The Legends and Myths of Hawaii.
HAWAIIAN LEGENDS: INTRODUCTION.
Hina, the Helen of Hawaii.
HINA, THE HELEN OF HAWAII.
The Royal Hunchback.
THE ROYAL HUNCHBACK.
The Triple Marriage of Laa-mai-kahiki.
THE TRIPLE MARRIAGE OF LAA-MAI-KAHIKI.
The Apotheosis of Pele.
THE APOTHEOSIS OF PELE.
Hua, King of Hana.
HUA, KING OF HANA.
The Iron Knife.
THE IRON KNIFE.
The Sacred Spear-Point.
THE SACRED SPEAR-POINT.
Kelea, the Surf-Rider of Maui.
KELEA, THE SURF-RIDER OF MAUI.
Umi, the Peasant Prince of Hawaii.
UMI, THE PEASANT PRINCE OF HAWAII.
Lono and Kaikilani.
LONO AND KAIKILANI.
The Adventures of Iwikauikaua.
THE ADVENTURES OF IWIKAUIKAUA.
The Prophecies of Keaulumoku.
THE PROPHECIES OF KEAULUMOKU.
The Cannibals of Halemanu.
THE CANNIBALS OF HALEMANU.
Kaiana, the Last of the Hawaiian Knights.
KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HAWAIIAN KNIGHTS.
Kaala, the Flower of Lanai.
KAALA, THE FLOWER OF LANAI.
The Destruction of the Temples.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLES.
The Tomb of Puupehe.
THE TOMB OF PUUPEHE.
The Story of Laieikawai.
THE STORY OF LAIEIKAWAI.
Lohiau, the Lover of a Goddess.
LOHIAU, THE LOVER OF A GODDESS.
Kahavari, Chief of Puna.
KAHAVARI, CHIEF OF PUNA.
Kahalaopuna, the Princess of Manoa.
KAHALAOPUNA, THE PRINCESS OF MANOA.
HAWAIIAN LEGENDS: GLOSSARY.
HAWAIIAN LEGENDS: INTRODUCTION.
Physical
Characteristics of the Hawaiian Islands—Historic Outlines—The
Tabu—Ancient Religion—Ancient Government—Ancient Arts, Habits
and Customs—The Hawaii of To-day.GENERAL
RETROSPECT.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
look 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 cocoas 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 two thousand 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.Mahiole,
or Feathered War-Helmet.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, save the little
retained
by the dreamiest of legends, of the great world beyond their island
home; whose origin may be traced to the ancient Cushites 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 characterized 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 re-entrance to
the
forfeited joys of Paradise was prevented by the large, white bird
of
Kane;
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
tabu;
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
meles
of the chiefs.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 stature of eight or nine feet, crowned with
helmets of feathers and bearing spears thirty feet in length. Such
men were Kiha, and Liloa, and Umi, and Lono, all kings of Hawaii
during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; and little less in
bulk
and none the less in 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 Maukaleoleo, who, with his feet upon the ground,
could
reach the cocoanuts of standing trees; and back of him in the past
is
seen Kana, the son of Hina, whose height was measured by
paces.GROUP
OF ANCIENT WEAPONS.War-Club.Pahoa,
or Wooden Dagger.Shark’s-Teeth
Knife.Flint-edged
Knife.Stone
Battle-Axe.Stone
Battle-Axe.Ihe,
or Javelin, 6 to 8 feet long.Spear,
16 to 20 feet long.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 cloaks and helmets, and, with spear and stone
halberd,
are at the front of 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 borne 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 neighboring mountains,
and a few, perhaps, to a temple of 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 neighboring island.
But
here and there we catch glimpses of actual conflicts indicative of
the warlike 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
eight hundred 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 sixteen thousand warriors, he sweeps
the Oahuan army over the precipice of Nuuanu and becomes the master
of the archipelago. Finally we behold Kekuaokalani, 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 Kuamoo.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 color the ruddy canvas of the past. We see
Kanipahu,
the exiled king of Hawaii, delving like a common laborer on a
neighboring island, and refusing to accept anew the sceptre in his
old age because his back had become crooked with toil and he could
no
longer look over the heads of his subjects as became a Hawaiian
king.
