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ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN SB PLATE I

FEMALE DANCING IN HULA COSTUME

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
;iS.- BUREA U OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

WRITTEN LITERATURE
- or HAWAII^

Ithe sacred songs of the hula

Bt NATHANIEL B. EMERSON, A. M., M. D.

WASHINGTON

OOTBRNMENT I'lil NTI >M1 OFFICE

laoii

2.7 i sry.zi-.^

i

"^ NuV £3 1909 ""]

XOaJ.' ..y

(-• »

PREFATOEY IsTOTE

Previous to the year 1906 the researches of the Bureau were
restricted to the American Indians, but by act of Congress approved
June 30 of that year the scope of its operations was extended to
iclude the natives of the Hawaiian islands. Funds were not specific-
ly provided, however, for prosecuting investigations among these
iple, and in the absence of an appropriation for this purpose it was
lidered inadvisable to restrict the systematic investigations among
le Indian tribes in order that the new field might be entered,
ortunately the publication of valuable data pertaining to Hawaii
already provided for, and the present memoir by Doctor Emerson
the first of the Bureau's Hawaiian series. It is expected that this
Wletin will be followed shortly by one comprising an extended list
works relating to Hawaii, compiled by Prof. H. M. Ballou and
^'. Cv^rus Thomas.

W. H. Holmes,

Chief.
3

CONTENTS

Page

uction 7

I. Thehula 11

II. The halau ; the kuahu — their decoration and consecration 14

III. The goda of thehula 23

IV. Support and organization of the hula 26

V. Ceremonies of graduation; d^but of a hula dancer 31

VI. The password — the song of admission 38

VII. Worship at the altar of the halau 42

VIII. Costume of the hula dancer 49

IX. The hula aU'a-papa 57

X. The hula pa-ipu, or kuolo 73

XI. Thehulaki'i '. 91

XII. Thehula pfi.hu 103

XIII. The hula dliulf .: 107

XIV. The hula puili 113

XV. The hula ka-laau 116

XVI. The hula m-ili 120

lVII. The hula kaekeeke 122

VIII. An intermission 126

XIX. The hula niau-kani '. 132

XX. Thehulaohe 135

XXI. The music and musical instruments of the Hawaiians 138

:XII. Gesture 176

XIII. The hula pa-hua 183

XIV. The hula Pele 186

L X V. The hula pa'i-umauma 202

XVI. The hula ku'i Molokai 207

:VII. The hula kielei 210

VIII. The hula mii'u-mu'u 212

XIX. Thehula kolani 216

CXX. Thehulakolea 219

XXI. The hula man6 221

:XII. The hula ilio 223

XIII. The hula pua'a 228

XIV. The hula ohelo 233

CXV. Thehula kilu 235

XVI. The hula hoonand 244

:VII. The hula ulili 246

VIII. The hula o-niu 248

XIX. The hula kn'i 250

XL. Theoli 254

XLI. The water of Kane 257

ICLII. General review 260

iry 265

271

5

ILLUSTRATIONS

Plate I. Female dancing in hula costume

IT. le-fe (Freycinetia amotti) leaves and fruit

III. Hila-p^pe (Dracaena aurea)

IV. Maile ( Alyxia myrtillifolia) wreath

V. Ti (Dracaena terminalis)

VI. Ilima (Sida fallax), lei and flowers

VII. Ipu hula, gourd drum

VIII. Marionettes (Maile-pakaha, Nihi-au-moe)

IX. Marionette (Maka-ku)

X. Pahu hula, hula drum ,

XL Uli-ulf, a gourd rattle

XII. Hawaiian tree-shells (Achatinella * * *)

XIII. Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) flowers and leaves.

XIV. Hawaiian trumpet, pu (Cassis madagascarensis)

XV. Woman playing on the nose-flute (ohe-hano-ihu)

XVI. Pu-niu, a drum

XVII. Hawaiian musician playing on the uku-lele

■ XVIII. Hala fruit bunch and drupe with a "lei"

XIX^ Pu (Triton tritonis)

XX. Phyllodia and true leaves of the koa (Acacia koa)

XXI. Pala-palai ferns

XXII. Awa-puhi, -^ Hawaiian ginger. •.

XXIII. Hinanohala

XXIV. Lady dancing the hula ku'i

Figure 1. Pufli, bamboo rattle

2. Ka, drumstick for pu-niu

3. Ohe-hano-ihu, nose-flute

MUSICAL PIECES

I. Range of the nose-flute — Eisner .- . .

II. Music^ft*om the nos^flute — Eisner

III. The ukeM (as played by Keaonaloa) — Eisner •

IV. Song from the hula pa'i-umauma— Berger

V. Song from Ihe hula pa-ipu — Berger

VI. Song for the hula Pele — Berger

VII. Oli and mele from the hula ala'a-papa — Yarndley

VIII. He Inoa no Kamehximeha — Byington ,

IX. Song, Poll Anuanu — Yarndley

X. Song, Hua-huaH — Yarndley

XL Song, Ka Mawae — Berger

XII. Song, Like no a Like — Berger

XIII. Song, Pili Aoao — Berger

XIV. Hawaii Ponoi — Berger

ft

INTKODUCTION

This book is for the greater part a collection of Hawaiian songs and
ic pieces that have done service- from time immemorial as the
k supply of the hula. The descriptive portions have been added,
t because the poetical parts could not stand by themselves, but to
ish the proper setting and to answer the questions of those who
Iwant to know.

I Now, the hula stood for very much to the ancient Hawaiian; it
[was to him in place of our concert-hall and lecture-room, our opera
{■nd theater, and thus became one of his chief means of social enjoy-
linent. Besides this, it kept the communal imagination in living
touch with the nation's legendary past. The hula had songs prope'
to itself, but it found a mine of inexhaustible wealth in the epi
iad wonder-myths that celebrated the doings of the voTcltao goddc
Pfele and her compeers. Thus in the cantillations of th^ old-tir '
knla we find a ready-made anthology that includes ev^y species
composition in the whole range of Hawaiian poetry, 'this epic** oi
Pele was chiefly a more or less detached series of poems forming a
Btory addressed not to the closet-reader, but to the eye and ear and
heart of the assembled chiefs and people; and it was sung. The
Hawaiian song, its note of joy par excellence, was the oli; but it must
be noted that in every species of Hawaiian poetry, mele — whether
epic or eulogy or prayer, sounding through them all we shall find the
: lyric note. *

The most telling record of a people's intimate life is the record

wjiich it unconsciously makes in its songs. This record which the

Hawaiian people have left of themselves is full and specific. When,

therefore, we ask what emot^pns stirred the heart of the old-time

Hawaiian as he approached the great themes of iVfe and death, of

tmbition and jealousy, of sexual passion, of romantic love, of conjugal

love, and parental love, what his attitude toward nature and th'i

dread forces of earthquake and storm, and the mysteries of spirit and

the hereafter, we shall find our answer in the songs and prayers and

recitations of the hula.

The hula, it is true, has been unfortunate in the mode and manner
)f its introduction to us moderns. An institution of divine, that is,
leligious, origin, the hula in modern times has wandered so far and
'alien so low that foreign and critical esteem has come to associate it

• It mli^t be termed a handful of lyrics strung on an epic thread.

7

8 DfTRODrcnox

with the liatous and passionate ebullitions of Polynesia]
the amorous posturing of their voluptuaries. We must :
distinction, however, between the gestures and bodily cont
wnted bv the men and women, the actors in the hula
uttered words. " The voice is Jacob's voice, but the ha
hands of Esau." In truth, the actors in the hula no
the action to the word. The utterance harks back to the (
the gesture is trumped up by the passion of the hour,
by the master of the hula, to whom the real meaning .of th
is ofttimes a sealed casket.

Whatever indelicacv attaches in modem times to some
tures and contortions of the hula dancers, the old-time
^n large measure were untainted with grossness. If then
a Polynesian Arcadia, and if it were possible for true rej
doings and sayings of the Polynesians to reach us from \
land — reports of their joys and sorrows, their love-making
jealousies, their family spats and reconciliations, their ^
b(»auty and of the gods and goddesses who walked in the
beauty — we may say, I think, that such a report would be :
tial agreement with the report that is here offered ; but, iJ
tuc will not endure the love-making of Arcadia, let him
myth from his imagination and hie to a convent or a nun

If this book does nothing more than prove that savage
(children of a younger growth than ourselves, that what we
to have been we ourselves — in our ancestors — once were, tl
tnaking it will have been not in vain.

For an account of the first hula we may look to the stoi
On one occasion that goddess begged her sisters to dance
before her, but they all excused themselves, saying they did
the art-. At that moment in came little Hiiaka, the younge
favorite. Unknown to lior sisters, the little maiden had pn
(lance under the tuition of her friend, the beautiful but
Hopoe. When bantoringly invited to dance, to the surpr
lliiaka modestly complied. The wave-beaten sand-beach
floor, the open air her hall. Feet and hands and swaying ]
time to her improvisation:

Ii()()k, Puna iH a-(lnnce in the wind;

Tho palm ki'ovoh of Kea-au shaken.

Ilaona and tho woman Hopoe dance and sing

On the beach Nana-huki,

A dance of purest deUjrht,

Down by the stMi Nana-huki.

The natun^ of this work has made it necessary to use (
Hawaiian words in the technical parts. At their first int

INTRODUCTION 9

i has seemed fitting that they should be distinguished by italics;
Hit, once given the entree, it is assumed that, as a rule, they will be
granted the rights of free speech without further explanation.

A glossary, which explains all the Hawaiian words used in the
prose text, is appended. Let no one imagine, however, that by the
use of this little crutch alone he will be enabled to walk or stumble
through the foreign ways of the simplest Hawaiian mele. Notes,
lirften copious, have been appended to many of the mele, designed
;'to exhaust neither the subject nor the reader, but to answer some
of the questions of the intelligent thinker.

; Thanks, many thanks, are due, first, to those native Hawaiians who
\ have so far broken with the old superstitious tradition of concealment
•8 to unearth so much of the unwritten literary wealth stored in
Hawaiian memories; second, to those who have kindly contributed
criticism, suggestion, material at the different stages of this book's
progress; and, lastly, to those dear friends of the author's youth —
living or dead — whose kindness has made it possible to send out this
fledgling to the world. The author feels under special obligations to
Dr. Titus Munson Coan, of New York, for a painstaking revision of
the manuscript.

Honolulu, Hawaii.

irPn\rRITTEN LITERATUEE OF HAWAII

By Nathaniel B. Emerson

I.— THE HULA

I One turns, from the study of old genealogies, myths, and traditions
I of the Hawaiians with a hungry despair at finding in them means
I » small for picturing the people themselves, their human interests
wd passions ; but when it comes to the hula and the whole train of
feelings and sentiments that made their entrances and exits in the
'hdau (the hall of the hula) one perceives that in this he has found
the door to the heart of the people. So intimate and of so simple
confidence are the revelations the people make of themselves in their
songs and prattlings that when one undertakes to report what he has
heard and to translate into the terms of modern speech what he has
wceived in confidence, as it were, he almost blushes, as if he had been
guilty of spying on Adam and Eve in their nuptial bower. Alas, if
one could but muffle his speech with the unconscious lisp of infancy,
or veil and tone his picture to correspond to the perspective of an-
tiquity, he might feel at least that, like Watteau, he had dealt worth-
ily, if not truly, with that ideal age which we ever think of as the
World's garden period.

The Hawaiians, it is true, were many removes from being primi-
tives; their dreams, however, harked back to a period that was close
to the world's infancy. Their remote ancestry was, perhaps, akin to
ours — Aryan, at least Asiatic — ^but the orbit of their evolution seems
to have led them away from the strenuous discipline that has whipped
the Anglo-Saxon branch into fighting shape with fortune.

If one comes to the study of the hula and its songs in the spirit
of a censorious moralist he will find nothing for him; if as a pure
ethnologist, he will take pleasure in pointing out the physical re-
semblances of the Hawaiian dance to the languorous grace of the
Xautch girls, of the geisha, and other oriental dancers. But if he
comes as a student and lover of human nature, back of the sensuous
posturings, in the emotional language of the songs he will find him-
self entering the playground of the human race.

The hula was a religious service, in which poetry, music, panto-
mime, and the dance lent themselves, under the forms of dramatic

11

12 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

art, to the refreshment of men^s mmds. Its view of life ¥
and it gave itself to the celebration of those mythical ti
gods and goddesses moved on the earth as men and women
men and women were as gods. As to subject-matter, its
spun largely from the bowels of the old-time mythology
through which the race maintained vital connection witl
terious past. Interwoven with these, forming the woof, we
of a thousand hues and of many fabrics, representing the
tions of the poet, the speculations of the philosopher, the a
of many a thirsty soul, as well as the ravings and flai
pictures of the sensualist, the mutterings and incantatio
kahuna^ the mysteries and paraphernalia of Polynesian n
the annals of the nation's history — ^the material, in fact,
another nation and under diiferent circumstances would 1
to the making of its poetry, its drama, its opera, its literati

The people were superstitiously religious; one finds thi
saturated with religious feeling, hedged about with tab
down with prayer and sacrifice. They were poetical; m
full of voices for their ears; their thoughts came to the
ages; nature was to them an allegory; all this found expi
their dramatic art. They were musical ; their drama must
cast in forms to suit their ideas of rhythm, of melody, and
harmony. They were, moreover, the children of passion,
worshipful of whatever lends itself to pleasure. How, th
the dramatic efforts of this primitive people, still in the
animalism, escape the note of passion? The songs and otl
pieces which have come down to us from the remotest anti
generally inspired with a purer sentiment and a loftier purj
the modern; and it may be said of them all that when the;
into the mud it is not to tarrv and wallow in it ; it is rather
unconscious naivete of a child thinking no evil.

On the principle of '' the terminal conversion of opposite^
the author once heard an old philosopher expound, the :
vanced modern is better able to hark back to the sweet
light and music of the primeval world than the veriest ^
dweller that ever chipped an arrowhead. It is not so much
primitive man can give us as what we can find in him that
our while. The light that a Goethe, a Thoreau, or a Kipling
ject into Arcadia is mirrored in his own nature.

If one mistakes not the temper and mind of this genera
are living in an age that is not content to let perish one
thought or one single phase of life that can be rescued i
drift of time. We mourn the extinction of the buffalo of tl
and of the birds of the islands, rightly thinking that life is sc

iMaBSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATUBB OF HAWAII 18

less rich and full without them. What of the people of the plains and
of the islands of the sea? Is their contribution so nothingless that
one can affirm that the orbit of man's mind is complete without it?

Comparison is unavoidable between the place held by the dance
in ancient Hawaii and that occupied by the dance in our modem
society. The ancient Hawaiians did not personally and informally
indulge in the dance for their own amusement, as does pleasure-
loving society at tlie present time. Like the Shah of Persia, but for
very different reasons, Hawaiians of the old time left it to be done
for them by a body of trained and paid performers. This was not
because the art and practice of the hula were held in disrepute —
quite the reverse — ^but because the hula was an accomplishment re-
quiring special education and arduous training in both song and
dance, and more especially because it was a religious matter, to
be guarded against profanation by the observance of tabus and the
performance of priestly rites.

This fact, which we find paralleled in every form of communal
amusement, sport, and entertainment in ancient Hawaii, sheds a
strong light on the genius of the Hawaiian. We are wont to think of
the old-time Hawaiians as light-hearted children of nature, given
to spontaneous outbursts of song and dance as the mood seized
them ; quite as the rustics of " merrie England " joined hands and
tripped " the light fantastic toe " in the joyous month of May or
diouted the harvest home at a later season. The genius of the Ha-
waiian was different. With him the dance was an affair of premedi-
tation, an organized effort, guarded by the traditions of a somber
religion. And this characteristic, with qualifications, will be found
to belong to popular Hawaiian sport and amusement of every vari-
ety. Exception must be made, of course, of the unorganized sports
of childhood. One is almost inclined to generalize and to say that
those children of nature, as we are wont to call them, in this regard
were less free and spontaneous than the more advanced race to which
we are proud to belong. But if the approaches to the temple of
Terpsichore with them were more guarded, we may confidently
taaert that their enjoyment therein was deeper and more abandoned.

IL— THE HAL.VU; THE KUAHU— THEIR DECC

AND CONSECRATION

The Halau

In building a halau, or hall, in which to perform t
Hawaiian of the old, old time was making a temple for hi
later and degenerate ages almost any structure would ser\
pose ; it might be a flimsy shed or an extemporaneous Junai
used to shelter that al fresco entertainment, the luau. But
times of strict tabu and rigorous etiquette, when the chief .
lift his hand and the entire population of a district ransac
valley, and mountain to collect the poles, beams, thatch,
stuflf ; when the workers were so numerous that the structure
took shape in a day, we may well believe that ambitious ;
tilious patrons of the hula, such as La 'a, Liloa, or Lono-i-ka-
did not allow the divine art of Laka to house in a barn.

The choice of a site was a matter of prime importance,
dable code enunciated the principles governing the selectio:
a matter of great solicitude — there were omens to be heed
and pitfalls devised by the superstitious mind for its own
ment. The untimely sneeze, the ophthalmic eye, the hum
were omens to be shuimed.

Within historic times, since the abrogation of the tabu sj
the loosening of the old polytheistic ideas, there has been ir
a lowering of former standards, in some respects a deg<
The old gods, howev(T, were not entirely dethroned ; the peo]
hula still continued to maintain the form of divine service
appealed to them for good luck; but the soul of won
exhaled; the m^in study now was to make of the hula a j
success.

In an important sense the old way was in sympathy
thought, "Except (lod be with the workmen, they labor in ^
build the house." The means for gaining divine favor and
the frown of the gods were those practised by all religionis
infantile state of the human mind — the observance of fasts ai
the offering of special prayers and sacrifices. The ceremonij
cation of the site, or of the building if it had been used for
puri^oses, was accomplished by aspersions with sea water mi:
turmeric or red earth.

