mm ■• -It jji ; . , . . ilHIIIiillll: ^llllll! iniiHijIMHM i it 1 z I i ■ 2^4 itii' ®ljF S.l. Ml IGtbrary Nortlj (Earnlma BUtt (EoUcge QHI98 H3B7 >;pfet -^ if {^ 136722 This book may be kept out TWO WEEKS ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE CENTS a day thereafter. It is due on the day indicated below: I9?kv'^,^Vt 50M— May-54— Form 3 Natural History of Hawaii BOOK ONE The People, The Islands AND THE Plant Life of the Group fr J'Ui^i^U}v /Srt^^ Frontispiece "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."- Shakespeare. Natural History of Hawaii Being an Account of the Hawaiian People, the Geology and Geography of the Islands, and the Native and Introduced Plants and Animals of the Group BY WILLIAM ALANSON BRYAN, B. Sc. Professor of Zoolofjy and Geology in the College of Hawaii Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Member, The American Ornithologists Union; National Geographic Society; American Fisheries Society; Ha- waiian Historical Society; Hawaiian Entomological Society; Amer- ican Museums Association; National Audubon Society; Seven Years Curator of Ornithology in the Bishop Museum, etc. Illustrated with one luiiulred and seventeen full paize plates from four hundred and forty-one photographs elucidating the ethnology of the native people, the geology and topography of the islands and figur- ing more than one thousand of the conuuon or inter- esting species of plants and animals to be found in the native and introduced fauna and flora of Hawaii. Honolulu. Hawaii The Hawaiian (jazcltc Co., Ltd. 1915 For Distributors see Index Copyriclit, 1915, By William Alasson Bkvan Ht>N<)LrLU (Pate Severn TO THE MEMORY OF R. G. B. THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED PREFACE. In the preparation of the following" pages it has been the aim of the author to bring together into one volume the more important and interesting facts about the Hawaiian Islands and their primitive inhal)itants, as well as infonuation concerning the native and introduced plants and animals of the group. It is believed that those who read this volume — be they travelers, residents or students — will find, in its brief account of nature in Hawaii, not only much that will prove interesting and entertaining, but that which will foster and stimulate an interest in the things of nature for which these mid-ocean islands are far-famed. It is asserted that, in childhood, every person is interested in some of the many fields of natural history. It would be strange, indeed, if Hawaii, with its wonderful natural environment and remarkable tropical plants and interesting animals, did not rekindle in the minds of the old and encourage in the hearts of the young a desire to know more about things Hawaiian. As a result of the natural longing for information, there has existed for years a pressing de- mand in Hawaii, from teachers, travelers and students, for a hand-book that would supply the names for, as well as the facts relative to, familiar objects. To supply a guide that would provide reliable and readable information, in a form that would be welcomed by the general reading public, and, at the same time, that would meet the requirements of the homes, the schools, and the libraries of Hawaii and the mainland, as a convenient reference book, has been the author's endeavor. While the volume lays no claim to being an exhaustive monograph of the vast subject of which it treats, the material used has been patiently gathered from every possible source and carefully selected, sifted and verified in the field and study, by the author, during many years' resi- dence in the islands as an enthusiastic naturalist, museum curator and college professor. For these reasons it is believed that specialists willi technical in- formation at hand, no less than those who pride themselves on their general knowledge of things Hawaiian, will find the volume a handy 'first aid' and re- liable and convenient reference work. The carrying out of the three-fold object of in-eparing a readable account of Hawaii, a text-book or supplementary readei' on the natural history of the islands, and a convi-nicnt rcfcfcnce book for those who i-(M|iiii-(' a iiiori' Icclniical or detailed handling of the material iiicln(hMl tlian is custoiuai-y in a l)ook frankly popular in nature, presents certain difficulties that seem to have been met by the selection, classification, and arrangement of the text and the illustra- tions. The casual reader will find the body of the text shorn of the technical verbiage and scientific names that so often distract, annoy and fatigue the lay- man. Where such terms have been indispensal)l(' tli(\v have been defined in the 136722 10 NATUKAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. text, the footnotes, or in the index and glossary. Those who prefer their reading should rest on the firmer ground that definite nomenclature is supposed to im- part, will find the necessary technical names of orders, families, genera and species, referred to in the text given in the footnotes, or in the cross-references in the index. The systematist and specialist will not expect the degree of com- pleteness in this regard that Avould characterize a manual dealing with any one of the subjects herein treated. However, the scientific worker will find in the index and glossary, not only the scientific names most frequently in use for common objects in the more important contributions to the literature of his subject in the islands, but often the latest word on the nomenclature of the species in question. The index and glossary is made a special feature of the book. It has been carefully prepared and numerous cross-references to the various English, Ha- waiian and Latin names that are current with the people, or are written into the literature of the islands will aid the student in working out synonyms. The author has endeavored to make the possession of a little information, concerning the natural history of Hawaii, of use to the would-be student. To aid the lay- man, two generous open doors have been provided : one through the index, the other through the table of contents. By the use of these doors the inquirer, in possession of any one of the -many common names, the name of the great division to which the plant or animal belongs, or even knowing something of its habits or habitat, will, in most cases, find their knowledge sufficient to guide the way to such definite information as may be contained within the body of the book. ]\Iuch in the form of notes, comments and observation that seemed too specific, local, critical, fragmentary or prosaic to fit well into the plan of the body of the text, has been reserved for the combined index, glossar}^ and com- pendium at the end of the volume, and there appears in alphabetical order without reference to the text. The index therefore should be in constant use by the reader and student. Because of obvious limitations, and owing to the nature of the objects sought, the author has made no rigid attempt to follow out a system of arrangement in this volume such as an ethnologist, a geologist, a botanist or a zoologist would choose were they treating their special subject separately and in fuller detail. Strictly rigorous adherence to the various chapter headings has often been next to impossible. A given subject is often presented in preceding and succeeding chapters; or it may occur in dift'erent parts of the book. The natural desire is that books, in any way scientific in character, should follow some generally accepted system or arrangement. Such systems usually start with the lower, older, simpler or more generalized form and proceed gradually to the consideration of the more recent, higher or com- plex. Occasionall.v, however, for the sake of convenience, the system is reversed and a different order of arrangement may be followed. In the following pages the arrangement of the material has been based largely on a certain association of ideas and objects; but the sequence of the chapters has been controlled, to a PREFACE. 11 certain degree, by expedienc}' or caprice. Even in the arrangement of the five main sections into which the book is divided, it has seemed expedient to place that part first which, in a rigid natural order, would logically have been placed near the last. Nevertheless it will require no great intelligence on the part of the reader to trace out for himself the historical sequence of nature in Hawaii. No doubt the first great event would be the formation of the islands, followed by their occupation by plants and animals. These events in the natural order, and according to system, would doubtless long precede the peopling of the islands by the Hawaiian race, or the introduction, by them or any other race, of the various foreign plants and animals found in the group. The intiinate relation which existed between the splendid native Hawaiian people and their isolated environment is a subject of the greatest interest and entitles the human inhabitants to first consideration in the present treatment of this subject. The character and natural history of the race and the use made by the people in their economy, arts and practices, of the various ma- terials furnished them by nature, unites them most closely with their environ- ment ; and in a natural history, such as this, calls for an acquaintance with the Hawaiian race, as a native people and the aboriginal inhabitants of the coun- try, before we consider the environment which they had so thoroughly explored and mastered long before their contact with Europeans. It is confidently believed that the all too brief account of the ancient Ha- waiian people is one that will instill a just pride of ancestry into the hearts of those readers whose forebears were of the native Hawaiian race. Not so many hundred years ago, the ancestors of the proudest Europeans were little more than aborigines, and ate nuts and herbs, and depended on the fortunes of the chase for their meat. Not so many centuries before that, as the world measures time, a collection of their handiwork would have shown a group of objects far more crude than were those possessed by the Hawaiians at the time of their meeting with a dominant and powerful race. It seems hardly necessary to say that the following pages are not offered primarily as an original contribution to the natural history of Hawaii. The task has been chiefly to bring together information about the islands that only an expert knows where to find. That which has suited the author's purpose has often been taken almost verbatim from the most available, wliicli in many cases has been the original source. From the writings of the many experts who liave studied the various fields the natural history of Hawaii affords, the author in his own rcadinu' has culled wherever anything was found that would help to makt^ this l)ook more complete or interesting. The fruitful fields have been many, aiul to workers, past and present, whoever they may be, the author gladly makes the fullest acknowledg- ments. It is owing to the efforts of all that this general treatment of nature in Hawaii is made possible. In many cases whci-e it has been necessary to trace material to its original source, so much lias been found that luul been borrowed without acknowledgment — even in the writings of our most punctilious scient- 12 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. ists — that to give full and proper credit for information on Hawaiian subjects would involve a searching and comparing of original sources, that would profit but little, and Avould add endless labor to an already heavy task. So as the teller of an old tale the author makes no elaborate attempt to enumerate his sources and burden his book with an extended bibliography. No one however can, without flagrant injustice, write upon any Hawaiian theme without acknowledging his indebtedness to Mr. Thomas G. Thrum, who for more than forty years has been steadily engaged in gathering, compiling and publishing data on every phase of the Hawaiian Islands. His forty An- nuals constitute a mine of information of which these islands are justly proud. In the body of the text effort has been made to indicate the chief source and give credit for noteworthy facts, but the author wishes especially in this connection to allude to his colleagues and fellow workers in the field of science, who have generously given every assistance in their power in a spirit of willing cooperation that has made a pleasure of what would otherwise — and but for the love of the thing — have been a tedious and thankless task. In order that these pages might carry the additional weight of specific authority the author has read the manuscript of the various chapters to special- ists who have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields, and has incorporated their suggestions and corrections in the text. Those who have rendered material aid in this line or in other ways not elsewhere mentioned are Dr. John T. Gulick, evolutionist; Dr. N. B. Emerson, ethnologist; Dr. William D. Alexander, his- torian ; ]\Irs. Emma Metcalf Nakuina, Hawaiian scholar ; Mr. Thomas G. Thrum, historian and Hawaiian authority ; Dr. Charles H. Hitchcock, geologist ; Pro- fessor Charles W. Baldwin, geographer; Dr. Henry A. Pilsbry, conchologist ; Miss Mary Rathbun, crustaceologist ; Dr. Walter K. Fisher, zoologist ; Professor Otto Swezey, Mr. David T. Fullaway, ]\Ir. E. ]\I. Ehrhorn, economic ento- mologists; Dr. R. C. L. Perkins. Professor Henry W. Henshaw, Mr. Daniel B. Kuhns, naturalists; Mr. J. E. Higgins, horticulturist; Professor F. G. Krauss, agriculturist ; Professor Vaughan IMacCaughey. Mr. Joseph F. Rock, Mr. Charles N. Forbes, botanists, and to Messrs. D. Thaanum, William Wilder, Irwin Spald- ing, collectors. The author is under especial obligations to his former student, Mr. D. B. Kuhns, for much help in many fields. To the author's wife, Elizabeth Letson Bryan, Sc. D., whose interest in his labors has been never failing, a sincere tribute of appreciation is due for con- stant and valuable help, criticism and suggestions in all departments of the book. Only those Avho write books can appreciate what her contribution in encourage- ment, denial, love and service has been to this book. The half-tone illustrations were made from photographs in the author's col- lection. They, like the text, have been brought together from many sources. The greater number, however, are from negatives that, at one time or another, have been made expressly for use in this volume. Credit is given for the illustrations in another connection. PREPWCE. 13 Doubtless errors will be found in llu- U'xt ;aul in lla- pruur-i-eadini; \)y those who search for them. Few will expect absolute perfection. If the bare facts of nature have been clothed with living interest sufficient to make them acceptable and full of information for the general reader, as well as memorable and useful to the student of nature; and if at the same time what has Ix'cn written falls well within the tenets and tenor of truth as understood by the more critical scientists; and above all, should th(^ ])0()k prove generally useful, the author's ambition will have been attained. WILLLUI ALAXSOX BRYAX. The Palms, Honolulu, Hawaii, September 13th, 1915. ILLUSTRATIONS. Tlie illustrations used in the following pages are, in the main, reproduced from unpublished photographs taken by the author, at various times, during a period of many years residence in the islands. In addition to the plates taken especially for this work, a number of choice photographs, many of them of great value, have been secured from various sources, and the author takes this opportunity to publish his indebtedness to his friends and colleagues for gener- ous permission to select and use, from their private collections, such prints as are accredited to them in the followina- table : Baker, K. J.— Plate 1, fig. 2 ; 23—4 ; 25—2, 8. Baldwin, C. W. (Author, Geographv of the HaAvaiian Islands)— Plate 7, figs. 1, 2, 5, 6 : 41—1, 2, 3, 4 ; 44^1. 2, 5, 6, 7 : 49—2, 3 : 74—1. 2, 3, 6, 7, 8. Bishop Museum, Objects in the (Bv permission of the Trustees) — Plate 8, fig. 2; 11—1, 2, 3, 4 ; 12—1 ; 13 ; 77—4 ;*78. Bonine, E. K.— Plate 90, figs. 1, 2. 3, 4, 6. Brvan. AY. A.— Plate 8, fi-s. 1. 4; 10—5: 11—1. 2, 3, 4: 12—1: 13—1 to 21 i7_4; 18; 19—1, 3, 4, 5: 20—1, 2, 4: 22: 23—2, 3. 4: 24: 26: 29—1, 3 30— 1, 2, 4: 32—1, 2, 3, 4: 33—1. 2, 3. 4: 34: 35—1. 2. 4: 36—1. 2, 3, 4. 5, 6 37—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, e, 7. 8: 39: 46—3: 48—1, 2, 3. 4: 49—3: 51—1 to 18 52—1. 2. 3, 5, 6. 8: 53—1 to 20: 54^1 to 15: 56—1 to 14: 57—1. 2, 3, 6, 7. 9, lU- 58—1 to 16: 59—1 to 17; 60—1. 2, 4. 6: 61—1 to 17: 62—1 to 12: 63—1 to 19 : 66—1. 3. 5, 7 : 67—1, 2, 5, 6. 7 : 69—5 : 71—2 ; 72—3, 6 ; 74^1 : 75 : 77 ; 78—1. 2. 3. 4. 5, 6, 7: 79—2, 6, 7. 10, 11. IH, 17: 80: 81—1 to 9: 82—1 to 6 83—1 to 12: 84^1 to H: 85—1 to 9: 86—1 to 7: 87—2, 3. 7: 88—1 to 16 90—1, 2. 3, 4, 5 : 91—1 to 14 : 92—1 to 16 : 93—1 to 11 : 94—1 to 15 ; 97—1 to 25- 98—1 to 19: 99—1 to 30; 100: 101—1 to 27; 103—1 to 32: 104—1 to 21 105—1 to 27: 106—1 to 59; 108— 1 to 24: 109—1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 110—1 to 29 111—1 to 12 : 112—1 to 13 : 113—1 to 16 : 114—1 to 19 ; 115 : 116—1 to 24 117—1 to 18. Fisher, W. K.— Plate 79, figs. 3, 4, 5. 8, 9, 12, 13. 14, 15. Frear, Hon. W. F.— Plate 21. fias. 2, 4. Gartlev, A.— Plate 17. fi-. 5 : 23—1 : 25—1 : 27 : 35—:] ; 64—1. Gurrev, A. K., Jr.— Plate 14: 17—1; 47—2. Henshaw. H. W.— Plate 2: 3. fius. 1. 2: 4—5: 5:6: 8—5: 12—2: 15—1, 2 16—2 5- 31: 38: 40: 42: 43: 44—4: 45: 46—1. 2, 4: 47—4, 5: 48—5 49—1. 5, 6 : 50 : 55 : 64—2. 3 : 69—1. 4. 6, 7 : 70 : 71—1 : 72—1, 5 : 73—6, 7, 8 74^1 . 87—4, 5, 8 ; 89 : 102—2 : 107. Lawrence, ^Nliss Marv S. (Author Old Time Ha waiians)— Plate 14: 17—1. MacCaughev, Vaughan— Plate 52, fig. 7 ; 57-4 ; 60—3, 7 ; 66—4, 6, 9 ; 67—3, 4 ; 68—3, 5, 9. Moses. Ernest— Plate 46. fig. 3 : 47—1. Perkins, R. W.— Plate 69, fii:s. 2. 8. Pope. W. T.— Plate 33, fig. 5: 66—2, 8, 30: 67—8; 68—1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8; 71—4; 72—2. 4. 7: 73—1, 2, 4, 5. Stokes, J. F. G.— Plate 8. fig. 2. Thrum, D. T.— Plate 4, fitrs. 1. 2. 3. 4. Warren. J. T.— Plate 1. fie 1 : 3—3, 4 : 10—2. 4. 6 : 23—5 : 30—3 : 52—4 : 71—5 ; 102—1. Williams, J. J.— Plate 9 : 10. fig. 1 ; 15—3, 4 : 47—3 ; 65 : 76 : 79—1. Miscellaneous Sources ( Including Hawaii Promotion Committee. Hawaiian Suoar Planters' Exp. Station. Colles-e of Hawaii, Purchast-d Photographs. Etc.— Plate 7. fiss. 3. 4: 8 3. 6: 10—3: 16—1. 3. 4; 17—2; 18 : 19-2 : 21—1. 3 6- 22- 23—3- 24- 26- 29 2 : 34: 39: 48—6: 57—5. 8: 60—5: 65: 71—3: 75- 77_1. 2. 3, 5: 80: 82: 81: 83: 84: 85: 86: 87—1, 6: 88: 91: 92: 93: 94: 95—1, 2, 3 : 96^1. 2, 3, 4, 5. 6. 14 CONTENTS. BOOK ONE SFJ'TIOX oyE. THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. CHAPTER I. Coming op the Hawaiian Race. Plates 1, 2, [3, 5].* Hawaiians the First Inhabitants — Polynesian Affinities — Evidence of Early Immigration — Traditional and Historical Evidence of Early Voyages — Ancient Voyages — Animals and Plants Brought to Hawaii as Baggage — Double Canoes — ■ Provisions for Long Voj^ages — Steering a Course by the Stars — Establishment of the Hawaiian Race. CHAPTER II. Tranquil Environment of Hawaii and Its Effect on the People. Plates 3, 4, [1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 25, 50, 71, 87, 89, 102, 106]. Natural Environment and its Effect on the People — Kona Weather — -Tem- perature— Effect of the Trade Winds — Altitude and its Effect on Climate — Rains in Hawaii — Eft'ect of a Sufficient Amount of Food — Inter-lsland Com- munication— -Inter-tribal War — Agriculture and the Food Supply — The Fauna and Flora Explored by the Hawaiians — Food and its Eff'ect upon the People — Important Foods of the Natives — Response of the Natives to their Environment. CHAPTER III. Physical Characteristics of the People; Their Language, Manners and Customs. Plates 5, 6, [1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 16]. Splendid Stature and Physical Development of the People — Clothing of the People — Cleanliness — Effect of their Life in the ()])en Air — Their Lan- guage— The Alphabet — Genealogy and History — Meles and Hulas — INIarriage — Polygamy — Marriage Among Persons of Rank — Infanticide — -The Descent of Rank— The Tabu. CHAPTER IV. Religion of the Hawaiians : Their ]\Iethod of Warfare and Feudal Organization. Plates 7, 8, [6. 9. 10. 11. 13. 17]. Religion Among the Hawaiians — Idol Worship — The Future State — Heiaus — Warfare — Temples of Refuge — Preliminary to a Battle — The King and His Power — Sorcerers — The Nobility, Priests and Common People — The King and the Land — Taxes. * Numorals in livackots indiratc ]>lat('S sliiiwiiii: siii'i>I<'iniMitary illustrations. 15 16 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. CHAPTER V. The Hawaiian House: Its Furnishings and Household Utensils. Plates 9, 10. [2, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17]. Complete Domestic Establishment — Building of a House — House Furnish- ings— Household Implements. CHAPTER VI. Occupations of the Hawaiian People. Plates 11, 12, 13, [2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 50, 71]. Agriculture Among the Hawaiians — Taro Growing — Agricultural Imple- ments— Irrigation — Planting and Harvesting a Crop — Taro and Its Uses — Poi^ Sweet Potatoes and Yams — Breadfruit — Bananas — Fiber Plants, "Wauki, etc. — The Manufacture of Tapa — Tapa ]\Iaking a Fine Art Among Hawaiians — ]\Iat ]\Iaking — Lauhala Mats — IMakoloa Mats — Fishing — Salt jManufacture. CHAPTER A^I. Tools, Implements^ Arts and Amusements of the Hawaiians. Plates 14, 15, 16, 17, [3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 28, 35, 87, 89, 106]. The Stone Age — Whet-stones — Rotary Drill — Implements of Stone, Bone and Shell — Ornaments of Feathers — The Kahili — Leis — Medicine Among the Hawaiians — Implements of Warfare — The Hula — ]\Iusical Instruments — Boxing th.3 National Game — Wrestling — Spear Throwing- — The Primitive Bowling Alley — Summer Tobogganing — Gambling — Cock Fighting — Children's Games^ Surf -Riding. SECTION TWO. GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. CHAPTER VIII. Coming of Pele and an Account of the Low Islands of the Group. Plates 18, 19, 20. 21, [22, 79]. Pele's Journey to Hawaii — Legend and Science Agree — Geographical Posi- tion of the Islands — The Leeward Islands — Ocean Island — ^Midway — Gambler Shoal — Lisiansky^ — Laysan — Maro Reef — Dowsett Reef — Frost Shoal — Gard- ner— French Frigates Shoal — Necker^Nihoa. CHAPTER IX. The Inhabited Islands: A Description of Kauai and Niihau. Plates 22, 23, 24, 25, [75]. HaAvaii-nei — Position of the Inhabited Islands — Niihau — Kaula — Lehua — Kauai, the Garden Island — Shore-Line — Waialeale — Lava Soils — Secondary CONTEXTS. 17 Volcanic Cones — The Canons of Kauai — Valleys and Waterfalls — Region of Napali — Barking Sands — Spouting Horn — Caves. CHAPTER X. Island of Oahu. Plates 26. 27. 28, 20, 30, 31, 32. 33, [22, 71, 73, 75, 87, 106]. Oahu, the ]\Ietroi)olis of the Group — A Laboratory in Vulcanology — Dimen- sions and Outline of the Island — Honolulu Harbor — Pearl Harbor — Koolau Range — Waianae Range — The Pali — AVork of Erosion — Smaller Basaltic Craters and Tufa Cones — Diamond Head — Punchbowl — Elevated Coral Reefs — ■ The Age of Oahu — Black Volcanic Ash — History of Diamond Head — The [logic History of Oahu — Artesian Wells — Economic Products — Brick — Build- ing Stone — Lime — Points of Geologic Interest About the Island. , CHAPTER XL Islands of Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Kahoolawe. Plates 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, [22, 53, 57, 60, 75]. The Position and Relation of Molokai, Maui. Lanai and Kahoolawe — Molokai Described — Valley of Halawa — ]\Iapulehu Valley — The Leper Settlement^ Lanai — Kahoolawe — Maui, the Valley Isle — lao Valley — "The Needle" — Summit of Puu Kukui — Outline of Maui — Haleakala — Plan of East Maui — Trip to the Summit of Haleakala — The Great Crater Described — Sunset Seen from the Summit — Kaupo Gap — Floor of the Crater — History of Haleakala — The Last Eruption. CHAPTER XII. Island of Ha wail Plates 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45. 46, 47, 48, 49, [17, 22, 27, 50, 52, 55, 72, 74, 75, 87, 89]. Size and Position of Hawaii — The Youngest Island of the Group — The Ko- hala Range — Waipio and Waimanu Valleys — Hamakua Coast — Sunnnit of Mauna Kea — The Ascent of Mauna Kea — Hualalai — Eruption of 1801 — ]\Iauna Loa — Early Exploration of the Mountain — History of the Important Eruptions of Mauna Loa — Earthquake of 1868 — Amount of Lava Poured Out in the 1907 Flow — Work of Hawaii's Volcanoes. CHAPTER XIII. KiLAUEA, THE WoRLD^S GREATEST ACTIVE VOLCANO. Plates 45, 46. 47, [22, 39, 48, 49, 50, 52, 55, 57]. Geologic History of Kilauea — Kilauea an Indt'pendent Crater — Dimensions of the Crater — An Exploded IMountain — Rise and Fall of the Liquid Lava — Explosive Eruption of 1789 — Condition at Ihe Crater in 1823 — Kapiolani Breaks the Spell of Pele— Eruption and Flow of 1840— Eruption of 1892-94— Ac- NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 18 tivity in 1902 — Activity in 1907 — Account of a Visit to Kilauea in 1909 — The Journey — First Glimpse of the Crater — Steam Cracks — Sulphur Beds — Kilauea-iki — Keanakakoi • — Descent Into the Great Crater — Heat Cracks — Spatter Cones — The Pit of Halemaumau by Day and Night — Side Trips from the Crater — Fossil Tree Moulds — The Road to Honuapo — Kona District. CHAPTER XIV. Condensed History of Kilauea 's Activity. Plates 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, [See Chapter XIII.] Brief Chronology and History of Kilauea from the Earliest Records of Its Eruptions Down to the Present, with Dates and Observations on the Condition of the Lava in the Crater of Kilauea and the Pit of Halemaumau. SECTION THBEE. FLORA OF THE GROUP. CHAPTER XV. Plant Life of the Sea-shore and Lowlands. Plates 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, [5, 14, 19, 30, 33, 40, 43, 60, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78, 79]. The Island Flora — Its Isolation and Peculiarities — Sources — Number of Genera and Species — Endemic and Introduced Plants — Variation in Flora from Island to Island — Floral Zones — The Lowland Zone — Common Littoral Species — • Common Plants from the Sea-Shore to the Lower Edge of the Forest — Introduced Plants — Grasses. CHAPTER XVI. Plant Life in the High Mountains. Plates 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, [23, 25, 44, 45, 46, 50, 52, 55, 56, 57, 74]. Plants of the Lower Forest Zone — Fiber Plants Cultivated by the Ha- vvaiians — Sandalwood — Middle Forest Zone — Giant Ferns — Upper Forest Zone — Silver-Sword — Mountain Bog Flora. SECTION FOUR. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE IN HAWAII. The Introduced Plants and Animals of Forest, Field and Garden. CHAPTER XVII. A Ramble in a Honolulu Garden: Part One. Plates 64, 65, 66, [2, 4, 5, 41, 45, 53, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 90]. First Impressions of Honolulu — Palms — A Falling Leaf — Cocoanut Palm — CONTENTS. 19 Date Palm — Ornamental Talms — -Araucaria — Kukiii — - Breadfruit — [Mango — Monkey-Pod — Algaroba. CHAPTER XYIII. A Ramble in a HoNOLUiiU Garden: Part Two. Plates 67. 68, [See Chapter XVIIJ. Ornamental Trees — Poinciana — Pride of the Barbadoes— Golden Shower — Pride of India — Tamarind — Banian — Pepper Tree — Kamani — Blaek Wattle — Australian Oak — Bougainvillea — Allamanda — Big-nonia — Vines and Shrubs — Hedge Plants — Crotons — Ki — Pandanus — Ferns — Night-Blooming Cereus. CHAPTER XIX. Tropical Fruits in Hawaii. Plates 69, 70, [5, 50]. Native and Introduced Fruits — Strawberry — Raspberry — Ohelo — Mountain Apples — Poha — Bananas — Pineapples — Alligator Pears — Papaia — Guava — • Lemons, Oranges, Limes, Etc. — Wi — Cusard Apples — Sour Sop — Cherimoya^ Sapodilla — Loquat — Figs — Grapes — [Mulberry — Eugenia — Rose Apple — Passion Powers — Pomegranates — Liehi — [Melons — Prickly Pear. CHAPTER XX. Agriculture in Hawaii: Its Effect on Plant and Animal Life. Plates 71, 72, 73, 74, [2, 25, 41, 58, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99]. Agriculture in Recent Times — Sugar — Rice — Coffee — Sisal — Fiber Plants — Cotton — Rubber — Tobacco — Potatoes — Sweet Potatoes — Cassava — Castor Bean Plant — Lotus — Peanuts — Sorghum — Forage Grasses — Weeds — Live Stock. BOOK. TWO SECTIOX FIVE. THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. CHAPTER XXI. Various Animals from Land and Sea. Plates 75, 76, 77, [21, 74]. Hawaiian Rats — Plague Carriers — Royal Sport — [Mice — Rabbits — Guinea Pigs — Cats — Bats — Hogs — Dogs — Chickens — Goats — Deer — Mongoose — Skinks and Geckos — Frogs and Toads — Snakes — Sea Turtles — Galapagos Land Tortoise — Porpoise — Dolphin — Whales — Whaling Industry. CHAPTER XXII. Introduced Birds. English Sparrows — Rice Birds — Chinese Sparrows — Chinese Turtle Doves— Mynahs — The Skylark — Pheasants — California Partridge— Chinese Thrush. 20 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. CHAPTER XXIII. Birds of the Sea. Plates 78, 79, [19, 20, 21, 76, 80, 81]. Regular Visitors aud Ocean Waifs — Tropic Birds — Petrels — Shearwaters — Terns — Albatross — Man-o'-War Bird — Birds of Laysan Island — ]\Iiller Bird — Laj'san Canary — Laysan Honey-eater — Hawaiian Rail — The Albatross Dance — Guano Deposits — Nesting Habits of the i\Ian-o'-war Bird — White Terns — Grey- backed Terns — Laysan Duck — Flightless Rail — Land Birds of Laysan. CHAPTER XXIV. Birds of the Marsh, Stream and Shore. Plates 80, 81, [78, 79]. The Golden Plover— Old 'Stump-leg'— Turnstone— Sanderling— Tattler- Curlew — Hawaiian Stilt — Black-crowned Night-Heron — Coot — Gallinule — The Legend of ]\Iaui and the Alae — Hawaiian Duck — Foreign Ducks. CHAPTER XXV. Birds of the IMountain Forests. Plates 82, 83, 84, 85, [80, 81]. Fifty-six Species — • Elepaio — Apapane — liwi — Amakihi — Oreomystis — Thrush-like Birds — Finch-like Birds — ]Moho — Black Mamo — Oo — Hawaiian Duck — Hawaiian Goose — Crow — Viridonia — Hoi — Hawaiian Hawk — Hawaiian Owl — Family Drepanididte — Extinction of Hawaiian Birds. CHAPTER XXVI. Hawaiian Fishes : Part One. Plates 86, 87, [9, 13, 16, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 91, 102. 106]. Fishing in Former Times — Fishing Outfits — Fish Poison — Fish Bait — Shark Fishing — Man-Eater Sharks — Hammer-Head Sharks — Dogfish — ]\Iackerel- Sharks — Killers — Rays and Skates — Sting-Ray — Sea Devil. CHAPTER XXVII. Hawaiian Fishes : Part Two. Plates 88, 89, 90, [See Chapter XXVI]. Food Fish in the iNIarket — Anchovies — Barracudas — Butterfly-Fish — Blen- nies — Bone-Fish — Catalufas — Cirrhitida^ — Dophin — Eels — Frog-Fish — Plying- Fish — Gobies — Flying-Gunards — Headfish — ]\Iullet — Awa. CHAPTER XXVIII. Hawaiian Fishes : Part Three. Plates 91, 92, 93, 94, [See Chapter XXVI]. Flatfish — jMorays — INIaekerel — ]\Iilk-Fish — Needle -Fish — Pampanos — Tarpon — Parrot-Fish — Pipe-Fish — Porcupine-Fish — Porgies — Puffers — Remoras CONTENTS. 