We see Umi, a rustic youth of royal mien and mighty proportions,
boldly leap the palace-walls of the great Liloa, 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 walls of the sovereign court of Oahu, to return to
Hawaii
and triumph over his enemies. These and many other romantic
incidents
present themselves in connection with the early Hawaiian kings and
princes, and are offered in the succeeding 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 folk-lore
of
their people. The islands occupy a place in a great waste of the
Pacific between the nineteenth and twenty-third degrees of north
latitude, and the one hundred and fifty-fourth and one hundred and
sixty-first degrees of longitude west from Greenwich. They are two
thousand one hundred miles southwest 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 three hundred miles from
each other, measuring from their extreme boundaries, and their
aggregate area is a little more than six thousand one hundred
square
miles. Of the eight principal islands all are habitable, although
the
small islands of Niihau and Kahoolawe 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
ten to fourteen thousand 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 mountain-sides 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 bread-fruit stand clothed in
perpetual
green, with groves of stately cocoas between them and the
sea.Once
the fragrant sandal-wood 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 him
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
Haleakala, more than thirty 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 foot-hills of the group;
but
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 grand for human eyes to witness when all
these dead volcanic peaks, aglow with sulphurous flames, lit up the
moonless midnights 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 to-day the awful, restless and
ever-burning caldron of Kilauea, nearly a mile in circumference, is
the grandest conflagration that lights up the earth. Within its
lurid
depths, in 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 leveled and their gods have been destroyed? after their
tabus
have been broken and their priesthood has been dethroned and
dishonored? 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-wind’s breath, chase each other high up among the
cocoa’s roots and branches of the humble
hau-tree
clinging to the sands. The harbor of Honolulu, on the island of
Oahu,
is the only one, however, where passengers and freights 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, cocoanut, breadfruit,
ohia,
sugar-cane, arrow-root, yam, sweet potato,
taro,
strawberry, raspberry and
ohelo.
The lime, orange, mango, tamarind, papaia, 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 sparely 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 islands a hundred years ago. But the native could well afford
to
be content with this limited provision, since it did not include
snakes, mosquitoes, centipedes, tarantulas, or scorpions.To
what processes of creation or isolation do the Hawaiian Islands owe
their existence? Were they raised from the depths of the ocean by
volcanic action, as plainly suggested by their formation? or are
they
a part of a great sunken continent which speculation, sustained by
misty tradition, claims once occupied the Polynesian seas?
Hawaiian
meles
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 twelfth 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 favor 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 Fornander, 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
Cushite 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 Hindoo 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.Their
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 and 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 fifty to one hundred 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
thirteen or fourteen 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
late in the tenth or early in the beginning of the eleventh 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. Among the first was the
high-priest Paao, from Samoa. He arrived during the reign of
Kapawa,
the grandson of Nanamaoa, or immediately after his death. The
people
were in an unsettled condition politically, and Paao, 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. Paao became his high-priest, and somewhat disturbed
the
religious practices of the people by the introduction of new rites
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, Paao 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 warlike 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 calked upon strong frames.
They were decked over and carried ample sail. Their 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 theretofore 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 four hundred 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
the Pili, Paumakua, 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.Princess
Liliuokalani.At
the close of the second migratory period, which concluded their
intercourse with the world beyond them for more than six hundred
years, or from A.D. 1175 to 1778, the people of the group had very
generally transferred their allegiance to the newly-arrived chiefs.
The notable exceptions were the Maweke and Kamauaua families of
Oahu
and Molokai, both of the ancient Nanaula line. Although they were
gradually crowded from their possessions by their more energetic
invaders, the high descent of the prominent native chiefs was
recognized, 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
twelfth
century to the nineteenth 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 I. 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
Kahoolawe were usually subject to Maui, while Niihau always shared
the political fate of Kauai.On
each island, however, were descendants of distinguished ancient
chiefs and heroes, who were recognized as of superior or royal
blood,
and with them originated the supreme chiefs, kings, or
mois
of the several islands, whose lines continued in authority, with
interruptions of insurrection and royal feuds, until the
consolidation of the group by Kamehameha. No one was recognized as
a
tabu
chief unless 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 favor the assumption. To keep pure 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 subjugate the entire archipelago. This bold scheme was
entertained by a king of the island of Hawaii who reigned during
the
latter part of the thirteenth 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 twelfth century
to the eighteenth—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 four hundred thousand souls.