14

BMBBSON] UNWBITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAH 15

When one considers the tenacious hold which all rites and cere-
monies growing out of what we are accustomed to call superstitions
had on the mind of the primitive Hawaiian, it puzzles one to account
for the entire dropping out from modem memory of the prayers
which were recited during the erection of a hall for the shelter of an
institution so festive and so popular as the hula, while the prayers
and gloomy ritual of the temple service have survived. The explana-
tion may be found, perhaps, in the fact that the priests of the temple
held position by the sovereign's appointment; they formed a 'hier-
archy by themselves, whereas the position of the kumu-hula^ who was
also a priest, was open to anyone who fitted himself for it by training
and study and by passing successfully the ai-lolo * ordeal. After that
he had the right to approach the altar of the hula god with the pre-
scribed offerings and to present the prayers and petitions of the com-
pany to Laka or Kapo.

In pleasing contrast to the worship of the heiau^ the service of the
hula was not marred by the presence of groaning victims and bloody
sacrifices. Instead we find the offerings to have been mostly rustic
tokens, things entirely consistent with light-heartedness, joy, and ec-
stasy of devotion, as if to celebrate the fact that heaven had come
down to earth and Pan, with all the nymphs, was dancing.

During the time the halau was building the tabus and rules that
regulated conduct were enforced with the utmost strictness. The
members of the company were required to maintain the greatest pro-
priety of demeanor, to suppress all rudeness of speech and manner,
to abstain from all carnal indulgence, to deny themselves specified
articles of food, and above all to avoid contact with a corpse. If any-
one, even by accident, suffered such defilement, before being received
again into fellowship or permitted to enter the halau and take part
in the exercises he must have ceremonial cleansing (huikala). Th^
Jcumu offered up prayers, sprinkled the offender with salt water and
turmeric, commanded him to bathe in the ocean, and he was clean.
If the breach of discipline was gross and willful, an act of outrageous
violence or the neglect of tabu, the offender could be restored only
after penitence and confession.

The Kuahu

In every halau stood the kuahu^ or altar, as the visible temporary
abode of the deity, whose presence was at once the inspiration of the
performance and the luck-bringer of the enterprise — a rustic frame
embowered in greenery. The gathering of the green leaves and other
sweet finery of nature for its construction and decoration was a mat-
ter of so great importance that it could not be intrusted to any chance

'Ai-lolo. See pp. 32, 34, 36.

16 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

assemblage of wild youth who might see fit to take the w<
There were formalities that must be observed, songs to
prayers to be recited. It was necessary to bear in mine
one deflowered the woods of their fronds of ie-ie and i
the trailing lengths of maile — ^albeit in honor of Laka 1
body of the goddess was being despoiled, and" the despoil:
done with all tactful grace and etiquette.

It must not be gathered from this that the occasion wa
emn and oppressive with weight of ceremony, as when a
erected or as when a tabu chief walked abroad, and all m
their mouths in the dust. On the contrary, it was a time
decorous exultation, a time when in prayer-songs and as<
praise the poet ransacked all nature for figures and allu
used in caressing the deity.

The following adulatory prayer {kanaende) in ad
Laka was recited while gathering the woodland decorati<
altar. It is worthy of preservation for its intrinsic bean
spirit of trustfulness it breathes. We remark the petitioj
for the growth of tree and shrub, as if Laka had been the i
under whose influence all nature budded and rejoiced.

It would seem as if the physical ecstasy of the dance ai
suous joy of all nature's finery had breathed their spirit i
piration and that the beauty of leaf and flower, all of the:
forms of the god's metamorphosis — accessible to their tou
the regalement of their senses — had brought such nearness
ness of affection between goddess and worshiper that al
removed.

He kdnaende no Laka

A ke kua-hiwi, i ke kua-lono,
Ku ana o Laka i ka manna ;
Noho ana o Laka i ke po'o o ka ohu.

Laka kumu hula,

5 Nana i a'e ka wao-kele,«

Kahi, kahi i moli'a i ka piia'a,

1 ke po'o pua'a,

He pua'a hiwa na Kane.^

« Wao-k6le. That portion of the mountain forest where grew the monan
called wao-kele or wao-maukele.

^Na Kane. Why was the offering, the black roast porkling, said to be fc
was not a special patron, au-maki7a, of the hula? The only answer the aut
able to obtain from any Hawaiian is that, though Kane was not a god of the
a near relative. On reflection, the author can see a propriety in devoting
flesh of the swine to god Kane, while to the sylvan deity, Laka, goddess of
hula, were devoted the rustic offerings that were the embodiment of her c
image, or token — an uncarved block of wood — was set up in a prominent
kuahu, and at the close of a performance the wreaths that had been worn b
were draped about the image. Thus viewed, there is a delicate propriety anc
in such disposal of the pig.

ION] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAH 17

He kane na Laka,
10 Na ka wahlne i oni a kelakela 1 ka lani :

I kupu ke a'a i ke kiimu,

I lau a puka ka mu'o,

Ka liko, ka ao i-luna.

Kupu ka lala, hua ma ka Hikina ;
15 Kupu ka laau ona a Maka-li4,<^

Maka-lei,^ laau kaulana mai ka Po mai.*'
Mai ka Po mai ka oiaio —

1 ho-l*o i-luna, i o*o i-luna.

He luna au e ki'i mai nei ia oe, e Laka,
20 E ho'i ke ko-kua * pa-ti ;

He la uniki ^ no kaua ;

Ha-ike-ike ^ o ke Akua ;

Hoike ka mana o ka Wahine,

O Laka, kaikuahine,
25 Wahlne a Lono i ka ou-alii.^

E Lono, e hu* * ia mai ka lani me ka honua.

Nou okoa Kukulu o Kahiki.*

Me ke ano-ai i aloha, e !

E Ola, e!

aka-lVi (Small eyes). The Pleiades; also the period of six months, including the

season, that began some time in October or November and was reckoned from the
when the Pleiades appeared In the East at sunset. Maka-li'i was also the name
month, by some reckoned as the first month of the year.
aka-lH. The name of a famous mythological tree which had the power of attracting

It did not poison, but only bewitched or fascinated them. There were two trees
ig this name, one a male, the other a female, which both grew at a place in Hilo

Pali-uli. One of these, the female, was, according to tradition, carried from its
lome to the fish ponds in Kailua, Oahu, for the purpose of attracting fish to the
tx>rlng waters. The enterprise was eminently successful.

>. Literally night ; the period in cosmogony when darkness and chaos reigned, be-
:he affairs on earth had become settled under the rule of the gods. Here the word
?d to indicate a period of remote mythologic antiquity. The use of the word Po
i following verse reminds one of the French adage, "La nuit porte conseil."
okua. Another form for kakua, to gird on the pa-u. (See Pa-u song, pp. 51-53.)
niki. A word not given in the dictionary. The debut of an actor at the hula, after
ig the ai-lolo test and graduating from the school of the halau, a critical event.
a-ike-ike. Equivalent to ho-ike-ike, an exhibition, to exhibit.

u-aJii. The Hawaiians seem to have lost the meaning of this word. The author
een at some pains to work It out somewhat conjecturally.

lAtno, € hu* ia mai, etc. The unelided form of the word 7iu' would be hut. The
I is dropped before the similar vowel of ia.

ukulu o Kfihiki. The pillars of Kahiki. The ancient ITawaiians supposed the
r heavens to be a solid dome supported by a wall or vertical construction — kukulu —
p along the horizon. That section of the wall that stood over against Kahlkl they
•d Kukulu o Kahiki. Our geographical name Tahiti is of course from Kahiki,
:h It does not apply to the same region. After the close of what has been termed

period of Intercourse," which came probably during the twelfth and thirteenth
rles, and during which the ancient Hawaiians voyaged to and fro between Hawaii
the lands of the South, geographical ideas became hazy and the term Kahiki came

applied to any foreign country.

iIUhM. An old form of salutation, answering in general to the more modern word
I, mach used at the present time. Ano-ai seems to have had a shade of meaning

nearly answering to our word " welcome." This ia the first instance the author has
with of Its use in poetry.

25352— BulL 38—09 2

18 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

[Translation]
A Prayer of Adulation to Laka

In the forests, on the ridges

Of the mountains stands Laka ;

Dwelling in the source of the mists. ^

Laka, mistress of the hula,
5 Has climbed the wooded haunts of the gods,

Altars hallowed by the sacrificial swine,

The head of the boar, the black boar of Kane.

A partner he with Laka;

Woman, she by strife gained rank in heaven.
10 That the root may grow from the stem,

That the young shoot may put forth and leaf.

Pushing up the fresh enfolded bud.

The scion-thrust bud and fruit toward the East,

Like the tree that bewitches the winter fish,
15 Maka-lel, tree famed from the age of night.

Truth is the counsel of night —

May it fruit and ripen above.

A messenger I bring you, O Laka,

To the girding of pati.
20 An opening festa this for thee and me;

To show the might of the god.

The power of the goddess,

Of Laka, the sister.

To Lono a wife in the heavenly courts.
25 O Lono, join heaven and earth!

Thine alone are the pillars of Kahikl.

Warm greeting, beloved one,

We hail thee!

The cult of god Lono was milder, more humane, than that of Kane
and the other major gods. No human sacrifices were offered on his
altars. The statement in verse 26 accords with the general belief of
the Hawaiians that Lono dwelt in foreign parts, Kukulu o Kahiki.
and that he would some time come to them from across the waters.
When Captain Cook arrived in his ships, the Hawaiians worshiped
him as the god Lono.

The following song-prayer also is one that was used at the gather-
ing of the greenery in the mountains and during the building of the
altar in the halau. AVhen recited in the halau all the pupils took
part, and the chorus was a response in which the whole assembly in
the halau were expected to join :

Pule Kuahu 710 Laka

Haki pu o ka nahelehele,
Haki hana maile o ka wao.

«] UNWKITTEN LITERATUKE OF HAWAII 19

Hooulu « lei ou, o Laka, e !
O Hiiaka ^ ke kaula nana e hooulu na ma'l,
5 A aeae a ulu ^ a noho i kou kuahu,
Eia ka pule la, lie pule ola.
He noi ola nou, e-e !

Chorus:
E ola la makou, aobe hala !

[Translation]
Altar-Prayer to Laka

This spoil and rape of the wildwood,
This plucking of wilderness maile —
Collect of garlands, Laka, for you.
Hiiaka, the prophet, heals our diseases.
5 Enter, possess, inspire your altar;
Heed our prayer, 'tis for life;
Our petition to you is for life.

Chorus:
Give us life, save from transgression !

J wildwoods of Hawaii furnished in great abundance and
y small poles for the framework of the kuahu, the altar, the
^lace of the halau, and sweet-scented leaves and flowers suitable
3 decoration. A spirit of fitness, however, limited choice among
to certain species that were deemed acceptable to the goddess
3e they were reckoned as among her favorite forms of metamor-
^. To go outside this ordained and traditional range would
l^een an offense, a sacrilege. This critical spirit would have
1 with the greatest disfavor on the practice that in modern
has crept in, of bedecking the dancers with garlands of roses,
, jessamine, and other nonindigenous flowers, as being utterly
nant to the traditional spirit of the hula. •

ong decorations approved and most highly esteemed stood pre-
nt the fragrant maile (pi. iv) and the star-like fronds and ruddy
of the ie-ie (pi. ii) and its kindred, the hdla-pepe (pi. iii) ; the
t pompons of the lehua (pi. xiii) and ohra^ with the fruit of
tter (the mountain-apple) ; many varieties of fern, including
>plendid parasite, the "bird's nest fern" (ckdha), hailed by

• m/m. This word has a considerable ranjje of meaning, well illiistrntpd in this mele.
liinplest form, uht, it means to grow, to become strong. Joined with the causative
here. It takes on the spiritual meaning of causing to prosper, of Inspiring. The
collect," used In the translation, has been chosen to express the double sense of
Qg the garlands and of devoting them to the goddess as a religious oiTerlng. In
rib v«*rse this word, hooulu, is used in the sense of to heal. Compare note c.
ika. The youngest sister of Tele, often spoken of as IIiiakiil-ka-poU-o-Pch\ Ililaka-
osom-of-Pele. Why she should be spoken of as capablo of healing diseases is not
:lear.

. Here we have the word ulu in its simple. un;:ombincd form, meaning to enter
d innplre.

20 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

the Hawaiians as Mawi's paddle; to which must be adde
moner leaves and lemon-colored flowers of the native hi
hau^ the breadfruit, the native banana and-the dracsena {t\
and lastly, richest of all, in the color that became Hawaii
the royal yellow ilima (pi. vi), a flower familiar to the (
tourist to Honolulu.

While deft hands are building and weaving the light :
of the kuahu, binding its parts with strong vines and de
with nature's sumptuous embroidery, the kiimu^ or teacl
the inspiration of the deity, for whose residence he has
himself by long vigil and . fasting with fleshly abstinen*
spent the previous night alone in the halau, is chanting or c
his adulatory prayers, kanaenae — songs of praise they see
to the glorification of the gods and goddesses who are
bless the occasion with their presence and inspiration, but
of that one, Laka, whose bodily presence is symbolized
block of wood arrayed in yellow tapa that is set up on the a
Thus does the kumu sing :

Pule Kuahu
Ei' au. e Laka mai uka,
E Laka mai kai ;
O hooiilu

O ka ilio<* uana e liae,
5 O ka maile hihi i ka wao,
O ka lau-ki ^ lei o ke akua,
O iia ku'i baiioli
O Ha'i-ka-Dianawa/
O liaka oe,
10 O ke akua i ke kualiii iiei, la ;

E ho*i, lio'i mai a nolio i kou kualin !

[Translation]
AUar-J'raycr (to Laka)

Here am I, oh Laka from the mountains,

Oh Laka from the shore;

Protect us

Against the dog that barks;

« THo nana e hae. The barking of a dopf, the crowing of a cock, the grunti:
the hooting of an owl, or any ^uch sound occurring at the time of a religion
aha, broke the spell of the incantation and vitiated the coiemony. Such i
accident was as much deprecated as were the Turk, the Comet, and the De^
Christian souls during the Middle Ages.

^Lau-ki. The leaf of the ti plant — the same as the A/ — (Dracaena termln
used as an emblem of divine power, a charm or defense against malign splritua
The kahuna often wore about his neck a fillet of this leaf. The 1i leaf W8
emblem of Ha'i-wahine, or of Li'a-wahine. It was much used as a decoratloi
halau.

'^ Ha'i-ka-manaua. It is conjectured that this Is the same as Ha'inahinc.
mythological character, about whom there is a long and tragic story.

BMBBSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 21

5 Reside in the wild-twining maile
And the goddess-enwreathing ti.
Ah, the joyful pulses
Of the woman Ha'i-ka-manawa !
Thou art Laka,
10 The god of this altar ;

Return, return, abide in thy shrine !

The prayers which the hula folk of old times chanted while gather-
ing the material in the woods or while weaving it into shape in the
halau for the construction of a shrine did not form a rigid liturgy ;
they formed rather a repertory as elastic as the sighing of the breeze,
or the songs of the birds whose notes embroidered the pure mountain
air. There were many altar-prayers, so that if a prayer came to an
end before the work was done the priest had but to begin the recita-
tion of another prayer, or, if the spirit of the occasion so moved him,
he would take up ^gain a prayer already repeated, for until the work
was entirely accomplished the voice of prayer must continue to be
heard.

The pule now to be given seems to be specially suited to that portion
of the service which took place in the woods at the gathering of the
poles and greenery. It was designed specially for the placating of
the little god-folk who from their number were addressed as Kini o
ke Akua^ the multitude of the little gods, and who were the counter-
parts in old Hawaii of our brownies, elfins, sprites, kobolds, gnomes,
and other woodland imps. These creatures, though dwarfish and
insignificant in person, were in such numbers — four thousand, forty
thousand, four hundred thousand — and were so impatient of any
invasion of their territory, so jealous of their prerogatives, so spiteful
and revengeful when injured, that it was policy always to keep on the
right side of them.

Pule Kuahu

E hooulu ana i Kini <> o ke Akua,
Ka lehu o ke Akua,
Ka mano o ke Akua,
I ka pu-ku'i o ke Akua,
5 I ka lalani Akua,
la ulu mai o Kane,
Ulu o Kanaloa;
Ulu ka ohia, lau ka ie-ie;
Ulu ke AJ^ua, noho i ke kahua,
10 A a'ea'e, a ulu, a noho kou kuahu.
Eia ka pule la, he pule ola.

Chorus:
E ola ana oe!

* Kini o ke Akua. See note d^ p. 24.

1

y

22 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[Translation]

Altar- Prayer

Invoke we now the four thousand,
The myriads four of the nimble,
The four hundred thousand elves.
The countless host of sprites,
5 Rank upon rank of woodland gods.
Pray, Kane, also inspire us;
Kanaloa, too, join the assembly.
Now grows the ohVa, now leafs ie-ie;
God enters, resides in the place;
10 He mounts, inspires, abides in the shrine.
This is our prayer, our plea this for life !

Chorus:
Life shall be thine!

From one point of view these pide are not to be regardt
in the ordinary sense of the word, but rather as song-offe
bouquets, affectionate sacrifices to the gods.

III.— THE GODS OF THE HULA

m

Of what nature were the gods of the old times, and how did the
ancient Hawaiians conceive of them ? As of beings having the form,
the powers, and the passions of humanity, yet standing above and
somewhat apart from men. One sees, as through a mist, darkly, a
figure, standing, moving ; in shape a plant, a tree or vine-clad stump,
a bird, a taloned monster, a rock carved by the fire-queen, a human
form, a puflF of vapor — and now it has given place to vacancy. It
was a goddess, perhaps of the hula. In the solitude of the wilder-
ness one meets a youthful being of pleasing address, of godlike wit,'
of elusive beauty ; the charm of her countenance unspoken authority,
her gesture command. She seems one with nature, yet commanding
it. Food placed before her remains untasted ; the oven, imu^^ in which
the fascinated host has heaped his abundance, preparing for a feast,
when opened is found empty ; the guest of an hour has disappeared.
Again it was a goddess, perhaps of the hula. Or, again, a traveler
meets a creature of divine beauty, all smiles and loveliness. The in-
fatuated mortal, smitten with hopeless passion, offers blandishments ;
he finds himself by the roadside embracing a rock. It was a goddess
of the hula.