21 or Sucker-Fish — Scorpion-Fish — Sea-Bass — Snappers — Soles — • Flounders — Squirrel-Fish — Surgeon-Fish — Surmullets or Goat-Fish — Swordfish — Trigger- Fish — Trunk-Fish — Trumpet-Fish. CHAPTER XXIX. Introduced Fresh Water Fish. Goldfish — Carp — Catfish — China Fish — Black Bass — Trout — Salmon — Top Minnows or Mosquito Fish. CHAPTER XXX. Important Economic Insects: Part One. Plates 95, 96, [97, 98, 99]. The Study of Insects — Destructive Species — Control by Natural Enemies — Sugar-Cane Leaf-Hopper — Sugar-Cane Borer — Lantana Insects— Maui Blight^ Mediterranean Fruit-Fly — ]\Ielon-Fly — Horn-Fly — Flies — Mosquitoes — Sugar- Cane Insects — Aphids or Plant-Lice. CHAPTER XXXI. Important Economic Insects: Part Two. Plates 97, 98, 99 [95, 96]. Scale Insects — Ladj'bird Beetles — Beetles — Japanese Beetles — Fuller Rose Beetle or Olinda Beetle — Weevils — Leaf-Rolling jNIoths — Cutworms — Army- Worms — Hau Moth — Loopers — Silkworms — Cabbage Butterfly — Sweet Potato Horn- Worm or Humming-Bird Moth — Cotton Boll- Worm — Bird-Lice— Lice — Mites — Ticks — Fleas — Bubonic or Black Plague carried by Fleas — Cock- roaches— Bedbugs — Bugs — AVhite Ants — Silverfish — Ants — Carpenter Bees — Mud-Daubers — Wasps — Honey-Bee — Clothes-]\Ioth — Household Pests — Centi- pedes— Scorpions — Thousand-Legged Worms — Sow-Bugs or Slaters — Sand-Hop- pers— Spiders, Mites and Ticks — House-Spider — Jumping-Spiders — Ilamakua Spiders. CHAPTER XXXII. Native Insects. Character of the Native Fauna — Insects Occurring on ^Nlamaki — Ants, Bees and Wasps — Beetles — Fleas — Two-Winged Insects or Flies and Mos- quitoes— Butterflies and jMoths — Dragon-Flies and the Nerve-Winged Insects — The True Bugs — Plant-Lice — Jumping Lice — Leaf-Hoppers, etc. — Thrips — Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches, Earwigs — Wingless Bird-Lice — Silver- fish — Spring-Tails. CHAPTER XXXIII. Land and Fresh Water Shells. Plates 100, 101 I 75. }():]]. Character of the Fauna — Land Shells — \'a rial ions — Dillicullies of Classifica- 22 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. tion — Color Varieties — Important Families Represented — Common Forms De- scribed— Earthworms. CHAPTER XXXIV. Shells from the SexV-shore: Part One. Plates 102, 103 [104, 105, 106]. Pleasure of Collecting Shells — The Common Forms Numerous — Three Tj^pes of ]\Iollusca — ]\Iussels, Clams, Scallops, Oysters — Attempts at Oyster Culture — Gasteropods. including the Snails, Slugs, Whelks, Cowries, Periwinkles, etc. — • Spiny Rock Shells— Tritons— Spindle Shells— AVhelks— Dog Wlielk— r^Iitre Shells— :\Iargin Shells— Olives— Harp Shells— Dove Shells— Grey Shells. , CHAPTER XXXV. Shells from the Sea-shore : Part Two. Plates 104, 105. [See Chapter XXXIV]. Cone Shells— Auger Shells— Conch Shells— Cowry Shells— Egg Shells— Tun Shells — Cameo Shells — Moon Shells — Slipper Shells — Limpets, etc. — Worm Shells — Caicum Shells — Eulimas — Pyramid Shells — Sun-Dial Shells — Violet Snails — Ladder Shells — Cerithiida^ — Periwinkles — Sea Snails — Turban Shells — ■ Top Shells— Keyhole Limpets— Umbrella Shells— Chitons— Bubble Shells— Sea Slugs. CHAPTER XXXVI. Plants and ANiMiU^s from the Coral Reef: Part One. Plates 106, 107, 108, 109. 110. [72. 102, 103, 104, 105, 111, 112. 113, 114, 115, 116, 117]. The Common Crabs — The Lobster — Prawns — Shrimps — Hermit Crabs^ Barnacles — Common Corals — Sea-Anemonies — Coral Reefs — Eight-Rayed Corals — Sea-Fans — Sea-Plumes, etc. — Jellyfish — Hydroids — Portuguese Man-of-war ^Sea Money — AIoss-Animals — Lamp Shells — Sea-Sciuirts — Balanoglossus. CHAPTER XXXVII. Plants and Animals from the Coral Reef: Part Two. Plates 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, [See Chapter XXXVI]. Starfish — Sea-Urchins — Brittle - Stars — Sea - Cucumbers — Sea-Lilies or Crinoides — Flat-AVorms — Bristle-Worms — Earthworms — Single - Celled and Many-Celled Animals — Sponges — Protozoa — Seaweeds — How to Collect Ha- waiian Algae. < P O O Q O o M O Cl. a. O « » El <>! >:) P4 fa O ?; o &< a. h^ 3i o CO OS o Natural History of Hawaii. SECTION ONE THE J!A^yAIIAS PEOPLE. CHAPTER I. THE COMING OP THE HAWAIIAN RACE. Hawaiians the First Inhabitants. The Polynesian ancestors of the Hawaiian race are believed to be th(; first human inhabitants to set foot on Hawaii's island shores. Inasmuch as the group comprises the most highly isolated island territory on the globe, it seems logical to infer that this sturdy race must have migrated to Hawaii from other lands. By tracing the relationship of the original inhabitants it has been found that they belong to the same race as the natives of New Zealand, Samoa, Marquesas, Society, Tonga and other islands in the southern, central and eastern Pacific. That all the native people found over this vast Pacific region are the scattered branches of one great race, springing from a common ancestral stock, has been demonstrated in many ways. The marked similarity in the manners and customs, language and religion, as well as many peculiar physical char- acteristics and intellectual traits common to the inhabitants of the widely scat- tered Pacific islands just mentioned, leaves little doubt in the minds of +hosp who have studied these people of the Pacific, as to their racial affinities. Polynesian Affinities. Collectively, this group of Pacific Islanders has been called by Europeans the Polynesian I'ace, a reference to the inau.x' islands inhabited by them. The exceedingly vexed question as to the genesis of the race as a whole and the fixing of the place fi'oni whence the progenitors of the dark-skiiine;! kaiuika people entered the Pacific has long been a subject of interest int.;' discussion. Since the genesis of the race is by no means a settled (juestion it will !iot be profitable in this connection to dwell uixm the matter farther than to say Descrti'tkin- of Pi.atk. Tho .s|)leii(li(l physique of tlio ])e()])lo, tlieir woll shaped heads, attractive features and kindly eyes are well shoAvn by the photographs and indicate the strong iudividualit}' and lovable character of the race as a M-hole. Old Hawaiians, especially of the better class, possessed a high ty]ie of Polynesian culture that embraced a tliorouf;h and useful knowledjje of their iso- lated environment. At the time of tlieir introduction to European ci\ilization many among tlu'in w ic intimately acquainted with their own iiistory and peuealogy, as well as with the fund of inf or. nation concerning their traditions, myths, arts, occupations and i)raetices; more- over they possessed a store of knowledge about the i.slands and their natural history that at once won for tlie i-ace the respect ai-d admiration of their Knropean benefactors. 25 D. H. HILL LIBRARY North Carolina State College 26 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. that the origin of the Polynesian race has been traced by different writers, in different ways to various places. North. South and Middle America, as well as Papua, i\Ialay. China. Japan and India, have each in turn been declared the cradle of this widely distributed people and each made responsible, directly or indirectly, for their presence in the Pacific Ocean. While it is probable that the origin of the race, as a whole, will always be shrouded in doubt, there is little uncertainty as to the more immediate an- cestors of the Hawaiian people. All their various affinities seem to point un- erringly in the direction of the islands to the south of us. Although the Society and Samoan Islands, which are the nearest islands in any direction at present inhabited by this race, are more than two thousand miles distant, they, without doubt, form the stepping stones over which the early immigrants passed — if they are not the actual points of origin of the migrations that resulted in the settling of the Polynesian race on this, the most remote group. Evidence of Early Immigrations. That the race existed here ages ago, perhaps far beyond the traditions of the people, is believed by some to be proven by certain geologic evidence. What- ever the geological facts may be. and the data thus far secured is by no means conclusive, the traditions of the people are more certain. They throw much light on the antiquity of the early voyages of the race and point far back into the shadowy past. Their genealogies, which were handed down from father to son with remarkable accuracy, also contribute much information that can be ac- cepted as reasonably authentic and historic, and give a fair basis for measuring time, especially during the past four or five centuries. The comparative study of gejiealogical records has brought to light proof of many obscure points that had to do with the history and wanderings of the race as a whole, l)ut their traditions are especially clear witli reference to the ITawaiians themselves. Traditional and Historical Evidence of Early Voyages. Those who have studied, the history and traditions of the Polynesians as a people regard Savaii, in the Samoan group, as the most likely center of dispersal. It is probable that at least one of the bands of early voyagers that settled on these, then presumably unpeopled islands, came from that group in very ancient times, — perhaps as long ago as 500 B. C. Just why these early wanderers set out on the long perilous journey over unknown seas will never be known. It is suggested that they may have been forced from their early homes by war and driven from their course by storms. But since there was no written lan- guage, the historian, as already stated, is forced to rely for his data on legends, traditions, genealogies and such other meager scraps of information as are available. Unfortunately, of the very early period scarcely a reliable tradition exists. We are therefore left free, within a certain measure, to construct for ourselves such tales of adventure, privation and hardship as seem sufficient to account for the appearance of the natives in this far-away and isolated land. We know TIIK HAWAIIAN PF.OPLK. 27 that tlie first voyaues, like iiKiiiv undcflakcii in more recent times, must have been made in open boats over an unfriendl\' and uncharted ocean. We know also that they survived the journey and found the land hal)itablc when they came. To the dim and uncertain period coverinu the several centuries that fol- lowed, many gTeat primitive achievements have l)een asci'ibed. Amonsr them are such tasks as the buildino- of walled tish-])on(ls, the consli-uction of certain ureat crude temples, the niakinu' of irrioation ditches, and the development of a distinct dialect, based of course, on their ancient mother tongue. But at last, after the lapse of centuries, perhaps many centuries, this long |)eriod of isola- tion and seclusion ended and conununication was once more resumed \\illi the rest of the Polynesian world. Ancient Voyages. It is reliably recorded in the traditions of the race, but more especially in those of the Hawaiian people, that after many generations of .separation from the outside world, communication was again taken up and many voyages were made to Kahiki — the far-away land to the south. From this time on the story of the people becomes much more definite and reliable. We not only know that intercourse was resumed between Hawaii and the islands of tlie South Pacific, but the names of several of the navigators and the circumstances, as well as the time when their journeys were made, also incidents of their voyages, have come down to us. In some cases the same mariner is known to have made more than a single journey. Naturally the exploits of the brave navigators of the race were made matters of record in the minds of the people and handed down from father to son in numberless songs, stories and traditions. As a mat- ter of fact, there is evidence to prove that during the twelfth and thirtetMith centuries of our Christian calendar there came an era of great unrest tlirough- out the whole of Polynesia and a great number of voyages wern made to the remote parts of the region. In fact it is asserted in the tradition of the peo- ple that "they visited every place on earth." This broad statement seems to indicate that to the Polynesian mind the world was confined to Oceanica. as they appear to have known nothing of the gi'eat eonlinents which sui'miuided them on every side. At any rate, there is on record a eonsidei'able list of these voyages and an equally long list (tf the places where the\ landed, accom- panied l)y incidents of their wanderings. Animals and Plants Bkoluut to Hawau as r).\(i(;A(JL. Our special interest in the natural history of the plants and aninrds of Hawaii inakes this period of Pacific travel of unusual importance. It was at this time that most, if not all, of the useful plants and animals that had fol- lowed the race in their various wanderings were l)rough1 as |)recious baiigage with them to these islands from over th(» s(»a. Any one who has experienced the ilitficidties and. dis;i|)i)oin1nients encoun- tered in transplanting a young breadfruit tree from one valley to another, will — ~ 3 5 ■ « y. _ 31 X _ m - o — - >^ z: = .a - r. -3 - ~ o ■- ~ m - - M ^- - ? — ' Jh r. _ O ii = i ^ ^ ^ j:3 < -a — i: X :3 — n 4^ r - " . ~ -= '-3 = S c: - a> > ■■' ti •- ^ o .= "z ffl; _ .-; ci' - = Ht .7! ,- o - — 3 o o n THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 29 appreciate in a measure the difficult ics tli.-it miisl Iuinc Ix-sct tlie TT;i.\v;iiitiiis in transporting liviny' ciittiiius of this delicate seedless plant from far oft' Kahiki to these islands, yet it is practically certain that not only was the breadfruit brought here in this mannci- but also the banana, the taio. the mountain apple, the sugar-cane and a score or more of their other important economic plants. The wild fowl, the pig and th(^ dog were also brought with them in the same way, in very early times, and were in. a state of common domestication over the group when the islands were first visited by the white race. Naturally there were many references in Hawaiian and Polynesian tradi- tion to these long and teinpestous voyages. AVhen all the circumstances sur- rounding these rugged feats of daring and adventure are considered, it is not loo much to say that the race to which the ancient Hawaiians belonged is worthy of a special place among the most daring and skillful navigators of all times. To this day their prowess and aptitude in matters pertaining to the sea is such as to command the admiration and respect of all. Double Canoes. The making of the large canoes employed in their important journeys by the use of stone tools alone, was by no means an ordinary task. Aside from the descriptions of their canoes handed down to us in their traditions, we know that a century ago there existed in these islands the remains of war canoes, such as we are told were used in those early voyages, that were seventy feet in length by more than three feet in width and depth, capable of carrying seventy per- sons from island to island. What is still more remarkable the hull in each case was carved from a single giant koa log. The selecting of a suitable tree from among its fellows in the mountain forests, the felling and shaping of it by means of the crude stone implements of the time, and the subsequent transporting of the rough-hewn canoe to the sea by main strength, was an undertaking not to be lightly assayed; but the executing of a 2000-mile voyage in such a craft seems almost incredible. In this connection it is well to remember that the early Polynesians made not only single canoes of monstrous proportions, but double ones by lashing two together and rudely decking over the space between them. In this ingenious way they made a craft capable of carrying a large numl)er of people and a ^-oodly supply of provisions. Provisions for Long Voyages. It is probable that in tlicii- more extended xoyaues. especially when they were voluntarily luidertakeii, the natives used the double canoe and provided the craft with a mast to which lliey riiii^vd laruc dui-able sails made of mats. The legendary mele telling of the coming of llawaii-loa states that during live changes of the moon he sailed in such a craft to b.' i-ewarded at last by the sight of a new land ever after calh-d Hawaii. As to the snp])ly of pro\isions it is to be remembered that the Polyiu^sians 30 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. have several kinds of food capable of being preserved in a compact form. The eocoaniit, either fresh or dried, was an invalnable article of food, while dried fish and squid are not to be despised. The taro, lireadfrnit and sweet potato, or yam, are articles of daily diet, capable of being transported in an edible condition for great distances at sea. Besides cocoanut water, in the nut, to drink, they had utensils for storing fresh water and it is probable that they provided themselves with calabashes and wooden bowls specially prepared for use on their long sea journeys. Steering a Course by the Stars. As they were expert fishermen and exceedingly hardy seamen the perils of the deep were considerably minimized. Add to this their intimate knowledge of the food to be found living everywhere in the sea at all seasons and their acquaintance with the habits and methods of capture, as well as skill in the preparation of such animals and plants as they esteemed as food, and we must conclude that they were by nature well fitted for such journeys. With such substitute food as the sea would furnish, always at hand, it was possible for them to travel far and suffer but little, for they were able to eat, not only such fresh and dried food as we have mentioned, but to relish many creatures of the sea in a raw state — as flying-fish, squid and seaweed — that would scarcely be thought of as food ])y a more fastidious peoi^le. jMoreover, in making these journeys they were able to roughly guide their course by the stars, the sun and the moon, as they had a crude but working knowledge of astronomy. In addi- tion to this they had a number of traditions, telling of mysterious lands, far away beyond the horizon, that served them both as an inspiration and an assur- ance, besides being useful to them in many ways in tlieir practical navigation. Establishment of the Hawaiian Race. Great care was always exercised in selecting the proper place and season for setting forth on their journeys. Once having made a successful voyage they were particular to start from the same spot in making similar journeys thereafter. In this wa\- the south point of Hawaii as well as the southern end of the little island of Kahoolawi came to be known as the proper points from which to embark on a journey to Tahiti. There is but little doubf that in those times they were expert navigators, who in addition to being able to guide their courses at sea by the stars, also knew the art of steering their canoes in such a fashion as to catch and ride great distances on the splendid long ocean s^\■ells, after the manner of the surf riders of less adventurous times. Just how tliese striking feats of navigation were accomplished we may never know. At any rate there is every reason to Ix'lieve that they were per- formed. We do know, however, that the perils att<'nding them were safely passed, the difficulties of tlie journeys surmounted, and that those who per- formed them lived to tell the tale of tlieir daring to their eliildnMi. and they to THE HAAVAIIAN PEOPLE. 31 their children's children. We know tlint tlif(MiL;li llicin in titnc the Polynesian race came to occupy a new land, established the Hawaiian people and ])iiilt up a crude though Avorthy civilization. CHAPTER II. TRANQUIL ENVIRONMENT OF HAWAII AND ITS EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE. The Natural Environment. Without dwelling further on the remote and uncertain period whicli had to do with the origin and early migration of the Hawaiian people, it will .be fitting to briefly consider the race in connection with their natural environment. It is well within the purpose of this sketch of the natural history" of Hawaii to treat of the people as the native inhabitants, and for that reason we sliall dwell upon their primitive and interesting native culture rather than their more recent political history. In dealing with the race as a natural people it will be of interest to enu- merate some of the various forces of nature among which they developed for centuries, since without doubt their environment helped to make the race what it was at the time of its discovery, — a swarthy, care-free, fun-loving, super- stilious people, witli a culture that, now it has been more fully studied b\' un- biased ethnologists and is better understood, has at last gained for the ancient Hawaiians, not only the respect, but the admiration of their more highly cultured and fairer skinned ])rothers. In seeking only to depict their life as it was in the interesting time of their primitive paganism, before Christianity was brought to them, we must leave entirely out of account the story of one of the most re- markable religious and political developments that a race has ever under-gone in the history of the civilized world. .So capable and receptive was the Hawaiian race thai within less tlian an hundred years the entire population has not only embraced a foi-eign and ex- ceedingly advanced form of religion, but by its agency transformed their lan- guage, practices, customs, manners, arts and moi-als to sucli a degree that today hardly a trace of their former culture remains to indicate the long road wliieh they have traveled in the upwni'd march from a i-ude i-ule of miglit, feai" and sui)erstition to the place where their representatives, chosen l)y ballot, sit on equal terms in legislative asseml)lages with their oiK^-time ]iatrons and Avould-ix' benefactors, and. witliout fear or favor, creditjihly discharuc the duties of citi- zenship in the great American Republic. KoNA Weather and Traok AYintds. One of the most iiMp(U'1;int physical iuHuenees lliat has atf'ected the ]iei>ple is the climate. Althougli tlu' Hawaiian Tslai.ds lie ;it the northern edge of the torrid zone, their climate is seini-troi)ii'al rathei- than li'ojucal. and is several g3 ::: o ,< < — i z x. ^- r. I .-- .- -j: THE HAWAIIAN PEOl'LE. 33 d grees cooler than thai of ;\<.\y other coiiiili'v in the same latitude. The tem- perature is moderate, at U-ast ten degrees below the noniial. owinL; to tlie in- fluence of the cool ndi'llieast ocean cuiTents. The delightfully cool iKtrtheast trade wind, which is ohvions'.y the pi'iiicipal I'h'ini'iit in the Hawaiian climate, l)l(;ws steadily during at least nine months of the year. During the I'eiiiaining months the wind is variable, and occasionally stoinis with heavy i-ains blow from the southwest, producing what is k'liown as "Kona"' weathci-. Taken through a long period, the temperature at sea level rarely rises aijove 90 degrees during the hottest day of the year, and seldom falls below 60 degrees for more than a few hours at a time, with the mean temi)eralnre fluctuating about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The ditference between the daily average mid- sunnner and midwinter temperature is about 10 degrees. With I'cference to human comfort the temperature excells for its equableness. This fact, coupled with the refreshing trade winds that sweep over thousands of miles of cool ocean and the bright and genial warmth of the troi)ical sun, produces the climate of Paradise — a condition found in no other region on the globe. Altitude and Its Effect on Climate. In fact the Hawaiian language liad no word for "weather," as it is usually understood. Nevertheless, a remarkable difference in climate is experienced in passing from one side of the islands to the other, or from lower to hii^her altitudes. The northeast, oi' windward side of the grou|). which is expnseil to the trade winds, is cool and rainy, while the southwestern or leeward side is, as a rule, unicli drier and warmer. The most important variation, however, is due to altitude; the thermometer falling about four degrees for every 1. ()()(• feet of ascent. It is therefore possible to look from the i)alin groves thai hask in tropical warmth aloiiL;- the coast of Hawaii to the highest mountain pc;ik- of the gi'ouii,- to And it frequently snow-capped, pai'ticularly durini;' the cooler months. As to rainfall, similar variations occur. At Honolulu Ihe average precipitation is thirty-eight inches, at the Pali. Ave miles away in the niunn- taius. 11(1 inches; while at Hilo, on the north side of Hawaii, it is nearly twelve feet. If the group is taken as a whole, almost evei'y variation from warm to cold, wet to dry. windy to calm, may be found. Effect of a Sufficient Amount of Fo(ti\ The direct influence of thes(> facts on the chai-acter of the people, howevei-, is rather obscure. .Aside from the hearing it may have had on their clolhing, food aud sheltei' it is imleed difficult to trace. .\lthough it is the i^cneral opinion that a warm climate is not liable 1o be couducive to a highei- culture, there is plenty of e\idence to the coiiti'a ry here and elsewhei'e. and. considering the insular i)ositi(»n of the Islands, their limited fcxul sui)pl.\\ the lack of raw materials for manufacture, the absence of such metals as iron and coi)per and Southerly. - Maunu Ken, 13.825 feet 34 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. the want of domestic animals as beasts of burden, the Hawaiians achieved a remarkably high stage of development before their discovery. The degree of their development is especially shown, as we shall see, by the thoroughness with which they had explored their environment and utilized the natural raw materials which it supplied. The easy tropical conditions, as well as the unsettled political state which surrounded them originally, were not necessarily conducive to the highest physical or mental achievements. According to Blackman, the regular recur- rence of a sufficient amount of food to supply their needs may also have pre- vented the development of the traits of thrift and frugality that are so inbred in the races of the north. There is no doul)t tliat the bright, warm, cheerful climate had its influence on their temperatment, their health, and their home life, by diminishing the relative importance of permanent shelter, by enticing the people out of doors; and also on their morality, as we interpret it, ]\v ren- dering clothing the thing least required for l)odily comfort. Inter-Island Communication. Another important point in their environment was the fact that the in- habited islands were sufficiently numerous and near enough together to influ- ence one another decisively, yet far enough apart to make inter-island com- munication difficult. The group was far enough removed from other groups to prevent fre(iuenf migrations and small enough to render a wandering life and contact with other people and tribes impossible. At the same time they were just far enough away from each other to satisfy the natural human desire for travel, adventure and experience. Inter-Tribal Wars. The valleys on the various islands constituted natural divisions of the land that had a marked influence on the government of the people by district chiefs who were frequently at war with one another. To offset this there were inter- tribal and inter-island marriages enough to in-cduce a uniform stock throughout the group. This interchange of blood and ideas was most beneficial in bringing about the homogeneity and compactness necessary to preserve inherited habit and secure the persistence of traditions, customs and the learning of the whole people. Agriculture and the Food Supply. Althougli file valleys are usually fertile, they are limited in extent. The soil though rich, varies greatly in productiveness, and being of a porous nature, needs much water to render it valuable for the various pursuits of agriculture. To meet this demand, extensive irrigation systems were built and used by the native farmers. Besides flic valley lands, there are broad tracts of rougli lava and dry upland country that were of little use to the aborigines with their primitive methods of agriculture. In brief, the conditions were such as to re- quire much labor and skill to produce sufficient food from the soil t(t sn])ply THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 35 their wants. For tliis reason, among' others, their life was not the one of indolence it is sometimes thoug'ht to have been, yet eoiulitioiis were niiiforinly more favorable to life in llaw.-iii than were tliose met willi in certain other gronps in the Pacific to which I'olynesians migrated and settled, presumably as they did in these islands. Fauna and Flora Explored by the Hawamans. So much must be said of the animals and plants in anothci- conneeliori thai, though they form an important feature of environment, it will suffice here to note the salient facts. The flora furnished trees for the construction of theii- canoes and houses, the implements of their warfare and peaceful pursuits, the raw material for the manufacture of their clothing, nets, calabashes, medicines, and above all, a sufficient amount of Avholesome food throughouf tlie year to pro- vide for their sustenance. The most important animals existing on the islands at th(> time of their dis- covery by the whites were the swine and the dogs, both of which were freely used as food. There were domestic fowls of the same species as were common throughout the Polynesian islands. The waters about the group provided a never failing supply of fish food. The insects were all inconspicuous and harm- less. The only game birds, as ducks and plovers, were not abundant, while the reptiles were represented by a few species of small, inotfensive lizards that were of little importance. The Hawaiians were preeminently an agricultural people with a natural love for the soil and its cultivation. They had an appreciation of the beautiful in flower and foliage that has had an abiding influence on their homes and home surroundings. They were also skilled fishermen. The lack of animals, domestic or wild, other than the few species mentioned, in-evented them from following the hunting and pastoral life, and as a result they were settled in permanent villages, usually along the coast. Since there were no noxious insects, poisonous serpents or dangerous birds or beasts of prey, there was no occasion for the alertness and constant fear that so frequently makes life in a tropical country a never-ending strain if not an actual burden. Food and Its Effect on the People. While the chiefs and the more prosperous of the people were well supplied with meat, the common people had it only at I'ai-c intervals. They were forced to subsist on a diet chiefly vegetal)le, which wa^-- lacking in variety, and. althoueli fat-producing, was also difl:'use and hnlky. To the cliaracter of their food ni;iy be attributed the hal)it of alternately gorgini; and Tasting, whicli was so com- mon a trait of the ancient Hawaiians, and which is believed to have resulted in the abnormal development of the abdomen, formally so noticeable anions theiii. Although taro was the staff of life in Hawaii, sweet potato, oi' yam, also figured largely in the every day di;'t of the comnioii people. Tlion-^li meat was never al)uiidant, as lias been s1ate(l. tlie\- wei-e not eiitireh' witlioiit aiii- i s, z; TIIK HAWAIIAN I'KOIMJO. Zl mal food. Fisli \v;is jilwfiys jivjiihihlc jiiid I'jiirlv piciilifiil, and tnTlaiii kiials were often eaten raw. Fowl, pork and do.us were occasionally to be had as a change and were much esteemed as delicacies. The poi-dou'. when carefnlly fed and fattened on poi. was regarded as even more delicious in tlavoi- ilum pnrk. Dogs always formed an important dish at the native feasts and on sueli occa- sions large nundiers of them would he hak'ed ,n eaiHi ovens. Response op the Natives to their EInvironment. Looking ))roadl.