This estimate has been considered large. But when it is noted that
fifteen years later there were between thirty and forty thousand
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 sixteen thousand warriors, principally drawn from the island
of
Hawaii. He was opposed by eight or ten thousand spears, while as
many
more awaited his arrival on Kauai. According to the figures of the
Rev. Mr. Ellis, who travelled around the island of Hawaii in 1821
and
numbered the dwellings and congregations addressed by him in the
several coast districts through which he passed, the number of
people
on that island alone could not have been less than one hundred and
fifteen thousand.At
the time of the arrival of Captain Cook, Kalaniopuu, 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. Kahekili,
“the thunderer,” as his name implied, was
moi
of Maui, and the principal wife of Kalaniopuu was his sister.
Kahahana, who was also related to Kahekili, 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
Kahekili, 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 none the less vindictive because of their kinship, or
attended with less of barbarity in their hours of triumph.At
that time Kahekili 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 warlike expedition to Maui, intent upon avenging his
defeat of two years before, when his famous brigade of eight
hundred
nobles was hewn in pieces.Connected
with the court of Kalaniopuu 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; yet he seldom smiled or engaged in the
manly
sports 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 Keoua, the half-brother of Kalaniopuu,
although it was believed by many that his real father was
Kahekili,
moi
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
war-ships
Resolution
and
Discovery,
was on a voyage in search of a northwest passage eastward from
Behring’s 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 of the group, he left for
the
northwest coast of America on the 2d 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 Kealakeakua Bay. He was
hailed as a reincarnation of their god
Lono
by the people, and the priests conducted him to their temples and
accorded him divine honors. 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 bickerings soon after occurred 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. Cook demanded its restoration, and, while endeavoring
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 Cook was borne off by the natives, but the most
of the bones were subsequently returned at the request of Captain
King, and the vessels 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 from 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 sixteenth 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 two hundred or more years later, for Cook was
welcomed as a supernatural being by the awe-stricken 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.Kalaniopuu,
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 the 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, Kiwalao, from whom he
wrested the Hawaiian sceptre; but his military genius rallied
around
him the warlike chiefs who were dissatisfied with the division of
lands by the son and successor of Kalaniopuu, and in the end his
triumph was complete. To farther 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 generally 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 at Maui. In
1787 several trading vessels visited the group, and the natives
began
to barter provisions and sandal-wood for fire-arms 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.
Thenceforward 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 sandal-wood, which was then quite
abundant
on most of the timbered mountains of the islands. The harbor of
Honolulu was first discovered and entered by two American vessels
in
1794, and it soon became a favorite resort for the war, trading and
whaling 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
admonished 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 eighty; and his bones were so
secretly
disposed of that they have not yet been found.Liholiho,
the elder of his sons by Keopuolani, the daughter of his cousin
Kiwalao, 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 in the faith
of
his fathers.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—Liholiho, under
the inspiration of Kaahumanu, 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
tabus
of his religion by 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
Hewahewa, who was the first to apply the torch; and within a few
weeks idols, temples, altars, and a priesthood which had held
prince
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 Keawe and Umi and the altars of the Hawaiian gods. This
champion was Kekuaokalani, a nephew, perhaps a son, of the first
Kamehameha, and a cousin, perhaps a half-brother, of Liholiho. In
his
veins coursed 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
tabu
or prerogative, claimed to be second in authority to Hewahewa, who
traced his lineage back to Paao, the high-priest of Pili. His wife,
Manono, was scarcely less distinguished for her courage, beauty and
chiefly strain.The
apostasy of Hewahewa left Kekuaokalani 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, refused all concessions.A
battle was fought at Kuamoo, at first favorable to the defenders of
the gods; but the fire-arms of the whites in the service of the
king
turned the tide of war against them, and they were defeated and
scattered. Kekuaokalani 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 Kekuaokalani, Kalaimoku, the
prime
minister of Liholiho, and his brother Boki, were baptized 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
tabu,
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 masses that they did not hesitate when called
upon
to consign the priesthood and their gods to the grave of the
tabu.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 labored and to themselves
individually. They acquired substantial possessions in their new
home, controlled the government for the fifty or more years
following, and their children are to-day 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
labors in the Hawaiian group should not be measured by the small
number of natives who to-day may be called Christians, but rather
by
the counsel 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 civilized 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 Liholiho and his queen died while on a visit to England, and
their remains were sent back to the islands in an English man-of
war.