The gods, great and small, superior and inferior, whom the devo-
tees and practitioners of the hula worshiped and sought to placate
were many ; but the goddess Laka was the one to whom they offered
special prayers and sacrifices and to whom they looked as the patron,
the au-TYidkua^ of that institution. It was for her benefit and in her
honor that the kuahu was set up, and the wealth of flower and leaf
used in its decoration was emblematic of her beauty and glory, a
pledge of her bodily presence, the very forms that she, a sylvan
deity, was wont to assume when she pleased to manifest herself.

As an additional crutch to the imagination and to emphasize the
fact of her real presence on the altar which she had been invoked to
occupy as her abode, she was symbolized by an uncarved block of
wood from the sacred lama^ tree. This was wrapped in a robe of
choice yellow tapa, scented with turmeric, and set conspicuously upon
the altar.

« Imu, The Hawaiian oven, which was a hole In the ground lined and arched over
with stones.

^ Au-makua. An ancestral god.

« Lama. A beautiful tree having firm, fine-grained, white wood ; used In making sacred
inclosures and for other tabu purposes.

23

24 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

Laka was invoked as the god of the maile, the ie-ie, and
wood growths before mentioned (pi. ii). She was ha:
" sister, wife, of god Lono," as " the one who by strivii
favor with the gods of the upper ether;" as " the kumu ® hi
teacher of the Terpsichorean art; " the fount of joy;" " t
who brings health to the sick ;" " the one whose presence
In one of the prayers to Laka she is besought to come an<
session of the worshiper, to dwell in him as in a temple,
him in all his parts and faculties — voice, hands, feet, the ^^

Laka seems to have been a friend, but not a relative, of i
ous Pele family. So far as the author has observed, the fie
is never invited to grace the altar with her presence, nox is
so much as mentioned in any prayer met with.

To compare the gods of the Hawaiian pantheon witl
classic Greece, the sphere occupied by Laka corresponds nc
to that filled by Terpsichore and Euterpe, the muses, respe
dance and of song. Lono, in one song spoken of as the h
Laka, had features in common with Apollo.

That other gods, Kane, Ku, Kanaloa,^ with Lono, Ku-
and the whole swarm of godlings that peopled the wildw
also invited to favor the performances with their presen
satisfactorily explained on the ground, first, that all the gO(
a sense members of one family, related to each other by intei
if not by the ties of kinship ; and, second, by the patent fa
great underlying cause of bitterness and strife among imi
well as mortals, jealousy. It would have been an eruptive
of heart-burning and scandal if by any mischance a privi
should have had occasion to feel slighted; and to have
courtesy to that countless host of wilderness imps and god
Kini Akua^^ mischievous and irreverent as the monkeys
would indeed have been to tempt a disaster.

While it is true that the testimony of the various kt
teachers of the hula, and devotees of the art of the hula, so :
author has talked with them, has been overwhelmingly to
that Laka was the one and only divine patron of the art '.
them, there has been a small number equally ready to assert t
were those who observed the cult of the goddess Kapo and v

" Kumu-hula. The teacher, a leader and priest of the hula. The modern
ter is called kumu-kula.

^ Kanaloa. Kane, Ku, Kanaloa, and Lono were the major gods of the Ha
theon.

" Ku-pulupulu. A god of the canoe-makers.

^ Kini Akua. A general expression — often used together with the ones th.
meaning the countless swarms of brownies, elfs, kobolds, sprites, and oth
(mischievous imps) that peopled the wilderness. Kini means literally 4'
400,000, and mano 4,000. See the Pule Kuahu — altar-prayer — on page 21.
waiians, curiously enough, did not put the words mano, kini, and lehu in tl
their numerical value.

t

EMBBSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAH 25

lier as the patron of the hula. The positive testimony of these wit-
nesses must be reckoned as of more weight than the negative testi-
mony of a much larger number,* who either have not seen or will not
look at the other side of the shield. At any rate, among the prayers
before the kuahu, of which there are others yet to be presented, will be
found several addressed to Kapo as the divine patron of the hula.

Kapo was sister of Pele and the daughter of Haumea.<» Among
other roles played by her, like Laka she was at times a sylvan deity,
and it was in the garb of woodland representations that she was
worshiped by hula folk. Her forms of activity, corresponding to
her diflferent metamorphoses, were numerous, in one of which she was
at times " employed by the kahuna ^ as a messenger in their black
arts, and she is claimed by many as an aumakua^^'' ^ said to be the
sister of Kalai-pahoa, the poison god.

Unfortunately Kapo had an evil name on account of a propensity
which led her at times to commit actions that seem worthy only of a
demon of lewdness. This was, however, only the hysteria of a
moment, not the settled habit of her life. On one notable occasion,
by diverting the attention of the bestial pig-god Kama-pua'a, and by
vividly presenting to him a temptation well adapted to his gross
nature, she succeeded in enticing him away at a critical moment, and
thus rescued her sister Pele at a time when the latter's life was
imperiled by an unclean and violent assault from the swine-god.

Like Catherine of Russia, who in one mood was the patron of liter-
ature and of the arts and sciences and in another mood a very satyr,
so the Hawaiian goddess Kapo seems to have lived a double life
whose aims were at cross purposes with one another — now an angel
of grace and beauty, now a demon of darkness and lust.

Do we not find in this the counterpart of nature's twofold aspect,
who presents herself to dependent humanity at one time as an alma
mater, the food-giver, a divinity of joy and comfort, at another time
as the demon of the storm and earthauake, a plowshare of fiery
destruction ?

The name of Hiiaka, the sister of Pele, is one often mentioned in
the prayers of the hula.

• Haumea. The ancient goddess, or ancestor, the sixth in line of descent from Wakea.

^ Kahuna. A sorcerer ; with a qualifying adjective It meant a skilled craftsman ; Kahuna-
kalai-ica'a was a canoe-builder ; kahuna lapaau was a medicine-man, a doctor, etc.

" The Lesser Gods of Hawaii, a paper by Joseph S. Emerson, read before the Hawaiian
Historical Society, April 7, 1892.

IV.— SUPPORT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE

In ancient times the hula to a large extent was a creatur
support, and for good reason. The actors in this institutioi
producers of life's necessaries. To the alii belonged the Ian
sea and all the useful products thereof. Even the jetsam wl
and wreckage scraps of iron that ocean cast up on the si
claimed by the lord of the land. Everything was the kinj
it followed of necessity that the support of the hula must i
rest upon the alii. As in ancient Rome it was a senator o]
enriched by the spoil of a province, who promoted the spoi
arena, so in ancient Hawaii it was the chief or headman of tl
who took the initiative in the promotion of the people's con
sports and of the hula.

We must not imagine that the hula was a thing only
courts and chiefish residences. It had another and democr
The passion for the hula was broadspread. If other agenc;
to meet the demand, there was nothing to prevent a con
enthusiasts from joining themselves together in the pleasi
it might be, the profits of the hula. Their spokesman — desi|
the po^o-puaa^ from the fact that a pig, or a boar's head, was
of him as an offering at the kuahu — was authorized to se
services of some expert to be their kumu. But with the hula
lead to the king's court.

Let us imagine a scone at the king's residence. The alii,
from his sloth and rubbing his eyes, rheumy with debauch i
overhears remark on the doings of a new company of hula
who have come into the neighborhood. He summons h
steward.

" What is this new thing of which they babble?" he dema

" It is nothing, son of heaven," answers the kneeling stewa;

" They spoke of a hula. Tell me, what is it?''

"Ah, thou heaven-born (lani), it was but a trifle — a new c(
young graduates of the halau, have set themselves up as gre
mere rustics; they have no proper acquaintance with the tr
of the art as taught by the bards of * * * your majesty's
They mouth and twist the old songs all awry, thou son of 1:

" Enough. I will hear them to-morrow. Send a messen
this new kumu. Fill again my bowl with awa."
26

»MKRSONl XJNWEITTEN LITERATUBE OP HAWAII 27

Thus it comes about that the new hula company gains audience at
<»urt and walks the road that, perchance, leads to fortune. Success
to the men and women of the tula means not merely applause, in
Tetum for the incense of flattery ; it means also a shower of substantial
favors — food, garments, the smile of royalty, perhaps land — ^things
that make life a festival. If welcome grows cold and it becomes evi-
dent that the harvest has been reaped, they move on to fresh woods
and pastures new.

To return from this apparent digression, it was at the king's court —
if we may extend the courtesy of this phrase to a group of thatched
houses — that were gathered the bards and those skilled in song, those
in whose memories were stored the mythologies, traditions, geneal-
ogies, proverbial wisdom, and poetry that, warmed by emotion, was
the stuff from which was spun the songs of the hula. As fire is pro-
duced by friction, so it was often by the congress of wits rather than
by the flashing of genius that the songs of the hula were evolved.

The composition and criticism of a poetical passage were a matter
of high importance, often requiring many suggestions and much
consultation. If the poem was to be a mele-inoa^ a name-song to
eulogize some royal or princely scion, it must contain no word of
ill-omen. The fate-compelling power of such a word, once shot from
the mouth, was beyond recall. Like the incantation of the sorcerer,
the kahuna dnaand^ it meant death to the eulogized one. If not. it
rea)iled on the life of the singer.

The verbal form once settled, it remained only to stereotype it on
the memories of the men and women who constituted the literary

«

court or conclave. Think not that only thus were poems produced
in ancient Hawaii. The great majority of songs were probably the
fniit of solitary inspiration, in which the bard poured out his- heart
like a song-bird, or uttered his lone vision as a seer. The method of
poem production in conclave may be termed the official method. It
i;ras often done at the command of an alii. So much for the fabri-
cation, the weaving, of a song.

If the composition was intended as a eulogy, it was cantillated cere-
immiously before the one it honored; if in anticipation of a prince
yet unborn, it was daily recited before the mother until the hour of her
»lelivery: and this cantillation published it abroad. If the song Avas
for production in the hula, it lay warm in the mind of the kunni,
the master and teacher of the hula, until such time as he had organ-
ized his company.

The court of the alii was a vortex that drew in not only the bards
and men of lore, but the gay and fashionable rout of pleasure-seekers,
the young men and women of shapely form and gracious presence,
the sons and daughters of the king's henchmen and favorites ; among

28 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

them, perhaps, the offspring of the king's morganatic all
amours — the flower and pick of Hawaii's youth. From
kumu selected those most fitted by beauty and grace of foi
as quickness of wit and liveliness of imagination, to tal
the hula.

The performers in the hula were divided into two c
olaya — agile ones — and the ho^o-paa — steadfast ones. Tl
olapa, as was fitting, was assigned to the young men a
women who could best illustrate in their persons the grace a
of the human form. It was theirs, sometimes while singinj
and pose and gesture in the dance; sometimes also to punct
song and action with the lighter instruments of music. T
ho'o-paa, on the other hand, was given to men and women i
experience and of more maturity. They handled the heavi
ments and played their parts mostly while sitting or kneelii
ing the time with their instrumentation. They also lent th
to swell the chorus or utter the refrain of certain songs, s
taking the lead in the song or bearing its whole burden,
light-footed olapa gave themselves entirely to the dance,
of the ho'o-paa was indeed the heavier, the more exacting du

Such was the personnel of a hula troupe when first gat
the hula-master for training and drill in the halau, now
school for the hula. Among the pupils the kumu was sur
some old hands at the business, whose presence, like that of
in a squad of recruits, was a leaven to inspire the whole
with due respect for the spirit and traditions of the historii
tion and to breed in the members the patience necessary to br
to the highest proficiency.

The instruction of the kumu, as we are informed, took
range. It dealt in elaborate detail on such matters as ac
flection, and all that concerns utterance and vocalization,
rally paid great attention to gesture and pose, attitude an<
action. That it included comment on the meaning that lay
the words may be gravely doubted. The average hula dj
modern times shows great ignorance of the mele he recites,
is true even of the kumu-hula. His work too often is lar^
functory, a matter of sound and form, without appeal to t
lect.

It would not be legitimate, however, to conclude from 1
ignorance of the meaning was the rule in old times; those
days when the nation's traditional songs, myths, and lore foi
equipment of every alert and receptive mind, chief or co
There was no printed page to while away the hours of
The library was stored in one's memory. The language of t
which now has become a was familiar speech

amsoN] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 29

mnu-hula to have given instruction in the meaning of a song would
ftve been a superfluity, as if one at the present day were to inform

group of well-educated actors and actresses who was Pompey or
ulius Csesar.

"Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trip-
pingly on the tongue." Hamlet's words to the players were, it may
6e supposed, the substance of the kumu's instructions to the pupils
in his halau.

The organization of a hula company was largely democratic. The
kumu — in modern sense, the teacher — was the leader and conductor,
responsible for the training and discipline of the company. He was
the business manager of the enterprise ; the priest, kahuna^ the leader
in the religious exercises, the one who interpreted the will of heaven,
especially of the gods whose favor determined success. He might
be called to his position by the choice of the company, appointed by
the command of the alii who promoted the enterprise, or self-elected
in case the enterprise was his own. He had under him a hokua kumu^
a deputy, who took charge during his absence.

The porO'pxiaa was an officer chosen by the pupils to be their spe-
cial agent and mouthpiece. He saw to the execution of the kumu's
judgments and commands, collected the fines, and exacted the penal-
ties imposed by the kumu. It fell to him to convey to the altar the
presents of garlands, awa, and the like that were contributed to the
lalau.

The paepae^ also chosen by the pupils, subject to confirmation by
he kumu, acted as an assistant of the po'o-puaa. During the con-
truction of the kuahu the po'o-puaa stood to the right, the paepae
t his left. They were in a general sense guardians of the kuahu.

The ho^o-ulu was the guard stationed at the door. He sprinkled
rith .sea-water mixed with turmeric everyone who entered the halau.
le also acted as sergeant-at-arms to keep order and remove anyone
rho made a disturbance. It was his duty each day to place a fresh
x)wl of awa on the altar of the goddess {hanai kuahu) ^ literally to
feed the altar.

In addition to these officials, a hula company naturally required
the services of a miscellaneous retinue of stewards, cooks, fishermen,
hewers of wood, and drawers of water.

Rules of Conduct and Tabus

Without a body of rules, a strict penal code, and a firm hand to
hold in check the hot bloods of both sexes, it would have been iin})os-
>ible to keep order and to accomplish the business purpose of the or-
ginization. The explosive force of passion would have made the
githering a signal for the breaking loose of pandemonium. That it
did not always so result is a compliment alike to the self-restraint of

80 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

the people and to the sway that artistic ideals held over t]
but, above -all, to a peculiar system of discipline wisely ada
necessities of human nature. It does not seem likely that !
band of our own race would have held their passions u
check if surrounded by the same temptations and given th
portunities as these Polynesians. It may well be doubted
authority of the kumu would have sufficed to maintain dis<
to keep order, had it not been reenforced by the dread po^
spirit world in the shape of the tab^i.

The awful grasp of this law, this repressive force, the
fast the student from the moment of his entrance into the
denied this pleasure, shut off* that innocent indulgence
liberty in this direction and in that. The tabu waved
imagination like a flaming sword, barring approach to th
his strongest propensity.

The rules and discipline of the halau, the school for the 1
our point of view, were a mixture of shrewd common sense j
sical superstition. Under the head of tabus certain articl
were denied; for instance, the sugar-cane — ko — was forbid
reason assigned was that if one indulged in it his work aj
tioner would amount to nothing; in the language of the k
e ko ana kana man hana^ his work will be a failure. The
turned on the double meaning of the word ko^ the first meai
sugar cane, the second, accomplishment. The Hawaiians i?
impressed by such whimsical nominalisms. Yet there is a I
good sense to the rule. Anyone who has chewed the sweet
testify that for some time thereafter his voice is rough, ill
singing or elocution.

The strictest propriety and decorum were exacted of th
there must be no license whatever. Even married people d
weeks preceding graduation must observe abstinence tow
partners. The whole power of one's being must be devot
pursuit of art.

The rules demanded also the most punctilious personal cl
Above all things, one must avoid contact with a corpse. Su
ment barred one from entrance to the halau until ceremonial
had been performed. The offender must bathe in the o(
kumu then aspersed him with holy water, uttered a prayer, <
penalty, an offering to the kuahu, and declared the offenc
This done, he was again received into fellowship at the halai

The ordinary penalty for a breach of ceremony or a:
against sexual morality was the offering of a baked pork!
awa. Since the introduction of money the penalty has ,
been reckoned on a commercial basis; a money fine is impos
offering of pork and awa is retained as a concession to tradi

v.— CEKEMONIES OF GRADUATION ; DfiBUT O*^ A HULA

DANCER

Ceremonies of Graduation

The ai-lolo rite and ceremony marked the consummation of a
pupil's readiness for graduation from the school of the halau and his
formal entrance into the guild of hula dancers. As the time drew
near, the kumu tightened the reins of discipline, and for a few days
before that event no pupil might leave the halau save for the most
stringent necessity, and then only with the head muffled (pulohi) to
avoid recognition, and he njight engage in no conversation whatever
outside the halau.

The night preceding the day of ai-lolo was devoted to special serv-
ices of dance and song. Some time after midnight the whole company
went forth to plunge into the ocean, thus to purge themselves of any
lurking ceremonial impurity. The progress to the ocean and the
return they made in complete nudity. " Nakedness is the garb of the
gods.'' On their way to and from the bath they must not look back,
they must not turn to the right hand or to the left.

The kumu, as the priest, remained at the halau, and as the proces-
sion returned from the ocean he met it at the door and sprinkled each
one (pikai) with holy water. Then came another period of dance
and scmg; and then, having cantillated a pvle hoonoa^ to lift the
tabu, the kumu went forth to his own ceremonial cleansing bath in the
sea. During his absence his deputy, the kokiia kumu^ took charge of
the halau. AATien the kumu reached the door on his return, he made
himself known by reciting a mele wehe pitka^ the conventional pass-
word.

Still another exercise of song and dance, and the wearied pupils
are glad to seek repose. Some will not even remove the short dancing
skirts that are girded about them, so eager are they to snatch an hour
of rest ; and some lie down with bracelets and anklets yet unclasped.