\' at their environment it may be said that the most (U-cisive factors in the surroundings of the Hawaiian race were isolation, the evenness of the climate and the conditions which made the [)ui'suit of agriculture a necessity. The latter induced a more regular and constant activity and more settled life than is found among a hunting and roving jx'ople. and in connection with the other conditions mentioned it had an important beariim on the tcmpcM-a- ment of the race. The isolation, even temperature, and always sufficient food supply nnist have had their effect in producing a patient, traiKiuil. self-i-eliant mind — a satisfied disposition — an even temper — a settled attachment to the soil — - an aptitude and faculty for the development of their peculiar forms of learning, and above all, habits of life and customs of dress that were peculiarly suited to and the result of the ffentle demands of their environment. CHAPTER III. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTK^S OF THE PEOPLE. Statitre and Physical Development of the People. At the time of the discovery of the llawaiians they were i)hysical]y one of the most striking native races in the world. ^loreover, they were distinguished as being among the kindest and most gentle nuninered of jH^oplc. and l)ut for the oppression of their priests and chiefs, they would undoulttedly have been among the happiest. As a race they were tall, shapely and musculai-. witli Liood features and kind eyes. In symmetry of form the women ha\'e scai'cely lieeii surpass mI. if equalled, while the men excelled in muscular .streuLith, pai-ticularly in the region of the back and arms. The average height of an adidt Po]\uesian is giv(Mi as five fe(>t nine and a third inches, and the Hawaiians were well up to. if not aitovc. that av'ei'aL;*'. while individuals of unusual size, often little sliort of giants, were not uncomnio'i Desckiption of 1'l.\te. 1. Sfra]iingf and prcparhir>' a jiig' []niaa] for tmkiiiir. -1. Tlio oartli oven | iimi j liollnwetl out ami filloii witli hpalcd stmies ready foi' tlic fund. :;. The iinu Idled and closed; the heat and steam hakes the food wliich is wraiijieil in ki or banana leaves. 4. Tlie food baked and ready to be eaten, .t. Founding- ]>oi on a " doul)le " board jjiapa kui poll, wliicdi is a shallow trough made of hard wood; "single" boards were also common. About the grass house may be seen coeoanut palm trees in the rear, jiajiaya trees to the right and left and a small noni tree at the end of the house. 38 NATl'RAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. ainouy' tliein. There is an authentic record of a skeleton foiiiid iu a burial cave that measured six feet seven and three-quarters inches in length, and there is sufficient evidence to establish tlie tact tliat men of even larger stature were b}' no means unusual. Instances of excessive corpulency have been common among Hawaiians, especially among the chiefs who were always better nourished than were the common people. Having plenty to eat and little to do, they grew large and fat. This tendency to corpulency, as has been elsewhere noted, was, however, more common among the women. IMany of them were perfectly enor- mous in size, but this is not to be wondered at since the Hawaiian ideal of female loveliness includes stoutness of figure as a fundamental requisite. The natives, before their mixture with foreigners, were a brown race, vary- ing in color from light olive to a rich swarthy brown. Their hair, usually raven black, was straight, wavy or curly, Imt never kinky. Their lips were of a little more than medium thickness, witli the upper lip slightly shortened. This gave to tile mouth a peculiar form that is characteristic of the race. Their teeth were sound, regular and very beautiful, a fact frecpiently ascribed to the char- acter of the food they ate. The nose, a rather prominent feature, was in most cases broad and slighty flattened. The eyes of the pure-hlooded Hawaiian were always black and very expressive. Their foreheads were usually high, and perhaps a trifle narrow in proportion. In general, their features were strong, good-humored, and in many instances, when combined with their splendid physiques, produced a striking and impressive personality that gave the im- pression of their belonging to a very sui)erior race. Clothing of the People. At the time of their discovery the men wore the malo, a plain piece of tapa cloth, about the loins in the form of a T bandage. The W(mien Avore the pa'u of tapa, which was a simple piece of bark cloth, wrapiied about the Avaist, to form a short skirt, that hung down to tht^ knees. While the foregoing were the usual articles of dress they were by no means averse to answering the call of their environment by stalking about naked or nearly so, if a pretense offered. They were fond of certain kinds of adornment, particularly flowers, using them as garlands about their necks or as wreaths aliout their heads. The children while often wearing flowers about their necks, went otherwise unadorned until six or eight years of age. Cleanliness. Although the Hawaiians wore their tapa cloth clothing as long as it would hold together, the people as a whole took great pride in personal appearance and cleanliness. They were fond of ornaments and were skillful in their manu- facture. Both sexes wore ornaments fashioned from shells, nuts and ivory about their heads and shoulders in addition to the flower garlands just men- tioned. While tattooing was indulged in as a form of decoration its use in this respect was not carried to the extent that it was among the New Zealanders or THE HAWAIIAN PKOI'LE. 39 the Marquesians. Its ])riiu'ipal use in Hawaii was to denote I'aiik or lineage, to brand a slave or sometimes as a token of mourning. Although the chiefs were markedly superior physically and otherwise, when compared with the common people, they were, nevertheless, descendants of the same race. The difference in stature and capability which they exhibited seems to have l)een the natural result of their environment. Being better fed. having more leisure, and relieved of the burdens of living and in many wa\s ])ampered and protected, they escaped the mai'k's that exposure, excessive toil, hunger, fear and superstition invariably stamp on the less fortunate of every race. Life in the Open Air. The unusually salubrious Hawaiian climate stimulated the habit of out-of- door life, which was almost universal. The native huts were used chietly as sleeping places and for protection from the rain. Their aquatic, athletic and sea-going habits were the growth of the open-air life they led. The love of freciuent bathing, the nearness of the sea and the necessity of securing at least a i)art of their sustenance from the ocean, all combined in making them the most powerful and daring swimmers in the world and developed among them, perhaps, the world's most expert and intelligent fishermen. Their Language and Alphabet. Their language was singularly deficient in generic and abstract terms, but to make up for this general deficiency it was especially rich in specific names of places and things, most of which were derivitives that were full of meaning, frequently taking account of nice distinctions. Broadly speaking the Hawaiian language was little more than a simple tribal dialect of the Polynesian tongue that was spoken with much uniformity in a large number of the Pacific island groups. In fact, there is less variation in meaning and pronunciation of the language throughout Polynesia than exists today between the Spanish and Italian tongues. Besides the language of every-day life there was a style especi- ally appropriate for oratory and another suited to the demands of religion and poetry. Since there was no written language, not even a picture language, at the time of which we write, one of the first acts of the American missionaries was to reduce their speech to writing. For this purpose only five vowels, a, e, i, 0, u. and seven consonants, li. k. 1. ni. u. j). w. were found necessary. In the use of these twelve letters the p]uropean pi-oiiuiiriation of llic vowels \\;is adopted. The letter a is sounded as in arm; e as in they; i as in niacliine. and u as in rule. Tht^ (lil)thong ai, resembles the English ay. and an has the sound of ow. The consonants were sounded as in English excei)t that k is sometimes exchanged for t, and the sound of 1 confounded with k and d. The dirth of consonants and the over-plus of vowels gave to the spoken language such openness, fluidity and richness as to be particularly noticeable to persons unac(iuainted with tlie tongue. By some this peculiar (piality of the spokiMi language, by reason of its intellectual indefiniteness, perhaps, is Ix-lieved to represent, oi- at least re- flect, the open, frank character of the people who developed it. ■SI — J THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 41 Genealogv and TTistory. Their legends and traditions, many of Ihetn ideiilical witli lliose found in other groups in Polynesia, as has been stated, were handed down, generation after generation, by a highly hon()r(>d class of genealogists and bards. Each family or elan hatl its respected historians and j>oets, and generally the i)osition of genealogist, at least, became hereditary, to be handed down from father to son. It was the especial office of the genealotiist to keej) and correctly transmit the historical records of chietiy unions, births, deaths and the achieveiiuMits of the mor(^ important people of their community. In this way nnu-li of the history of the people, as well as many of their legends and nuieh of their historical beliefs, superstitions and ])ractices, have come down to us in fairly accurate form, often from very remote times. Meles and Hulas. Their meles and hulas were the supreme literary achievements of the ancient historians and poets, and, as their subjects were diverse, they vary much in substance and character. j\Iany are folk songs; some are of a religious order, being prayers or prophecies; others are name songs, composed at the birth of a chief, in his honor, recounting the exploits of his ancestors ; the dirge was a favorite form of composition; others again are mere love souths, and still others are composed to or al)out things and places. Although they are without rhyme or regular meter, as it is generail\- under- stood, many of them are strikingly poetic in spirit. A single example taken almost at random from the many excellent translations given liy my fiiend. Dr. X. B. Emerson, in his l)ook on the Hula, may serve to illustrate their appreciation of the poetic side of nature as well as to demonstrate their natural descriptive power and literary gift. By way of introduction, we should know that Koolau is a district on the windward, or rainy, side of the Island of Ocdni and that the stanza given is one taken from one of the many songs for the hula ala'a i)apa. It is but an episode from the story of Hiiaka on her journey to Kauai to bring the handsome prince T.ohiau to the goddess Pele. Hence, — " 'Twas in Koolau I met the rain; It comes with liftino' and tossing of dust, Advancing in columns, dashing along. The I'ain, it sighs in the forest; The rain, it beats and whelms like the surf; It smites, it smites now the land. Pasty the earth from the stainiiinj: rain; Full run the streauis a lushing' flooii; The mountain walls leap with the rain. See the water chafing its bounds like a dog, A raging dog, gnawing its way to pass out." nKSORIPTICV OF PL.\TE. 1. The nose flute player and iiula dancer. 2. Hawaii.iii Imuse on a raised stone |ilat- form. 3. Making fire by the ancient Hawaiian method: a hard stick of t)lomea (Pcrrottetia Sa7idu-ice)K'iis) is rubbed in a groov(> on a soft jiieee of hau wood until the friction ignites the tinderdike dust that aeeunnilates in tlu' end n\' the groovr. I. A icni|i(iiarv house made of sugar-cane leaves. In the foreground taro and t(d)acco are shown, to the left a ]iapaya. while in the background lauhala, banana, breadfruit and cocoanuts may be seen. 42 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. Mauy find a suggestive parallelism of expression in the Hawaiian meles comparable with the Hebrew psalms, others to tlie rugged poetry of Walt Whit- man. No better illustration of this dignified form of Hawaiian poetry can be found, perhaps, than the passage from the dirge, "In the ^Memory of Keeau- moku," as preserved by tlie Rev. William Ellis: "Alas, alas, dead is my chief. Dead is my lord and friend; My friend in the season of famine, My friend in the time of drought. My friend in my poverty, My friend in the rain and the wind. My friend in the heat and the sun, My friend in the cold from the mountain. My friend in the storm. My friend in the calm, My friend in the eight seas, Alas, alas, gone is my friend, And no more will return. ' ' As SO frequently happens with people gifted with a lyric talent, the Ha- waiians were also possessed of an extraordinary musical talent. There were many among them at the time of their discovery that sang with skill, after their own fashion, and they were by no means slow to acquire the technique of our own more intricate written music, a fact which soon revolutionized their form of musical expression. ]\Iarriage. Passing now to the more domestic customs of the people it may l)e said that among the Hawaiians, marriage was entered into with very little ceremony, except, perhaps, in the case of a few of the more important chiefs. Among all classes the relations among the sexes w^ere very free and it is difficult to determine, with accuracy, what the exact condition was originalh^ with reference to chastity. All the evidence goes to show that the habits of the people in this regard were far better formerly than they afterwards became. Whatever may have lieen brought about by the coming of white men, and we refer to the hardy seamen of the early days, it is a mistake to assume that wholesale promiscuity existed originally among them comparalile to the debasing type found among certain classes in our own scheme of social civilization. Although there was much free- dom on the part of both parties in the marriage relation and scarcely any re- straint at all among the young previous to entering the more settled domestic arrangement, it is an error to suppose that there was an absence of a definite marital relationship, accompanied l\v well understood obligations between the parents and their offspring. Polygamy. By such Hawaiians as could afford and command more than one wife, polygamy was practiced to some extent, rather more as a mark of distinction THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 43 and affliU'iK-e tiiaii utlierwise. The pour and dcpeiidfiit euudilioii (j1 tlir mass of the common people, if there had been no other reasons, prevented the practice from becoming widespread among them. It is a curicus and interesting fact in this connection to note that the Hawaiian called all of his relatives of the same generation as himself "brothers" and "sisters," and those of the next older — "fathers" and "mothers"; tliose of a younger generation "sons" and "daughters," and so on. This tendency is taken by some as indicative of the uncertain relations that existed among them, since brothers, to a certain extent, shared their wives in common, and sisters their husbands. P)ut Pic marital form, where one man and one woman habitually cohabit, while yet indulging in other attachments, was the rule among them at all times and in all classes as is cleai'ly shown by the earliest recorded facts on the subject. It is known that in certain instances betrothals were arranged by parents and friends while the children who were the prinei])als in the arrangement were still quite young. Among the common people, as distinguished from the chiefs, marriage was largely a matter of caprice, but among the chiefs it was a subject of serious concern, involving matters of state, puljlic policy, position and power. Especially was this true at the mating of women of rank, since rank, position and inheritance descended chiefly, though not wholly, through the mother. For example, the offspring of a woman of noble l)irth would inherit her rank despite the rank of the father. But the children of a father of liigli rank would fail to retain their position if born to a woman of inferior position. Marriage Among Persons of Rank. For this reason reigning families were careful to examine into the genealogy of those who were liable to join themselves with members of the more exelusiv(; families. For reasons of policy brothers were forced on rare occasions to marry sisters, that there might be no question as to the i-ank of theii- cliildi'eii. While there was no set wedding ceremony the event was often made an excuse for a feast; and frequently, particularly among the common peo|)le, the bridegroom declared his choice by throwing a piece of tapa clotli ovei- the lu'ido in the presence of her relatives, or less frecpiently by their friends throwin;:; a piece of tapa over both bride and groom. It is an astonishing fact, that with the exception of marriage, almost every act in the life of the peoi)le was cele- brated with prayers, sacrifices and religious ceremonies. It eaimot be doubted, therefore, that the marriage tie was a loose one. lightly assunn'il and liuhlly put off, and depended largely for its duration on the will of the husliand. As might be expected, separation was of frequcMit occurrence^ amoni: tlimi: and while fond of their children, after time had given o])poi'l niiily I'oi- an alladi- ment to develop between parent and child. i1 was ne\ci--1 he-less a widespread prac- tice among them, for mothers to part with tlieii- balnis at birth. i:ivinu' them freely and without reserve to relatives or friends who iiiiuht e\])ress a wish tor the ehild. Infanticide. There can be no doidjt but that infant ieide was [)i'evalent auionu them and X - THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 45 tliat n very I.u'uo per cent of llic cliildicii liorii were dispose;! ol' in \;ii'i(!iis ways liy their parents, soon after their hirtli. (ieiierally speaking, i1 ap- pears that in Hawaii, as tln'oniihout Polynesia, tlie strnugh' for exist- ence and life's necessities, was largely evaded l)y i'es1 riding the na- tni'al increase in popnlation in this way. AVhatcNcr the cansr may liave been for this ninisnal restriction, it is (piite generally adiiiilled to have Ixvn an effective one so far as keejting the populalion down to whri'c a cond'ortahle snhsistenee conld hi' had l)y all who were [)erinitted by their i)ai'en1s to live past the perilous period of early infancy. From the purely economic point of view this artificial check was most l)eneficial. Freed from crowding liy overpopnla- tion, the [vrimitive connnnnily need not live under the scourge of grin;lin'.i' poverty. By limiting the size of the family to the means and ability of the parents to ])i-ovide, there conld lie enough foi' all. Direct reasoninu' led tliem, therefore, to free themselves from the irksome necessity of providing nnire oi" dividing less, by restricting the increase in popidation to a jxiint well within the apparent normal food sui)ply. jNIv friend, T)i\ Titus .Alnnson Coan. without upholding the crude methods employed in adjusting the two imjiortant factors mentioned, fiiuls the freedom which the ])eople enjoyed from tlie necessity of pi-oviding, to be the main cause of the unusual development of the genial and generous traits of the llawaiians, and in it finds the principal source of their marital happiness. Other writers account for the practice of infanticide among the TTawaiians on the unpardonable ground of laziness — unwillingness to tike the trouble to reai' children. But as we are told that pariMits wei-e fond of their children and ]iarental disciplini^ was not riti'orous. and as children were left laryelx- to their own devices, their care could hardly be regarded as a serious burden ; moreover, more girl children were destro^■ed than boys, indicating' that the f(U^mer reason was the more economic and. theri^fore the more human and logical one. On the other hand it may be urged that a cei'tain aiiiount of brutality was always exhibited toward their own kind. The old and jihvsically unfortunate among the connnon {)eople fared roughly at the hands of the com- munity. Old age was despised. The insane were often stoned to death and Descriptiox of PIj.\te. 1. A sturdy old native in characteristic Euro]iean dress. 2. The Hawaiian warrior Kaniehaneha I. From a monument in front of the Judiciary Building in llonohiiu. erected, during the reign of King Kalakaua, one handnd years after the discovery of the ll;n\;iiian Islands by Captain Cook. The statue, by an Anieric;ni artist, is a coniposite. based on a |iaint- ing of Kamehameha by a Eussian artist and supidiniented by ])hotographs of the finest tyjies of modern Hawaiians. The figure is shown wearing the helmet |mahio]e| made of wick(>r-work covered with feathers; a long cloak [ahuula] of feathers attaclied to a fine net work of olona ; about the chest and over the shoulders is draped tlie malo of I'mi. also made of feathers on an olona fouiidaticm. About the loins is tied the common tajia malo — the covering worn by the men of ancient Hawaii when at work; in the left hand is tlie sjiear [newa|, the ciiief imple- ment of warfare. The Honolulu statue is a duplicate of the original whicli was lost in a wreck on the voj^age to Honolulu. The sunken statue was subsetinently raiseil and now stands in the court yard at Kohala, Hawaii. Four pictures in bas-relief about the base of tiie monu nent (not here shown) represents (a) canoes greeting Captain Cook at Kealakekiia l^ay ; (b) si.\ men hurling s]iears at Kjunehamelia ; (c) a fleet of war canoes buih f(n' tlie invasion of Kauai, and (d) ir.en am! children im the roadside. 3. Muscular ydiiiig Ilnwaiian. 46 NATUEAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. the sick sometimes left to die of neglect or, less frequently, were put to death by their relatives. Descent of Rank. AVhile the descent of rank through the female line gave women a place of unquestioned importance in their social scheme and often elevated her to the hiuhest positions in the political order, it did not save her from certain forms of social degradation directed irrevocably at all her sex. For example, her sex was excluded from the interior of their chief heiaus. At lurth she was more un- welcome than her brother and more lialile to be summarily sent to the grave. She was the object of the most oppressive of the regulations of the tabu system. She must not eat with men or even taste food from an oven that had been used in preparing food for them. She was not allowed in the men's eating houses, and several of tlie choicer food products of the islands Avere absolutely forbidden her. Such delicacies, for example, as turtle, pork, certain kinds of fish, cocoanuts and l:)ananas, were reserved by the tabu for the exclusive use of the male sex. But as a sort of compensation the men attended to the preparation and cooking of the food, and women were allowed the privilege of accompanying and aiding their husbands and brothers in battle They could manufacture bark cloth without fear of competition by the men, and they could engage in the practice of medicine, as they understood it, on equal terms with the sterner sex. The Tabu. Reference has just been made to their tabu system. A cursory examination of it will show what a far-reaching, serious and exceedingly complicated system of penal exactions and regulations it was. No one, not even the king, was alto- gether free from its influence, and the common people were made to bow to its dictation at every turn of their daily lives. As an institution, the system was both religious and political, in that the violation of the tabu ^ was a sin as well as a crime. As a punishment for its infraction the offender was liable to lu'i ng down the wrath of the gods, and they were numerous, as well as bring al)()ut his own death. Avhich was often inflicted in an exceedingly cruel and bar- lifirous manner. This extraordinary institution, although common throughout Polynesia, was worked out to a finer detail, and more sternly enforced in Hawaii, perhaps, than in any of the Pacific islands. For the present purj^ose it would be tedious to sketch the system in anything more than a general way. Suffice to say that the tabu was the supreme law of the land. In its final analysis it was a system of religious prohibition founded on fear and superstition, the interpreta- tion and use of which was in the hands of a ]iowerful and unscrupulous priest- hood, the kahunas, who in their i)almy days were supported with all the physical power that the kings and influential chiefs could bring to bear. Some of the tabus were fixed and permanent, being well understood by all the people. Many such there were relating to the seasons, to the gods and to ^ That which was forbidden. THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 47 oft-repeated ceremonies. Others were special. Icinpofary jiiid ci-i-alic. liaving their inception in the will or caprice of the king or tlie pleasnrc of the kalmnas. Some of the more burdensome were sjjecific and dii-ected against certain persons or objects. Eor example, the persons of llie chiefs and priests were lalni - as were the temi)les and the temple idols. Some in effect were exceedingly rigid requirements, others partook more of the force and importance of regula- tions. There were four principal tabu periods during each month. During these periods a devout chief was expected to spend much time in the heiau.-'^ At such times women were forbidden to enter a canoe or have intercourse with the other sex until the tabu was lifted. An especial edict nuide it incumbent that during the whole period of her pregnancy the expectant mother nuist live entirely apart from her husband, in accordance with a very ancient tabu. At the periods sacred to the great gods many were put to death for infractions of th(^ tabu, as many restrictions were promulgated and enforced at such sea- sons, and, through ignorance, the people were liable to disregard them. We are informed by the people and through the records of early visitors that at such times no person could bathe, or be seen abroad during the day-time, no canoes could be launched, no fires were allowed, not even a pig could grunt, a dog bark or rooster crow for fear the tabu might be broken and fail of its purpose. Should it fail the offenders were made to pay the penalty with tlieir lives. Any particular place or object might be declared tabu by tlie proper person by simply affixing to it a stick bearing aloft a bit of tapa, this being a sufficient sign that the locality was to be avoided. The bodies of the dead were especially sacred objects and always tabu. As long as the body remained unburied it was subject to the vagaries of the system. Those who remained in the house or had to do with the corpse were defiled and forbidden to enter other houses in the village. Owing to the tabu, two ovens must l)e nuiintained, one for tlie husl)and, the other for the wife: two houses must be built t(» eat in, a third to sleep in. Tn a thousand similar ways the system was fastened on every act of the daily life of the people to such an extent that it was ever present, dominating their every thought and deed. It o]')pressed their lives, cirtniled tluMi- libcM-ties. and dark- ened and narrowed th(Mr horizon bevond belief. CHAPTER IV. THE RELIGION OF THE HAWAllAXS: THEIR :\[ETHODS OF WAR- FARE AND FEUDAL ORGANIZATION. Complex and bewildering as was the Hawaiian system of tabus. Ilieir re- ligious system was even more so. Moreovei'. the one was so inlerlwined with the other that the two subjects cannot 1><' treated sepai'atelx-. Since the lla- ^ Sacred. ^ Tenijile. o -f. x' t THE HAWAIIAN PP^OPLE. 49 waiians were naturally a lii'-ihly religious people, tlicy found iiinny objects to worship and many ways in which to worship them. As a matter of fact, the cartli, the sea and the air were iilled with their aiiiakiias, in the form of invisible being's, who wrought wonders in the powers and ])lienoineiia of natni-e. Tiie presence and power of the amakuas was evidenced to them b\- the thundt-r, light- ning, wind, earthquakes and volcanoes. Religion Among the IIawaiians. Of the innumerable gods in the pantheon, Ku, Kane, Lono and Kanaloa were supreme. These important gods were supposed to exist in the heavens, in invisible form, and to have been present at the beginning. They were also ho- lieved to appear on the earth in human form. In addition to these each person had his or her own titulary deity, and each occupation was presided over by a special amakua, to which worship was due. Thus the fisherman, the canoe maker, the hula dancer, the tapa maker, the bird catcher, even the thieves and the gamblers, all had presiding deities with power to prospei- them in their callings and bring them good luck in their undertakings. Other deities were clothe 1 in life in the form of numerous animals and plants. Disease and death were quite naturally regarded as the woi-k of the gods and appreciated l)y the people as material evidence of their invisil)]e powers. Idol Worship. They Avorshipped their deities chiefly through idols made of wood or stone. They believed that such images represented, or in some way were occupied by the spirit of the deity that they sought to worship. The people as a whole had a rather well defined conception in regard to existence after death. They believed that each person had an invisible double. They also thought that after death the spirit lingered al'iout in dark places in the vicinity of the body and was able to struggle in hand to hand encounters with its enemies. A nightmare was interpreted as a temporai'v (piitting of the l)ody by the spirit and in certain cases, through proper prayers and ceremonies, it was believed to be possible to put the soul back into the body after it had left it. This was usually accomplished by lifting the toe-nail of the unfortunate pel-son concerned. Many places were believed to be haunled and the spirit was supposed to journey from the grave to its fcu-mer abode along tlie path that the corpse was carried for burial. DKsrKiPTiox OF Plate. 