Kauikeaouli, 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 Kaahumanu, 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 were finally landed under the guns of a French
frigate and allowed to remain. Meantime churches, schools and
printing-presses had 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,
promptly
acknowledged the independence of the group.Princess
Kauilani.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 Lunalilo 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, and 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 five 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, Kapiolani, 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 has 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 I 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
Liliuokalani, the elder of the two sisters of the king, has been
named as his successor. She 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 Kaiulani, daughter of the Princess
Likelike,1
wife of Mr. Cleghorn, a merchant of Honolulu.Following
is a list of the sovereigns of Hawaii, with the dates and durations
of their several governments, from the eleventh to the nineteenth
century. It embraces only the rulers of the island of Hawaii, who
eventually became the masters of the group. Until the reign of
Kalaniopuu, which began in 1754, the dates are merely
approximate:Pilikaeae,from
A.D. 1095 to 1120Kukohau,from,,,,A.D.,,
1120 to 1145Kaniuhi,from,,,,A.D.,,
1145 to 1170Kanipahu,from,,,,A.D.,,
1170 to 1195Kalapana
(including the usurpation of
Kamaiole),from,,,,A.D.,,
1195 to 1220Kahaimoelea,from,,,,A.D.,,
1220 to 1260Kalaunuiohua,from,,,,A.D.,,
1260 to 1300Kuaiwa,from,,,,A.D.,,
1300 to 1340Kahoukapu,from,,,,A.D.,,
1340 to 1380Kauholanuimahu,from,,,,A.D.,,
1380 to 1415Kiha,from,,,,A.D.,,
1415 to 1455Liloa,from,,,,A.D.,,
1455 to 1485Hakau,from,,,,A.D.,,
1485 to 1490Umi,from,,,,A.D.,,
1490 to 1525Kealiiokaloa,from,,,,A.D.,,
1525 to 1535Keawenui,from,,,,A.D.,,
1535 to 1565Kaikilani
and Lonoikamakahiki,from,,,,A.D.,,
1565 to 1595Keakealanikane,from,,,,A.D.,,
1595 to 1625Keakamahana,from,,,,A.D.,,
1625 to 1655Keakealaniwahine,from,,,,A.D.,,
1655 to 1685Keawe
and sister,from,,,,A.D.,,
1685 to 1720Alapanui,from,,,,A.D.,,
1720 to 1754Kalaniopuu,from,,,,A.D.,,
1754 to 1782Kamehameha
I,from,,,,A.D.,,
1782 to 1819Kamehameha
II.—Liholiho,from,,,,A.D.,,
1819 to 1824Kaahumanu
regency,from,,,,A.D.,,
1824 to 1833Kamehameha
III.—Kauikeaouli,from,,,,A.D.,,
1833 to 1854Kamehameha
IV,from,,,,A.D.,,
1854 to 1863Kamehameha
V.—Lot,from,,,,A.D.,,
1863 to 1872Lunalilo,from,,,,A.D.,,
1872 to 1873Kalakaua,from,,,,A.D.,,
1874 to ——Having
thus briefly sketched the outlines of the prominent political
events
of the islands, the ancient religion of the Hawaiians will next be
referred to; and as the
tabu
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
tabu
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.THE
TABU.Strictly
speaking, the ancient
tabu,
or
kapu,
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
tabus
were well understood by the people, as were also the personal or
perpetual
tabus
of the ruling families; but the incidental
tabus
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
tabu,
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
tabu
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
tabu
rights.The
Puloulou, or Tabu Mark.Favorite
paths, springs, streams and bathing-places were at intervals
tabued
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
tabu
nobility.Yellow
was the
tabu
color of royalty, and red of the priesthood, and mantles of the
feathers of the
oo
and
mamo
could be worn only by kings and princes. Feather capes of mingled
red
and yellow distinguished the lesser nobility.Women
were
tabued
from eating plantains, bananas, and cocoanuts; also the flesh of
swine and certain fish, among them the
kumu,
moano,
ulua,
honu,
ea,
hahalua
and
naia;
and men and women were allowed under no circumstances to partake of
food together. Hence, when Liholiho, in 1819, openly violated this
fundamental
tabu
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
tabus
declared by the supreme chief or king were proclaimed by heralds,
while the
puloulou—a
staff surmounted by a crown of white or black
kapa—placed
at the entrance of temples, royal residences and the mansions
of
tabu
chiefs, or beside springs, groves, paths, or bathing-places, was a
standing notification against trespass. General
tabus
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
tabu
the masses were merely required to abstain from their usual
occupations and attend the services at the
heiaus,
or temples; but during a strict
tabu
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 was thought to be especially
grateful
to the gods.Some
of the royal
tabus,
centuries back in the past, were frivolous and despotic, such as
regulating the wearing of beards and compelling all sails to be
lowered on passing certain coast points; but, however capricious or
oppressive, the
tabu
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
tabu
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
meles,
in order that nothing might be either changed or lost. How did the
Hawaiian priesthood become possessed of the story of the Hebrew
genesis? It was old to them when the
Resolution
and
Discovery
dropped their anchors in Kealakeakua Bay; old to them when one or
more chance parties of Spanish sailors in the sixteenth 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 sixth century, and when the Polynesians
left the coast of Asia four hundred years earlier.Ancient
Gods.One
theory is that the story was acquired through Israelitish 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
Cushite,
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 sole and all-pervading intelligences of
chaos,
or night—a condition represented by the Hawaiian word
Po.