At daybreak the kumu rouses the company with the tap of the
<lnun. After ablutions, before partaking of their simple breakfast,
ll»e company stand before the altar and recite a tabu-removing prayer,
»<foinpanying the cantillation with a- rhythmic tapping of feet and
clapping of hands:

Pule Iloonoa

Pupu wc'uwo'ii 0, Lakii e !
O kona wo'uwe'u ko ku noi.

31

32 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

Kaumaha a'e la la Laka.
O Laka ke akua pule Ikaika.
5 Ua ku ka maile a Laka a Imua ;
Ua lu ka hua ^ o ka maile.
Noa, noa ia'u, la Kahaula —
Papalua noa.
Noa, a ua noa.
10 Eli-eli kapu ! eli-eli noa !
Kapu oukou, ke akua !
Noa makou, ke kanaka'.

[Translation]
Tahu-lifting Prayer

Oh wlldwood bouquet, oh Laka !
Hers are the growths that stand here.
Suppliants we to Laka.
The prayer to Laka has power;
5 The maile of Laka stands to the fore.
The maile vine casts now its seeds.
Freedom, there's freedom to me, Kahaula—
A freedom twofold.
10 Freedom, aye freedom !

A tabu profound, a freedom complete.
Ye gods are still tabu ;
We mortals are free.

At the much-needed repast to which the company new
there may be present a gathering of friends and relath
hula experts, called olohe. Soon the porkling chosen
ai-16lo offering is brought in — a black suckling withoi]
blemish. The kumu holds it down while all the pupils gath
their hands upon his hands; and he expounds to them t
cance of the ceremony. If they consecrate themselves to
in hand in sincerity and with true hearts, memory will
and the training, the knowledge, and the songs that hav<
trusted to the memory will stay. If they are heedless, reg
their vows, the songs they have learned will fly away.

The ceremony is long and impressive; many songs are use
times, it was claimed, the prayers of the kumu at this lay
hands availed to cause the death of the little animal. On
pletion of the ceremony the offering is taken out and mj
for the oven.

One of the first duties of i\\Q day is the dismantling o
kuahu, the shrine, and the construction of another from r
rials as a residence for the goddess. AVhile night yet she
earth the attendants and friends of the pupils have gone u]

" Lu ka hua. Casts now Its seeds The maile vine (pi. iv). one of the goddef
casts its seeds, meaning that the goddess gives the pupils skill and inspires the

h

■ i

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 33

ins to collect the material for the new shrine. The rustic
while engaged in this loving work of building and weaving
7 kuahu, cheer and inspire one another with joyful songs
)us with the praise of Laka. The halau also they decorate
strewing the floor with clean rushes, until the whole place
s the senses like a bright and fragrant temple,
kumu now grants special dispensation to the pupils to go
liat they may make good the results of the neglect of the
incident to long confinement in the halau. For days, for
perhaps for months, they have not had full opportunity to
ir, nails, or beard, to anoint and groom themselves. They use
3rt absence from the hall also to supply themselves with

of fragrant maile, orocus-yellow ilima, scarlet-flaming lehua,
id what not.

he appointed hour the pupils, wreathed and attired like
; and dryads, assemble in the halau, sweet with woodsy per-

At the door they receive aspersion with consecrated water,
ai-lolo oflfering, cooked to a turn — ^no part raw, no part

or scorched — ^is brought in from the imuj its bearer sprinkled
^uard at the entrance. The kumu, having inspected the roast
• and having declared it ceremonially perfect, gives the sig-
1 the company break forth in songs of joy and of adulation
ess Laka :

Mele Kuahu

Noho ana Laka 1 ka ulu wehl-wehi,
Ku ana iluna i Mo'o-helaia,<*
Ohia-Ku * iluna o Mauna-loa.*'
Aloha mai Kaulana-ula ^ la'u.
5 Eia ka ula la, he ula leo,^

He uku, he modal, he kanaenae,
He alana na'u la oe.
E Laka e, e maliu mai;
E maliu mai oe, i pono au,
10 A pono au, a pono kaua.

elaia. A female deity, a kupua, who at death became one of the divinities,
of the hula. Her name was conferred on the place claimed as her residence,

-loa, island of Molokai.

iu. Full name ohia-ku-makua ; a variety of the ohia, or lehua (pi. xiii), whose
used in making temple gods. A rough stem of this tree stood on each side

hala-pepe. (See pi. iii, also pp. 19-20.)

i-loa. Said to be the mountain of that name on Molokai, not that on Hawaii.

«a-ii/a. Full form Kaulana-a-ula ; the name of a deity belonging to the order,

he hula. Its meaning is explained in the expression ula Ico, in the next line.

0. A Ringing or trilling sound, a tinnitus aurium, a sign that the deity Kaulana-

lakiDg some communication to the'one who heard It.

»

" By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes."

352— Bull. 38—09 3

1i

34 BUREAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY }

[Translation]

Altar-Prayer

I^aka sits In her shady grove,
Stands on her terrace, at Mo*o-helaia;
Like the tree of God Ku on Mauna-loa.
Kaulaua-ula trills in my ear;
5 A whisi)ered suggestion to me,
Jjo, an offering, a payment,
A eulogy give I to thee.
O Laka, incline to me!
Have compassion, let it be well —
10 Well with me, well with us both.

There is no stint of prayer-song. While the offering
kualiu, the joyful service continues:

Mcle Kuahu

•

K Laka, o!

Pupu we'uwo'u e, Laka e!
E Laka i ka leo;
E laka i ka loaa ;
5 K Laka i ka waiwai;

E Laka i na mea a pan!

[Translation]

Altar- Prayer

< ) goddess Laka !
() wildwood bouquet, O Laka!
() Laka, quoon of the voice!
() Laka, giver of gifts!
5 (> liaka, givor of bounty!

() Laka, givor of all things!

At (he condusion of this loving service of worship a
iiieniber of the troupe removes from his head and necl
that had bedecked him, and with them crowns the imag
(less until her altar is heaped with the offerings.

Now comes the pith of the ceremony: the novitiates
the feast of aidoU), theirs the place of honor, at the heac
next the kuahu. The /i()\)-pa\u acting as carver, selec
|>arts — snout, ear-tips, tail, feet, portions of the vital
cially the brain (lo/o). This last it is which gives nana
inony. lie sets an equal portion before each novitiat
must eat all that is set In^fore him. It is a mystical rite,
jis he eats he consciously partakes of the virtue of the g
transmitted to himself.

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 35

time the olohe and friends of the novitiates, inspired with the
enthusiasm of the occasion, lift their voices in joyful cantilla-
L honor of the goddess, accompanied with the clapping of

eremony now reaches a new stage. The kumu lifts the tabu
•ing a prayer — always a song — and declares the place and the
ee, and the whole assembly sit down to enjoy the bounty that
d up and down the halau. On this occasion men and women
; in common. The only articles excluded from this feast are

food much like spinach, made by cooking the young and deli-
o leaf — and the drupe of the hala^ the pandanus (pi. xviii).
ompany sit down to eat and to drink; presently they rise to
nd sing. The kumu leads in a tabu-lifting, freedom-giving
d the ceremony of ai-lolo is over. The pupils have been grad-
rom the school of the halau; they are now members of the
iild of hula dancers. The time has come for them to make
•w to the waiting public outside, to bid for the favor of the

This is to be their " little go ;" they will spread their wings
eater flight on the morrow.

tumu with his big drum, and the musicians, the ho'o-pa'a,
rough the door and take their places outside in the lanai,
it the waiting multitude. At the tap of the drum the group
ng olapa plume themselves like fine birds eager to show their

; and, as they pass out the halau door and present themselves
reathless audience, into every pose and motion of their glid-
lying figures they pour, a full tide of emotion in studied and
»d eflFort to captivate the public.

Debut of a Hula Dancer

)ccasion is that of a lifetime; it is their uniki, their debut,
ig chosen must rise to the dignity of the occasion. Let us
> the song that enthralls the audience seated in the rush-
ianai, that we may judge of its worthiness.

He Mele-Inoa (no Naihe)<*

Ka nalu nui, a ku ka nalu mal Kona,

Ka malo a ka mahiehie,*

Ka onaulu-loa,^ a lele ka'u malo.

A man of strong character, but not a high chief. lie was born in Kona and
Napoopoo. His mother was Uiulani, liis father Ketiwe-a-heulii, who was a
general and strategist under Kamehameha I.

Ue. A term conferring dignity and distinction.

I'toa. A roller of great length and endurance, one that reaches the shore, in

o a kakala.

86 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

O kakal ' malo boaka,*
5 O ka malo kal,^ malo o ke alii.
E ka, e home a paa I ka malo.

E kaMka'l' ka la i ka papa o Ha]ep6;^
A pae o Ualep6 i ka nalu.
Ho-e*e 1 ka nalu mal Kalilkl ;f
10 He nala Wakea,^ nalu ho*ohua>

Haki opa*a < ka nalu, liakl kua-pft.^

Ea mai ka makakai'^ he*e-nalu,
Kai he*e kakala ' o ka moku,

*

Kai-k& o ka nala nai,
15 Ka hu*a o ka nala o Uiki-au.*"
Kal heVnalu i ke awakea.

Ka ka pnna, ke ko*a i-aka.
Ka makaM o ka nalu o Kuhihewa.*
Ua o ia,^ noM ka papa !
20 NohA Maui, nauweuwe,
Nauweuwe, nakelekele.

Nakele ka ill o ka i he*e-kai.
Lalilali ole ka Hi o ke akamai ;
Kahillhili ke kai a ka be*e-nalu.
25 Ike*a ka nalu nui o Puna, o Hilo.

[Translation]

A Name-Song, a Eulogy (for Naihe)

The huge roller, roller that surges from Kona,

Makes loin-cloth fit for a lord;

Far-reaching swell, my malo streams in the wind ;

Shape the crescent malo to the loins —

The loin-cloth the sea, cloth for king's girding.

Stand, gird fast the loin-cloth!

° Kakai. An archaic word meaning forty.

^ Hoaka. A crescent; the name of the second day of the month. The allusion is to
the curve (downward) of a large number (kakai) of malo when hung on a line, the
usual way of keeping such articles.

" Malo kai. The ocean is sometimes poetically termed the malo or pa-u of the naked
swimmer, or bather. It covers his nakedness.

^ Ka'ika'i. To lead or to carry ; a tropical use of the word. The sun is described as
leading the board.

" Hale-p6. In the opinion of the author it is the name of the board. A skilled Ha-
waiian says it is the name given the surf of a place at Napoopoo, in Kona, Hawaii. The
action is not located there, but in Puna, it seems to the author.

t Kahiki. Tahiti, or any foreign country ; a term of grandiloquence.

9 Wakea. A mythical name, coming early in Hawaiian genealogies ; here used in ex-
aggeration to show the age of the roller.

^ Ho'ohua. Applied to a roller, one that rolls on and swells higher.

* Opu'u. Said of a roller that completes its run to shore.

i Kua-pd. Said of a roller as above that dies at the shore.

^ Maka-kai. The springing-up of the surf after an interval of quiet.

» Kakdla. Rough, heaped up, one wave overriding another, a chop sea.

"» Hiki-au. Said to be the name of a temple.

» Kuhiheica. Full name Ka-kuhi-hewa, a distinguished king of Oahu.

" iOr. Meaning that the lK)ard dug its nose into the reef or sand.

] UNWBITTEN LITEBATTTRE OF HAWAII 87

Let the sun guide the board Halep6,
Till Halep6 lifts on the swell.
It mounts the swell that rolls from Kahiki,
> From Wakea's age onrolling.

The roller plumes and ruffles its crest.

Here comes the champion surf-man,
While wave-ridden wave beats the island,
A fringe of mountain-high waves.
5 Spume lashes the Hiki-au altar —
A surf this to ride at noontide.

The coral, homed coral, it sweeps far ashore.
We gaze at the surf of Ka-kuhi-hewa.
The surf -board snags, is shivered;
Maui splits with a crash,

Trembles, dissolves into slime.

Glossy the skin of the surf -man;
Undrenched the skin of the expert;
Wave-feathers fan the wave-rider.
5 You've seen the grand surf of Puna, of Hilo.

spirited song, while not a full description of a surf-riding
^ives a vivid picture of that noble *sport. The last nine verses
een omitted, as they add neither to the action nor to the in-

iems surprising that the accident spoken of in line 19 should
itioned ; for it is in glaring opposition to the canons that were
J observed in the composition of a mele-inoa. In the construc-
: a eulogy the Hawaiians were not only punctiliously careful
id mention of anything susceptible of sinister interpretation,
jy were superstitiously sensitive to any such unintentional hap-
;. As already mentioned (p. 27), they believed that the fa te-
lling power of a word of ill-omen was inevitable. If it did
mlt in the death of the one eulogized, retributive justice turned
il influence back on him who uttered it.

VI.— THE PASSWORD— THE SONG OF ADMIi

There prevailed among the practitioners of the hula tn
of the group to the other a mutual understanding, amouni
to a sort of freemasonry, which gave to any member oJ
the right of free entrance at all times to the hall, or hala
performance was under way. Admission was conditionec
on the utterance of a password at the door. A snatch of si
denominated mele hahea^ or mele wehe puka^ was chanted,
being recognized by those within, was answered in the sam
of hyperbole, and the door was opened.

The verbal accuracy of any mele kahea that may be adc
the present day one of the vexed questions among hula a
each hula-master being inclined to maintain that the ver
by another is incorrect. This remark applies, though i
measure, to the whole body of mele, pule, and oli that mal
songs and liturgy of the hula as well as to the traditions tl
the maestro, or kumu-hula, in the training of his compi
reasons for these differences of opinion and of text, now thi
to be a written text, are explained by the following facts:
otees and practitioners of the hula were divided into gr
were separated from one another by wide intervals of sea
They belonged quite likely to more than one cult, for ind
were many gods and av-makua to whom they sacrificed an
l)rayers. The passwords ado^^ted by one generation or by i
of practitioners on one island might suffer verbal changes
mission to a later generation or to a remote island.

Again, it should be remembered that the entire body of
forming the repertory of the hula — pule, mele, and oli-
trusted to the keeping of the memory, without the aid <
or, so far as known, of any mnemonic device ; and the hum
even under the most athletic discipline, is at best an imper
servator of literary form. The result was what might be i
as the imagination and emotions of the minstrel warmed v
inspiration of his trust, glosses and amendments crept in
however, caused but slight variations in the text. The s
remains substantiallv the same.

After carefully weighing the matter, the author can not i
conclusion that jealousy had much to do with the slight d:
now manifest, that one version is as authoritative as anol

38

rj TTKWBITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAH 89

. would be well for each kumu-hula to have kept in mind the
dage that shines among the sayings of his nation : Aohe pau
i kau halau ^ — " Think not that all of wisdom resides in your

•5 6

Mele Kahea

Li'u-li'u aloha ia*u,
Ka uka o Kohol^-lele,
Ka nahele mauka o Ka-papala ^ la.
Komo, e komo aku hoi au maloko.
5 Mai ho*ohewahewa mai oe ia'u; oau no ia,
Ke ka-nae-nae a ka mea hele,

He leo, e-e,
A he leo wale no, e-e !
Eia ka pu'u nui owaho nei la,
10 He ua, he ino, he anu, he ko'e-ko'e.
E ku'u aloha, e,
Maloko aku au.

[Translation]

Password

Long, long have I tarried with love
In the uplands of Kohol^-lele,
The wild wood above Ka-papala.
To enter, permit me to enter, I pray;
5 Refuse me not recognition ; I am he,
A traveler offering mead of praise.

Just a voice.
Only a human voice.
Oh, what I suffer out here,
10 Rain, storm, cold, and wet.
O sweetheart of mine.
Let me come in to you.

r now the ansiyer chanted by voices from within :

Mele Komo

Aloha na hale o makou i maka-maka ole,
Ke alanui hele mauka o Pu'u-kahea la, e-e!

Ka-he-a !
E Kahea aku ka pono e komo mai oe iloko nei.
Eia ka pu*u nui o waho nei, he anu.

Ues {Antigone^ 705) had said the same thing: iiij vw iv ^do? ixowov tv aavrtf <p6pti, wo* ^jj^

iXXo, TOUT* &ptfMf cxciv— "Don't get this idea fixed in your head, that what you say, and

Ifle, 18 right."

If. As previously explained, in this connection halau has a meaning similar to

I *• school/* or " academy," a place where some art was taught, as wrestling, box-

:he hula.

apakr. A verdant region on the southeastern flank of Mauna-Loa.

40 BTTEEAtT OF AMEEtCAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

[Translation]

Song of Welcome

What love to our cottage-homes, now vacant,
As one climbs the mount of Entreaty !

We call,
We voice the welcome, invite you to enter.
The hill of Affliction out there is the cold.

Another fragment that was sometimes used as a password is the fol-
lowing bit of song taken from the story of Hiiaka, sister of Pele.
She is journeying with the beautiful Hopoe to fetch prince Lohiau
to the court of Pele. They have come by a steep and narrow path to
the brink of the Wai-lua river, Kauai, at this point spanned by a
single plank. But the bridge is gone, removed by an ill-tempered
naiad (witch) said to have come from Kahiki, whose name, Wai-lua,
]s the same as that of the stream. Hiiaka calls out, demanding that
the plank be restored to its place. Wai-lua does not recognize the
deity in Hiiaka and, sullen, makes no response. At this the goddess
puts forth her strength, and Wai-lua, stripped of her power and re-
duced to h«r true station, that of a mo'o, a reptile, seeks refuge in the
caverns beneath the river. Hiiaka betters the condition of the cross-
ing by sowing it with stepping stones. The stones remain in evidence
to this day.

Mele Kahea

Kunihi ka mauna i ka la'i e,
O Wai-ale-ale « la 1 Wai-lua,
Huki a'e la i ka lani
Ka papa au-wai o ka Wai-kini;
5 Alai ia a*e la e Nou-nou,
Nalo ka Ipu-ha'a,
Ka laula mauka o Kapa'a, e !
Mai pa'a i ka leo !
He ole ka hea mai, e !

[Translation]

Password — Song

Steep stands the mountain in calm.
Profile of Wai-ale-ale at Wai-lua.
Gone the stream-spanning plank of Wai-kini,
Filched away by Nou-nou;
5 Shut off the view of the hill Ipu-ha'a,
And the upland expanse of Ka-pa'a.
Give voice and make answer.
Dead silence — no voice in reply.