1. The Ilc'iau of Puukiluiln at Kawailiac — a luii;(.' .stuiic ciiclosuri' Imilt liy Kaiticlianielia I. as a ])roteetion ajjainst the perils of war. Many human sacrifices were nia(h' on ils altar to the great war god Kukailiinoku ; among others the l)os of Kaniehameha 's rival. Keoua. and his followers who, on a peace mission, were treacherously slain while landing at Kawaihae from a canoe in the year 1791. -. P^ntranee to the lliian at Kawaiha". .'!. l)oul)le war canoe equip{)ed with mat sails; the gourd masks wcirn liy the wari-iors art' also shown. 4. l^eather cloalf [ahuula] worn liy (diiefs of importance; made of red |iiwi] and yellow [mamo and o-o] bird feathers. ■"». The city of refuge | })Uulioiuia | at llonaunau; a stone wall twelve feet high and fifteen feet thick encloses seven acres of tabu grtnnid. To such sanctuaries women and cliildren, warriors worsted in battle, criminals and others in peril might floe f(U" safety from their avengers. 6. Heian of the ojien truncated jiyramidal type; compare with the rectangular walled type shown in figs. 1 and 2. D. H. HILL LIBRARY 50 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. The Future State. They had a ratlier iiideiiuite notion as to the exact nature of the future state. However, they believed that the two usual conditions, misery and happiness, existed. If the soul after journeying- to the region of Wakea ^ was not favor- ably received, it was forced through despair and loneliness to leap into the abode of misery, far below. Precipices from which the souls of the unhappy departed were supposed to plunge on this wild leap are occasionally pointed out at various places about the group. One at the northern point of Oahu, another at the northern extremity- of Hawaii, and a third on the western end of Maui are w^ell known to those acquainted with Hawaiian superstition. Heiaus. In order to propitiate their gods, or better accomplish their worship, the peo- ple through fear or at the command of the king or priests, erected numerous temples or heiaus. To many students of the race this blind fear of their gods and their chiefs, and their unreasoning acceptance of the tabu, are subjects of continual wonder. Their principal temples were of two general forms, the older being composed of rough stones laid up without mortar in the form of a low, truncated pyramid, oblong in shape, on top of which were placed the altar of sacrifice, certain grass liouses, the idols of the temple and the other grotesque wooden images and objects used in their worship. The later and more common form of heiau was made by erecting four high walls of stone, surmounted with numerous images, enclosing a space occupied, as before, by the various images, oracles, sacred places and altars of worship. These temples were numerous in the more thickly settled regions on all the islands and were usually built near the shore. On Hawaii, in the region from Kailua to Kealakekua, particularly, they were very numerous and close together. The principal heiaus were dedi- cated to their chief gods, but many smaller ones were built, as fish heiaus, rain heiaus and the like, and were dedicated to the special god of the builder. Where temples were found in large numl)ers a corresponding num1)er of priests were to he expected. Of these there were many orders and sub-orders. They and thtween the armies, the ]-)riosts of each army made an offering, usually a \u\s. wliieli was killed by strangling. When the various relisious ceremonies were over the battle would begin, X z ^ 1 <1^ a Eh fj V3 ^ 0 >-' 1. ^ = , P2 s -< 13 02 -^ r^ a Eh a:' •5 P^ r* <; 0 „^ ^ J 0 <11 Eh TlIK HAWAIIAN I'HOI'LH. 53 the, priests aeeoiupaiiyiii^- tlic armies, l)eariii^' tiicii- idols alol't thai the Ixxlic^s of the first slain in battle mi^ht be properly olTci-cd lo the ('lls accompanying' Ihciii with frightful grimaces, all ol whii-li were supposed to come from the images themselves, and to be an unmistakahle token that the gods were in their midst. In opening the attack-, it is i-elated. a single wai'ri(»r would sometinu^s ad- vance from the ranks, armed only with a fan and when within hailing distance would proceed to blackguard the enemy, daring them to attack him single-handed. This exasperating challenge would l)e answered by a nund)er of spears being hurled at the taunting warrior, who would nimbly avoic^l tiiem or seize them in his hands and hurl them back at the enemy. Such incendiar\' manoeuvers were well calculated to precipitate trouble and not infrequently they resulted in the death of the intrepid warrior. A fierce struggle would tlien follow to gaiit possession of his body. Their battles were often almost hand to hand encounters, lasting some- times for days. However, they do not seem to have been very fatal. Often they resulted in routing one party or the other, the conquerors taking possession of the land and portioning it out among the victorious chiefs. A heap of stones was made over the bodies of tlie victorious dead, v/hile the vanquished slain were left unburied. Captured wai-riors were occasionally allowed tlieir freedom, but more frequently they were put to death or kept as future sacrifices. The women and children of the captured were made slaves and hound to the soil. When peace was sought a ])raneli of ki leaves or a young banana plant was borne aloft b\' the ambassadors as a flag of truce. When terms were arrived at a pig was sacrificed and its ])lood poured on the ground as an emblem of the fat<^ of the party to the treaty who shoul'l break its conditions. The leaders of both armies would then braid a lei of maile and deposit it in a temple as a peace offering. The heralds were then sent running in all dii-ections to announce Descriptiox of Pl.\te. 1. Typical Hawaiian burial caw. The coininon pcoiilc after dcatli were usually secreted in caves in the neighliorhood ; the burial took place durinu' the iiiyht. tireat care was taken, however, to hide the bones in secret places to prevent them fniin being used for fish hooks and arrow points. The important bones of the kings, including the skull, leg and arm bones, were gathered from the decayed flesh, collected into a ))undle, wrapped with ta])a and bound up with cord; the bundle was tlien deified by elaborate ceremonii's before the bonces were placed in tlie mo,st secret and inacc;ssible caves, often being carried from uiie island to another. The bones of a high chief were preserved in vaultdike caves in the idiffs and nut infrequently were laid at rest in the warrior's canoe together with other precious possessions belonging to the departed. 2. An aged kahuna. 3. Kukailinn)ku, the god of war; taken from a figure in ( 'ook 's Voyages; other representations of this go, mats, tapa, etc. li. Ancient wooden idol. Prior to the landing of the missionaries idolatry was abolished and the idtils df the nation hidden away in caves; later many of them were collected ami burned. A number, however, were preserved and are now in museums in Hawaii, America and Europe. 54 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. the termination of the war, and the event wonki be approi)riately eelebrated with feasts, dancing and games. The King and His Power. The king was the recognized liead of all civil and military, also ecclesiastical authority. The lands, the people, their time, their possessions, the temples, the priests, the idols, the tabus, the prophets, all lielonged finally to him. Every- thing M'as his to use as he willed so long as he Avas in the favor of the gods. The priests, who were the only ones skilled in interpreting the oracles and learning the wishes of the gods, were also the class which determined the offerings that would placate the deities worshipped. In this way, through fear, they were able to hold no small amount of influence over the affairs of state by reason of the king's dread of the wrath of the gods of his realm. The liigh priest kept the national war god and was at all times in close rela- tion to the monarch. Other priests were charged with perpetuating the traditions of the people as well as their own medical, astronomical and general learn- ing. Besides the regular orders of priests there was a numerous class of more irregular priests or kahunas, that were little more than sorcerers. They were able to cause the death of persons obnoxious to themselves, their clients, their chiefs or their king. In order to pray any person to death it was only necessary for one of their kahunas to secure the spittle, the hair, a flnger nail, or personal effects be- longing to the intended victim, and, by means of certain rites, conjurings and prayers to the gods, to so work upon the fear and imagination of the individual as to almost invariably cause his death. As a result they were unpopular as a class and not infrequently were conspired against by the people, or themselves prayed to death by the more powerful of their cult. The Nobility, Chiefs and Common People. In the time of which we write the ixtpulation was divided into three classes, the nobility, including the kings and chiefs ; the priests, including the priests, sorcerers and doctors ; and the common people, made up of agriculturists, artisans and slaves taken in war. There was an impassable gulf between the class including the chiefs and the common people. The distinction was as wide as though the chiefs came from another race or a superior stock, yet as we have said elsewhere they were undoubtedly all of one and the same origin with the people under them. A common man could never be elevated to the rank of a chief, nor could a chief be degraded to that of a commoner. Hence the rank was hereditary in dignity at least, tliough not necessarily so as regards function, position or office. Within the class of the nobility, sharp distinctions were numerous and a certain seniority in dignity was maintained. As far as can be learned there was no distinction between civil, military, ecclesiastical and social headship, and there was no separation between the executive, judicial and legislative functions. The power, in an irresponsible way, was entirely centered in \ho hands of the nobility. TlIK HAWAIIAN PKoi'Llv 55 Since the eliiei's were Ix'licved l),v llie coiiinu)n people to he desceiideil i'l-din the gods in some mysterious and complicated way, they wer-e supposed to be in close touch with tlie invisible i)owers. They were looked up to with super- stitious awe, as being both powerful and sacred. This' ndvantage was shrewdly employed l)y the ruling class in securing the respect and iiii]ilauted by some of the more modern garden implements made of metal. The taro ponds are usually small and irregular in form, and vary in size from a few yards to a half acre or more in extent. They were formerly nuide with the utmost care, by first removing the earth down to a water level and X X X an P O < fa O % 0 o <1 & o « C £ a THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 65 using- the surplus soil to l)uild strong embankments on jill sides of the pond, which, when necessary, were re-enforced with stones, sugar-cane and cocoanut leaves. The earth in the pond was then carefully manipulated so that the bot- tom and sides could be beaten solid. In early times tlie hai-d end o£ a cocoanut leaf was used as a flail when it was necessary to pack the earth tirmlv to form the walls and bottom into a water-tight basin. When the pond was water-tight the earth was thoroughly spaded and worked over for a couph^ of feet in dcptli. The water was then let into the pond and the earth mixed and stamped wilh the feet until a thin muck was formed. The next step was the planting of the ne\\ crop. The leaves cut oCf in a buncli just below the crown of the plant as the ripe roots are harvested, form the Imli. The taro is usually propagated by planting the huli wliile still fresh, in rows eighteen inches to two feet apart. Water is let into the patch, after planting, so as to form a shallow pond and a fresh water supply is constantly kept running into the patch until the roots become mature, when they, are ready for use. The taro plants usually recpiire from nine to fifteen months in which to ripen, but they will continue to grow and improve in quality for two years or more. The provident Hawaiian would therefore plant but a small area at a time with the result that the plants would not all l)e ready to harvest on the same date. In addition to the common method of pond cultivation just described. several other methods continue to be made use of in the planting and cnltivation of taro, which varj^ more or less in detail. In regions where streams vrere not avail- able and where other conditions were suitable, the land was cleared of weeds and large holes dug in which several plants were set. AVhen necessary the soil was enriched with kukui leaves, ashes and fine earth. The crop, if carefully i)lanted in this way, and tended faithfulh'. would vield abundant returns. Description of Plate. 1. Kahuna pule aiuiana. It was the business of these sorcerers to jn'ooure the deatli of persons obnoxious to themselves, or the chiefs, or their clients, by means of prayers and reli- gious rites. They secured the spittle or some intimate beloncfing of the person whom they wished to destroy and by means of certain rites, coiijuriny and jiraycrs to the gods, so wrought upon the imaoination and superstitious fear of the individual as to almost invariably briug about his death. At the left is showA a large cocoanut hula drum [palm hula] that formerly was only beaten on the occasion of a royal birth. 2. Group designed to show the process of poi pounding. 3. Tapa making; the old woman is shown boating the Itark on the wooden anvil I kua kuku] with a tapa club for the purpose of thinning the wet liark or felting the edges of the sti'ips together. The girl stands by with an umeke of water to sprinkle on the bark from time to time; on the bush beside her are a numl)er of strips roughed out ready to be beaten thin and smooth; behind her a finished sheet is in the process of being ornamented. 4. Scraping olona. The long fibers of this useful jilant are hackled out by scraping the bark on a narrow board [laau kahi olona] with a tortoise shell scraper [uhi kahi olona kuahonu]. From the fiber, twine for all purposes, but especially useful in the manufacture of fish nets, was made. In the case behind are shown such fishing apparatus as seins. nets, fish hooks, shrimp baskets, sinkers and all the various articles made use of by the native fisherman. 66 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. Taro and Its Uses. Several varieties of taro were planted by the natives which varied in size, flavor and growth. In general, however, the varieties all have large, thrifty, heart-shaped leaves of a light green color. The flower is a fragrant, green- yellow, calla-like blossom and inconspicuous. The root is of a regular oval form, from four to eight inches in length, and from two to four inches in dia- meter. In a natural state, when either ripe or unripe, both the root and the leaves have the exceedingly acrid, pungent taste so characteristic of the genus of plants to which the taro belongs. But when thoroughly cooked it becomes mild and palatable without a more disagreeable, peculiar or characteristic taste than spinach or potatoes might be said to have. When the root is ripe it is compact and whitish in color, both before and after cooking; but when poor in quality or unripe, it is liable to be a dull lead color. There are several varieties, as the pink or royal taro, and the blue, or common taro, which differ as indi- cated in the color of the ripe and cooked roots as well as in the color of the poi made from them. The natives prepared the root for use, as they cook all their food, by first baking it in a curious oven called an inui. The oven is formed by digging a hole two or three feet in depth and six or more feet in circumference and placing in the bottom of the hole a layer of stones. On the stones wood is piled and on top of the heap still other layers of stones are laid. A fire is then lighted in the pile of wood and kindling. AVhen the stones are thoroughly heated those on top are thrown to one side and the taro, sweet potatoes, bananas, pig, dog, fish or whatever is to be cooked is wrapped in ki or banana leaves and laid on the stones in the bottom of the hole. The loose hot stones are thrown in on top of the bundle of leaves containing the food, and a little water is added to create steam ; the earth and leaves are then hurriedly placed on the mound to prevent the heat from escaping. Pol The taro after being cooked in this manner was and is made into the favorite dish of the Hawaiians, namely poi. The process of manufacture, though simple, was laborious and was invariably performed by the men. The first step in the process of transforming taro into poi was the removing of the rough outer skin of the root after it had been thoroughly cooked. The scrapings thus secured were put aside to he returned to the ponds as a fertilizer. The roots when carefully scraped were thrown on a short plank of hard wood called a poi board. The board was scooped out slightly in the middle, like a shallow tray. On this plank the roots were pounded with a thick, heavy stone pestle, of which two or three forms were formerly in use. Poi pounding is real work, and when it was to be done properly the na- tives stripped themselves of everything save thcii- loin cloths. Seating them- selves cross-legged, usiuilly one at each end of the poi board, the pestling of the THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 67 mass would continue for an honr or more. With careful niani])iilati()ii tlir roots were thus reduced to a sticky, dough-like mass. As the pounding proceeded, water was judiciouslj' added to prevent the mass, in the form called paiai. from sticking' to the stone pestle. When it was sufficiently smooth and firm i1 was removed from the board and at once made into poi 1)\' thinning with water to whatever consistency was desired; or made into good-sized bundles wrapped with ki leaves. In this way the paiai could be kept for months at a time and was often shipped from place to place. It was in this condition, in all proba- bility, that taro formed one of the chief stores made use of by the natives in their long voyages. Whenever poi was required a portion of the doughy mass, paiai, was put in a calabash and thinned with water. It was ready for use in a few hours after the water was added, but the natives preferred it after it had soured, or worked, for a dav or more. Poi vras eaten by tlirusting the forefinger of the right hand into the mass and securing as much as would adhere to the finger, and then passing the food from the bowl to the mouth by a neat revolving motion of the hand and finger. The native name for the forefinger signifies the "poi finger.' For this reason it was quite the custom to grade poi as one-finger poi, two-finger poi, and so on, thereby indicating its consistency. When ready to be eaten a dozen or more natives might surround one calabash and greedily dip up its contents, sucking their fingers and smacking their lips in a state of obvious enjoyment. Usually they finished the entire allowance at one sitting, only to fall asleep afterwards — "full and satisfied." Poi was occasionally mixed with the tender meat of the eocoanut, and was specially prepared for the sick in several ways. Baked taro also makes an excellent vegetable, and the leaves of the plant, as well as the stems and flowers were cooked and greatly relished hy the natives. Sweet Potatoes and Yams. Next to the taro, sweet potatoes and yams were the most important food plants grown in the islands. Many varieties, accurately described and named by the natives, were in general cultivation. They thrived in the drier localities and were eaten raw, baked or roasted. They were also made into a kind of poi. Poi and sweet potatoes v,-ere fed to their pigs and dogs to fatten them, and ani- mals cared for in this way were regarded as particularly delicious hy the TT;i- M'aiians of a century ago. Breadfruit and Bananas. The breadfruit was much used as a food by tlie natives, after being cooked in their ovens or roasted in an open fire. It was pounded into a delicious \nn as well. The natives were very skillful in growing this delicate plant which was propagated by root cuttings. Bananas were also cultivated by lliciu and eaten both raw and cooked. Sugar-cane calabasli gourds, the paper nnil- berry, olona, ki, cocoanuts and awa were anioiiL; tlic uscrul plants fornio'ly grown by the Hawaiians. SI 3 -2 •S 3 i o ^ 55 o .: 35 CO 2; ^'^^ O ;- r^ »< X CI c ^ ^ *]• _: ^ p O S - 3 ^ ^ -i 3 "H M •+- >, {■ u c r 1 iiosite Page.) THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 71 Tapa IMaking a Fine Art. . The plain or colored tapas were, often, beautifully and tastefully printed with ingenious figures or patterns of various designs. 'I'he pattern lo he transferred to the cloth was first cut on the side of a narrow strip of haniboo. The bamboo was then dipped into the color and the pattern carefully printed on the tapa by pressing the stick on the tapa and against the hand. This operation was repeated until little by little the intended design was completed. Often the entire tapa was printed with various designs and colors in this primitive manner. Some kinds were marked with a string dipped in the color to be trans- ferred. The string was then drawn taut across the tapa and the color snapped on it in the same manner in which the chalk line is commonly used. In the preparation of their "printing inks" the colors were frecpiently mixed with kukui nut oil. Some tapas were saturated with cocoanut oil to render them waterproof and to make them more durable. Tapas which were not oiled could not be washed. For this reason the laundry work to be done in the Hawaiian family was reduced to the minimum. l)ut the amount of time and labor expended in the manufacture of the tapa must have been enormous, since three or four days were required to beat an average sized tapa and a new set was required about once a month. Other materials were used by the Hawaiians in the manu- facture of tapa, the most important being the bark of the mamake, which grew wild in the woods. It was gathered by the women and steamed in an oven with a certain fern that gave off a dark red coloring matter. The bark from tender breadfruit stems was sometimes 'used, as was also the bark from the hau tree. Provision was commonly made for carrying on this work by providing a special house devoted to the purpose and also by the setting aside of certain special gods to preside over the undertaking. Certain of their tapas were delicately perfumed with the root of the kupaoa ; maile and mokihana were also used in this way on account of their delicate and lasting scents. It is worthy of remark that tapa beating was coiniiion among all the Polynesian islanders, when suitable material was to be had. It was an art that was old in the hands of the pioneer Hawaiians at the time of their scltliiig on these islands. While tapa making was generally practiced over the whole of the Pacific, and indeed almost the whole world, it fell to the pninstaking Hawaiian women to carrj' the manufacture of paper cloth to the highest degree of excellence attained among any primitive people. Their best tapas Avere l)ut little, if any, inferior to the fine cotton fabrics tli;i1 ha\-e enlii'ely disj^laced (Description of Plate Continued from Opposite Pnfie.) 5. Small kahili. (J. Slop bowl orntinioiited with luniiati teeth. 7. Stoiio lamps of various forms. 8. Feather cape [ahunla]. 9. Tapa beater. 10. Poi pounders (ring form). 11. Pandanus baskets. 12. Finger bowls of various designs. 13. Spittoons. 14. T.arge and small umekes or bowls. 15. Hanai poepoe. Ki. Carved dish for baked jiig. 17. Oourd hula drums. 18. Hawaiian fans. lil. f'oeoanut wood hula drums. "JO. I'liuli hula or rattles. 21. Mortar and pestle. 72 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAAVAII. them. So completely, however, has the art and manufactiire disappeared that the implements used in its manufactnre even are only to be seen in museums, while the technique of the art must be gleaned from the scanty records of the early missionaries and travelers. Mat Making. Perhaps the manufacture next in importance to the making of tapa was the plaiting of mats. These were used by the natives to lounge upon by day and to sleep upon by night. ^Nlats were also used as sails for their canoes, as parti- tions in their houses, as food mats, clothing and robes, — in fact their uses were innumerable. Taken altogether, being more durable than tapa, their possession in abundance was regarded as unmistakable evidence of material Avealth. The typical bed of the Hawaiian chiefs was a raised portion of the floor, perhaps one entire end of the house. The elevated portion was made of loosely laid stones forming a pile eight or ten feet square, over which was spread several thicknesses of mats, as many as thirty or fort.y being employed on the lied of a well-to-do chief. Naturally the coarsest ones were placed at the bottom and the finer ones spread on top. Lauhala mats are still made and used quite generally throughout the group, many of the best houses being furnished with them in place of the more familiar though less approved floor rugs. Several materials were made use of in the weaving of mats, the most important being the lauhala ; next came the stems of the makaloa, and lastly species of other native sedges. Lauhala ]\Lvts. In the making of lauhala mats, the leaves were broken from the trees, by the women, with long sticks. They were withered over a fire for a short time and then dried in the sun. The young leaves were preferred to the old ones, so that in plaiting the mats the raw material was carefully selected and graded as to quality and color. It w^as then scraped, the saw-like edges removed, and split into strips of the required width, varying from an eighth to an inch or more in width. The braiding was done \>y hand without the aid of a frame or instrument, and, though mats were often made twenty-five feet scpuire, they were finished with great evenness of texture and regularity of shape. The finer braided ones were usually small in size and left with a wide fringe; being greatly prized, they were occasionally carried by attendants to be spread down on other coarser mats when their chiefs chose to sit. IMakaloa jNIats. The rush or sedge mats, called makaloa mats, are soft and fine; the islands of Kauai, and particularly Niihau, were famous for their production. For this reason the mats are frequently spoken of as Niihau mats. V>\\\ on both islands the finest mats were those made from the young shoots. Many of the lauhala, as well as most of the Niihau mats were ornamented with THE HAWAIIAN PI^OPLE. 71 imicli taste — rod and Iji-own sedge stems being used fni- tlic piii-i)()sr. Tliese were worked in on the iipi)er surface of the mat in patterns tluit reseml)k!d embroider}^ various designs being formed, as squares, diamonds, stripes and /igzau' lines. Tlie phiiting of mats, like the beating of tapa, w;is women "s \v()rl< in ancient Hawaii, and those who possessed much skill in llicsc imijortant arts were; esteemed for their labor and praised for their handiwork. Fishing. Aside from war, fishing and agriculture were the chief occui)ati()ns engaged in l)y the men, so that, in general, men procured the food while the woihimi did their full share in making the provisions for the Hawaiian family, and supply- ing the raiment that their civilization refjuired. Fishing, like agriculture, was associated with religious ceremonies and tlie worship of idols. Among this class, the practice was carried to such an extent that special heiaus and altars were constructed and a somewhat ditferent form of worship established. Like the fishermen in all lands and in all times, the natives were firm believers in good luck and their faith in si<:ns and omens was accordingly deep-seated. Their gods were numerous, so that each fisherman worshipped one of his own choice. Likewise the tabus of their gods were many and the devotee would go to a great length in carrying out the fancied desire of his patron deity. The god of one fisherman would tabu black, for example, and in observance of the tabu, the fisherman would have nothinu' black on liis net or canoe, would take nothing black from the seas, and his duliful wife woidd wear nothing black upon her person nor allow the taltu color to appear even in the vicinity of her home. The business of fishing was carried on with great skill and those engaged in the occupation had an extensive knowledge of the habits, feeding gi-ounds and species of fish in the sea round about the islands. Fish nets were made in various forms for various pur]ioses. They Averc netted of a twine manufactured by twisting the fiber of the olona to form ■cordage, most remarkable for its durability. As a substitute in certain cases, cord made from the cocoanut fiber was used, though it was by no means as flexible or durable as the former. The olona grew in a semi-culti\ated state, in the mountain valleys, where abiuidant rainfall was assured. The bai-k was gathered from the young shoots, which were stripped and hackled w itli a scnipei- made of tortoise shell or bone. Nets of various sizes and patterns were designed I'or \ai-ious pui-poses, as were various fish hooks, ])oisons, trai)s and the like. A few of these will a fuller treatment in a chapter devoted to Hawaiian lish and lisliiiit^'. Salt ]\Ianufacti'ke. Salt was an important article among the Hawaiians and they were adept in the manufacture of a coarse salt from the sea water. Two methods were em- ployed: One, that of putting the water in shallow scooped-out stone dishes 74 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. to evaporate ; the other, by impounding the sea water in small shallow ponds and collecting the residue as the water evaporated. Salt Lake, on Oahu, also was an important source of supply. The foregoing w^ere the principal productive occupations that consumed the four to six hours a day that the ancient Hawaii ans devoted to labor. It is, however, not to be presumed that these were the only pursuits in Avhieh they could engage. Certain districts and settlements became famous for their peculiar wares and products. Occasional fairs or markets were held at which the pro- ducts and articles of manufacture of one district were exchanged for those of another, and a crude sort of barter was thus in vogue by which, recognizing the importance of specialized skill, or by utilizing special natural advantages, the wants and necessities were supplied, so that food, clothing, ornaments, uten- sils and tools might be had by all. CHAPTER VII. TOOLS, BIPLE^IENTS, ARTS AND AMUSEMENTS OF THE HA- WAIIANS. The Hawaiians at the time of their discovery by white men were still in the stone age. The absence of iron, copper or any of the metals in a workable form was a serious handicap to their development. Stone, bone and wood w^ere the ma- terials at their disposal, and from them they were forced to construct such tools as they could devise. Implements of Stone, Bone