These gods were:Kane,
the originator;Ku,
the architect and builder; andLono,
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 wants.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
color. 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
Ke-ola-ku-honua.The
newly-created pair were placed in a beautiful paradise
called
Paliuli.
Three rivers of “the waters of life” ran through it, on the banks
of which grew every inviting fruit, including the “tabued
bread-fruit 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
favor of the gods, for the restoration to life of distinguished
mortals.As
a specimen of the chants perpetuating these traditions and
embellishing the plainer prose recitals, the following extract
relating to the creation is given:
“
Kane
of the great Night,Ku
and Lono of the great Night,Hika-po-loa
the king.The
tabued Night that is set apart,The
poisonous Night,The
barren, desolate Night,The
continual darkness of midnight,The
Night, the reviler.O
Kane, O Ku-ka-pao,And
great Lono dwelling in the water,Brought
forth are Heaven and Earth,Quickened,
increased, moving,Raised
up into Continents.Kane,
Lord of Night, Lord the Father,Ku-ka-pao,
in the hot heavens,Great
Lono with the flashing eyes,Lightning-like
has the LordEstablished
in truth, O Kane, master-worker;The
Lord creator of mankind:Start,
work, bring forth the chief Kumu-honua,And
Ola-ku-honua, the woman;Dwelling
together are they two.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
Paliuli
in the form of a
moo,
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 Cain is
Laka.
Ka Pili
was the youngest son, and thirteen generations are named between
him
and the Deluge, whereas the Hebrew version records but ten on the
corresponding line of Seth.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 resting 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
Ku Pule,
who “removed to a southern country,” taking with him as a wife
his slave-woman
Ahu.
So was it with Abraham.
Ku Pule
established the practice of circumcision, and was the grandfather
of
Kini-lau-a-mano,
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 twelveships 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 folk-lore
through contact with other races.The
genealogical line from the Hawaiian Adam to the grandson of
Ku Pule—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
Paao in the eleventh 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 walls of the
temples.With
the settlement of the
Menehune
people in the land set apart for them by
Kane,
the Hawaiian legends cease to remind us of the later history 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
Wakea
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
Kini-lau-a-mano,
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
Wakea,
as a
tabued
descendant of
Hawaii-loa,
and superior in caste to her husband. Mutual jealousies embittered
their lives and led to strange events.
Wakea
found favor with the beautiful
Hina,
and the island of Molokai was born of their embrace. In
retaliation
Papa
smiled upon the warrior
Lua,
and the fruit of their meeting was the fair island of Oahu. Hence
the
old names of
Molokai-Hina
and
Oahu-a-Lua.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.Fifty-six
generations are mentioned from
Wakea
to the present ruling family. The legends of the twenty-nine
generations covering the period between
Wakea
and Maweke—which brings the record down to the eleventh century,
when the second migratory influx from the southern islands
occurred—abound in wars, rebellions and popular movements, in which
giants, demi-gods, 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 an older and simpler creed confined to the worship of the
godhead.When
the high-priest Paao arrived with Pili he introduced some new gods
while recognizing the old, strengthened and enlarged the scope of
the
tabu,
and established an 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 ten distinct grades or 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 tutelar deity of the entire body was
Uli.The
form of the
heiau,
or temple, was changed by Paao 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—Kane,
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