In later, in historic times, this visitor, whom we have kept long
waiting at the door, might have voiced his appeal in the passionate
words of this comparatively modern song:

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ — ' — - - ■■ I ■ — ■ ■ . — — - _ ■ ^

<* Wai-ale-ale (Leaping- water). The central mountain-mass of Kauai.

] UNWBITTEN LITEBATUEE OF HAWAII 41

Mele Kahea^

■

Ka uka holo-kia ahi-manu o La'a,^
I po-ele i ka uahi, noe ka nahele,
Nohe-noheia i ka makanl lubau-pua.
He pua oni ke kanaka —
5 He mea laha ole ia oe.
Mai kaua e bea nei ;
E hea i ke kanaka e komo maloko,
E hanai ai a hewa ^ ka wa'ha.
Eia no ka uku la, o ka wa'a.<^

[Translation]

Password — Song

In the uplands, the darting flame-bird of La'a,
While smoke and mist blur the woodland,
Is keen for the breath of frost-bitten flowers.

A fickle flower is man —
5 A trick this not native to you.

Ck)me thou with her who is calling to thee;
A call to the man to come in
And eat till the mouth is awry.

Lo, this the reward — ^the canoe.

answer to this appeal for admission was in these words:

Mele Komo

E hea 1 ke kanaka e komo maloko,
E hanai ai a hewa waha ;
Eia no ka uku la, o ka leo,
A he leo wale no, e !

[Translation]

Welcoming- Song

Call to the man to come in,
And eat till the mouth is estopt ;
And this the reward, the voice,
Simply the voice.

cantillation of the mele komo^ in answer to the visitor's peti-
eant not only the opening to him of the halaii door, but also
come to the life of the halau as a heart-guest of honor, trebly
le as the bringer of fresh tidings from the outside world.

utterance of passion is said to have been the composition of the Princess Ka-
as an address to Prince William Lunalilo, to whom she was at one time, aflli-
d would have married, but that King Lihohho (Kamehameha IV) would not
• marriage. Thereby hangs a tragedy.

The region In Hawaii now known as 01a*a was originally called La'a. The
> has become fused with the word.

\ ka toaha. This expression, here tortured into "(till) the mouth awry,*' Is
}t translation. A skilled Hawaiian scholar suggests it may mean to change one
enemy to a friend by stopping his mouth with food.

Literally a canoe. This is a euphemism for the human body, a gift often too
anted. It will be noted that in the answering mele komo, the song of admis-
reward promised is more modestly measured — " Simply the voice.*'

VII.— WORSHIP AT THE ALTAR OF THE H

The first duty of a visitor on being admitted to the 1
the tabu was on — that is, during the conduct of a regular
to do reverence at the kuahu. The obligations of rel
precedence of all social etiquette. He reverently approache
to which all eyes are turned, and with outstretched hands
a supplication that breathes the aroma of ancient prayer:

Pule Kuahu (no Laka)

O I>aka oe,

O ke akua i ke jra-lU <» uui.

K Laka mai iika !

E I^aka mai kai!
5 O hoo-ulu ^ o Lono,

O ka ilio nana e haeliae ke aha,

O ka ie-ie ku i ka wao,

O ka maile bihi i ka nahele,

O ka lau ki-ele<^ ula o ke akua,
10 O na ku'i<^ o Ilauoli,

O Ha'i-ka-malama,^

Wahine o Kina'u.^

Kapo ula ^ o Kina'u.

O Laka oe,
15 O ke akua i ke kuahu nei la, e!

E ho'l, e ho'i a noho i kou kuahu.

IIoo-ulu ia !

I Translation]
Altar-Prayer (to Laka)

Thou art Laka,
(lOd of the deep-rooted a'a-lii.
() Laka from the mountains,
C) I^aka from the ocean !

'^ A'a-lil. A deop-rootod tree, sacred to Laka or to Kapo.

''//«o-m/m. Literally to make grow; Recondarily, to inspire, to prosper, to
luck. TliiH Ih the meaning most in mind in modern times, since the hula
a coitinierclal venture.

'■ Ki-ih\ A liowering plant native to the Hawaiian woods, also cultivated
Laka, and perhaps to Kapo. The leaves are said to be pointed and curv
beak of the bird l-lirl, and the flower has the gorgeous yellow-red color of tl

«* It has been proposed to amend this verse by substituting akua for ku% t
the idea the gods of the hula.

«• ll<i'i-ka-)n<il(im<i. An epithet ai)plied to Laka.

r Kina'u. Said to mean Illlaka, the sister of Tele.

^ A'rtpo ula. Red, ula. was the favorite color of Kapo. The kahuna at
priests of sorcery, of the black art, and of murder, to whom Kapo was at
curess, made themselves known as such by the display of a red flag and the
a red malo.

42

I UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 43

5 Let Lono bless the service,

Shutting the mouth of the dog,

That breaks the charm with his barking.

Bring the i-e that grows in the wilds,

The maile that twines in the thicket,
10 Red-beaked kiele, leaf of the goddess,

The joyous pulse of the dance

In honor of Ha'i-ka-nialama,

Friend of Kina'u,

Red-robed friend of Kina'u.
15 Thou art Laka,

God of this altar here.

Return, return and reside at your altar !

Bring it good luck!

ngle prayer may not suffice as the offering at Laka's altar.
Dertory is full; the visitor begins anew, this time on a different

Pule Kuahu (no Laka)

Eia ke kuko, ka li'a;

I ka manawa he hiamoe ko'u,

Hoala ana oe,

Ooe o Halau-lani,
5 O Hoa-lani,

O Puoho-lani,
Me he manu e hea ana i ka maha lehua
Ku moho kiekie la i-uka.
I-uka ho'i au me Laka
10 A Lea,<* a Wahie-loa,'' i ka nahelehele;
He hoa kaana ia no'u,
No kela kuahiwi, kualono hoi.

E Laka, e Laka, e!
E maliu mai !
15 A maliu mai oe pono au,
A a*e mai oe pono au !

[Translation]
Altar-Prayer (to Laka)

This my wish, my burning desire.
That in the season of slumber
Thy spirit my soul may inspire,

Altar-dweller,
5 Heaven-guest,

Soul-awakener,
Bird from covert calling.
Where forest champions stand.

There roamed I too with Laka,

The fiame as Lata, or probably Haumca.

if loa. This must be a mistake. Laka the son of Wahie-loa was a great voyager,
e ikau-m£H-^H) was built for him by the gods. In it he sailed to the South to
Is father's hones from the witch who had murdered him. This I^kn had his
Kli»aliulu» Maui, and is not to be confounded with Laka, goddess of the hulu.

44 BUREAU OP AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY

10 Of Lea and Loa a wildemess-cliild ;

On ridge, in forest boon companion she

To the heart that throbbed in me.
O Laka, O Lalsa,

Harlt to my call !
15 You approach, it is well;

You possess me, I am blest!

In the translation of this pule the author has found i1
depart from the verse arrangement that obtains in the H

The religious services of the halau, though inspired b;
were not tied to a single ritual or to one set of pra]
marked the beginning and the ending of every play-^thi
dance — and of every important event in the programme
but there were many prayers from which the priest
After the prayer specially addressed to Laka the visitoi
petition of more general scope. Such is the one now to

He Pule Kuahu (ia Kane ame Kapo) ; a he Pule H

Kane, hiki a'e, he maldma ^ ia luna ;
Ha'aha'a, he maldma ia lalo;
Oni-oni,^ he nidlama ia ka'u;
He wahiue ^ lei, md,lama ia Kapo ;
5 E Kapo nui, hala-hala ^ a i'a ;
E Kapo nui, hala-hala ^ a mea,
Ka alihi 1 luna, ka alihi lalo ;
E ka poha-kti.^

Noho ana Kapo i ka ulu wehi-wehi;
10 Ku ana i Moo-helaia,*

Ka ohl'a-Ku iluna o Mauna-loa.
Aloha niai Kaulana-a-ula * ia*u ;
Eia ka ula la, he ula leo,^
He uku, he mohai, he alana,

*» Maldma. Accented on the penult, as here, the word means to enllghtei
In second verse). In the third and fourth verses the accent is changec
lahle, and the word here means to preserve, to foster. These words fu:
of poetical word-repetition.

^ Onioni. To squirm, to dodge, to move. The meaning here seems to
delight.

« WalUnc lei. A reference to Laka, the child of Kapo, who was symb
of wood on the altar. (See p. 23.)

^ Ilala-haJa a i'a. Said to be a certain kind of fish that was ornament
end with a band of bright color ; therefore an object of admiration and d<

Hala-hala a mea. The ending mea is perhaps taken from the last h]
name Hau-mea who was Kapo's mother. It belongs to the land, in coi
and seems to be intended to intensify and extend the meaning of the tern:
The passage is difficult. Expert Ilawaiians profess their inability to fat

f Alihi luna. The line or *' stretching cord," that runs the length of a i
a. lalo being the corresponding line at the bottom of the net. The exa^
this language complimentary to Kapo can not be phrased compactly.

' Poha-kn. The line that runs up and down at the end of a long net,
be anrjhored.

* Moo-helaia. See note a, p. 33.

< Kaulana-a-ula. See note d, p. 33.

i Via leo. See note e, p. 33.

Tl lDRAC>€NA TERMINALIS)

-3

] UNWIUTTEN UTERATUBE OF HAWAn 45

15 He kanaeoae iia*n ia oe, e Kapo kn-ljuiL

E moe hauna-ike, e hea an, e o mai oe.

Aia la na lehoa o Kaana,*

Ke kni ia mai la e na waliine a lawa

I lei no Kapo —
20 O Kapo, alii nni no la mokn,

KiVkfe, ba'a-ba^a ;

Ka la o ka ike e ike akn a! :

He ike knmn, he ike lono.

He ike pn-awa ^ hiwa,
25 He ike a ke Akna, e!

E Kapo, ho'i !

E ho'i a noho i kou knaho*

Ho'uln ia !

Eia ka wai,<^ la,
30 He wai e ola.

E ola non, e !

es 9 to 15, inclusive, are almost identical in form with the first
erses in the Mele Kuahu addressed to Laka, given on page 33.

[Translation]

r-Prayer (to Kane and Kapo) ; also a Garland-Prayer, used tchile deco-
rating the altar

Now, Kane, approach, illumine the altar ;

Stoop, and enlighten mortals below ;

Rejoice in the gifts I have brought

Wreathed goddess fostered by Kapo —
5 Hail Kapo, of beauty resplendent !

Great Kapo, of sea and land.

The topmost stay of the net.

Its lower stay and anchoring line

Kapo sits in lier darksome covert ;
10 On the terrace, at Mo'o-he-laia,

Stands the god-tree of Ku, on Mauna-loa.

God Kaulana-ula twigs now mine ear.

His whispered suggestion to me is

This payment, sacrifice, offering,
15 Tribute of praise to thee, O KaiK> divine.

Inspiring spirit in sleep, answer my call.

Behold, of lehua bloom of Kaana

The women are stringing enough

To enwreath goddess Kapo;
20 Kapo, great queen of that island.

Of the high and the low.

The day of revealing shall see what it sees :

3. A place on Mauna-loa, Molokai, where the lebua greatly flourished. The liod.v

it is said, now lies there in appearance a rock. The same claim is made for a

^'ailua, Hana, Maui.

'a hitra {hitca, black). A kind of strong awa. The gentle exhilaration, as well as

sleep, of awa were benefits ascribed to the gods. Awa was an essential to most

saciiflces. •

Literally water, refers to the bowl of awa, replenished each day, which set on

of the goddeaa.

46 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

A seeinjc of factH, a sifting of rumors.

An insight won l>y the black sacred awa,
25 A vision lilce that of a god !

O Knpo, return I

Return and abide in your altar!

Malce it fruitful !

Lo, here is the water,
30 The water of life!

Hail, now, to thee!

The little god-folk, whom the ancients called Kini Akua — ^myriads
of gods — and who made the wildwoods and wilderness their play-
grolind, must also be placated. They were a lawless set of imps ; the
elfins, brownies, and kobolds of our fairy world were not " up to
them " in wanton deviltry. If there is to be any luck in the house,
it can only be when they are dissuaded from outbreaking mischief.

The pule next given is a polite invitation to these little brown
men of the woods to honor the occasion with their presence and to
bring good luck at their coming. It is such a prayer as the visitor
might choose to repeat at this time, or it might be used on other
occasions, as at the consecration of the kuahu :

He Pule Kuahu (no Klnl Akua)

E ulu, e ulu, Kini o ke Akua !
Ulu Kane me Kanaloa !
Ulu Ohra-lau-koa, me ka le-ie!
A'e mai a noho i kou kuahu !
5 Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola.
E ola no, e-e !

[Translation]

An Altar-Prayer (to the Kini Akua)

Gather, oh gather, ye hosts of godlings !
Come Kane with Kanaloa !
Come leafy Ohi'a and I-e !
Possess me and dwell in your altar !
5 Here's water, water of life I
Life, give us life !

The visitor, having satisfied his sense of what the occasion de-
mands, changes his tone from that of cantillation to ordinary speech,
and concludes his worship with a petition conceived in the spirit
of the following prayer :

E ola ia'u, i ka malihini ; a pela hoi na kamaaina, ke kumu, na haumana, ia
oe, e Laka. E Laka ia Pohaku 1 ka wawae. E Laka 1 ke kupe'e. E Laka la
Luukia 1 ka pa-u; e Laka i ke kuhi; e Laka i ka leo; e Laka i ka lei. E
Laka 1 ke ku ana imua o ke anaina.

»asoN] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 47

[Translation]

liy blessing, O Lal^a, on me the stranger, and on the residents, teacher and
>ils. O JjeLk&y give grace to the feet of Pohaku; and to her bracelets and
:lets; comeliness to the figure and skirt of Luukla. To (each one) give
ture and voice. O I^ka, make beautiful the lei; Inspire the dancers when
y stand before the assembly.

A.t the close of this service of song and prayer the visitor will
m from the kuahu and exchange salutations and greetings with
3 friends in the halau.

The song-prayer " Now, Kane, approach, illumine the altar "
>. 45) calls for remark. It brings up again the question, previously
iacussed, whether there were not two distinct cults of worshipers,
le one devoted to Laka, the other to Kapo. The following facts
rtU throw light on the question. On either side of the approach to
lie altar stood, sentinel-like, a tall stem of hala-pepe, a graceful,
lender column, its head of green sword-leaves and scarlet drupes
Daking a beautiful picture. (See p. 24.) These are said to have
leen the special emblems of the goddess Kapo.

Tlie following account of a conversation the author had with an
1(1 woman, whose youthful days were spent as a hula dancer, will
Iso help to disentangle the subject and explain the relation of Kapo
) the hula :

"Will you not recite again the prayer you just now uttered, and
owly, that it may be written down?" the author asked of her.
Many prayei-s for the kuahu have been collected, but this one differs
rtrni them all.''

*• Wo Hawaiians," she answered, " have been taught that these
latters are sacred (kapu) and must not be bandied about from mouth
) mouth.-'

"Aye. I)ut the time of the tabus has passed. Then, too, in a sense
aving l>een initiated into hula matters, there can be no impropriety
1 my dealing with them in a kindly spirit."

" Xc> harm, of course, will come to you, a haole (foreigner). The
iiestion is how it will affect us."

''Tell me, were there two different classes of worshipers, one
lass devoted to the worship of Laka and another class devoted to
he worship of Kapo? "

- Xo/' she answered, " Kapo and Laka were one in spirit, though
heir names were two."

" Ilaiiniea was the mother of Kapo. Who was her father? "

"Yes, Ilaumea was the mother, and Kua-ha-ilo" was the father."

-IIow aliout Laka?"

*Kunha-ilo. A god of the kahuna anaann : moaning; Utorally to breed mng^ots In the

48 BUBEAU OF AMEBICAK ETHKOLOGY

" Laka was the daughter of Kapo. Yet as a patron a
Laka stands first ; she was worshiped at an earlier date tl
but they are really one."

Further questioning brought out the explanation that
not begotten in ordinary generation; she was a sort of •
from Kapo. It was as if the goddess should sneeze ao
should issue with the breath from her nostrils; or should
thereby beget spiritual offspring from the eye, or as if a spi
issue forth at some movement of the ear or mouth.

When the old woman's scruples had been laid to rest, sb
slowly for the author's benefit the pule given on pages 4
" Now, Kane, approach," * * * of which the first eight
much of the last part, to him, were new.

VIIL— COSTUME OF THE HULA DANCER

costume of the hula dancer was much the same for both sexes,
ef article a sunple short skirt about the waist, the pa-u. (PL i.)
m the time has come for a dance, the halau becomes one com-
ressing room. At a signal from the kumu the work begins,
itting on of each article of costume is accompanied by a special

t come the ku-pe^e^ anklets of whale teeth, bone, shell-work,
5th, fiber-stuffs, and what not. While all stoop in unison they
the song of the anklet :

Mele Ku-pe^e
»

Aala kupukupu ^ ka uka o Kane-hoa.^
E ho-a ! «

Hoa na lima o ka makani, he Wai-kaloa.^'
He Wai-kaloa ka makani anu Lihue.
5 Alina ^ lehna 1 kau ka opua —
Ku'u pua,

Ku'u pua i'ini e ku-i a lei.
Ina ia oe ke lei 'a mai la.

«

[Translation]
Anklet-Song

Fragrant the grasses of high Kane-hoa.
Bind on the anklets, bind !
Bind with finger deft as the wind
That cools the air of this bower.
5 Lehua bloom pales at my flower,
O sweetheart of mine,
Bud that I'd pluck and wear in my wreath.
If thou wert but a flower !

short skirt, pa-u^ was the most important piece of attire worn

Hawaiian female. As an article of daily wear it represented

stages of evolution beyond the primitive fig-leaf, being fabri-

from a great variety of materials furnished by the garden of

ukupu. Said to be a fragrant grass.

t-hoa. Said to be a bill at Kaupo, Maui. Another person says it is a hill at

m Oabu. The same name is often repeated.