and Shell. Of the simpler tools made use of by the natives, none was of more value and importance than was the stone adz. It w^as formerly in general use throughout the whole group, as it was throughout the most of Polynesia. In Hawaii adzes were made in various shapes, weights and sizes, for various pur- poses, but the principle Avas the same in all and consisted in the securing of a cutting or bruising edge of stone that might be held in a convenient form for use as a hand tool. The hardest, most compact clinkstone lava was selected for the liit by the ancient adz maker. The rough stone was patiently worked into form by chip- ping, splitting and grinding. When at last the proper shape was secured, the bit was bound to the handle, (usually made from a branch of the ban tree), by means of a cord made of cocoanut or olona fiber. In certain cases, the bit was used without the addition of a handle. For heavy work, as the felling of trees, the shaping of canoes, or the framing of the house timbers, large adzes were recpiired, and there are some in existence that weigh several pounds. For more exacting work, as in carving their hideous idols, or finishing and mending the umekes, fine chisels were needed, and ex- amples are extant that are, in effect, carving sets in which simple forms of THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 11 gouo'es, cliiseLs, aud the like can easily be recognized. Aiiiung- their iiuplenients they had sharpening stones made of hard phonolite, which were used to give an edge to their tools, or as polishing stones. Some of these were boulders and were permanently located, while others were smaller and could be taken about as rquired. The saw-like teeth of the shark were used as tools in many ways, where cutting, scraping, and sawing edges were required. One of the most curious of their tools was the rotary or pump drill. The staff, tipped with a slender piece of hard lava or a Terebra shell, was fitted with a crude fly-wheel and a bow-like device, which caused it to spin back and forth. This simple device was convenient for boring the innumerable holes required to accom- modate the cord that, for want of nails, was used in fastening all kinds of objects together. Hand stones for hammers, stone files for making fish hooks of bone, scrapers of bone and shell, stones for smoothing, fine pumice, coral grit and other fine materials for polishing, w^ere all tools commonly found in an artisan's kit. The oo or digger, a long staff of hard wood, was almost the only tool of husbandry, while in net manufacture the simple and widel}' used seine needle and mesh gage were practically the only tools employed. As we think of the endless variety of tools necessary to perform even the most ordinary task in our own more complex civilization, it seems incredible that the patient Hawaiian, with such exceedingly simple tools at his command, could have utilized the materials of his environment to such splendid purpose. The wonder of their achievement grows when we contemplate not only the variety and amount of their handicraft, but the neat and substantial character of their work — a trait for Avhich the ancient Hawaiians are .justly famed. Ornaments of Feathers. Ornaments wrought from the feathers of birds Avere among their most valuable possessions. Among their handicraft, especially such as had to do with adornment, nothing made by them surpassed in elegance their feather capes, helmets, cloaks, leis, kahilis, and feather pa 'us or dresses. So handsome were they that their possession was almost entirely limited ti^ the alii or ]ier- sons of rank, or those of special distinction. The most valuable of all were the feather cloaks oi' robes of state, which were indeed priceless insignia of rank. The most valuable were made en- tirely of the rich, golden-yellow feathers of the very rare and now extinct native mamo. A robe in the Bishop Museum that was the property of Kame- hameha I, is composed almost entirely of the feathers of the mamo, and con- stitutes one of the Museum's chief treasures. As the arrangement of the cloak was always such that additions could be made from time to time, it is not to be M'ondered that this beautiful robe of state, which occupied over one hundred years ^ in making, should be valued at as high a figure as a million dollars, when the amount of labor involved in the gathering of the raw material from whieli it was made is taken into account. As a substitnti^ for the rarer golden- yellow mamo feathers, certain more common y(^Ilow I'ealhers from the tiow ''■ Nine generations. bo n c« bJO OH , .9 1 '» OD QJ ? OC 5j >H 1 § 1 ^ J3 ! a 5 ;g "^ -< ^ ■^ s/ ac S • ^ ■^ >^ ^ _2 ^ ^^ Cm ' ro OJ Oj « Tl t— 1 r3 =»- ■-; iyo; ■j2 = THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLP]. 77 equally rare oo were used by the old llawaiians. The feath(M's of other hirds as the iiwi. apapane, ou, koae and iwa were used in eoniljination with the foregoing or in various other ways, in the different articles mentioned, that chiefs and those who could atford tiiem might have ca]:)cs ; but the ycHow feathers were reserved for royalty only. The ground work for the capes and cloaks was a fine netting made of the native oloua ; to this the feathers were 1iriiil\- fastened in such a way as to overlap each other and form a smooth and utiifonii surface. The Kahili. The kahili, a fly brush or plumed staff of state, Avas the emblem and embellish- ment of royalty and was held in the time of which we write, solely as an adjunct of the alii. A few of these curious feather plumes were of enormous proportions, there being records of some that were borne on poles thirty feet in length. The plume was composed of feathers arranged in bunches, bound on stems, which were attached to the central staff in such a way as to form a loose, fluffy, cylinder-shaped head, sometimes two or more feet in diameter l)y three or four feet in length. The handle Avas occasionally made of alternate rings of ivory and tortoise shell. In some instances the bones of the famous alii slain in battle were placed on the stem as trophies of victory or as savage ornaments. However, the kahili handle was commonly made of a stout spear-like shaft of kauila wood. IMany of the smaller kahilis were definitey used for the purpose of fly flaps and are thought to be the form from which the hn-ucr and more ornamental ones were evolved. Their helmets, which were exceedingly picturesque and striking ornaments, were generally worn by the chiefs on state occasions. They were made of wicker work of the aerial ieie roots, covered with the feathers of several species of the birds mentioned, red and yellow being chiefly used, and were extremely variable in form. Hideous effigies of the powerful war god Kukailimoku - were made of wicker work and feathers, like tlie helmets, and were usually supjilied with staring pearl-shell e.yes and hoi'ri])le gi'inuing mouths set i'; -ff^ . 5'x a: -t^ ^ -1^ y. — ^ - -)•' ^ ■" Op — ' — c^ = 2 ^ ~ S s -t^ , ri .= 6W Mi ■^- 0 M -+H 2-2 CD 5 H — -!«S ^ ^ ^ = ° — — ~ "1 ° ^ ■:: a w U -H rr J2 .:: r= a) tx So r- 0 ri "k — r; ■^ T" +- "^ C« -1^ C ' — 0 ^^ — r- ~ 0 rz « u« ^ s :s5 THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 79 many strands of finely braided hnman hair on which was snspended, as a pendant, a mnch-prized ornament, the palaoa, made from the tooth of a whale or walrns. These were tabn to all below the rank of chief. Necklaces of ivory beads were also prized; bracelets of shells, especially the pipipi, and of whale ivory, were worn, fastened on the back of the wrist with a small cord of olona. Boars' teeth were also used as bracelets. A beautiful amber tone was tiiven to many of the ivory ornaments by wrapping; them in ki leaves and exposing them for considerable time in the heavy, strong' smoke of sug-ar-cane. Medicine op the Hawaiians. Of the practice of medicine and the use of medicinal herbs among the ancient Hawaiians, but little is known further than that it Avas a matter of worship rather than the practice of a healing art. It seems that superstition was the principal element combined with vegetable substances and crude sur- gery. The doctors were a distinct class of priests who worshipped certain gods from whom they were supposed to have inherited their knowledge of medicine. They were regular in the practice of their art in that they exacted offerings for the god of medicine before they would undertake a cure, and then forbade certain articles of food to the sick. As a matter of fact they seem to have had considerable knowledge of the medicinal properties of herbs though they were by no means uniformly successful in their prescription and use. They followed a crude form of external diagnosis for internal ailments. They were adept in the use of rubbing and manipulation to alleviate soreness and minor ills. They set limbs with some skill, reduced inflammation by the use of herb poultices and made use of the pulp of the calabash gourd vine as a cathartic. Patients were held over the smoke of specially prepared fires for certain ail- ments, were steamed over hot stones for others, and so on through a long list of practices that were, no doubt, useful in securing to the patients the satisfac- tion of feeling that they Avere at least doing something for their ailments. From the natural history point of view their practice of medicine adds much interest to the study of the botany of the islands, for a surprisingly large number of na- tive plants Avere Avell knoAA-n as specifics for different diseases, and to this day frequent allusions are made l)y the natiA^es to the uses of A^arious plants by tlie old kahuna doctors. Implements of Warfare. Although Avar Avas an important A'ocation Avith the ancient HaAvaiians, there being a certain period of the year set apart during AA'hich it might properly be engaged in, the implements AA'ere fcAV and simple. They consisted chiefly of spears, jaA'elins, daggers and clubs made of tough Avood and AA^ere, as a rule, smoothly polished. They liad no armor other than the gourd masks Avorn by the canoe men. The IlaAvaiian Avarriors preferred to fight dressed in their malos only. As a substitute for the shield, a device of Avhich they ap- x a « t< sq IC Q ^ O r-^ ^ a s M X H E^ sq < h3 X Oi tj k- t. o w Z ^^ 0 :^ h^l «? a 0^ Q s o I THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE. 81 peared to ])e ignorant. Ilicy used tlieir stout spears in \v;ii-dinii' ott' blows. These were made of lieavy solid wood ]i('i-fectly straiuht in form and were twelve to twenty feet in length. 'riicir J;i\cliiis were smaller, l)eing about six feet in length and were i)rovided with i)laiii. ai'rnw-slnipcd. or harl)ed heads which, though dull, were effective when lliinist against the bare skin of the enemy. The next most important of their weapons were stout clubs of various sizes and forms made of wood, stone or hone. With these they were able to deal a powerful hhiw. Their dagger-like sword was from sixteen inches to two feet in length and was frequently pointed at both ends. This weapon was supplied with a string of olona by which it was suspended from the wrist. Another form of sword liad a saw-like edge set with a fev/ shark teeth. The bow and arrow in a diminutive form, although used l)y the alii in the royal spoi-t of shooting rats and mice, was never made use of in warfare; instead, slings manufactured of human hair, braided pandanus or cocoanut cord were the im- portant weapons of defense. AVith them they were able to hurl the smooth egg-shaped pebbles which they prepared with special care, witli gi-e:it force and accuracy. The canoe breaker, made for naval warfare, was simpl\' a round stone tirmly fastened to the end of a rope. This could be whirled about the head and thrown with sufficient force to smash the thin shell of the enemy's canoe. The instruments made use of in hand-to-luiud eneounlers wei-e knives titted witli one or two shark's teeth; disemboweling Aveapons were made by fastening a single shark tooth firmly in a short stick of wood, so arranged as to be carried concealed in tlie hand, until, in an unguarded moment, it eonld sudileidy be made use of with fatal effect. A rarer weapon, used in seeui'ing victims for human sacrifice, was a stout cord in a slip-noose form, that was firmly fastened to a knob-like handle. In use the noose was stealthily Ihi-own over the head of the intended victim and hauled taut fi-om the reai- by tlie knob, the back of the victim usually biMiig liroken in the attack that followed. Wliile tlie natives were industrious and skilled in the pnrsnits of peace, expert in their primitive arts of war, and an exceedingly religious i)eoi)le. they found much time for anuisements and devised many gam(>s suited to b(4li chil- dren and adults, from which they derived much enjoyinent. The Hula. The hula was tlu^ form of diversion most commonly indnlLicd in. .\11 of every age and character took part in it. It was not so much a dance in the usual sense of the term, as a form of i-elii^ions sei-vice in which acting in gesture and movement was made use of in developing the ideas expressed by the song: DKSCRrrrioN of Plate. 1. Hawaiian youth standing on tlic svirf board \v^Vii hoc naln]. 2. Showing the shape and size of the board. 3. Racing in the surf at Waikiki; Dianioml Head in the back- ground. 4. An outrigger canoe (waa) showing the outrigger (aina) of wiliwili wood anti the connecting bars [iako] of hau and the gunwale [inooj of ulu. The jiaddh's [hoe] are of koa and kauila wood. 5. Two single canoes on the licadi. Tlic hull of thi' canoe is always made of a single koa log. 82 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. which the gestures accompanied. Like everything else the Hawaii ans did it was made the subject of extensive religious ceremonies and was accompanied by an intricate form of worship in which Laka was the chief goddess. Naturally there were many forms of the luila, some of them extremely lewd. The latter class, unfortunately, have been used more than any other single thing to spread the fame and infamy of Hawaii, and create an erroneous and distorted im- pression of the Hawaiian race. Yet it should be understood that their dances were, in the main, entirely chaste ; but, unfortunately, some of them were in- tended for the gratification of the baser instincts and it is these, under the en- couragement given by a certain class belonging to our own European civiliza- tion, that are most frequently seen in our own times. The dancers, who were usually though not always women, wore the pa'u, or hula skirt, about their waists, with wreaths of flowers about their heads and shoulders. Occasionally dogs' teeth anklets, Jiogs' teeth bracelets and Avhales' teeth ornaments were worn by the participants. The performers stood or sat singly, or in companies, according to the hula being given, usually staying in one place and moving their body and limbs in perfect time and in keeping with the sentiment of the accompanying chant, which was accentuated with the various sounds produced by a series of primitive musical instruments. It is a curious fact that almost all the Hawaiian musical instruments were made use of in the performance of the hula. Naturally the most important instruments were those calculated to mark the crude intervals of time in their chanted songs. The large drums, some of them three feet in height, with half that diameter, made of hollow cocoanut stems over which shark skin heads were stretched, were played l)y rapping with the finger tips and were especially prized. Other drum-like instruments, with astonishing resonance, were made from large bottle gourds, two of which were joined ])y inserting the neck of one within the other. Musical Instruments. To produce the sound desired, the gourd instrument, held in the hand by a loop, was dropped on the padded fioor of the house and at the same time beaten with the palm of the hand, thus varying the sound to accord with the action and feeling of the accompanying song. The deep base of the larger drums was supplemented by the rattle of lesser drums made from cocoanut shells with shark skin heads, or by rattles of small gourds partly filled with dry seeds. Other rattle instruments were made by splitting a long joint of bamboo for half its length, to form small slivers, so that the free ends, in response to the lively motion from the hands of the player, produced a curious swishing sound. A still more primitive instrument was made of two sticks of hard, resonant Avood which were struck together. The most ambitious musical instrument of the ancient Hawaiians and one requiring unquestioned skill in its manipulation, was the nose flute. To make the nose flute, a long, single joint of bamboo was used. One end was left closed by the joint and three small holes bor(^d along the up]ier side, one near the THE TTAWAIIAX PEOPLE. 83 closed end, the other two about a third of +lie distance from either end. In playing, the instrument was held so that the end hole was squarely under the right nostril. The sound produced was modified by the finger holes to give five notes, which might be varied at the pleasure of the performer. A similar instrument was the love-whistle or kiokio, made of very small gourds in which three holes were pierced. The method of playing tliis tiny instrument was similar to that of the nose flute. Another instrument sometimes used to accompany the mele, was based on the principle of the Jew's harp. It was made of a short stick of bamboo slightly bent in sucli a manner as to hold the three strings of olona fiber taut. In use one end of the instrument was placed in the open month Avhich served as a resonator for the feeble tones produced by striking the strings with the fiimers or with a baiiil)oo splinter as a plectrum. Boxing the National Game. Returning to their festivals and games, for there were many in which strength, skill and chance played an imj)ortant part, we find boxing was, per- haps, the national game. It was regulated b.y certain rules, uiiii)ires were ap- pointed, the victor defended the ring against all comers, the conqueror receiving the highest honors. A great crowd of all classes usually attended their games and sports, and wild excitement and much hilaritj^ prevailed. In many of the important contests between the followers of various chiefs, not infi-islio]) Museum. The two runners of this one are each just over eleven feet in length and are three inches apart. They are firmly fastened to the narrow frame. The native tobogganer would lie fiat upon this curious sled, the papa holua, and give it a push with his foot, to start it off. During the decent it would fi'cMpiently gain an immense velocity, and the sport, wliile exhilarating, iiuist ]\;wo been accompanied with great danger to life and limh. Several of the old slides are more than a half mile in length, one on the town side of Diamond Head ran far out on the plain, and another still longer one is to be seen from King street, at the opposite end of the city of Honolulu. Gambling. ]\[any of their sports and games were more properly games of chance. Gambling in various forms was indulged in by all classes in the natural state of their civilization. Seldom did they enter into serious contests without an accompanying bet of some sort, so that food, clothing, ornaments, cro])s. wives. their daughters, and even the bones of their bodies after death, were wagered on the outcome of some simple contest. In addition to those already described, cock fighting was also nnich affected in the ancient times, and was a game of chance of rare interest. The\- also played a game resembling checkers on a flat lava stone, divided into numerous holes or scpiares, using black and white stones for the men. Surf Riding. A favorite -game in which women engaged v.ith much skill, consisted in hiding a pebble, the noa. which Avas held in the hand, under one of five piles of tapa. It was for the opi)osing side to guess in which pile the stone was left, striking the pile selected with a rod tipped with feathers. There were also many children's games, such as Hying kites, cat's cradle and juni|»inL: the I'ojte. lint the sports ])ar excellence in which the chiefs and connnon ped by the British Government about fifty years after the death of the great explorer at a spot as near as possilde to the place where he fell when killed by the natives. 5. Two old Hawaiiaiis at home. 86 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. the islands are far-famed. Being excellent swimmers from their youth the na- tives were as a race devoid of fear. They would leap from high precipices into the foaming surf below, fifty, sixty and seventy feet; and it is still common to see the swimmers and divers in the harbor leap one after another from the bridge or from the life boats of the largest ocean steamers. But riding the surf with the surfboard was and is still the favorite amusement, and an art in which the Hawaiians always exhibited wonderful skill and dexterity. For this amusement a plank, preferably of koa wood, known as a surfboard, was used. It was a coffin-shaped plank averaging about ten feet in length by a foot and a half in width, though they were occasionally eighteen feet or more in length, and from that ranged down to very small ones for children. Some were made of the very light wiliwili wood. They were always made with great care and were kept smoothly polished. The swimmer, with his board, would gradually work his way out through the shallow water, over the fringing coral reef to where the high rollers rise over the outer reef and follow each other in rapid succession over the table-like reef toward the shore. The more terrific the surf, the greater the pleasure to those skilled in the sport, a form of recreation that is enjoyed in these modern and more strenuous times by natives and foreign- ers alike. Selecting the proper kind of wave, the surf-rider would get his board under way by paddling furiously with his hands and feet. At the proper moment, mount- ing a high wave he throws himself on the board just as it is seized by the force of the on-rushing water. Skillful manipulation is required to manage and keep the board just abreast of the crest of the towering wave, which, if everything goes as planned, carries the swimmer and his board, at race-horse speed, clear into the shallow water at the beach. In this manner they disported themselves for hours at a time, returning again and again, often standing erect and gracefully poised on their boards as they were wafted in on the bosom of the foam-capped wave. Surf-riding ex- tended to canoe racing in which the principle just indicated was even more elaborately applied. Strong crews of picked men would man their best type of racing canoes and pull out to where the surf began to rush over the reef. There amid the rush and dash of the sea, each crew would await the signal, when the race would begin, each man paddling furiously, until the canoes were caught by the waves, and amid wild shouts of exhilaration, scarcely audible above the ocean's roar, the successful crew would reach the shore, claiming the race, to the unbounded joy of all. Thus we have hastily passed in review, the life, the customs and the culture of this splendid, though vanishing race. We have seen how, though isolated as they were from their own kind, they developed a natural civilization well adapted to their needs and their peculiar environment. We can now approach the natural history of the animals and plants, and the land itself, with a better THE HAAVAIIAN PEOPLE. 87 understanding' of its iiicniiiti^^ to the natives and a livelier appreciation of other- wise unimportant elements which have long been (Iclcrniiiiing factors in the lives of these people. We can now lietter understand the changes and modifications which have been wrought on the Avhole by the introduction of another race that has trans- planted hither the animals, the plants, the industries and the arts of a more aggressive and far different civilization. o C3 < -J Jo < < < c* 0 in 0 Z < J. 3 0 -^ J icr •? -f s T 1% jAl « »> -< J «i1 •> ^ X q z 'SI •VI <11 Natural History of Hawaii. SECTION TWO GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY AM) TOPOGRAPHY OF THE IIAWAIIAX ISLANDS. CHAPTER VTIT. COMING OF PELE AND AN ACCOUNT OF THE LOW ISLANDS OF THE GROUP. Pele's Journey to Hawaii. There is perhaps no better way to begin an account of tlic natnivil history of the Hawaiian Islands than ])y recounting an Hawaiian legend that tells of the coming of Pele, that powerful mytliieal deity of fii'c and Hood, fctircd aii.l respected by all the ancient inhabitants of the grouj) as the source, as well as the end, of all the wonderful volcanic phenomena with which they were familiar. In the beginning, so one version of the legend runs, long, long ago, before ^^hings were as they now are, there was born a most wonderful child called Pele. Hapakuela was the land of her birth, a far distant land out on the edge of the sky — away, ever so far away to the southwest. There she lived with her parents and her brothers and .sisters, as a happy chih!. until she had gi-owii to woman- hood, wlien she fell in love and was married. But ere long licr husband grew neglectful of her and her charms, and at length was (Miticcd away from her and from their island home. After a dreary ]ieriod of louiiini:- and waitim: for her lover, Pele determined to set out on the ])(M'ih)Us and nncci'tnin jo\n-iii'y in quest of him. When the time came foi- tlie journey lier ])arents. who must have been very remarkable people indeed, made her a gift of the sea to bear her canoes upon. We are told that among other wonderful gifts Pele had ]iower to pour foiMh tlie sea from her forehead as she went. So. when all was in renditiess. sh.e and her ])rothers set forth together, singing, making soniis. jind sailing -on. (tn, on over the new-made sea — out over the great unknown in the dii'ectioii of what we noAv know as the Hawaiian Islands. P>ut in the time of which the legend tells the islands n\' Hawaii were not islands at all, hut were a grouj) of vast nnwatered iiKMintains standing on a great plain that has since be'onie the ocean ".^ tloor. Tiiei-e was not even I'resh water on these ni'nintains until Pele bi-oULiht it. lint as she journeyed in search of her hushand, the waters of the sea preceded her. coNcring over the bed of the ocean. It I'ose before her until onl\- tlie tops of the hiiihesi inoun- 7 89 X < % > S ft GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 91 tains were visil)le; all else was covered by the mitrhty delnj^e. As time went on, the water receded to the present level, and Ihus it was that the sea was l)rought to Ilawaii-nei.i From her coming nnlil now. Pele has continued 1o dwell in Ihe ITawaiian Islands. According to the legend, her home was first on Kauai — one oi the northern islands of the group. From there she moved to JNlolokai and settled in the crater Kauhako. Later she removed to ^Nlaui and established herself in the crater hill of Pnulaina, near Lahaina. After a time she moved again to Ilaleakala, where she hollowed out that mighty crater. Finally, as a last resort, she settled in the great crater of Kilauea, on Hawaii, where she has even since made her abode. In this way Pele came to be the presiding goddess of Kilauea and to rule over its fiery flood, and from those ancient days to the present, she has been respected as the ranking goddess of all volcanoes, with power at her command to lift islands from the sea, to rend towering mountain peaks, to make the very earth tremble at her command, to obscure the sun with stifling smoke, to cause rivers of molten rock to flow down the mountains like water, and above all to keep the fires forever burning in her subterranean abode. This interesting legend should be regarded as a sincere effort of the Ha- waiian mind to account for the presence in the islands of the primeval power they saw in the volcano and to explain certain fundamental phenomena of nature which surrounded them on every hand. Here were the islands, here were the burning mountains, here was the great sea, here were the people, the animals and the plants. Whence came they all, and how did the}' come to be? Legend and Science Agree. With all our boasted science, v/e are still groping, as were the ancient Tla- waiians, seeking an explanation of the beginning of the islands, and of the iii;ir- velous variety of life which they support. Li the search, science has sub- .stiiuted theory for legend, and observation for myth, but when we compare the legendary course of Pele as she moved her home, from the oldest island, Kauai, to the young island, Hawaii, with the theory that geologists have workej out to account for certain basic facts in the evolution of the grouj). w(^ are sur- l)rised to find that legend so closely accords with the modern accei)ted theory of tile succession in time ot the extinction of the volcauie fires that marked the completion of one island after anothei-, until Hawaii alone can boast of the possession of the eternal fires. 1 All Hawaii. Description of Plate. 1. ]\li(l\v:iy Island; looking from sand islet towards groon islet, showing tlie characteristic vegetation. '2. Showing the cable station on Midway Island. Note the growth of sand grass (Ci/)toJon (Incti/lon) in the foreground. ."?. View on Ocean Island showing the formation of sand hills under the protection of the low bushes (Scwvula Kocnigii). 4. Hut built on green islet by Japanese bird poachers. 5. Midway Island home of Capt. Walker and family, who were shipwrecked on the island in T^S7 and spirit fourteiMi months there before being rescued. (The hut has since been burned). ~ iJD » X bX)+^ •- .:; 'tj C — 0 bJC' ^ cS c '^ C -■ T S^-5 ~ -t ^ ■4-> 1 — m ;; . ffl SO^ , •2 ^ ^5: = = t< - ^ 0 I ^ =i ' -i^ ^ S-( i /= ; C8 .S^-2f "^ e "* -- i^ « ^ t* ?- ^- ^ —* "*--*-* ^ = C 1 z <; -^ • . 0) > a: ^ 5? s .-i p (D z X ^_i jj ^~" Tj ■*-* ^ ^ <1 ^ ^ -^ 1 — ' "S X =^ z "J& ■_ O 0 ^ -^ T- X -^J — ' ^ > 1 >^ — « r^ *" — t. "~" - = '% > ?! ^^'^ «0 . -^ bJD r- ? p c -> = '^ ■: ~ ~ „ M h— bx 0 =t; ^ iH C 5 =*H "^^1 U bX-^ .— '-;. ^ ^ 0 -* r- -P , •W p— ^ C^ <-- !; K J* ■ — a; r^ o ?^<; K ^, . 1 c 5 *" • 5- O P = C — 0 = X >^ 5 c; ^ a — ■ SCc = tx "K Ci GEOLOGY AND T01>()(iTJAIMI Y ()F HAWAII. 