai god of the kappamaking Ulau Lakayaki god of distillation Kalaipa Hoa a goddess who entered the poisoned trees Kapo and Pu'a sisters of Kalaipa Ahua with light functions Kama a powerful tutela god of all the islands Lauli the god who made inviolable laws Kuahana the god who killed men wantonly Lele Io'o the god who inflicted bodily pain Lele Huqaha the god who inflicted bodily pain Lele Huqaha wife of Lele'o Lie a goddess of the mountains who braided lays Mika Hulipu the god who assisted in writing upset canoes Bahoka'a a god living in precipitous places and who rolled down stones to the fright and injury of passers Kiyole'o'a a god worshiped in the heels of Maui Kiha a goddess of Maui held in great reverence Uli the god of the sorcerers Pekuku a powerful god of Hawaii Lonori Ki'a'ualie a god worshiped in the heels of Oahu Kawakahi a god of Maui and Molokai Hiaka a mountain god of Kauai Kapo and Kapua and several others messengers of the gods Uli the god appealed to by their kahunas in praying people to death Maliu any deified deceased chief Aqwa Noho gods possessing the spirits of departed mortals of which there were many Kiha Wahine and Karlo noted deities of the class of Aqwa Noho Mahulu a name common to three gods in the temples of Lono Manu the names of two gods at the outer gates of Hayao's dedicated to Lono Puea the god worshiped in the darkness Kaluwa N'unno Honio one of the principal gods of the Luakina a sacrificial house of the temple a general name for a class of 13 gods connected with the larger Hayao's End of chapter 2