I. To bind. An instance of word-repetition, common in Hawaiian poetry.

'haloa, A cool wind that blows at Lihue, Kauai.

Ml. A scar, or other mark of disfigurement, a moral blemish. In ancient times

afllcted Injnrtes on themselves to prove devotion.

25352— BuU. 38—09 ^ 49

50 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

nature. In its simplest terms the pa-ti was a mere fringe of
fibers. AVhen placed as the shield of modesty about the 1
woman of rank, or when used as the full-dress costume of i
girl on a ceremonious occasion, it took on more elaborate f(
was frequently of tapa^ a fabric the finest specimens of whi
not have shamed the wardrobe of an empress.

In the costuming of the hula girl the same variety obtai
the dress of a woman of rank. Sometimes her pa-u would
close-set fringe of ribbons stripped from the bark of the
(hau)^ the ti leaf or banana fiber, or a fine rush, strung upoi
to encircle the waist. In its most elaborate and formal style
consisted of a strip of fine tapa several yards long and of
reach nearly to the knees. It was often delicately tinted or
as to its outer part, with stamped figures. The part of the t
thus printed, like the outer, decorative one in a set of tapa b(
was termed the hilohana.

The pa-il worn by the danseuse, when of tapa, was ofter
volume as to balloon like the skirt of a coryphee. To put i
quite an art, and on that account, if not on the score of m
portion of the halau was screened off and devoted to the u
females as a dressing room, being known as the tinu-lau-koi
this place they repaired as soon as the kumu gave the si
dressing.

The hula pa-ii of the women was worn in addition to that
life; the hula pa-u of the men, a less pretentious affair, ^
outside the nialo, and in addition to it.

The method of girding on the pa-u was peculiar. Begi]
the right hip — some say the left — a free end was allowed
quite to the knee; then, passing across the back, rounding
hip, and returning by way of the abdomen to the startin
another circuit of the waist was accomplished; and, a rever
made, the garment was secured by passing the bight of the
neath the hanging folds of the pa-ii from below upward
slightly protruded above the border of the garment at th
This second end was thus brought to hang down the hip alon
the first free end ; an arrangement that produced a most de
effect.

The ITawaiians, in their fondness for giving personal n
inanimate objects, named the two free ends {apua) of the ]
spectively Ku-kdpU'ida-ka-ldni and Lele-a-mahiiH,

According to another method, which was simpler and mo
monly employed, the piece was folded sidewise and, being g
into pleats, a cord was inserted the length of the fold. T
was passed about the waist, knotted at the hip, and thus I
garment secure.

EMBBsoNl UNWRITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII 51

While the girls are making their simple toilet and donning their
unique, but scanty, costume, the kumu, aided by others, soothes the
impatience of the audience and stimulates their imagination by can-
tillating a mele that sets forth in grandiloquent imagery the praise
of the pa-ti.

OH Pa-H

Kakua pa-ti, ahu na kikepa ! ^
I ka pa-ti noenoe i hooluu'a,
I hookakua la a paa iluna o ka imu.^
Ku ka hu'a *^ o ka paU o ka wai kapu,
5 He kuina ^ pa-ti pali ^ no Kupe-hau,
I holo a paa ia, paa e Hono-kane/

M&lama o lilo i ka pa-ti.
Holo iho la ke fi,la ka Manti ^ 1 na pali ;
Pali ku kaliak6 haka a-l,
10 I ke keiki pa-ti pali a Kau-kini,'^
I hoonu'anu'a iluna o ka Auwana>

^ Kikepa. The bias, the one-sided slant given the pa-H by tucking It in at one side, as
previously described.

^ Imu-. An oven ; an allusion to the heat and passion of the part covered by the pa-ti.

'^ Hu*a. Foam ; figurative of the fringe at the border of the pa-ti.

^ Kuina. A term applied to the five sheets that were stitched together {kui) to make
a set of bed-clothes. Five turns also, it Is said, complete a pa-ti.

« Pali no Kupe-hau. Throughout the poem the pa-tl is compared to a pali, a mountain
wall. Kupe-hau is a precipitous part of Wai-pi'o valley.

/ Hono-kane. A valley near Wai-pi'o. Here it is personified and said to do the work
on the pa-ti.

' Manu. A proper name given to this pa-ti.

* Kau-kini. The name of a hill back of Lahaina-luna, the traditional residence of a
kahuna named Lua-hoo-moe, whose two sons were celebrated for their manly beauty.
Ole-pau, the king of the island Maui, ordered his retainer, Lua-hoo-moe, to fetch for his
eating some young u-a'u, a sea-bird that nests and rears its young in the mountains.
These young birds are esteemed a delicacy. The kahuna, who was a bird-hunter, truth-
fully told the king that it was not the season for the young birds ; the parent birds were
haunting the ocean. At this some of the king's boon companions, moved by ill-will,
charged the king's mountain retainer with suppressing the truth, and in proof they
brought some tough old birds caught at sea and had them served for the king's table.
Thereupon the king, not discovering the fraud, ordered that Lua-hoo-moe should be put
to death by fire. The following verses were communicated to the author as apropos of
Kau-kini, evidently the name of a man :

Ike ia Kau-kini. he lawaia manu.

He upena ku'u i ka noe i Poha-kahi,

Ua hoopulu ia i ka ohu ka kikepa ;

Ke na'i la i ka luna a Kea-auwana ;

Ka uahi i ke ka-peku e hei ai ka manu o Pu-o-alii.

O ke alii wale no ka'u 1 makemake

Ali'a la, ha'o, e !

[Translation]

Behold Kau-kini, a fisher of birds ;
Net spread in the mist of Poha-kahi,
That is soaked by the sidling fog.
It strives on the crest of Koa-auwana.
Smoke traps the birds of Pu-o-alii.
It's only the king that I wish :
But stay now — I doubt.

* Auwana. Said to be an eminence on the fiank of Haleakala, back of Ulupalakua.

52 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGT

Akahi ke aua, ka luhi i ka pa-d :
Ku lio-oio i ke kaim-wai,
I mi kikepa wai o Apua,''
15 I Iiopu 'a i ka ua noe holo poo-poo.
Me lie pa-d eleliiwa wale i na pali.

Ohiohi ka imli, ki ka liko o ka lama, -
Mama ula ^ la ka malua ula,
I bopu a omau la e ka maluo.
20 I '* ka malo o Umi ku hun/l mal.
Ike*ti al na maawe wal oloM,*^
K makin ia iiel 1 Waihilau.«
IIolo ke oloiid, paa ke kapa.

Hn'a leiH) ole ka jm-fi;
25 Xani ku o-lwl ma ka maka kilo-haiia/
Makalil ka olie,^ paa ke kapa.

Opua ke alil 1 na imli,
I liookaii kalena la e ka makaAl,
I kaouii pobaku la 1 Wai-manu,
30 1 na aid * ki-Ola-ola.
I na al:l, 1 alA lelo
la Kane-i)olia-ka'a.'

Pna ia Wai-manu,^ o-okl Wal-pfo;
I ^i la 11 o Ha'l 1 ka ohe,
35 la Koa'e-kea/^

I kanbihi ia ia ohe lanlii, ia ohe.
Oki'a a moku, mo' ke kllii,'

" Apiia. A place on Ilnwaii. on Maui, on Oahu. on Kaunl, and on Molokal.

''Mama ula iVi ka niaJua ula. Tlie malua-ula was a variety of tapa that was
liiH kukui (tlio root-bark of the knkul tree). The ripe kukui nut was chewed
and niiiij;h»d with this stain. Mama ula refers to this chewing. The malui
tion(»(l as a foil to the i)a-tl. hein^ a cheap tapa.

<• /. A contracted form of ti or kl, the plant or, as in this case, the leaf <
Draciena (pi. v). Lilon, the father of T'mi, used it to cover himself aft<
with the mother of I'ml, havinj? piven hia malo In pled^re to the woman. U
used this same leaf as a substitute for the malo while in the wilderness of 1
hiding away from his brother, Kln^ Ilakau.

rf Olona. A stnmg vegetable fiber sometimes added to tapa to give It sti
fi1>ers of olona In the fabric of the pa-fi are compared to the runnels and
Waihilau.

<• Wai-hilau. Name applied to the water that drips In a cave in Puna. I
name* of a stream in Wai-pi'o valley, Hawaii.

f Kilo-hana. The nsune driven the outside, ornamented, sheet of a set (ki
tapas used as Ix'd-dothinK. It was also a])plied to that part of a pa-t\ whl«
rated with figures. The word cornea from kiluhi, to examine critically, a
work, and therefore means an ornamental work.

v Ohr. Kamboo. In this case the stamp, made from bam1)oo, used to print t

** Ala. The hard, dark basalt of which the Hawaiian ko'i, adz, is made;
or small water-worn stone, su<'h as would 1m» used to hold In place the pa-ti •
out to dry.

* Kanv-poha-ka'a. Kane-the-hall-aender. The great jrod Kane was also con
Kane-heklli, the thunderer : Kane-Iulu-honua, the earthquuke-sender, etc.

J Wai-manu and Wai-pi'o are nelghhorinp valleys.

* Ko-a'(-kra. A land In Wai-pi'o valley.

' J/o' kc kihi. Mo' is a contracted form of moku.

EMEBsoN] Unwritten literature of Hawaii 58

Mo' ke kihi, ka malfima ka Hoaka,<>
I apahn ia a poe,
40 O awill ^ o Malu-<J.

He pola ia no ka pa-ti ;
E hii ana e Ka-holo-kua-iwa,
Ke amo la e Pa-wili-wili
I ka pa-ti poo kau-i3oku — ^
45 Kau poku a hana ke ao,
Kau iluna o Hala'a-wili,
I owili hana haawe.

Ku-ka'a, olo-ka'a wahie;
Ka'a ka opeope, ula ka pali ;*
50 TJw& kamalii, hookani ka pihe,

Hookani ka a'o,^ a hana pilo ka leo,
I ka mahalo i ka pa-d,
I ka pa-ti wai-lehua a Hi'i-lawe f iluna,
Pi'o anuenue a ka ua e ua nei.

This is a typical Hawaiian poem of the better sort, keyed in a
highly imaginative strain. The multitude of specific allusions to
topographical names make it difficult to translate it intelligently to

' Hoaka. The name of the moon in its second day, or of the second day of the Ha-
waiian month ; a crescent.

^ O atcili o MalU'6. The most direct and evident sense of the word atoili is to wrap.
It probably means the wrapping of the pa-ti about the loins; or it may mean the mov-
able, shifty action of the pa-ti caused by the lively actions of the dancer. The expression
Malu-6 may be taken from the utterance of the king's ilamuku (constable or sheriff) or
other official, who, in proclaiming a tabu, held an idol in his arms and at the same time
called out Kapu, o-ol The meaning is that the pa-ti, when wrapped about the woman's
loins, laid a tabu on the woman. The old Hawaiian consulted on the meaning of this
passage quoted the following, which illustrates the fondness of his people for endless
repetitions and play upon words :

Awiliwili i ka hale* o ka lauwili, e.
He lauwili ka makani, he Kaua-ula,t
I hoapaapa i ka hale o ka lauwili, e :

[Translation]

Unstable the house of the shifty man,

Fickle as the wind Kaua-ula.

Treachery lurks in the house of Unstable.

' Kaupoku. A variant of the usual form, which is kaupaku, the ridgepole of a house,
its apex. The pa-ti when worn takes the shape of a grass house, which has the form Qf
a haystack.

' Ula ka pali. Red shows the pali, i. e., the side hill. This is a euphemism for some
accident by which the pa-tl has been displaced, and an exposure of the person has
taken place, as a result of which the boys scream and even the sea-bird, the a'o, shrieks
itself hoarse.

' A'o. A sea-bird, whose raucous voice is heard in the air at night at certain seasons.

f Hi^i-lawe. A celebrated waterfall in Wai-pi'o valley, Hawaii.

* Primitive meaning, house ;- second, the body as the house of the soul.

t Kaua-ula. A strong wind that shifted from one point to another, and that blew, often
with great violence, at Lahaina, Maui. The above triplet was often quoted by the chiefs
of olden time apropos of a person who was fickle in love or residence. As the old book
has it, "The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." (O ke kandka lolilua ka
manao lautoUi kona mau aoao a pau.)

64 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

a foreign mind. The poetical units are often so devised
new division takes its clue from the last word of the pre\
on the principle of " follow your leader," a capital
Hawaiian poetiy.

[Translation]

Pa-ti Song

Gird on the pa-fi, garment tucked in one side,
Skirt lacclike and beauteous in staining,
That is wrapped and made fast about the oven.
Bubbly as foam of falling water it stands,
5 Quintuple skirt, sheer as the cliff Kupe-hau.
One journeyed to work on it at Honoluine.

Have a care the pa-t\ is not filched.
Scent from the robe Manfl climbs the valley walls —
Abysses profound, heights twisting the neck.
10 A child is this steep thing of the cliff Kau-kini,
A swelling cloud on the i)eak of Auwana.

Wondrous the care and toil to make the i)a-tl!
What haste to finish, when put a-soak
In the side-glancing stream of Apua!
15 ("aught by the rain-scud that searches the glen,
The tinted gown illumines the pali —

Th(» sheeny steep shot with buds of lama —
Outshining the comely malua-ula^
Which one may seize and gird with a strong hand.
20 lA»af of ti for his malo, I7mi ^ stood covered.

TxK)k at the olonii fibers inwrought,
Like the trickling brooklets of Wai-hilau.
The olona fibers knit with strength
Tills dainty immaculate >veb, the pa-ti,
25 And the filmy weft of the kilo-hana.

With the small bamboo the tapa is finished.

A fire s(H»ms to bud on the i>ali.
When the tapa is spread out to dry.
Pressed down with stones at Wai-manu —
30 Stones that are shifted about and about.
Stones that are tossed here and there,
Like work of the hail-thrower Kane.

At Wai-manu finished, 'tis cut at Wai-pi'o;
Ila'i takes the bamboo Ko-a'e-kea ;

« Umi. It was Liloa, the father of irml, who covered himself with a ti
of u malo after the amour that resulted in the birth of Umi. His malo h
as a pledge to the woman who became the mother of Umi.

] XJl^WRlTl^^ LiTtitLA.TUllE 0^ HAWAII 55

35 Deftly wields the knife of small-leafed bamboo;

A bamboo choice and fit for the work.

Cut, cut through, cut off the comers;

Cut round, like crescent moon of Hoaka;

Cut in scallops this shift that makes tabu :
40 A fringe is this for the pa-ti.

'Tis lifted by Ka-holo-ku-iwa,

'Tis borne by Pa-wili-wili ;

A pa-ti narrow at top like a house,

That's hung on the roof -tree till morning,

45 Hung on the roof-tree Ha-la'a-will.

Make a bundle fitting the shoulder;

Lash it fast, rolled tight like a log.

The bundle falls, red shows the pali;

The children shout, they scream in derision.
50 The a'o bird shrieks itself hoarse

In wonder at the pa-ti —

Pa-ti with a sheen like Hi'i-lawe falls.

Bowed like the rainbow arch

Of the rain that's now falling.

girls of the olapa, their work in the tiring-room completed, lift
oices in a spirited song, and with k lively motion pass out into
II to bloom before the waiting assembly in the halau in all the
>f their natural charms and adornments :

on

m

Ku ka punohu ula 1 ka moana;
Hele ke ehu-kai, uhi i ka aina ;
Olapa ka uila, noho i Kahiki.
ITina, nakolo,
5 Uwd ka pihe,

Lau<> k&naka ka hula.
E Laka, e!

[Translation!
Tiring Song

The rainbow stands red o'er the ocean ;
Mist crawls from the sea and covers the land ;
Far as Kahiki flashes the lightning;
A reverberant roar,
5 A shout of applause

From the four hundred.
I apix^al to thee, Laka !

^ Lau (archaic). Four hundred.

56 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

The answering song, led by the kumu, is in the same f
strain :

Oli

Jjele Mahu*ilanl ^ a luna,
I^wa ia Kauna-lewa ! ^

[Translation]

Song ■ I

Lift Mahu'ilani on high, j

Thy palms Kauna-lewa a-waving! i

After the ceremony of the pa-ii came that of the lei, a ^
crown the head and another for the neck and shoulders. I
the custom in the old times to overwhelm the body with flon
tions and to blur the outlines of the figure to the point of i
ment ; nor was every flower that blows acceptable as an offer
gods wore jealous and nice in their tastes, pleased only wit
indigenous to the soil — the ilima (pi. vi), the lehua, the n
ie-ie, and the like (see pp. 19, 20). The ceremony was qu
coniplished. As the company knotted the garlands about
neck, they sang:

Oli Lei

Ke lei mai la o Ka-ula 1 ke kai, e !
Ke nialamalama o Niihau, ua malie.
A nuilie, pa ka Inu-wai. "
Ke inn mai la na hala o Nane i ke kai.
5 No Nane, ka hala, no Puna ka wahine.e
No ka lua no i Kilauea.

[Translation]

Wreath Song

Ka-nla wears the ocean as a wreath;
Nii-lian shines forth in the calm.
After the calm blows the wind Inu-wai;
Nane's palms then drink in the salt.
5 From Nane the palm, from Puna the woman —
Aye, from the pit, Kilauea.

Tradition tells a pathetic story (p. 212) in narrating an
touching the occasion on which this song first was sung.

" Mahu'ilani. A poetical name for the right hand ; this the olapa, the dan
lifted in extension as they entered the halau from the dressing room. The
was termed Kaohi-Uini.

^ Kauna-leipa. The name of a celebrated grove of coconuts at Kekaha, Kauai
residence of the late Mr. Kniidsen.

" Wahine. The woman. Tele.

1

IX.— THE HULA ALA'A-PAPA

Every formal hula was regarded by the people of the olden time as
a sacred and religious performance (tabu) ; but all hulas were not
held to be of equal dignity and rank (hanohano). Among those
deemed to be of the noblest rank and honor was the ala^a-papa. In its
best days this was a stately and dignified performance, comparable
to the old-fashioned courtly minuet.