93 Geographic Positiox of the Tsi.axds. Considering' the Hawaiian Islands in relation to each other and to tiic rest of the world, we find this wonderful group of mid-Pacific islands to he made up of twenty-one islands and a number of other small islets that are contiguous to the shores of the larg(n- ones. For the sake of convenience, the group, which stretches for about 2.000 miles from southeast to noi-thwcst. has been divided into the leeward or northwest, and the windward or inhabited chain. In the leeward islands are grouped eight low coral islands and reefs, and five of the lowest of the high islands. Beginning at the western extremity, the low Lironp includes Ocean Island, ten feet high; Midway Island, fifty-seven feet higli; Gambler Shoal, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisiansky Island, fifty feet high; Laysan Island, forty feet high, and Maro and Dowsett Reefs. These are probably the tops of submerged mountains that have had tlieir summits brought up to or above the surface of tlie ocean by the combined action of the hardy reef-building corals, the waves, and tlie transporting; jiower of the wind. The wind has had an important ])ai't in their final form, since it has gathered up the dry saiul left above the ordinary action of the wave and piled it, as at Midway, in the center of a secure enclosure, formed by an encircling coral reef, or as at Laysan. to form a sand rim about an (devated coral lago;)n. Lying between the group of low islands and forming a coiuiecting link with the high or inhabited group, are five islands, the lowest of the high islands. They form a transition group between the coral and the volcanic islands and a second division of the leeward chain, and are made up of Gardner Island. 170 feet high; French Frigates Shoal, 120 feet high; Xecker Island. 800 feet high; Frost Shoal, and Xihoa or Bird Island, 1)03 feet high. Together with the low islands, they form the leeward chain of thirteen islets, reefs and shoals that have a combined area of somethinu o^•el• six sijuare miles, or about four thousand acres. With the exception of .Midway, which is the relay station for the Commercial Pacific Cal)le Company's wii-e across the Pacific, they are uninhabited at the present time. The entire cliain. with the exception of Midway, has been set aside by the fedei-al goverinnent to form the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation, wliich. taken collectively, foi-nis tlie largest and most populous bird colony in the world. To many these remote, shimuK^'ing, unitdinl)ited islands are de\-oid of intei-- est ; to the naturalist, however, every si|uai'e foot of ihe siii-face, and all the life that iidia])its them, has a.n interesting story to tell. 'I'he u-eolo^ist finds in th(Mn subjects of the greatest interest and importance. The thrilling story of their up-buildini:' through ceutui'ies by tiie tireless activity of the tiny animal, the ct)ral polyp, that by natui'e is endowed with the mxsterions l)ower of extracting cei'tain elements in solution from the sea water and lilth* by little transforming them into a reef of solid linie-stone niasoiii-y. whicli. in time, becomes the foundation of inhal)ited land is indeed most wonderful. 94 NATURAT; HISTORY OF HAWAII. As the formation and growth of coral islands and reefs has been a subject profound enough to engage the attention of such thinkers as Darwin, Agassiz, Dana, Wallace, and a score of others, it is small wonder that these coral islands, which gem the surface of our summer seas, are invested with \dtal interest for those who feel a scientific concern in them and who are permitted to study them. Ocean Island. The leeward chain furnishes interesting examples of the various tj-pes of coral islands. Ocean Island, the extreme western end of the Hawaiian chain, lies in 178° 29' 45" west longitude, and 28° 25' 45'^ north latitude, and is almost at the antipodes from Greenwich, and, as it lies in the northern limit of the coral belt, it furnishes an excellent example of a circular barrier atoll in mid- oc(?an. The coral rim surrounds and forms a barrier alwut four small sand islets and is approximately sixteen miles in circumference. The rim is broken for a mile or more on the western side, but the lagoon enclosed is too shallow to admit the entrance of sea-going ships. Over this low coral rim the curving line of white breakers beat, forming a snowy girdle about the low islets that lie pro- tected w^ithin. Midway Island. ]\lidway Island is fifty-six miles to the east of Ocean Island, and, like it, is made up of a low circular coral rim or atoll, six miles in diameter, averaging five feet in height by twenty feet in width, which is open to the west. Like Ocean, it has one fair-sized sand islet and one that is covered with shrubbery. These islets lie in the southern part of the circle, about a mile apart, and are utilized as stations by the cable company. The coral rim encloses an area of about forty square miles of quiet water which attains a depth of eight fathoms. The island was discovered in 1859 by Captain Brooks, A\ho took possession of it for the United States. Attempts to utilize it as a coaling station were abandoned after a single trial ; but in 1902 it was successfully occupied by the cable company, and has since been regularly visited by vessels carrying provisions and supplies. Just prior to my visit in 19U2, which preceded the arrival of the cable by a few months, the island had been visited and devastated by a party of poachers engaged in securing birds' feathers for millinery purposes. The dead bodies of thousands of birds, ruthlessly slaughtered by them for their wings and tails, were thickly strewn over both islets. The reports made at the time, by the writer, to the State Department and various officials in AVashington, was the first step in the long campaign that finally resulted in the establishment of the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation. Gambier Siioal. Gambier Shoal is a circular atoll lying al)Out half way between Midway and Pearl and Hermes Reef. The latter is an irregular oval atoll, about forty miles in circumference, which encloses a dozen small islets of shifting sand. It was GEOLOGY AND TOPOCJ R A PI I V OF 1 1 A \VA II. 93 discovered in 1822 l)y two \vlialin ^1 - c :7-! " o - S Y, s ^ — rr * X ci'ti — C ?: '. '^ <; ^-X. r' c5 X S O — 5^ — ^ — (— ■ X. £ 0 <- — • - cS — o X *^ m I-^ ■=■ 05 r -1 r,-^ r 6B — --iH _C W c T.S ^ ■r !S Ti nao L- r -* ^ Si — c GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 97 often found in these beds in a semi-fossilized stnte, pointing- to the wi\y in which similar fossils have been embedded elsewhere in nnich older deposits. The rate of deposition of this valuable fertilizer is necessarily very slow and is in direct proportion to the l)ird ]ioi)nlation. While it continues to be dc- ])osited, the amount is small as the colony has been seriously intcrfciTcd with owing to the slaughter of the greater number of the large al])atr()ss, w Inch doubt- less have always been the chief factors in guano production in llicsc waters. ^laro Reef was also the discovery of an American whaling ship in ]82(). It is a rough quadrangular wreath of white breakers, about tliii'ty-tivc miles in circumference, with no land in sight. Dowsett Reef is ])ut thirteen miles south of l\Iaro, and like it. is evidently a young reef as compared with Laysan, since only a few rocks are awash here and there above the breakers. It was named for Captain Dowsett of the whal- ing brig "Kamehameha." whose vessel struck on the reef in 1872. Gardner and P^'rench Frigates Shoal. Coming next to the second division of the leeward chain, we tlnd. with tiie possible exception of Frost Shoal, which is thirteen miles southwest of Xihoa, that they are no longer wholly of coral formation. Gardner, the first of these islands, is a cone-shaped rock 170 feet high by 600 feet or more in diameter. There is a small island lying a short distance to the east of the main roek, but deep water comes up close to the main island on all sides, and vertical sea clitfs, sixty or seventy feet high, surround it on all sides. It vras discovered 1)\ an American whaler in 1820, l)ut has seldom been visited since. This is the first exposed evidence of volcanic rock to be met within the chain, and is of special interest, since it is more than 700 miles east and south of Ocean Island, and is at least 600 miles northwest of Honolulu. Such facts give the reader an idea of the magnificent distances one encounters in traveling through the length of the Hawaiian group. It also emphasizes the extent and magnitude of the chain of volcanic mountains submerged in the central north Pacific, of which, according to the legend of Pele's coming. ])reviously related, and the opinion of learned geologists, only the tops of the tallest peaks are expostHl. The Fr(Mich Frigates Shoal- is about thirty s(|uai-e miles in exti'ut and was discovered by the great navigator. La Perouse. in ITSii, ;ind by him named for the two French frigates under his conunand. A striking \-olcanie i-ock, 120 feet high, rises from the lagoon, which is filled with growing reefs and shift- ing sand-])anks. The surrounding reefs form a bai'i'iei- about the voleanii- imint within and is perhai)s the b(\st example of this form (tf" i-eef in tlie lirou]). Necker Island. Necker Island was discovered in 17S(i. duriiiL; the snme expedition that ni;ide the French Frigates Shoal first known to the world. It was named by the discoverer for the ureat French statesman and financier who convened the - Not Frigate as usually written. 98 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAAVAII. French States-General in 1781). The ishmd, as shown by the steep sea cliffs, is the remains of a soil-capped volcanic crater, that is about 300 feet high, three-fourths of a mile in length, by 500 feet in width, at the widest part. It is surrounded by shallow water; there being an extensive shoal, principally on the south side. This island and near-by Nihoa, or Bird Island, are of special interest as they were visited in ancient times hy hunting and fishing parties from Kauai, who made th? journey to it in their outrigger canoes. As Necker is 250 miles distant from the nearest inhabited island,^ the journey thither would seem to be one not to be lightly undertaken. But as the island was one of the few sources of supply of the coveted frigate and tropic bird feathers much used in their feather work, the journey seems to have been made more or less regu- larly. The level portion on top of the island of Necker is more or less covered with a number of curiously formed stone enclosures, which may have been temples,^ in Avhieh have been found several remarkable stone images, fifteen inches or more in height. These, together with a number of curiously formed stone dishes with which they were associated, are now in the Bishop ^Museum. They are of such unusual design and workmanship as to make them appear relics of some race other than the Hawaiian. However, as the Hawaiian is the only race known to have visited these remote islands at so early a period, and as they were by nature a very religious people, there still remains the possi- bility that the relics, including the stone enclosures, if not of their making, were at least known to and probably made use of by them. Nihoa. Nihoa completes the list of the leeward uninhabited islands of the Ha- waiian group. It is 150 miles east of Necker and 120 miles northwest from Niihau, the nearest inhabited island. It is the highest island in the leeward chain, its summit being a pinnacle at the northwest end which rises 900 feet above the sea. The island is about a mile in length by 2000 feet in breadth, which gives it an area of 250 acres. It is unmistakably the eroded remains of a very ancient and deeply submerged crater, the outer slopes of which have been worn away, leaving only a portion of the familiar, hollowed, volcanic bowl. The materials of which it is composed are similar to those of the high islands, and there is every evidence that it is even more ancient than Kauai. Dr. Sereno Bishop, who visited it in 1885 as the geologist of a party, headed by the then Prnicess Liliuokalani, declared the island to be a pair of clinker pinnacles out of the inner cone of a once mighty volcanic dome, which has been eaten down l)y wind and rain for thousands of feet during unreckoned ages. From the large number of basaltic dikes which cut the island from end to end. he was led to infer that Nihoa is the result of an extremely protracted period of igneous activity. Perhaps this hoarj^ remnant of the past may at one time •■' Xiihau. * Heiaus. GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OP HAWAII. 99 have been a stately island, like tliose of Uic inhabited fii'diip with wliidi we ;ire familiar, tliiit throngh snl)mergence and erosion. li;is been reduced jilmost to sea- level. CHAPTER IX. THE INHABITED ISLANDS : A DESCRIPTION OF KALAi AND NlillAL^ Hawaii-nei: Position of the Inhabited Islands. The wonderful group of high, inhabited, volcanic islands over the forma- tion, or at least the completion, of which the Hawaiians believed Pele presided, consists of the islands of Hawaii, Kahoolawe, ]\Iani, Lanai, ]\[olokai, Oahn, Kauai and Niihau, together with several smaller islands scattered about them. Taken collectively they form the Hawaiian group as it is generally understood, or as the natives expressed it, "Hawaii-nei," meaning all Hawaii. They are an- chored far out in the middle of the north Pacific, under the Tropic of Cancer, and extend in a northwesterly direction from Hawaii, the southern most, to Niihau, a distance of about 400 miles. Honolulu, the capital and principal port of the Territory of Hawaii, is located on Oahu. The position of the Territorial observatory in the capitol grounds in Honolulu is in W. long. 157° 18' 0" and N. lat. 21° 18' 02", and is at a point about fifty miles north and west of the geographical center of the inhabited group. Like most volcanic islands, the Hawaiian Islands lie in a nion> or less straight line; or to be more exact, in two nearly parallel lines, and ;ire sup- posed by some to be superimposed over a great crack in the t)cean's floor, and b}' others to rise from a submerged plateau. Looking more broadly at the gronp in its relation to \\w rest of the worhl. we find the islands situated at the cross-roads of the Pacific Ocean, 21(»(i niih's southwest from San Francisco and eleven days' journey by tlie fastest train and ship, from New York. They are planted far out in the deep bine watei's of the Pacific and are the most isolated islands in the world. It is twelve to eighteen thousand feet down to the ocean's floor on all sides of the group, and, as h;is already been said, it is believed that all of the islands are the exposed sum- mits of gigantic mountains that rise more or less abruptly from the very bed of the Pacific Ocean. This chain of fantastically sculptured Aolennie monnlain peaks, is inn(h' np of fifteen great craters, of the first magnitude, all of wliieli ;it one time or another have been active. All but three of them. howe\-ei'. have been dead and extinct for centuries, perhaps thousands of centuries. Fortunately all thi-et' of the active volcanoes are located on Hawaii, the southei-ninost. and undoiilitedly the youngest island of the group. Since Honolulu is oi'dinai'ily the point of ai'i'ival and depai'ini'e foi' ti'ans- Pacific steamers, as well as inter-island boats, it is well to make it the center I \ *> \ ^cv^/ ,-1" \ / UJ- 1 «f / / .si* €0 - " . ! / - ■. — i 1 — ui '.•-& Ci- - GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF 1 1. \ WAIT. 101 from which to study, in some ddnil. Ilic iiuiiu Licoornpliic. topographic and geologic features of the group. NlIHAU. To the udi'tliwest of Honolulu lie the islands of Niiluiu and Kniiai. Th-' former, the farther removed of the two, is in a iioii li\vcs1ci-ly dii-cclion from Honolulu and is in line with the islaiuls niciitioncd in atiolhcr cha])ter as forming the leeward chain. It is seventeen miles west of Kauai from w hidi it is separated by a very deep ocean channel. It is about eighteen iiiih-s loni; by eight miles in width, at the widest part, and has an area of ninety-seven square miles. The highest portion attains an elevation of about l'-U)() feet above sea level. The island consists of a high central section called Kaeo, surrt)unded by a plain on three sides. On the north and west sides it is the highest and it is here that steep cliffs occur where the high land joins the summit flat. The higher part is irregular and of a basaltic origin, but is without the sharp peaks that characterize some of the larger islands. A large, natural i)()iid near the center of the island and several smaller ponds and artificial reservoirs are found in various sections. While Niihau shows evidence of great erosion it is evident that its niodei-ate height and small size has prevented it receiving the abundant rainfall which has been an important factor in aging its larger companions. A large part of the island is low, apparenth^ of coral or leolian origin, and is the inhabited section. The island is noAV utilized as a great sheep ranch, there being extensive areas of grass land, especially suited to grazinii. Per- haps 150 natives, mostly comparatively new arrivals, now iidialtit the ishind, and together with the old inhabitants, all told, are but a renuiant of the thousand sturdy Hawaiians who made it their home less than seventy years ago. The island is noted in the gi'oup as the one on which is found the famous sedge from which the natives vreave their serviceable soft grass mats, althouizh the same plant occurs in suitable localities on all of the islands. The beaches are strewn with beautiful, though small, sea shells, known as Xiihau shells. i which are strung into long necklaces called Niihau leis. Near Niihau are two cinder cones, Kaula on llie west and Lchua on tli ' northeast, which form small detached islands. Prof. llitchcocU says, '"The hrst is about the size and shape of Punchbowl, cul in two and the lower half destroyeil by the waves. The concentric structure of Ihe yellow cinders, nnich lik'e the lower surface of Koko Head, is wvy ob\ioiis Lehiia a|i|)eai's lo he a similar renuiant, less eroded, as it has maintained aliont 20(1 di'grees of its cir- cumference instead of the 14(1 (lei:i-ees of Kan.la. Both these crater cones have the western or leeward side the hiuhest. l)ecause the ti'ade winds drive the falling rain of ashes and lapilli in the direction of the aii- movement, building up a compact lamiujded i)ile of material to leewai-d. The subseipient ei-osion ^ Coluiiihi-Un rririiiiin. &c O £ > M S c 3: > GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF TTAAVATT. 103 by the waves fashion a ereseent-shnpcd island oponino- to tlio winds and surges upon the northeast side." Kauai — The Garden Island. Kauai, next to the smallest of the five large islands, seems to agree with Niihau in age of formation. In fact, it is suggested tliat some great force has lorn the smaller island away from the larger one without disturbing the strata of either. It is nearly circular and at the same time roughly quadrangular in form. Excepting the ]Mana tiats, whicli seem to be uplifted coral reefs, the island could all be included within a circle, with a radius of fifteen miles, using Waialeale, the highest point, as the pivot. It is a beautiful, rich, well-watered island clothed with varied and luxuriant verdure and as such is often spoken of as the "Garden Island" of the group. Disintegration of the lava has pro- ceeded farther here than on the other islands, a fact, taken in connection with other data, as indicating that the volcanic fires died out first at this end of the chain. The coast is singularly regular in outline, there being no extensive ba\s or pronounced points or headlands. Except along the northwest side of the island, at Napali, where there are fifteen miles or more of picturesque sea cliffs, the coast lands are comparatively low and flat. The shore-line is free from coral reefs, presumably owing to the depth of water near the shore. In general the main contour of the island slopes rather gradually from Ihc summit of Wai- aleale, at an elevation of 5250 feet, down to the sea, though ridges and correspond- ing vallej^s radiate spoke-like in all directions. The eastern and northern side of the island, as is the case with all the islands, has been drenched by tropical rains for countless centuries with the result that erosion by wind and rain is most marked on that side of the island. The original slopes on the windward side of Kauai have been almost entirely eroded, leaving only a few short spur-like ridges. On the opposite or leeward side; however, the erosion is not so marked nor so far advanced, as the deep gorges with wide level spaces between them indicate. These gorges are deep and canon-like, inland, but, as they near the sea-coast, their sides become less precipitous and finally loose their character as the valley reaches the coastal plain. Waialeale Mountain. Geologists agree that the central dome of Waialeale must liaNc Ix'cii much higher than now, and that the disintegrated lava has been washed from its summit to form the rich soil that makes up tlie coastal plain. The effects of erosion have been considered as perhaps the best evidence of the age of the Ha- waiian mountains, and this great mountain worn to the core with its oiic-tiiin' lofty central crater eaten down to form a slimy bog on its siuninil. points to the great antiquity of the island under consideration. The gnawing action of wind and rain leaves only the more resistant ridges, as the old mountain is thus slowly ■^-fc:-^ < 01 mechanical state of the soi! and the amount of org-anic matter it contains. While the soil under cultivation on Kauai is very fine, and for that reason retains water reasonably well, it is, in most cases, very red in color, indicating that it has not been discolored by the impregnation of vegetable acids, which in the forests and beds of valleys is very liable to produce a characteristic l)lack soil. Lava Soil. Generally speaking the soil on Kauai is everywhere good, but is light and open, and requires much irrigation to make it fertile. The constant cultivation of the land does much to improve the soil, and by the addition of carefully com- pounded fertilizer and an abundant supply of water, enormous yields of sugar- cane are secured. The growth of various crops atfect the soil ditferently, as they remove from it varying amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash and lime, which are the principal elements required by plants as food. Careful experiments have shown that the amount of these elements removed varies greatly even with the different varieties of cane that are grown in tlie islands. As a result, the care and proper fertilization of tlie soils of the grouji has been the subject of much scientific study. While the main central dome on Kauai is the most conspicuous natural fea- ture, there are other important elevations. The Hoary Head range, which extends down to the coast at Nawiliwili Bay, may be considered as part of the backbone of the main mountains. The highest point on this ridge, llaupu, is 2080 feet ; but between this point and the central dome the ridge is much lower, forming a pass for the Government road from Lawai to Lihue. Secondarv Volcanic Cones. A number of secondary volcanic cones on Kauai are important in the general topography of the island. The largest of these is Kilohana crater, wliieli i-i.ses from the level Lihue plain to a height of 1100 feet. The ejecta from this cone has been thrown over the country-side roundabout within a ladius ol' jour or five miles. In the neighborhood of Koloa are several small secondary vol- canic cones within the radius of a finv miles. The lava emitted by them was black and of a peculiar ropey type. Along the sea-sliore the sen watei' forces its way under the surface and is often expelled through holes .-iiid opou- ings in the lava in this vicinty. At favorable seasons the water spouts high in the air, forming great fountains tei-med "sixjutin;,' horns.'' <: :; •^ .i >■ z: ^— V ro ^^ X p^ o r,"i i^U h:: ■« 'I 1— 1 < C^ > z GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 107 A great central forested bog, or morass, extends for miles aloip.;' Ilic top of the precipice M^hich bounds the Wainiha Valley on llic northeast. Il slopes gradually to the southwest, and provides the nalui-al storage reservoir for tlic headwaters of the Waimea, Makaweli and Ilanapepe rivers. This l)og forms one of the least known, most dangerous and thoi-onghly inaccessible regions in the entire Hawaiian group. The writer, with an experienced native guide, spent three weeks in the region in the spring of 1900. and amid chilling rains and bewildering fogs made an expedition extending through I'oui- (la\s over miles of quaking moss-grown bog to a point designated l)y the guide as tlic; summit of Waialeale. We were never out of the dense fog during the expedi- tion, and that v.^e returned to our camp and to civilization at all has always seemed little short of the miraculous. In many sections the thin turf, which covered the quagmire beneath, wouhl tremble for yards in all directions at every step, and too often at a fals(^ stei) from the proper route, would give way, plunging us hip deep in the mire. Our chief concern was to locate reasonably solid ground, a necessary precaution that entailed many weary miles of wandering in the weird moss-grown wilderness, with attendant hardships and hazardous experiences that are still vivid in memory. Canons of Kauai. The numerous valleys and eafions of Kauai, and their attendant streams have justly been celebrated for their beauty and grandeur. Waimea is one of the tinest, since it has cut its way between perpendicular walls which are several thousand feet in height at the head of the stream. The scenery along the Makaweli and Olokele canons, tributaries of the Waimea system, and the Wainiha gorge, is the equal of the most rugged and magnificent mountain scenery anywhere in the world, and well repays the traveler for the effort made to view it. The great Hanalei Valley, on the northern side of the island, is note- worthy for its scenery, its waterfalls and its stream, which is the lai'gest rivei- in the group, being navigable by small boats for about three miles. Wailua and Hanapepe are beautiful valleys, made more beautiful by their sphMulid wnter- falls. Several of these streams, notably Hanalei, aiul the TTana|)epe stream opposite it, give evidence of being drowned valleys, as in each case a bro;id inter- vale extends for a considerable distance inland. The Napali Cliffs. The region of Napali, on the northwest side oi' tiic ishuid, is difficult of access and, unfortunately, is seldom seen by the traveler. The section is given over l)y nature to a series of short, deep amphitheater-shaped gulches that show marks of profound erosion, leavinu- the reuion with some of the most ;i\ve- inspiring scenery on the islands. Returning from ;i cruise down the leewjii'd chain, the writer luid an opportunity to view the woiuh'rful scenerj^ of Napali at its best, from the vantage point of the deck of the vessel, at close range under lOS NATIKAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. th.' most I'jivoralili' cniHlit ions. The l;ite afternoon sun was lighting the bold headlands and tlif fanlaslic rjoi-d-lik.- valleys — in a way to accentuate every detail of tlie singularly eliariiiing and heautifid i)anoramic view. The splendor of Kalalau valley, the largest and perhaps the most wonderful of them all, — a val- le\ of i-randtMii", golden light, i)urple shadows, and sunset rainbows, — was a welcome change aftei- the dailx monotony of the open sea on a long, lonely, though l!a['i>\ voyage. The Barking Sands. Among the iiatui-a! features of Kauai of considerable geologic interest should he mentioned the l)arking sands of ]\Iana. Tlioy consist of a series of wiiul-hlown sand hills, a half mile or more in length, along the shore at Nahili. The bank is nearly sixty feet high and through the action of the wind the mound is constantly advancing on the land. The front wall is quite steep. The white sand, which is composed of coral, shells and particles of lava, has the |MM-iiliai' |ii-o[)ert\, when very dry, of emitting a sound when two handfuls are clapped together, that, to the imaginative mind, seems to resemble the harking of a dog. When a horse is rushed down the steep incline of the mound a curious sound as of subterranean thunder is produced. The sound varies with the dem-ee of Jieat, the dryness of the sand and the amount of friction emi)loyed; so that sounds varying from a faint rustle to a deep rumble may be produced. Attempts at explaining this rare natural phenomenon have left nnich of the m_\ster\- still unsolved. However, the dry sand doubtless has a resonant qiudity that is the basis of the peculiar manifestation, which dis- appears when the saiul is wet. That the barking sands are found in only a couple of the driest localities in the group is also significant. Much of the shore- line of Kauai, for example, is lined with old coral reefs that have partly dis- integrated into sand that forms the beaches. This sand, as a?olian deposits, is often carried inland for considerable distances, and though composed of the same material, it has none of the peculiar (lualities of the sand at Mana. Spouting Horn — Caves. The blow hole, or spouting horn, is a familiar natural curiosity fairly com- mon in the islands. Famous ones at Koloa, mentioned above, have long been objects of interest to travelers. At half-tide, particularly during a heavy sea, the larger ones throw up foiuitains from openings five feet in diameter, that often rise as a colunui of water and spray fifty or sixty feet in height. The sound of the air as it rushes through the small crevices is most startling to the spectator, who feels the rocks beneath his feet tremble as shrill shrieks and various uncanny noises are produced by the wild rush of the water into the cave below hnn. These caves are usiiall\ bubbles in the lava stream, or sometimes they are formed by the washing away of the loose pieces of rock underlying the more solid outer crust of the old lava fiow. The caves in the cliffs of Haena are among Kauai's ntmierous places of GEOLOGY AND TOPO( IK A P 1 1 V OF 1 1 A \VA 1 1 . 109 geologic interest. Two of these are at sea level and are (illed willi walciv In one the water is fresh, in the other it is salt. In many plaees the roof of the caves are encrnsted with mineral deposits, sometimes several inches in thick- ness. The lower eaves can only be entered at certain tides and under favor- able conditions. However, they are known to be old biva conduits and evi- dently extend back into the cliff for some distance. In several places in the yroup, but notal)ly in llaiuipepe Valley, coluimijir basalt occnrs. These cnrions prisms are from ten to eighteen inches in dia- meter with sides from five to seven feet in length. . They are rude six-sided columns which ai)pear to be due to the peculiar contraction (tf tlic lava, usually- under pressure, as it cools. CHAPTER X. ISLAND OF OAIIU. For obvious reasons the formation of Oahu, the metropolis of the group, has received much attention from various observers, with the result that its topography and geology are better known than is the case with any of the other islands. A Laboratory in Vulcanology. Only a few of the more striking physiographic features of the island can be referred to here, but it is a fact that on Oabn the student of natural phenomena has a veritable open-air laboratory in vulcanology, stored with splendid speci- mens, showing practically every phase that results from volcanic activity and erosion. Oahu is about fifty-four miles long by twenty-three broad in i1s greatest right angle dimensions. It has an area of 5.985 square miles, with a coast line of 177 miles, and has its highest mountain peak 4,030 feet above the sea. In outline it forms a four-sided kite-shape figure in which the foui- points miiilil be said to correspond, in relative position, to the stars in the Southern t'ross. Kaena, the northwest point of the island, is at the top of the cross; Makapuu, the southeast point, is at the bottom. Kahnku Point, at the northeast, and Barber's Point, at the southwest, correspond with the I'ight and left hand stai-s in the astral figure. The shore-line of the island which connects these four main points is more irregular in outline than that of any othei- island in the i:r(iui>. a fact which has given to Oahu its valualile harboi- facilities. HUXOLL'LU HaKBOH Ph;AHL Haki'.ok. Beginning with Honolulu Harbor, situated at the mouth of the Xuuanu stream, and about midway along the soutliern side of the island bet ween .Malrtan1 hai-l>oi- in the Lii'nnp. It is formed bv a sight indentation of the coast-line and is |)rott'cted by a coral reef o "^ o Q hi! o 111 < 0^ -«JHB*BBE2_ GEOLOGY AXl) TOl'OGKAPliY OF HAWAII. Ill that extends across the exposed sea-side. Tliroii^h tlie reef an entrance has been kept open bv the waters from Xunann and the adjoining stream, which, being fresh, prevents the growth of the coral. This natural entrance to the harlior. which has since been deepened and strengthened, was taken advantage of by the natives and by foreign vessels that visited ihc islands until, in time, the village on the shore grew into a prosperous city. The harbor derived its name not from the harbor itself, but from a small district along the Xuuatiii stream a mile from the mouth, — "a district of al)imdant calm," or "a pleasant slope of restful land," that received its name in turn from a chief called Honolulu, whose name was formed by a union of two words, 'bono,' abund- ance, and 'lulu,' peace or calm; hence to speak of Honolulu as a haven of abundant peace and calm is but to transfer to the harbor a poetic descriptive name derived from the adjacent land. Along the coast a few miles to the west is tlie entrance to Pearl Har- bor, which is an enclosed body of water made up of two main divisions, known respectively as East and West Lochs, the latter being much the larger of the two. They combine to form a channel which also carries fresh water sufficient to keep open a passage, through the protecting coral reef, to the sea. This great land- locked harbor is now being developed by the Federal government, by dredging and fortifying its channel, with a view to making of it a great naval base for the United States, as Avell as the finest and safest harbor in the Pacific. On the opposite or windward side of the island are located Kaneohe Bay and Kahana Bay, both with extensive coral reefs across their mouths. The former, a large, beautiful sheet of water, is partially enclosed on one side by ^lokapu Point, and on the other by Kualoa headland, but unfortunately it is filled with submerged coral islands, rendering it inaccessible except to small vessels. Waialua Bay. on the northwest shore, while formed by a pronounced curve of the coast-line, is in reality little more than an open roadstead where small coasting vessels can anchor and find shelter from the northeast trades that have full sweep down that coast. Other beautiful bays of much geologic interest and significance occur at various points. Among them should be mentioned Waimea, a few miles beyond Waialua, Laic and Kailua bays on the windward coast, and Hanauma and Waialae bays between Honolulu and Makapuu Point on the south coast. The Koolau and Waianae Mountains. Turning to the land itself we find the island formed by the union of two nearly parallel mountain chains. The Koolau Range str(4ches for thii-ty-sev(Mi miles along the northeast or windward side of the island and. extendinu' fi-oni Kahuku to ]\rakapuu points, forms the longest range of mountains in the Ha- waiian group. Along the southwest side extends the AVaianae Range, wliich is about one-half the length of the range along the opposite side of the island. Without doubt, the Waianae Range is the dlder oi" the two. and with Kaaia. the highest point on the island, as its central (igure. the range furnishes topo- graphic features of prime importance. Geologists believe this group of moiui- D z; -a1 <1 X H z; z; GEOLOGY ANT) TOIM)GRAPlIY OF TIAWATT. 113 tains to correspond in age witii the central dt)nie of Kauai and that an enormous amount of erosion has left but the skeleton of a vast dome that was much liigher and more symmetrical than its tiine-scarred outline would now suggest. It is thought that it was long after the Waianae Range ^ was formed as a separate island, before the Koolan Range.- ])egan to hudd itself uj) aliove the sea to form an annex, as it were, to the original island which had Kaala as its center. Thus, according to Dana and o1her geologists, Oahu was formed as a volcanic doublet — the work of two volcanoes whose adjacent sides, by lava tlows and by erosion, have been united in the ])lains of Wahiawa, but whose forms have been so eroded that the exact position and extent of tlicii- craters has not been indicated with certainty. The Pali. The magnitude of the second crater is perhaps best appreciated from the historic landmark and pass through the Koolau Range known as the Pali, a word signifying in Hawaiian, a steep precipice. The Pali is approached from Hono- lulu by a road five or six miles in length that ^\inds up the floor of Nunanu Val- ley until at an elevation of 1,207 feet, with the peak of Lanihuli,^ on the left, and Konahuanui."^ the highest peak in the Koolau Range, on the right, it sud- denly ends in a vertical drop of 70(1 feet. Several miles of almost vertical basaltic clitfs, — the eroded walls of this vast crater — stretch away on either hand. The Pali is truly Oahu's scenic lion. It is a na.tural wonder, that as a genuine surprise has nothing to equal it in all the world. From its sheer edge, the splendid panoramic view of the windward side of the island is spread out at the observer's feet — a view of rugged mountains, of cliffs, of country side, of quiet bays, of coral strands, and of the open sea that has beggared the descriptive powers of the most gifted. Here the observer comes to appreciate not only the stupendous constructive power of nature that has called the island into being, but also those destructive agencies Avliich, through countless centuries have been tearing down the solid rock, disintegrating, transporting and distributing it according to well-established natural laws. With its long, vertical crater wall standing abreast of the noi-theast trade winds, and with the elevation and other conditions favorable to l)ring about an abundant rainfall, the Koolau range, on the leeward side, especially, has l)een furroAved from end to end into a series of deep lateral valleys, separated from each other by nearly parallel ridges that are conspicuous and significant fea- tures of the general topography of the island. Tlie lai'ger and more iiiii>oi-taii1 of these valleys and ridges have a genei'al southwestei-ly Ireud. The si reams which rise in the section between the Koolau ami the Waianae chain, however, are deflected by reason of thi- high plateau nt Wahiawa so that pari of them enter the sea at Waialua. while others join in the Hwa disti'ici of ttie island ' Fornied l)y an elliptic crater. -The remains nf an eloiiKiited crater. ^ 2275 feet -"SIO.} feet. 114 XATLKAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. an.l liiid tli.-ir outlet to the oee.-iii lluoii-h the L-reat Pearl Lochs already men- tioned. The windward side sliows plainly the full force of drenching rains -^ and the cutting winds. Tor the seaward surfaces are everywhere deeply eroded and the disinteural rd lava removed, leaving a series of amphitheaters, narrow l>i-nninntory-like outlying ridges and clitt's that mark the more resistant cores of the solid rock. The erosion of the Kaala dome is not so easily understood since the greater excavations are on the west side, while the slopes which are to windward, that is towards the Koolau range, are more gradual. But as the Waianae Moun- tains are conceded to l;e much older than the opposite range it is presumed that the conditions wliicii exist now are much modified from those that were in effect when the AVaianae Range was first eaten down. Smat.lkr Ijasai.tic Ckaters and Tuff-Cones. While the main ranges already discussed are of first importance in the topograi)hy of the island, the later volcanic manifestations, especially of the series of basaltic craters and tuff-cones that mark the close of volcanic activity on Oahu. form striking objects in the general contour of the island. The tuft'-eones are the most numerous and conspicuous, several being in view from llonolidu. Of these Diamond Head, or Leahi, the famous landmark often spoken of as the sphynx of the Pacific, is the most noticeable. As the traveler approaelies tile island for the first time Diamond Head with its imposing, rugged outline is sui'e til attract attention; often, too, it is the last parting glimpse oi Diamond Head from the distance, as the voyager leaves the island behind, that brings the full i-ealization to mind of all that it typifies of the life in a tropic land that has so fascinated him that, wander wlun'e he will, Oahu's shores seem always to call liim back again. Diamond Head. Diamond Head rises in bold relief from the shore-line beyond Waikiki, to the lieiLilit of 7()1 feet. While its sharp outline may seem to suggest to some the ajipi-opriate and accepted popular name by which the point is known far and wide, the name was, in fact, derived from the excitement created through the discovery by sailors at an early day of small calcite crystals '^ that they thought to be diamonds. This cratei" mountain looks from the outside to be solid rock, but in reality it is a great hollow oval tuff-cone, 4,000 by 3,300 feet in its diameters, with its elongation in the direction of the trade winds. Owing to the ejecta being carried hy the prevailing winds when the crater was in eruption the southwest side of this and of similar cones on the island is considerably higher than is the opposite side. Inside the crater the walls slope gently to the center, w^here, near the eastern wall, during the wet season, there is, or at least there ■"■ 'llip annual rainfall at the Pali usually exceeds 150 inches. « Sfju f,, )jp ],,,(i ,-,„. ,1,^ gathering. GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAAVAII. 115 was, a small fresh water lake. 200 feet above the sea, thnt was frequented ])y wild fowl at the proper season. Dr. Sereno E. Bishop made Diamond Head the basis of a study calculated to show the brief time required for the completion of tuff-cones of similar form. He concluded that such a cone "could have Ixmmi crcati'd only hy ;m cxti'cmely rapid projection aloft of its material, comi)leted in a few liours at the most, and ceasing suddenly and finally." Taking into account the extreme regularity of its rim and the uniform dip and character of its crater he i)r()ceeded, with a mathematical calculation, to estimate that the 18,000,000,000 cubic feet of ma- terial that forms its mass could have been raised to approximately 12,000 feet, and dropped into its present position in two liours' time, and he was inclined to increase the velocity of the ejecta and reduce the time to perhaps one hour Other geologists, however, are very likely to question the soundness of the con- clusions drawn by Dr. Bishop since there is unmistakable evidence that it was in eruption a number of times with intervening periods of repose. Punchbowl Hill. Punchbowl Hill, with a form which suggests its name — lies just back of the city and is 498 feet high. It is similar to Diamond Head in form and structure and has in its outer wall on the town side, numerous seams filled with calcite. Much can be learned of the geology of the vicinity by the study of the cone itself and from the phenomena about it. Other tuff-cones are Tantalus, Salt Lake, and Koko Head ; there are still others on the opposite side of the island at Kaneohe, as well as at the south end of the Waianae ]\Iountains at Laeloa. Some of the cones in the latter region, however, are small basaltic craters, as are also the one on Rocky Hill in ]\Ianoa A^alley, and the two small craters, IMuumai and Kaimuki. on the ridge l)ack of Diamond Head, to the east of Hono- lulu. Elevated Goral Reefs. Almost the entire shore-line of Oahu shows more or less evideiiee of elevated coral reefs. In the vicinity of Honolulu these reefs form the foundation on which much of the city it built. The elevated reefs are most extensive, how- ever, in the vicinity of Pearl Lochs, where they are intinuitely associated with the sedimentary deposits, volcanic flows, decaying rock and volcanic ash. It is thought by Professor Hitchcock and others that this series of deposits began in the Pliocene period and that it and the older layers beneath may be a base on v.hich the ejections that formed the volcanic island began to accumulate as indicated on Plate 75. The region about Pearl Harbor is one of much geologic interest, but is far too complicated in eharacter to l)e readily interpreted by the casual visitor. Features of general interest, however, are that in many places as many as nine or ten stratified deposits may he seen in a vertical cut of forty or fifty feet, and that in the region, beds from one to tlii-ee or four feel thick, of large oyster shells (Ostrea retusa) are exposed, far inland. Aeeoi-ding to tlie in- vestigations of Professor Hitchcock, "the Pliocene area of Oahn eoineides very " N ^ " >,, 03 =0 ^ ;: .£ P a g ^ ^.- ^ 22 H "3 J «: c ■t: S-. C' ^ a, 2 ^ :^ = •5c '-^ ~ eq -^ .2 c -S g .5 /— ^_ ?i_i r^ -^ J '-• ~^ • i-H t- — ' 'U 7'orac:'0;Sajcd-*aJ < o — --is ^ S j:^ •'- ^' ^ a --2 ^ .-. ii ■»;■ - " 2 § a= « cS 0= ^ .. ?S' ■*" '+^ J; P 1 — 1 !» ^^ JT; :* ^ "^ *^ '-< a, p. CSk*"^; M •2 ^ ^ 2 ^ £ 2 ^ s: 1 -S S s l-H = ~rt «.2 ^-? g S^ 5 ^ ^ ^^ otHO/i^oSnS^^o p- -»^ »2 cc' Oj ai ^ jH „ « 03 <^ •p ^ t« C C ^ =" ^-^^ <1^ •^ •" 03 -5 cc •- g =J .2 p - o = - cd /-^.S M £ r ,^ r rt ^ CO Ch -^H f3 -^ p s » , -5 -:: — -5 i5 = ^ ^^ * i -2' g 0 »: 5 s = 5 S 5,-^ g^- oj.;; " cC„ — coo (I ^ 2 .2 £- S -a ^" "^ ce 2 ^ 0 ~ C ^= »:■ 0 »= 2S ^ S <=> S '"' "^ ^ ' — ' '^'Z '^ •" — '~ z, -H i3£5 g^.^ 2^ S p1^ fcc c GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 117 nearly with the low land tract utilized for cane and sisal from Barber's Point to Koko Head; perhaps to the altitude of 300 feet entirely around tlie island." Small patches of the rock appear at AVaianae, Waialua, Kahuku Plantation. Laie and other places on the northeast coast, the highest reef being' on the soutli- west end of IMailiilii at 120 feet above the sea. The rock is also extensively dis- tributed beneath the surface, as is developed in boring- artesian wells. Age of Oahu. Dr. AV. 11. Dall, who also studied the deposits in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head, found species of sea shells '• seemingly extinct, which are referable to the Pliocene. In conclusion he says, "that the reef rock of Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head limestones, are of the late Tertiary age which may accord with the Pliocene of West American shores or even t)e some- what earlier, and in the region studied there was no evidence of any Pleisto- cene "^ elevated reefs whatsoever. It is probable that Oahu was land inhabited by animals as early as the Eocene, "which period preceded the Miocene, and marked the opening period of the Cenozoic era, or the era of modern life. Black Volcanic Sand. Over much of the region about Honolulu, l)ut especially on the slopes of the Punchbowl and Tantalus group of cones, are to be found extensive deposits of black ash, a volcanic product usually formed from basalt when erupted in associa- tion with much steam. The maximum thickness of the deposits is exposed at tlie base of the Tantalus cone, in Makiki Valley, where a bed twenty-five feet thick occurs. This coarse-grained sand has found many uses in the city ; such as in making sidewalks and grading roads, and to some extent as sewers in the early days, while recently it has been found to be of some value as a fertilizer owing to the presence of potassium. The sources of the deposits referred to seems to have been Tantalus and Punchbowl ; but iiractically all of the smaller cones liave given more or less volcanic ash, which varies in fineness and color, as well as in amount, in each eruption and at different times during the same eruption. On Punchbowl especially this ash overlays the tutf, and. owing to the prduounci'il weathering of the latter, it seems to indicate two quite distinct ])erio(ls of activity from the same source, with a long period of time between them. Iti tlic first eruption the material came up through the sea as tlie diaracter of the tnfV deposits indicate, while the later eruption or eruj^tions, including the ash. the basalt-like dikes which radiate from the rim. as well as the ('i!id('i--lik(> beds on the upper part of the rim, found its way up a jiijie witliin llic couf t'l'niii a deeper source of basalt, apparently without coming in contact with the water of the sea or its limestone deposits. Limestone is also abundant about the crater at Diamond Ih'ail. at Knko Head, and at the Salt Lake crater, where portions of the old reef are said to be present on the inside of the crater. Coriirs. Ptii-jiiird. Cliaiini aud Ostri'ii ^ The moi'i' I'ccent KliH'icr iieriod. ;< C^ a tf-J f<, r— ,„,■ U *>- -^ r. ■■ ■ o x > ^H r T o\ ^ i— J ■r w ■s. X tx < SE " a! . o 0 £1 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OP HAWAII. 119 A matter of considerable interest has been brought to light through the ex- cavations and road-cuttings about the base of Diamond Head, and especially at the quarries and sand pits opened there. The material of the lower slope is a talus made up of angular fragments from the slopes above, which is cemented into a brecciated mass, showing clearly that none of the angular i)articles have been rounded against each other, or by the action of water. In this mass have been discovered the remains of land shells of several probably extinct species belonging to well-known genera. Dr. Hitchcock concludes that the talus breccia at Diamond Head must be much newer than the date of the eruption of the tuff, since it is composed of fragments of that material from the older eruptions that are cemented together in the more recent talus. Considerable time must have elapsed between the ejection of the older material and the presence of the shell-bearing animals because the rocks must have been decomposed sufficiently to admit the growth of some vegetation on which the mollusks could live. From observations made in the same vicinity, and data gathered elsewhere a])()nt the island, but principally from the remains of the marine shells distributed inland over its surface, the same authority concludes that the whole of the island of Oahu must have been subsequently submerged for a brief period to a depth of two to three hundred feet, presumably during the Pliocene period. If so, it is concluded that the time of deposition of the land shells, found at the foot of Diamond Head, will be fixed at a period sufficiently remote to admit enough time to have elapsed since then to account for the development elsewhere on the island of the related and varied forms of land and tree shells^ which, as we shall find in another chapter, have been much studied by many zoologists, but especially by the world-renowned evolutionist, Dr. John T. Gulick, whose pioneer work in that important field of science has added so much th;;t is funda- mental to our understanding of the great laws of organic evolution. Geologic History of Oahu. In the preceding pages only a meager outline of the written evidence touch- ing on the more salient points in the geologic history of Oahu has been at- tempted. Enough of the wonderful story has been given, however, to malvc it appear that the island was not in existence in its present form at the beginning, nor was it thrown up in its present form in a single mighty titanic convulsion of nature. Let us review in their apparent natural order, some of the important chap- ters in nature's history of Oahu, for the facts which tell of the hoary events resulting in the formation of this wonderful island, with its charming scenery, are all written in stone, as it were, and may be read by those with skill and patience to decipher. In the beiziniiing the long Pacific Ocean swells doubtless rolled wiUkmiI interruption over the place where the island now stands. Just how hum' this condition lasted we can never know, but tlie evidence seems sufficient to I'rofessor ^ AchutineUidm. 120 XATI'l^VL HISTORY OP^ HAWAII. lliti-lu-(.ck and Mtli.Ts to wniraiit 1lic (-(>iirlusit>ii that deposits of the Tertiary, IMM-lwips the Koceiie period, Un-m the fouiuhition on which the volcanic mass of tlie nri-iiial ishind of Kaala was formed. These eruptive deposits began to be laid down uudrv water, hiil in lime the cone of Kaahi built itself above the ocean perhaps three thonsand feet higher than the tallest peak of the Waianae Hanire as we know it today. In ivality the range is but the remains of a great .Ininc. ni-.iv or less symiiicl ri.-al. that at first arose above the waters. By the «'rosive acticm of copious i-aiiis brought then as now from over the sea, it was drcplv eaten away on all sides until its ancient form was very nearly etfaced. Duriiii; this period it slowly accumulated a stock of plants and animals from other reirions. partly from othci' islands uenv and far and partly from the distant continents about tlic ocean. Subsefpiently the island which may be called Koolau, only twenty miles to the north, was developed In' a succession of eruptions, much as Kaala had develop- ed before it. until its lavas and the soil eroded from them banked up several hun- dred feel al)out the fo(»1 of the older adjacent island-mountain, uniting the two islands into one and forniiiig the plain of Wahiawa. It is asserted that Koolau extended fai'ltiei' uoi'theast than at present and that the active center of the crater iinist have been beyond the foot of the Pali. A.s soon as conditions became favoi'a])le. limestone began to form as coral reefs. prolialil\- lii-st about the older island and later about them lioth. It has continued to be foi-med to the ])resent day through the various chemical, physical and 1)io]ogic agencies. Artesian well borings i" and other sources of in- foiiiiation have revealed data to prove that during this immensely long period the sui'l'ace III' the island stood much higher than at present. The Pali ci-ater and a doubtful crater near the head of Xuuauu Valley give evidence of i)eriodic activity during this time, such as the eruption of the cellular or viscular lava, the formation of olivine laccoliths, and the intrusion of dikes of solid basalt that tilled in ti.ssures in the older mass. The last evidence of activity at the Pali ai)pears in the form of an eruption of ash, clinkers and lava. About this time Kapuai ami Makakilo craters in the Laeloa region at the east end of the Waianae Range, and perhaps one or more of the Tantalus craters, weiv formed. Then came the ejection of some of the lavas met with in the sinking of artesian wells and the formation of certain of the Laeloa craters, also those at Kaimuki, Mauumai. and perhaps Rocky Hill, though Dr. Bishop places the eruption of the solid basalt which completely blocked the mouth of Manoa Valley at a much earlier period ; but as its lower end extends a 10 por example the famous Keologic land mark, the Campbell well, at the west base of Diamond Head, after penctratiiij; the surface gravel and beach sand for fiftv feet and tufa, like Diamond Head. for 2 70 feet, entered a strata of "hard coral rock like marble" .505 feet thick. Stratas of dark In-own clay, wu.shed gravel, and deep red clay were below and overlaid soft white coral twenty-eight feet thick: be- ginning at 1048 feet below the surface, stratas of stone-like rock, brown clay, and broken coral were next penetrated, when the drill entered the first hard blue lava at a depth of "122.3 feet. A thin strata of black and red cla.v was passed through, and the boring stopped at 1500 feet, after entering 249 feet into brown lava. Xumerous other wells in different parts of the island show similar, though varying, evidence of deeply submerged coral beds which, as they form onlv at or near the surface, bear mute testimony of the periodic subsidence of the island. GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 121 short distance over the elevated reef at Moiliili, Rocky Hill must have been in eruption after the reef was formed. Next came the period of the eruption of the tuff craters : the Salt Lake group, Punchbowl, Diamond Head, Koko Head, the Kaneohe group and other smaller craters of similar character. During this period the tuff eaine up through coral reefs, the land as we know it being submerged in the region of eruption. Then followed a long period of decay and the disintegration of the older eruptions and the newer tuff-cones of sufficient duration to produce soils from them. This period culminated in the discharge of ashes from Tantalus, Punchbowl, Diamond Head, Koko Head and other members of this group of craters, which terminated usually in a more or less extensive shower of vol- canic stones. Dikes were then intruded into crevices, cutting Punchbowl, Dia- mond Head, and the coral reefs at various points, notably at Kaena Point, Kupikipikio and Koko Head. Time then elapsed for the accumulation of calcarious talus breccia with soil and vegetation on the lower slope of Diamond Head sufficient to support several species of land shells. Then apparently came the depression of the whole island during which time the ocean encroached on the land above its present level, submerging the low lands about the island. This comparatively brief period left ocean deposits and slight wave markings about the new shore line, which, when the island was again elevated to its present level, was marked by ocean-flooded sand dunes — over which more recent dunes have been piled by the action of the wind. Lastly comes the long periods of disintegration, the formation of surface soil and finally human culture. AVhile geologists may dis- agree, and there is much ground for disagreement, in the interpretation of the records in minor matters, all are agreed in the main points, and freely state that almost inconceivable time has elapsed since the oldest part of Oahu first emerged as a volcanic island. Theory of the Formation of the Group. Among the various theories that have been advanced in attempts to recon- struct the past history of the group, one of great interest and significance has recently been brought forward, in a very concrete form, by Dr. Henry A. Pilsbry, that has as its basis an exhaustive study of the Hawaiian land shells. ^^ He finds this interesting portion of the fauna belonging chictl.N' to a l)rancli of a very ancient group ^- of land moUusks that are distributed on various islands of the Pacific. As there is a marked absence of modern types of land mollusks — save those that have been introduced through commerce — he feels that the peculiar fauna cannot be considered as springing from accidental intro- duction in the group from time to time in the remote i)ast. By analogy the conclusion is arrived at that "the AvIiafineJlidce had already differentiated as a family before the beginning of the Tertiary." But tlie close relationship of the 11 Acfiatinellidoe. i- O ft h urethra. a o 02 c3 a a •r-H rQ CO O " O - =H O a o o CO o a J3 O 5 Ph ^ ill f^ __ 03] o bill -a a r 02 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 123 genera of the sub-family Amastriiue and the even closer rclatioiislii]) of tlie genera of the related sub-family AchatineUimt "indicate a sudden i-ejuvene.scence of the old stock in comparatively modern ^^ time." A study of the species, varieties and forms extant show that everywhere intense local differentiation is still in progress. Dr. Pilsbry concludes that "the logical geographic l)()uiidaries of most of the species of AchaiineUida' give excellent ground for the belief that the ju'eseiit distribution of all the larger species has been attained by their oavii means of locomotion and that unusual or so-called accidental carriage, as hy ])irds, drift- ing trees, etc., has been so rare as to be negligible. No evidence whatever of such carriage is known to me. ' ' After exhausting the possibilities of accidental introduction of species frcmi island to island, the conclusion follows that all of the important islands must have been, at one time, connected by land, and that distribution of the an- cestral forms of land shells from Kauai to Hawaii was effected at that time. As the Hawaiian chain, from Ocean and Midway Islands to Hawaii, a distance of 1,700 miles, rests on a submarine ridge, the greatest depth between the islands being less than 3,000 fathoms, the distribution and subsequent isola- tion of the forms on the islands appear to be in accord with the theory of sub- sidence of the ridge supporting the entire archipelago after wide distril)ution of the land forms had taken place. From the affinities and the geographic relations of the several groups of hind shells studied our authority deduces the following sequence of events, the be- ginning of which is placed probal)ly in the Mesozoic, possibly in Eocene time. I. "The Hawaiian area from northern Hawaii to and probably far be.yond Kauai formed one large island which was inhabited by the primitive Amastriuce. This pan-Hawaiian land, whatever its structure, preceded the era of vul- canism which gave their present topography to the islands and ]>robMl)ly d;ited from the Paleozoic." (Plate 75, fig. 1.) II. "Volcanic activity built up the older masses, subsidence following, Kauai being the first island dismembered from the pan-llawaiian area." (Plate 75, fig. 2.) III. "Northern Hawaii was next isolated hy formaticm of the AU'nuihala Channel, leaving the large intermediate island, which included the present islands of Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, and Maui." (Plate 75, fig. 3.) lY. "In the eastern end of this Oahu-^Iaui island arose certain genera,^* while another ])eeuliar genera ^^ was evolved in tlie Avest from undoubted nn- cesteral stock. Y. "The Oahuan and the ^Folokai-Lanai-^lauiau areas were sundered by subsidence of tlie Kaiwi Channel." (Plate 75, fiu. 4. i On Oahu the niollusean fauna bears out the generally accepted theory of two centers, probaljly two islands, the western or Waianae and the eastern or Koolau area. Tii each area certain genera were differentiated, but latei'. in the later Pliocene or IMeistoeene 13 Tertiary. i-* LamiiicllK. i» Pterodiscus. 124 NATl HAL lilSTOKY OF HAWAII. time a f..ivstt-.l .•..n.KH-tiuii was e'stal.lished l)"lwoen the two Oaluian centers of evolnti.Mi. f..n..in- a fannal bridge ^vhi.