We shall observe in this hula the division of the performers into
two sets, the hoopa^a and the olapa. Attention will naturally bestow
itself first on the olapa, a division of the company made up of splendid
youthful figures, young men, girls, and women in the prime of life.
They stand a little apart and in advance of the others, the right hand
extended, the left resting upon the hip, from which hangs in swelling
folds the pa-u^ The time of their waiting for the signal to begin the
dance gives the eye opportunity to make deliberate survey of the
forms that stand before us.

The figures of the men are more finely proportioned, more statu-
esque, more worthy of preservation in marble or bronze than those of
the women. Only at rare intervals does one find among this branch
of the Polynesian race a female shape which from crown to sole will
satisfy the canons of proportion-which one carries in the eye. That
is not to say, however, that the artistic eye will not often meet a shape
that appeals to the sense of grace and beauty. The springtime of
Hawaiian womanly beauty hastes away too soon. Would it were
possible to stay that fleeting period which ushers in full womanhood !

One finds himself asking the question to what extent the responsi-
bility for this overthickness of leg and ankle — exaggerated in ap-
pearance, no doubt, by the ruffled anklets often worn — ^this pronounced
tendency to the growth of that degenerate weed, fat, is to be explained
by the standard of beauty which held sway in Hawaii's courts and
for many ages acted as a principle of selection in the physical mold-
ing of the Hawaiian female.

The prevailing type of physique among the Hawaiians, even more
marked in the women than in the men, is the short and thick, as op-
posed to the graceful and slender. One does occasionally find deli-
cacy of modeling in the young and immature; but with adolescence
fatness too often comes to blur the outline.

The hoopa'a, who act as instrumentalists, very naturally maintain
a position between sitting and kneeling, the better to enable them to

57

58 BUREAU OP AMEfilCAK ETHNOLOGY

handle that strangely effective drumlike instrument, the i^
musical instrument used as an accompaniment in this 1
ipu is made from the bodies of two large, pear-shaped
of unequal sizes, which are joined together at their smali
such a manner as to resemble a figure-of-eight. An open
at the top of the smaller calabash to increase the resoi
moments of calm the musicians allow the body to rest upon
as the action warms they lift, themselves to such height as t
knee will permit.

The ala'a-papa is a hula of comparatively moderate acti<
the olapa employ hands, feet, and body in gesture and poi
trate the metming and emotion of the song, the musicians
time by lifting and patting with the right hand the ipu eac
the left hand. If the action of the play runs strong anc
emotions, each hoopa'a lifts his ipu wildly, fiercely smite
drops it on the padded rest in such manner as to bring oi
mysterious tone.

At a signal from the kumu, who sits with the hoopa'a
pua\h loader of the olapa, calls the mele {kahea i ha mele]
he begins its recitation — in a tone differing but little froi
ordinary conversation, a sing-song recitation, a vocaliz;
stilted and less punctilious than that usually employed in
ance of the oli or mele. The kumu, the leader of the comj
joins in, mouthing his words in full observance of the mele s
manner of cantillation may be either what may be callec
relief, termed ko^i-honva, or a pompous alto-relievo styl
ai-ha\i. This is the signal for the whole company to chime
same style as the kumu. The result, as it seems to the untui
is a confusion of sounds like that of the many-tongued ro
ocean.

The songs cantillated for the hula ala'a-papa were man;
great variety. It seems to have been the practice for the
arrange a number of mele, or poetical pieces, for presentati*
hula in such order as pleased him. These different mele,
ranged, were called pale^ compartments, or viahele^ divisio
they were integral parts of one whole, while in reality their
to one another was only that of the juxtaposition imposed uj
In^ the kumu.

The poetical pieces first to be presented were communicate
author as mahele^ divisions — hardly cantos — in the sense al
fined. They are, however, distinct poems, though there chan«
through them all a somewhat similar motive. The origin of i
these is referred to a past so remote that tradition assigns
what the Hawaiians call the wa po^ the night of tradition,
say of them, no ke akua imii^ they are from the gods. It mat

ON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 59

faithful has been the effort to translate these poems, they will
>e found easy of comprehension. The local allusions, the point
Bw, the atmosphere that were in the mind of the savage are not
r minds to-day, and will not again be in any mind on earth : they
our best efforts at reproduction. To conjure up the ghostly
ance of these dead impalpable things and make them live again
roblem that must be solved bv each one with such aid from the
ing rod of the imagination as the reader can summon to his help,
iv for the play, the song:

Mele no ka Hula AM'a-papa

MAHELE-UELE I

Pauku 1

A Eoolau wau, ike i ka ua,
E ko-kolo la-lepo aua ka ua,
E ka'i ku ana, ka*i mai ana ka ua,
E nn mai ana ka ua i ke kualiiwi,
5 E po*i ana ka ua me he nalu la.
E puka, a puka mai ka. ua la.
Waliwali ke one i ka hehi'a e ka ua ;
Ua holo-wai na kaha-wai :
Ua ko-k6 wale na pali.
10 Aia ka wai la 1 ka ilina," be ilio,
He ilio hae, ke nahu nei e puka.

[Translation]

Song for the Hula Ald'a-papa.
CANTO I

Stanza 1

'Twas in Koolau I met with the rain :
It comes with lifting and tossinjc of dust,
Advancing in columns, dashing alon^.
The rain, it sighs in the forest ;
5 The rain, it beats and whelms, lik<» the siirf ;
It smites, it smites now the land.
Pasty the earth from the stamping rain:
Full run the streams, a rushing florxl :
The mountain walls leap with the rain.

10 See the water chafing its Iniunds like a dog,
A raging dog, gnawing its way to pass r^nt.

Ills .song is from the ^ory of Iliiaka on her joiiriiev to Kjiiiai to
iiff the handsome prince, I^hiau, to Pele. The region is that on
windward, Koolau^ side of Oahu.

* lUna, A sink, a place where a stream Hinks into tli<* Harth or Hand.

60 BUBEAU OF AMEBIGAN ETHNOLOOY

Pauku 2"

Hoopono oe, he aina kal Waialua 1 ka ban ;
Ke olelo^ wale no la 1 ka lanl.
Lobe ka uka o ka pehu i Ku-kani-loko.^
I-loko, i-waho kaua la, e ka hoa,
5 I kabi e pau ai o ka oni?

Onl ana i ka manawa o ka lili.
Pec oe, ixH> ana iloko o ka hilahila.
I hilahila wale ia no e oe;
Noil no kii hale,^ komo niai nialoko.

The lines from the fourth to the ninth in this stanz
iHjpresent a dialogue between two lovers.

[Translation]

Stanza 2

I^ok now, WaiaUin, land clotlied with ocean-mist —
Its wilderness-cries heaven's ear only hears,
The wilderness-f^ods of Kn-kani-loko.
Within or without shall we stay, friend,
5 Tntil we have stilleil the motion?
To toss is a sign of impatience.
Yon hide, hiding: as if from shame.
I am l)2ishful because of your presence;
The house is j'ours, j'ou've only to enter.

Pauku 3
(Ko'i-honua)

Pakti Kea-au,<* lulu Wai-akea ;^
Noho i ka la'i loa o Hana-kabi,^
O Hilo, i olokea ^ ia, 1 an la, e, i kai,
O Lele-iwi,* o Maka-hana-loa.*
5 Me he kaele-papa J la Hilo, i lalo ka nobo.
Kaele ^ wale Hilo i ke a|ai ia e ka ua.
Oi ka niho o ka ua o Hilo i ka lani ;
Kua-wa'a-wa'a Hilo i eli 'a e ka wai ;
Kai-koo, haki na nalu, ka ua o Hilo;

« Olelo. To speak, to converse ; here used figuratively to mean that the p
has no view of the ocean, looks only to the sky. " Looks that commerce wi

^ Ku-kani-loko. A land in Waialua. Oahu, to which princesses resorted
times at the time of childbirth, that their offspring might have the distln
an alii kapu, a chief with a tabu.

^^ Hale. House ; a familiar euphemism of the human body.

<* Kea-au. An ahu-pua'a, small division of land, In Puna adjoining Hilo, :
sheltering Hilo on that side.

« Waiakea. A river In Hilo, and the land through which it flows.

f Hana-kahi. A land on the Hamakua side of Hilo, also a king whose
synonym for profound peace.

9 Olo-kca. To be invited or pulled many ways at once ; distracted.

^ Lele-iwi. A cape on the north side of HIlo.

* Maka-hana-loa, A cape.

i Kaele-papa. A large, round, hollowed board on which to pound taro in
poi. The poi-board was usually long and oval.

^ Kaele. In this connection the meaning is surrounded, encompassed by.

UNWBITTEN lilTERATUSE OF MAW All 61

10 Ha'i lau-wili mai ka nahele.

Nanalu, kahe waikahe o Wai-lukn ;

Hohonu Waiau,<» naio ke poo o ka lae o Moku-pane ;*

Wai ulaula o Wai-anue-nue ; ^

Ka-wowo nui i ka wai o Kolo-pule-pule ;*
15 Halulu -i-4)a-ku*i, ku me he uahi la

Ka pud, o ka wai ua o-aka i ka lani.

Eleele Hilo e, pano e, i ka ua ;

Okakala ka liulu o Hilo i ke anu ;

Pili-kau « mai Hilo ia ua loa.
20 Pali-ku laau ka uka o Haili/

Ka lae ohi'a e kope-kope.

Me he aha moa la, ka pale pa laau,

Ka nahele o Pa-ie-ie,^

Ku'u po'e lehua iwaena konu o Mo-kau-lele ;*
25 Me ka ha*i laau 1 pu-kaula hala'i i ka ua.

Ke nana ia la e la'i i Hanakahi.

Oni aku Hilo, oni ku'u kai lipo-lipo,

A Lele-iwi, ku'u kai ahu mimiki a ka Malua.*

I^ei kahiko, lei nalu ka poai.
30 Nana Pu'u-eo,^ e ! makai ka iwi-honua,* e !

Puna-hoa la, ino, ku, ku wau a Wai-akea la.

[Translation!

Stanza 3

(With distinct utterance)

Kea-au shelters, Waiakea lies in the calm,
The deep peace of King Hana-kahi.
Hilo, of many diversions, swims in the ocean,
'Tween Point Lele-iwi and Maka-hana-loa ;
5 And the village rests in the bowl.
Its border surrounded with rain —
Sharp from the sky the tooth of Hilo's rain.
Trenched is the land, scooped out by the downpour —
Tossed and like gnawing surf is Hilo's rain —
10 Beach strewn with a tangle of thicket growth ;
A billowy freshet pours in Wailuku ;
Swoirn is Wai-au, flooding the point Moku-pane;
And red leaps the water of Anue-nue.
A roar to heaven sends up Kolo-pule,

WaUtu. The name given to the stretch of Wailuku river near its mouth.
Moku-pane. The cape between the mouth of the Wailulcu river and the town of Ililo.
Wat-^MHue-nue. Rainbow falls and the river that malses the leap.
Kolo-pule-pule. Another branch of the Wailulcu stream.
PiH-kau. To hang low, said of a cloud.
H^ili. A region in the Inland, woody, part of Hilo.

' Pa-ieie. A well-wooded part of Hilo, once much resorted to by bird-hunters ; a place
«bnted In Hawaiian song.

^ Mukau'lcle. A wild, woody region in the interior of Hilo.

*Jfafiki. Name given to a wind from a northerly or northwesterly direction on several
the IsUiDds. The fall form is Malua-lua.
*ht*u-€o. A village in the Hilo district near Puna.

' Ui'komua. Literally a bone of the earth : a projecting roclc or a shoal ; if in the
'*tcr, an object to be avoided by the surf-rider. In this connection see note o, p. 36.

1

62 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

15 Shaking like thunder, mist rising like smoke.

The rain-cloud unfolds in the heavens;

Dark grows Hilo, black with the rain.

The skin of Hilo grows rough from the cold ;

The storm-cloud hangs low o'er the land.
2() A rami»art stand the woods of Haili;

Ohi'us thick-set must be brushed aside,

To tear one's way, like a covey of fowl.

In the wilds of Pa-ie-ie —

I-.ehua growths mine — ^heart of Mokau-lele.
25 A breaking, a weaving of boughs, to shield from rail

A look enraptured on Hana-kahi,

Sees Ililo astir, the l>Uio ocean tossing

Wind-thrown-spray — dear sea — 'gainst Point l-iele-iwi

A time-worn foam-wreath to encircle its brow.
30 I^)<)k, Piru-eo! guard 'piinst the earth-rib!

It's I*una-lioa reef; halt!

At Waiakea halt I

Pauku 4
(Ai-ha'a)

Kua loloa Kea-au i ka nahele;

Ilaln kna hulu-hulu Pana-ewa i ka laau;

luoino ku ma ha o ka ohia o La'a.

I"a ku kepakepa ka maha o ka lehua;
5 I "a po-po'o-hina i ka wela a ke Akua.

T'a u-ahi Puna 1 ka oloka'a pohaku,

I ka huna pa'a ia e ka wahine.

Xanahu alil ka papa o Olu-ea;

^lonioku alii Puna liala i Apua;
10 Flii-fi ka nahele me ka laau.

Oloka'a kekabi ko'i e Papa-lau-ahl ;

I oil 'a kahi ko'i e Ku-lili-kaua.

Kai-ah^a a liala i Ka-li'u:

A en e, e ka La, ka malama-lama.
15 O-na-naka ka pike o Hilo ua me ke one,

I Lull 1 uka la, i hulihia i kai;

Fa wa-walii 'a, ua ua-ha-hd,

Ua he-hele-lei !

[Tninslatlon]

Stanza 4

(Bombastic style)

Ke'-au is a long strip of wildwood;
Shag of pandanus mantles Pan'-ewa;
Scraggj' the branching of Laa's ohias;
The lehua limbs at sixes and sevens —
5 They are gray from the heat of the goddess.

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 63

Puna smokes mid the bowling of rocks —

Wood and rock the She-god heaps in confusion,

The plain Oluea 's one bed of live coals ;

Puna is strewn with fires clean to Apua,
10 Thickets and tall trees a-blazing.

Sweep on, oh fire-ax, thy flame-shooting flood!

Smit by this ax is Ku-lili-kaua.

It's a flood tide of lava clean to Kali'u,

And the Sun, the light-giver, is conquered.
15 The bones of wet Hilo rattle from drought;

She turns for comfort to mountain, to sea,

Fissured and broken, resolved into dust.

poem is taken from the story of Hiiaka. On her return from
[•ney to fetch Lohiau she found that her sister Pele had treach-
ravaged with fire Puna, the district that contained her own
)odlands. The description given in the poem is of the result-
olation.

Pauku 5

No-luna ka Hale-kal,** no ka ma'a-lewa,*^
Nana ka maka ia Moana-nui-ka-lehua.^
Noi au i ke Kai, e mali'o.*^
Ina ku a'e la he lehua ^ ilaila !
5 Hoix)e-lehua f kiekie.

Maka'u ka lehua i ke kanaka,^

Lilo ilalo e hele ai, e-e,

A ilalo hoi.

O Kea-au ^ ili-ilt nehe ke kai,

iai. A wild mountain glen back of Hanalei valley, Kauai.

t'lra. An aerial root that formed a sort of ladder by which one climbed the
steeps ; literally a shaking sling.

j-nui-ka-lehua. A female demigod that came from the South {Ku-kulu-o-Kahiki)

the same mythical period as that of Pele's arrival — if not in her company — and

put In charge of a portion of the channel that lies between Kauai and Oahu.

anel was generally termed le-ie-waena and le-ie-waho. Here the name Moana-

ua seems to be used to indicate the sea as well as the demlgoddess, whose do-
was. Ordinarily she appeared as a powerful fish, but she was capable of as-

be form of a beautiful woman (mermaid?). The title lehua was given her on

>f her womanly charms.

K Apparently another form of the word malinOy calm ; at any rate it has the

inlng.

I. An allusion to the ill-fated young woman Hopoe, who was Hllaka's intimate

'he allusion is amplified in the next line.

*-lchua. The lehua tree was one of the forms in which Hopoe appeared, and

death, due to the Jealous rage of Pele, she was turned into a charred lehua tree

•od on the coast subject to the beating of the surf.

u ka lehua i ke kanaka. Another version has It Maka'u kc kanaka i ka lehua;

9 the lehua. The form here used is perhaps an Ironical allusion to man's fond-
only to despoil the tree of its scarlet flowers, but womanhood, the woman it

ed.

u. Often shortened in pronunciation to Ke-au, u fishing village In Puna near

L It now has a landing place for small vessels.

f-'

64 BUBEAU OF AMEEIGAN ETHNOLOGY

10 Iloo-lono ^ ke kai o Puna

I ka ulu hala la, e-e,

Kal-ko*o Puna.

la hooueenee la pill mal ^ kana, e ke hoa.

Ke waiho e mal la oe llalla.
15 Ela ka mea Ino la, he anu,

A be auu me he mea la Iwaho kaua, e ke hoa ;

Me he wal la ko kana 111.

The author of this poem of venerable age is not ki
spoken of as belonging to the wa po^ the twilight of trad
represented to be part of a inele taught to Hiiaka by hei
preceptivss in the hula, Hopoe. Hopoe is often called He
From internal evidence one can see that it can not be in fo
as was given to Hiiaka by Hopoe ; it may have been fou
poem of Hopoe. If so, it has been modified.

[Translation]

Stanza 5

From mountain retreat and root-woven ladder

Mine eye looks down on goddess Moana-Lehua ;

I beg of the Sea, Be thou calm;

Would there might stand on thy shore a lehna —
5 Lehua-tree tall of Ho-poe.

The lehua is fearful of man;

It leaves him to walk on the ground below,

To walk the ground far below.*

The pebbles at Ke'-au grind in the surf.
10 The sea at Ke'-au shouts to Puna's palms,

'* Fierce is the sea of Puna."

^love hither, snug close, companion mine;

You lie so aloof over there.

Oh what a bad fellow is cold!
15 'Tis as if we were out on the wold ;

Our bodies so clammy and chill, friend !

The last five verses, which sound like a love song, may
a modern addition to this old poem. The sentiment the^
comi^arable to that expressed in the Song of Welcome on

Eia ka pu'u nui o waho nei, he anu.

The hill of Affliction out there is the cold.