-h mln.itted of the mingling of the two ishmd I'aimas. WhWr Hie hind connection endi-ivs the forest has, in recent time, become extin.-l an.l tlnis the two centers are again isolated so far as forest- h)\iiii: snails are concerned. Tni-ning to the eastern or Molokai-Lanai-Mani region it is Dr. Pilsbry's opini.m that the elose relali..nshi|. of their fanna indicate that they formed a sinude island up to late I'li.n-ene or even Pleistocene time. The formation of the ciiannels between Molokai, Lanai and !\lani mnst be considered as a very recent event since they stand on a i^latfonn wilhin the 100 fathom line and their fannas are very closely related. The investigation of the island fauna and flora as conducted by various ob- servers has l)rought out facts of evolution that seem in full accord with the dis- niemlierment of the various islands as here described. hi addition to all else the evidence of the wonderfully dissected mountains, the dcc|)ly eroded valleys, the submerged coral reefs all tend to bear out the l,r..ad conclusion that the group has evolved by the submergence of a single island, and that the isol;;tion of the existing islands, with their peculiar, yet re- lated plants and animals, have been formed as superimposed volcanic rem- nants on tl Ider and dec|)ly subsided larger bind area. Dr. Seivno liishop. discussing the geology of Oahu, tentatively offered an estimate of the leiii^th of time that must have elapsed since the successive events in the geological history of the island took place. Such estimates of geologic time nnist of necessity be accepted only as individual guesses and the personal factor taken into acc(»niit. but they have their value for those less skilled, enabling them to form a rouiili chronology that the mind can in a measure grasp. While scientiiic guesses of this nature are valuable, they are liable in each instance to fall far short of the actual time involved. Dr. Bishop's table places the time of the emergence of the AA^aianae Range as a volcanic mountain at one million years ago. The emergence of the Koolau Range is placed at eight huiidi'ed thousand years ago, and the extinction of the AVaianae activity one Inuidred thousand years thereafter, Avhile the extinction of the Koolau Range is placed live hnmlred thousand years back in the past. The emergence of Laeloa craters and Rocky Hill are both placed at least seventy-five thousand years ago. Tlie time of the eruption of Punchbowl is given as forty-five thousand years ago: the small Xuuanu craters twenty thousand; Diamond Head fifteen thousand; Kainniki twelve thousand: the Salt Lake group ten thousand; Tantalus, seven or eight thousand, while the eruption of the Koko Head group, the last of the im- portant tuff-cones to be formed, is given as occurring but a meager five thousand years ago. The ant hoi-, however, is inclined to attribute a very much greater age to Oahu than that indicated by Dr. Bishop. TIk^ fouiulation for sucli a belief is based largely on a careful physiographic study of the Waianae Mountains. It seems obvious that the deeply eroded valleys of the Waianae Range were practi- cally completed as they are now before the slight re-elevation of the island _££. PLATE 31. NUTANU PALI. 1. Xuuaiiu Pali from the road on tlio wiinlward side lookiiiji' bai-k towards Lamlmli peak (2781 feet); on the left of th;i road is Konaluiaimi (310.") feet); the is 1214 feet above tlie sea. The Pali is of great geologic, historic and sceiiie interest. road at tiie Pali 126 XATLKAL ilLSTOKY OF HAWAII. bi-oii-lit the ancient reefs above tlie sea. Tlu'se ele'vated reefs contain extinct fossils, probably those of Eocene time. The dawn of the Eocene is generally placed by ^aH)logists at four million years ago. How much older then must be tlir moimtain mass in which the valleys of the AYaianae region were so deeply carved before the reefs were laid down across the emba^-ments at the mouths of their valley streams? Artesi.vn Wells. Hcfci-ence has been made above to the artesian water supply of the island, and the important geologic facts that the sinking of five hundred or more artesian wells on Oahu has brought to light. The wealth of water, amounting to millions of gallons per hour, now poui-ed out on what was formally in many places semi- arid, and tlici-efore. un|)i'o(hictiv(^ land, has been the prime factor in the modern development of the agricnltural resources, not only on the island under con- sideration, bnl all the islands of the grou]), where conditions favorable to the development of artesian wells are found. The erosion of the sloping volcanic lava flows in the mountains offers condi- tions favoi-a])le foi- storing in the ground much of the excess of the copious precipitation occurring in the higher altitudes. As we have seen, the strata of igneous cock exposed in the mountains are often buried several hundred feet beneath the surface when they reach the costal plain. The Avater which enters the exjHjsetl portion of the more porous strata, especially when the water-bearing strata lie between more impervious strata, tends by gravity to flow as under- ground M'ater down to the lower levels. Eventually, this underground stream descends to the sea, often several miles distant from the point in the highlands where it was taken into the porous rock or soil. ir the lower ends of the water-bearing strata open into the sea beneath its surface, the fresh water gradually forces its way out at the lower end of the natural conduit, to mingle quietly with the water of the ocean, or, as often occurs about the shore line of the group, to l:)u1)ble to the surface forming fresh water springs in the ocean. Owing to the pressure exerted by the sea, the subterranean water moves out nuich more slowly than the surface water which rushes from the mountains to the sea in the forin of rivers. If the pressure of the water in the imderground stream is greater tlian tlie pressure exerted by the water of the sea, the stream con- tinues to flow into the latter as fresh water. If the pressure of the ocean exceeds that exerted by the underground waters, the two waters commingle, and brackish water occui's in the underground basin. So long as the fresh water level in the underground stream or basin is maintained at a level above sea-level, the water in the undergr-ound sti-eam or l)asin seems to remain free from salt. An appreciation of the geologic conditions existing in the strata of rock underlying the island, and the need of a more abundant water supply, led to the practical utilization of this great natural resource through the development of artesian wells. The first well was sunk in 1879 by James Campbell on an GEOLOGY AM) T01'( )( i H A IM I Y ( )F 1 1 A W A 1 1 127 island in Pearl Ilarlxu" and fi'csh walt-r was secured at a deplli of 24(1 feet. The uatui'al principle involved in I he fresh water S])i'inu' and esp(M'i;ill\- the spring in the ocean, was tui-ned to practical account. To secure water, wells v/ere driven deep enouuh into the earth to puncture the iiioi-e oi' less iiii|)er\ious strata overlying the water-bearing strata beneath, with tlie result that owinu- to the pressure or head on the enipounded water, it rose in the well, and in the lowei' zone about the island often overflowed to form an artilicial spiini;- or flowing artesian well. The principle involved in wells which do not ovei'tlow is the same as that in those that do; for which reason all deep wells are now called artesian. Wells in which the water is raised to the surface In- pumps are liable to become brackish, through excessive ])umping, while those which flow- naturally seldom show a marked change in the amount of salt carried in their waters. The waterdiearing stratuin on Oahu at the sea-shore, is usually found to be between three and four hundred feet below tide level, and is usually a very porous basalt, capped wdth an overlaying impervious stratum usually of basalt. Wells drilled in the vicinity of Honolulu at an elevation above forty-two feet above the sea have to be pumped. The flowing wells are. as a rule, found at the lower levels. It is of interest to note in this connection that as a rule the shallowest wells are those bored about the ends of radiating lava i-idges and that usually their depth increases the nearer they are to the sea-coast. Wells drilled in the middle of valleys are usually deeper than those at either side. All of these facts taken together indicate that the island has ])een submei-ged to considerable depth before the subseciuent elevation of the raised coral reef on the costal plain -AUmt the island, and that the reefs were laid down in sub- merged valleys that wert' already dee[)ly eroded l)efore the reefs were formed in them. In several places, notably at Waianae and Oahu plantations, as well as else- where in the group, underground streams have been encountered through hori- zontal tunnels driven into the mountains, and the underground v/ater sui)ply has been tapped near its head. The tuiuiel is then extended to the right and left, form- ing a Y-shaped drain, which brings the water to the surface, far aboxc possible contamination with sea water. Such tuiniels are usually driven a1 altilude-, sufli- cient to admit of distributing the watei- by gravity ovei- extensive fields well upon the slopes of the mountain. On Maui a daily t1o'.\- of six million Lialhins has IjCfcU secured in this wa\- at an elevation of 2,()0() feet. The woudei-ful Waia- hole tuiuiel on Oahu. built on a modifiejition of this principle. deliver~> lwciit\- million uallous of w-ater each t wenty-l'oui- lioui's. Economic PKonrcrs. Of the economic products, clays are the most important and are found on Oahu, .Maui and Hawaii, in many jtlaces. in \aryiiig amoiuits. A number of years ago a brick kiln was oi)ened in Nuiianu X'alley and brick of fair (piality was manufactured. Unfortunately, the attempt was abandoiietl in. a short time. o O p 33 > z; 7i O o an a M o3 r3 a rf SI at . ol ffltll ' 01 Ah ^1 GEOLOGY AND TOPOCRAPTTY OK 1 1. \ WATT. 129 In 1910 steam bricks were made at Moiliili fr-om imlviM-izcd Inva by nii ela])orate process, but, owinsz' to unexpected chemicil chaii.m's, I lie l)i'icks wci'c found to be inferior in (luality, and the process and product altered jil'ler an expensive experiment. Lime manufactured from coral rock bas loim- been a common commodity in the islands, but it has never been considered (juile eijnal 1n lliat manufactured from limestone on the mainland. Sandstone of a fail- (|iiality occui's at several points alxtnt tbe island. St. Andrew's Cathedi-ab in Ibuiohilu, is made of sandstone imported from England long before Hawaii became an integral part of the Ignited States. "When a few years ago it was decided to enlarge the cathedral, the import duty made it impractical)]e to go to tbe same source for more stone. A large part of tlie Thiited States was luisnccessfully hunted over for a match to the English stone. It was finally found neai- P>ar- ber's Point, about tv/enty miles from the cathedral site. This h)cal stone is ph'as- ing in color and durable in quality. The hard, compact, dai'k l)luis]i-grey basalt is much used in building operations whenever cut stone is reipiired. A lunu- ber of the most substantial structures in the islands are made entirely of cut stone derived from ciuarries usually opened in the vicinity of the particular structure in which the stone is used. ]\Iuch of the softer grade of basalt is used in concrete and in road construc- tion. Beach sand is also used in mortar and to some extent on the roads, and as road dressing. It is usually mixed with coral rock, the whole being rolled together and oiled to form a smooth surface. Sand from beds in the neighl)or- hood of the Waianae Mountains is also used extensively in building operations, but being formed from coral and shells it is undoubtedly inferior in quality when compared with tbe sharp sand brought from the mainland. Salt is still manufactured on the island by evaporating the sea water in shallow ponds along the sea shore, but the main supply is imported. The use of the loose rough field stone or "moss stone" has recently come much into vogue for foundation and trim work and has added much to the rustic as well as permanent appearance of the bungalow homes, in the building of whicii it is being exlensively nse.l. This already lengthy chapter on the geology of Oalui wonld be inconq)lete without some brief reference to a few of the more interesting, though minor, natural features of the island which are obiects of interest to residents and tourists alike. Among these may be mentioned the iiunierous natural caves formed in the volcanic rock. One at the west end of .Judd street, a portion of which was once used as a burial cave, extends back for several Innulred feet by a winding, narrow passage. Other l)urial caves are found above the roail at AVailupe Valley, and beyond, while along the sea coast, beyond !\oko lleiid, are caves in which several interesting stone carvings iiave been found. Points of Geologic Interest About Oaiiit. The coast-line from Koko Head to Makapnu Point is a I'eiion of iinich gee>logic interest, with spouting horns, olivine crystal beaches, and much coast scenery. The dash of waves against the exi)ose<,l lieadlands at Koko ITead and oil — S iJD o K c3 ■-*- — o z ?^ = Eh . o . (S Z -^ &jD r- "m' 5 '" z _: f^ J t o ~ ■^^ bo — :; C O o X 3 ^ 3 1—1 -^ z s -- — ~ ■* a -< ^ z a r< -*- "[^ "~" ~ ^ 0 ''- — m ./■ X c3 — "^ ^ GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 131 ]\Iakapuu Points, are features of an excursion thither that arc always much en- joyed, while the picturesque coral bay at Ilaiiauiua, and the unmistakable evi- dence of the nature of the formation of the bay, presents a variety of objects well worthy of a visit. Along- the coast, beyond Diamond Head, at Waialae Bay, are a number of fresh water springs on the edge of the ocean, and at the end of Black Point is a sea cave with a large hole through the roof, from which water and spray s])urt thirty or forty feet in the air during rough v/eather. As has been intimated, the sea slope of Diamond Head is full of geologic interest. Along the beach line sand concretions, caused by organic acids, may be seen in the process of forming about the roots of plants and trees which penetrate the ex- posed beds. Higher up, in excavations along the line of the road, similar con- cretions may be found, thousands of years old, in wdiich the roots that formed the center have been completely fossilized. Pot-holes in the rock along tlie reef are especially numerous on the shore at this point. Many of them are three feet or more across, and well illustrate this peculiar, rather than important, feature of erosion. The scouring work is accomplished 1)\- the grinding action of the sand rock fragments as tools in the hands of the waves. The coral reef between Waikiki and the mouth of Honolulu Harbor is a complete laboratory in reef formation. Seen through a watergiass or a glass bottom boat, the growdng, living reef, in connection with the elevated reef farther inland, exhibits the present side by side with the dim past, and shows every phase of this living agent that has i)layed so important a part in the geologic history of the group. A half day's ramble over the slopes of Punchbowl and down along the nearby Nuuanu Stream will reveal excellent examples to illustrate a hundred points in structural and dynamic geology. The road ui) Xuuanu Valley, the Pali, and the descent over the floor of the old Pali crater to the sea-shore on the windward side of the island exhibit scores of points of interest to one who cares for geology. The latteral valleys with their gauze-like w'aterfalls; ex- amples of sub-aerial erosion at the Pali ; the splendid dikes displayed in the solid rock by the roadside; the vertical walls of the mighty pit itself; the living reef at Kaneohe; these and a thousand features like them, fill the mind with awe and wonder, and the careful observer is surprised that so much can lie crowded into a cross-country ride. The windward shore of the island at Laie exhibits the ccmibined action of the sea and the wind in ]uling up dry sand inland into mounds thirty or forty feet in height, and of the effect of the submergence again of such dunes under the sea from whence they originally came and from Avhich they have again been lifted up. At Kahana we have an excellent example of a drowneil valley. At Kaliuwaa is a valley of awe-inspiring grandeur; so nari'ow and deep is it that it forms a dark, narrow passage-way cut into the solid mountain that is shut in with inaccessible vertical w^alls, nearly a thousand feet in height. Down these basalt walls clear, cold mountain Avater has cut out siiiooDi cliannels so re- 132 XATLKAJ. HISTORY OF HAWAII. iiiarkaltlf, in I'act that they seem to liave been the handiwork of the gods, — and indeed, tliey were regarded and worshipped as such hy the ancient inhabitants. At Kahukn the elevated coral reef, filled with eaves, and th(^ interesting fea- tures associated with thcni. fnrnisli an object entirely woi'thy of a separate expedition. The estuaries of tlic "Waiuiea and the AVaialua streams are the main points of interest along the nortlr.vest end of the island. Returning to the city by way of AVahiawa, the v,-iiulward side of Waianae and the long parallel valleys t»f tile lee side of the Koolau Range may ];e studied to advantage, and the relative age of the two chains observed. The Salt Lake crater is a feature of much interest since here is formed a lake three-quartei's of a mile from the sea, enclosed within a high tuft' rim and entirely cut ot'i' from tlu^ sen. which is more salt than the sea itself. To the student of natnr.il history Salt Lake, with its uplifted and shattered coral reefs, salt-impregnated walls, and other unusual features, is a point of more than ordinaiw interest. Along the line of the Oahu railway numerous cuts expose till' strata of the complex section about the Pearl Lochs and in the neighbor- hood of the Laeloa craters. Farther on, the lowering walls of Kaala, with its abrui)t precipices and narrow buttresses, may be observed from the train as it winds along tlie coast line. Objects of special interest ar*^ the n;itural bridge and the giant basalt boulders along the coast, and the 'high reef in the neigh- liorhood of Waianae. CHAPTER XL ISLANDS OF .MOLOKAI, LAXAI. .MAUI AND KAIIOOLAWE. The five islands lying to the southeast of Oahu may all be seen from the decks of the inter-island steamers in nuikinu the journey to Hawaii — a journey usually made by ti-avelers in order to visit ^.ladame Pele in her abode in the heart of the living volcano Kilauea. As a matter of fact, when atmospheric conditions are favorable the outline of the nearest of these islands, namely ]\Iolokai, Lanai and :\Iaui, may be plainly seen from the rim of the crater of Diamond Head or Koko Head. Although no one has probabl\- been able to do so, it is not improbable, as asserted by Dr. Titus :Munsen Ooan, that from the high peak of Kaala, if visual conditions were favorable, the high peaks on all of the inhabited islands could be seen through a telescope. ]MOLOKAI. Since on the actual journey to the volcano the mystical islaiul of Molo- kai comes first to view, it nuiy be well to know that it is l)ut tweuTv-three miles from Oahu and that it lies directly between that island aiul Maui. It extends as a long narrow island almost due east and west for fortv miles, but it is GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPH Y i)V IIAAVAIT. l.v^^ only tell miles in width ;it its widest ]);\r\. It is roiiiihly feclnnuuhir in rnrrn and has an area of Iwo liuiidrcd and sixly-niic s(|iiare niih's. Like Oahn, it hears uiiinistakahie e\idenee of heiii^- I he I'esull of sevei'al [)ei'i()ds of volcanic activity, and it, too, is formed hy the jniielion of two vol- canic mountains of which the western crater JNIanna Loa.^ an eminence lit lie more than a hill, is far the older. The eastern end of the island is much hi^iher, attaining at Kamakua peak an altitude of 4,958 feet. The highland between the two points mentioned, while less extensive, has been built up in iiinch 1 he same manner as the region between the two gronps of mountains on Oahn. The island from the north presents a more or less verlical face of vary- ing height which rises, as a line of cliffs, usually from a very narrow level plain. From the high backbone of the island in the eastern end, several deep, beautiful valleys, with gaunt finger-like lateral ridges, run down to the sea. The most prominent point along the northern coast is formed by the wedge- shaped peak of 01okui,2 which has its sea end formed ])y a wall rising all but perpendicularly from the sea to almost the extreme height of the mounlaiii. The deep balloon-shaped valleys of Wailau ami Pelekunu almost surround this point and form its almost inaccessible walls inland. The whole section has ])een deeply eroded and is one of the most remarkable and pictui'esipie districts of the entire group. The vertical sea cliffs and the great amphitheater-shaix'd val- leys, set, as they are, directly across the ])ath of the northeast trade winds, are almost constantly drenched with heavy tropical rains. l^nfortunately this abundant supply of water is still allowed to tiow to the sea uncontrolled, while the opposite end of the island, with its thousands of acres of rich, deep-red tillahle soil lies parched and barren. Halaw.s. Valley. The eastern, and consequently the most remote end of the island, is occu- pied by smooth, high bluffs toi:)ped with a table-land that is cut 1hrouL;!i by the valley of Halawa. This valley is one of great isolation and primitive beauty. Its purple cliff-like walls terminate abi-uptly a1 the head of the gorge in a vertical precipice, over which jxjur two streams di-awn from the rain-soaked uplands. The Halawa waters reach the tioor of the valleys by monster leaps, foi-ming ]\roaula Falls; the other, the llipuapua stream, forms a siimie silvei-y thread from top to bottom of tlie cliff. The ceaseless tund)lc and roai- of these falls, the delicious freshness of the breeze, the song of the feaiiess nati\-e birds, the abundant vine-swung tropical verdure, the sim])le I'l'ieiidly hospitality of the natives, the morning and eveniuu I'ainltows tliat span the falls, the sweep df the sand-rimmed bay, the traiujuil scene of life aloni;' the ri\-ei'. the peace, the |)leut\\ the contentment of it all, blends again in memoiw as 1 wi'ite, as not many years ago it did in reality to foi'ui a |)icture. a pictui'c of bliss, such as I would iiaint v.'ere I gifted, and call the ''Island \'ale .\\aloir" an eai'thly pai'adise within the w'estern sea. ' 1382 feet. " 4600 feet. < < O o X Z < kr^ ^ GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HAWAII. 135 The southeastern, aud partienlarly the southern part of the ishmd, is broken l)y a number of parallel ridges and vallevs. As the valleys are many of them but two or three miles in length the streams, which have tlicir source in the cloud- wrapped peaks that form the dividing' line of the ishnul. are cool and beauti- fidly clear. In nmny of these valleys inay still be seen tlie remains of the old orange and breadfruit groves for which Molokai was one time famous. The heads of the valleys often end in almost vertical and deeply eroded precipices. Several of the valleys, as INIoanui, have a number of large caves, which were used extensively in olden times as burial caves. The valley of Mapulehu is the largest valley on the south side of the island. Having steep funnel-shaped sides and being opposite the great rain-soaked valley of Wailau, it is especially subject to torrential rains. The nearby harbor of Pukoo, well to the eastern end, aud the harbor of Kaunakakai, near the center of the island, are the principal ports of call on the southern side of JNIolokai. They are both formed by openings in the wide coral reef which extends along the greater part of the island. The Leper Settlement. Unfortunately the whole of this island of ^Molokai is known as the "Leper Island." In reality only the low shelf-like promontory of Kalaupapa which jets out into the sea, a distance of three or four miles, at a point about the middle of the island on its northern side, is in any way included in the area set apart by the Territory for the isolation and care of those suffering witli this disease. The settlement forms a colony inhabited by eight hundred to one thousand persons, most of whom are lepers. The colony is completely cut off from the rest of the island by clilfs fifteen hundred or more feet in height, the steep sea- face of which is called Kalawao. The plain or shelf of Kalaupapa is crossed by several lava streams of more recent date than have been found elsewhere on the island. So it is not unlikely that this section, as stated in tlic legend of Pele previously mentioned, was the last point on ]\lolokai to feel the influence of vol- canic fires. Lanai and Kahoulawe. Lanai is in plain view from both ^Molokai and ^Ijiui. b( ing only nine miles west from the nearest point of the latter island. From the vessel as it passes through the channel between the islands it ap- pears as a single volcanic cone, that doubtless, owing to the protection fur- nished bv the nearbv-island to windward, has suffered but sliuht erosion, thougli its sides are here and there furrowed by small gulches, down one of which there runs a small stream. It has an area of 139 square miles and the principal peak, which is well Avooded, is given as 3,400 feet in heii^Iit. It rises from near the southeastern end and slopes rather gradually to the northwest, where abrupt declivities are found. Steep cliffs also occur along the southwest shore where ■mm O f^ S Ch ai o 03 O -M S o -^ p 5 "^ b— 1 ^ '-' a2 o 5i c •-"< S O Q •;=^ P2 ^ ^ .2 r > o 'V^ w Eh 02 . fe^ -M ^-s, o &I s 02 .« M H ^ 2 Z 2 S cc <1 > ^ -^ ^ 2 i.2 '* aj 'eg e8 2 ""W ;; o o GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF HA^VAII. 137 they are often three or four hundred feet in height. Tt ai^peai's that ticitlicr Lanai nor Kahoohiwe have e\'er been carefully studied In- g(^()l()gists. Kahoolawe, the smallest of the inhabited islands, is about twelve miles long and has an area of sixty-nine square miles. Owing to its slight elevation,^ and the fact that it lies in the lee of ]\Iaui, whose high mountains wring the rain-clouds dry, the surface shows but little wash and is almost level. There being no important streams or springs on the island it has never been con- sidered of much value. In consequence it has l)een given over to a few goats, sheep and cattle that roam over its barren red lands at Avill. Plans have been considered by the Territorial government, however, which contemplate refor- esting the island, as an experiment in conservation, with a view to securing scientific data on the increasing and storing of water through the agency of plant growth. Like Lanai, the island of Kahoolawe has high, steep sea cliffs on the lee shore. Enough of the underlying strata is exposed to foster the belief that neither of these small islands was ever more closely connected with each other or with the nearby and larger island of ]Maui than they are now unless it was l)y their normal slopes, now hidden beneath the sea. The larger island of ^laui is separated from the smaller of the two islands by seven miles of placid water known as the Alalakeiki channel which, together with the Auau channel between Lanai and j\Iaui, forms the ^laui channel; a waterway which no doul)t has been formed by the subsidence of all three islands just mentioned. ]\Lvri, THE Valley Isle. It is the custom to regard ]\Iolokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and INIaui as form- ing a natural group of islands, there being about the same distance between the nearest points on the neighboring islands of Molokai and Oahu ^ in the north- west, that there is between the nearest points of IMaui and Hawaii ^ at the southeast end of the central cluster of islands, the combined area of which is placed at 7,289 square miles. Maui is the largest island in the middle group and is the second largest in size of the inhabited islands. However, it is con- siderably less than one-fifth the size of Hawaii, which boasts of its area of 4,015 square miles. To the mere traveler Maui is but a synonym for the name of the gi-eat extinct crater which forms one of the chief objective points of his round-the- world journey. But to the geologist the splendid double island, aptly named the Yalley Isle, is no less interesting in its topography and history than Kauai or Oahu are. Like Molokai and Oahu, it has been produced from two distinct centers of volcanic activity. West ^laui with its highest peak" corresponds in ag" ^vith the western group of mountains on Oahu. As on Oalni, the advanced disintegra- tion, shown by the deep wonderful valleys dissected into its mass, makes it un- mistakably the older end of the islaiul. In fact it has every (evidence of being as old as Kauai, the Waianae Range on Oahu, the western end of ?»Iolo]\ai, or the Kohala mountains on Hawaii. 3 1472 feet. * 23 miles. ^ 26 miles. " Piiu Kukui. 5788 feet. 10 J38 XATIKAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. Iao Valley. As has been tlic case on the other ishmds. this volcanic pile has snffered its deepest erosion on the northeast tiank. Exposed to the trade winds, the jrreat awe-inspiring valley of Iao. with its head a vast amphitheater in the very heart of the monntain, has been so wonderfully eroded that it is indeed difficult to fed it has been formed solely by the chisel of the elements. Kising on every hand about "The Needle," an isolated, nearly inaccessible pinnacle, standing hundreds of feet above the floor of the valley— are almost vei-tical verdni-e-covered walls of basalt. They rise al)ruptly for more than four thousand feet. Over and al)(mt the toj) of the highest peaks cluster and frolic the down-like clouds that so often, without apparent provocation, gather into a lowering pall from which pours torrents of cold, pelting rain. Within an liour their waters will tiood and choke the babbling gorge stream, until it rushes down to the sea in an irresistible torrent. Few ai'e the visitors who have seen the grandeur of Iao who are not willing to compai-e it favorably with the more famous valley of the Yosemite. But those who have mastered the ditfieulty of the ascent and who have once looked down from the summit of Puu Kukui into the head of Iao Valley, and the e(pial!y wonderful valleys of Waihee and Olowalu. are unstinted in their praise of tile wild scenery that stretches away from their feet in all directions — to the ocean, to llaleakala. and to the snow-capped mountains of Hawaii. Those travelers who can take the circumstances that surround each into account and compare the grandeur of the Valley Isle with the grandeur of the Yosemite never fail to rearrange the list of America's great natural wonders in a way most eomplimeiitary to this island wonder, which, unfortunately, too few have as 3'et been piixileucd to visit. The suinniii of Puu I\uli o ,:::; ^ 'I > CS ^ &^ d oj ^ f. I — I •«-( ""^ 1 1 — >.■-( rt ^^ O O ^ =<^ a ft °^ S •^ n +^ =H '-; oJ