« Hoolono. To call, to make an uproar, to spread a report.

^ la hoo-nec-nce ia pili niai. A very peculiar figure of speech. It is as 1
sonified tlie act of two lovers snuggling up close to eacli other. Compare
expression Xo huH mai, used by another poet in the thirteenth line of i
on p. 204. The motive is the same in each case.

I XJNWBITTEN LITEBATTJRE OF HAWAn 65

MAHELB-HELE II

Hru-o-lani,<» kii ka ua o Hilo* i ka lani;
Ke hookiikii mai la ke ao o Pua-lani ;^
O mahele ana,** pulu Hilo i ka ua —

Hilo Hana-kahi.«

5 Ha'i ka nalu, wai kaka lepo o Pii-lani;
Hai'na ka iwi o Hilo,

1 ke ku ia e ka wai.

Oni'o lele a ka ua o Hilo i ka lani.

Ke hookiikii mai la ke ao o Pua-lani,
10 Ke holuholu a'e la e puka,
Puka e nana ke kiki a ka ua,
Ka nonolio a ka ua i ka hale o Hilo.

Like Hilo me Puna ke ku a mauna-ole,^
He ole ke ku a mauna Hilo me Puna.
15 He kowa Puna mawaena Hilo me Ka-ti;
Ke pili wale la i ke kua i mauna-ole ;
Pili hoohalia i ke kua o Mauna-loa.

He kuahiwi Ka-ti e pa ka makani.
Ke alai ia a'e la Ka-ti e ke A'e ; ^
20 Ka-u ku ke ehu lepo ke A'e;

Ku ke ehu-lepo mai la Ka-ti i ka makani.
Makani Kawa hu'a-lepo Ka-ti i ke A'-e.

}-Iani. A very blind phrase. Hawaiians disagree as to its meaning. In the
opinion, it is a word referring to the conjurer's art.

Hilo. Hilo is a very rainy country. The name Hilo seems to be used here as
synonym of violent rain. It calls to mind the use of the word Hilo to signify
wind :

Pa mai, pa mai,
Ka makani a Hilo !*
Waiho ka ipu iki,
Homai ka ipu nui !

[Translation!

Blow, blow, thou wind of Hilo !
Leave the little calabash.
Bring on the big one !

<ifil. The name of a deity who took the form of the rosy clouds of morning.

le ana. Literally the dividing; an allusion to the fact, it is said, that in Hilo

oad, or rain-squall, as it came up would often divide and a part of it turn off

t^ina at the cape named Lele-iwi, one-half watering, in the direction of the

:own, the land known as Hana-kahi.

-kahi. Look at note f, p. 60.

lA-o/r. According to one authority this should be Mauna-Hilo. Verses 13, 14,

17 are difficult of translation. The play on the words ku a, standing at, or

by, and kua, the back ; also on the word kowa, a gulf or strait ; and the
1 of the word mauna, mountain — all this is carried to such an extent as to be
iDtelllgible to the Anglo-Saxon mind, though full of significance to a Hawaiian.
A strong wind that prevails in Ka-u. The same word also means to step on.
This double-meaning gives the poet opportunity for a euphuistic word-play
I much enjoyed by the Hawaiians. The Hawaiians of the present day are not

to this sort of logomachy.

or Wblro, as In the Maori, was a great navigator.
9352— Bull. 38—09 5

66 BUREAU OF AMEBICAK ETHNOLOGY

Kahiko man no o Ka>fl 1 ka makanL
MakanI ka lAe-ka-flfo 1 Unn-lan,
25 Kaili-kri « a ka Ina a Kaheahea,*
I ka ha'a nawall la Ina

Ido wa o ka mankanf o Kan-nft.
Nana aku o ka makanf malaila !
(> Hon<»-nialino, mallno i ka Ia*f o Kona.
:U) He iuoa la !

[Translation]
CANTO II

Ilonvon-magle, fetch a Hilo-ponr from heaven!
Moni'H cloud-buds, look ! they swell in the East
Tho rnin-<*loud itarts, Hilo is deluged with rain,
Tho Ililo of King Hana-kahi.

n Surf breaks, stirs the mire of Pil-lani;
T\w lM>noR of Hilo are broken
Hy tlio blows of the rain,
(i Mostly the rain-scud of Hilo In heavoi;

Tbo cloud-forms of Pua-lani grow and thicken.
t() The niln-priest bestirs him now to go forth,

Forth to observe the stab and thrust of the rain.
The rain that clings to the roof of Hilo.

Hilo. like Puna, stands mountainless ;
Ayr, mountain-free stand Hilo and Puna.
Ifi \*\\\\i\ 's a KUif 'twixt Ka-ti and Hilo;

.hist leaning; her back on Mount Nothing,
Sln» slt»eps at the feet of Mount Loa.

A inoinit a in-back is Ka-fi which the wind strikes,
ivn 0, a land much scourged by the A*e.
'jn A ilusi cloud lifts in Ka-t\ as one climbs.
A <liisl bloom floats, the lift of the wind:
TIs Itlasts from mountain- walls piles dust, the A'e

t>i«i

Ka \\ was always tormented with wind.
t'Mpe of ilu»-I)ojr feels I'nulau's blasts;
L'h 'riu\v lurmoil the <*ove of Ka-hea-hea,

Mrf.vlii^; all sirenjrtli with their violence.

'I'hei't»'s a storm when wind blows at Kau-nfi,.
.liiHt loolc at tlie temiK'st there raging!
Ilonti mallno sUn^ps shelterinl by Kona.
•Mil A rulo^y this of a name.

" \\'linl luinier* was asked of the old Hawaiian.
"\ ^mmI," said he.

" lh»w is thal^ A ineh'-inoa celebrates the name am

\\\\\^^ hot of a p>d.'*

'• huili ki'i. Tlio iiroitittitttiry tliat Hhelters the cove Ka-?ietra-hetra.
" h(i /ltd /it'll. Tliit imino of (lit' covo Knhhewa-hctca, above mentioned, is
Miintutml fttrm olitHliioU liy tho ollMlun of the letter ic.

ON] UNWBITT:EN LITEBATUBE of HAWAII 67

is answer was, " The gods composed the mele ; men did not com-
I it."

ike an old-time geologist, he solved the puzzle of a novel phe-
enon by ascribing it to God.

MAHELE III

(Ai-ha'a)

A Koa'e-kea,<» i Pueo-hulu-nul,«

Neeu a'e la ka makahiapo o ka pali;

A a'e, a a'e, a*e* la iluna

Kaholohkua-iwa, ka pali o Ha'i.*'

Ha'i a'e la ka pali;

Ha-nu'u ka pall;

Hala e Malu-6;

Hala a*e la Ka-maha-la'a-wili,

Ke kaupoku hale a ka ua.

Me he mea 1 uwae'na a'e la ka pali ;

Me he hale pl'o ka lei na ka manawa o ka pali Halehale-o-ti ;

Me he aho 1 hilo 'a la ka wai o Wai-hi-lau ;

Me he uahi pulehu-manu la ke kai o ka auwala hula ana.

Au ana Maka'u-kiu ^ iloko o ke kai ;

Pohaku lele ^ o Lau-nui, Lau-pahoehoe.

Ka eku*na a ke kai i ka ala o Ka-wai-kapu —

Kku ana, me he pua'a la, ka lae Makani-lele,

Koho-ia-lele.

[Translation]

CANTO III

(Bombastic style)

Haunt of white tropic-bird and big ruffled owl,
Up rises the flrst-bom child of the imli.
He climbs, he climbs, he climbs up aloft,
Kaholo-ku'-iwa,.the pali of Ha'i.
5 Accomplished now is the steep,
The ladder-like series of stejos.
Malu-6 is left far below.

n'e-kea, Pueo hulu-nui. Steep declivities, pali, on tlie side of Waipio valley, Ila-
Instead of inserting these names, whlcli would be meaningless without an expla-

. the author has given a literal translation of the names themselves, thus getting

er Insight Into the Hawaiian thought.

c. The precipices rise one above another like the stops of a stairway, climbing,

Dg up, though the probable Intent of the poet is to represent some one as climbing

cent.

r<. Short for UaHna-kolo; a woman about whom there is a story of tragic adven-
Through eating when famished of some berries in an unceremonious way she

e diKtraught and wandered about for many months until discovered by the per-

t efforts of her husband. The pali which she climbed was named after her.

tka'u-kiu. The name of a famous luige shark that was regarded with reverential

<hmk» lele. In order to determine whether a shark was present, it was the custom.
going Into the clear water of some of these coves, to throw rocks into the water
let to disturb the monster and make his presence known.

68 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

Passed is Ka-maha-la'-wili,

The very ridge-pole of the rain —
10 It's as if the peak cut it in twain —

An arched roof the peak's crest Hale-hale-o-fl.

A twisted cord hangs the brook Wai-hilau ;

Like smoke from roasting bird Ocean's wild dance ;

The shark-god is swimming the sea ;
15 The rocks leap down at Big-leaf® and Flat-leaf — «

See the ocean charge 'gainst the cliffs,

Thrust snout like rooting boar against Windy-cape,

Against KoholA-lele.

MAIIELE IV

Hole ^ Waimea i ka ihe a ka makani,

Hao mai na ale a ke Ki-pu'u-pu'u ;^

He laau kala-ihi ia na ke anu,

I o'o i ka nahele o Mahiki.'
5 Ku aku la oe i ka Malnnai <^ a ke Ki-puu-puu ;

Nolu ka maka o ka oha-wai f o Uli ;

Niniau, eha ka pua o Koaie,^

£iha 1 ke anu ka nahele o Wai-ka-^,

A he aloha, e!
10 Aloha Wai-k& ia'u me he iix) la ;

Me he ipo la ka maka lena o ke Koo-lau,^

Ka pua i ka nahele o Mahule-i-a,

E lei hele i ke alo o Moo-lau.*

E lau ka huaka'i-hele i ka pali loa ;
15 Hele hihiu, pili,^ noho i ka nahele.

O ku'u noho wale iho no i kahua, e-e.

A he aloha, e-e!

O kou aloha ka i hlkl mai 1 o'u nei.

Mahea la ia i nalo iho nei?

This mele. Hole Waimea^ is also sung in connection with the
hula ipu.

» Big-leaf. A literal translation of Lau-nui. Laupahoehoe, Flat-leaf.

^ Hole. To rasp, to handle rudely, to caress passionately. Waimea Is a district and
village on Hawaii.

« Kipu'u-pu'u. A cold wind from Mauna-Kea that blows at Waimea.

^ Mahiki. A woodland in Waimea, in mythological times haunted by demons and spooks.

Mala-nai. The poetical name of a wind, probably the trade wind ; a name much used
in Hawaiian sentimental poetry.

f Oha-wai. A water hole that is filled by dripping ; an important source of supply for
drinking purposes in certain parts of Hawaii.

" Pua o Koaie. The koaie is a tree that grows in the wilds, the blossom of which is
extremely fragrant. (Not the same as that subspecies of the koa (Acacia koa) which
Hillebrand describes and wrongly spells koaia. Here a euphemism for the delicate parts.)

* Koolau, or, full form, Ko-koo-lau. Described by Doctor Hillebrand as Kokolau, a wrong
spelling. It has a pretty yellow flower, a yellow eye — maka Icna — as the song has it.
Here used tropically. (This is the plant whose leaf is sometimes used as a substitute
for tea.)

* Moolau. An expression used figuratively to mean a woman, more especially her breasts.
The term huU-lau is also used, In a slang way, to signify the breasts of a woman, the
primitive meaning being a calabash.

i Pili. To touch ; touched. This was the word used in the forfeit-paying love game.
kilu, when the player made a point by hitting the target of his opponent with his kilu.
(For further description see p. 235.)

] UNWRITTEN LITEBATURB OP HAWAII 69

song above given, the translation of which is to follow, belongs
:oric times, being ascribed to King Liholiho — Kamehameha
10 died in London July 13, 1824, on his visit to England. It
d great vogue and still holds its popularity with the Hawaiians.
lader will note the comparative effeminacy and sentimentality
style and the frequent use of euphemisms and double-entendre.
)uble meaning in a Hawaiian mele will not always be evident
whose acquaintance with the language is not intimate. To one
)mes to it from excursions in Anglo-Saxon poetry, wandering
h its " meadows trim with daisies pied," the sly intent of the
ian, even when pointed out, will, no doubt, seem an inconse-
il thing and the demonstration of it an impertinence, if not a
to the imagination. Its euphemisms in reality have no baser
:han the euphuisms of Lyly, Ben Jonson, or Shakespeare.

[Translation]
Song — Hole Waimea

PART IV

Love tousled Waimea with shafts of the wind,

While Kipuupuu puffed jealous gusts.

Love is a tree that blights in the cold,

But thrives in the woods of Mahiki.
5 Smitten art thou with the blows of love;

Luscious the water-drip in the wilds;

Wearied and bruised is the flower of Koaie ;

Stung by the frost the herbage of Wai-ka-6 :

And this — it is love.
10 Wai-kA loves me like a sweetheart.

Dear as my heart Koolau's yellow eye.

My flower in the tangled wood, Hule-i-a,

A travel-wreath to lay on love's breast,

A shade to cover my journey's long climb.
15 I>ove-touched, distraught, mine a wilderness-home;

But still do I cherish the old spot.

For love — it is love.

Your love visits me even here :

Where has it been hiding till now?

Pauku 2

Kau ka ha-4-a, kau o ka hana wa ele,
Ke ala-ula ka makani,
Kulu a e ka ua i kou wahi moe.
Palepale i na auwai o lalo;
5 Eli mawaho o ka hale o Koolau, e.
E lau Koolau, he aina ko'e-ko'e ;
Maka'u i ke anu ka uka o ka Lahuloa.
Loa ia mea, na'u i waiho aku ai.

70 BUBEAU OF AMEBICAK ETHNOLOGY [bdu^SS

[Translation]

Stanza 2

A mackerel sky, time for foul weather;
The wind raises the dusit —
Thy couch is a-drip with the raiu :
Open the door, let's trench about the house :
5 Koolau, land of rain, will shoot green leaves.
I dread the cold of the uplands.
An adventure that of long ago.

The poem above given from beginning to end is figurative, a piece
of far-fetched, enigmatical symbolism in the lower plane of human
nature.

Pauku 3

Hoe Puna i ka wa*a po-lolo*^ a ka ino;
Ila-uke-uke i ka wa o Koolau :
Eha e ! eha la !

Eha 1 ku'i-ku*i o ka Ulu-mano.*
5 Hala 'e ka walu-lhe a ke A'e,<^
Ku iho 1 ku'l-ku'i a ka Ho-li'o ; ^
Hana ne'e ke kikala o ko lUlo Kini.
Ho'l lu'u-lu'u 1 ke one o Hana-kahi,^
I ka po-lolo* ua wahine o ka lua :
10 Mai ka lua no, e!

[Translation]

Stanza 3

Puna plies paddle night-long in the storm ;
Is set back by a shift in the weather,
Feels hurt and disgruntled ;
Dismayed at slap after slap of the squalls ;
5 Is struck with eight blows of Typhoon ;

Then smit with the lash of the North wind.
Sad, he turns back to Hilo's sand-beach:
He'll shake the town with a scandal —
The night-long storm with the hag of the pit,
10 Hag from Gehenna !

<* Po-lolo. A secret word, like a cipher, made up for the occasion and compounded of
two words, poj night, and loloa, long, the final a of loloa being dropped. This form
of speech was called kepakepa, and was much used by the Ilawaiians in old times.

* Ulu-mano. A violent wind which blows by night only on the western side of Hawaii.
Kamehameha with a company of men was once wrecked by this wind off Nawawa ; a
whole village was burned to light them ashore. (Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language,
by Lorrin Andrews.)

« Walu-ihe a ke A'e. The A'e is a violent wind that is described as blowing from dif-
ferent points of the compass In succession ; a circular storm. Walu-ihe — eight spears —
was a name applied to this same wind during a certain portion of its circuitous range,
covering at least eight different points, as observed by the Hawaiians. It was well
fitted, therefore, to serve as a figure descriptive of eight different lovers, who follow
each other in quick succession in the favors of the same wanton.

<* Ho-li'o. The name of a wind, but of an entirely different character from those above
mentioned.

' Hana-kahi. (See note /, p. GO.)

s]

tJNWElTTBN UTEBATUKE OF HAWAII 71

s is not a line-f or-line translation ; that the author found inf ea-
Line 8 of the English represents line 7 of the Hawaiian,
more literally, it might be, " He'll shake the buttocks of Hilo's

thousand."

; metaphor of this song is disjointed, but hot with the primeval

>ns of humanity.

Pauku 4

Ho-ina-inaii mea ipo i ka nahele;
Haa-kokoe ana ka maka i ka Moani,
I ka ike i na pua i hoomahie 'Inna;
Ua hi-hi-hina wale i ka moe awaken.

5 Ka ino* ua poina ia Mali'o.
Ala ka i Pua-lel o Ha'o.

I Puna no ka waihona o ka makani;
Kaela ka malama ana a ka Pu'u-lena,
I kahi mea ho-aloha-loha, e!
10 B aloha, e!

[Translation]
Stanza 4

Love is at play in the grove ,
A jealous swain glares fierce
At the flowers tying love-knots,
Lying wilted at noon-tide.

6 So you*ve forgotten Mali'o,
Turned to the flower of Puna —
Puna, the cave of shifty winds.
Long have I cherished this blossom,
A treasure hid in my heart !

10 Oh, sweetheart!

e following account is taken from the Polynesian Researches of
lev. William Ellis, the well-known English missionary, who
d these islands in the years 1822 and 1823, and whose recorded
vations have been of the highest value in preserving a knowl-
of the institutions of ancient Hawaii :

the afternoon, a party of strolling musicians and dancers arrived at
a. About four o'clock they came, followed by crowds of people, and ar-
d themselves on a fine sandy beach in front of one of the governor's
B, where they exhibited a native dance, called hura araapapa.
i five musicians first seated themselves in a line on the ground, and spread
ce of folded cloth on the sand before them. Their instrument was a
calabash, or rather two, one of an oval shai)e about three feet high, the
perfectly round, very neatly fastened to it, having also an aperture
three inches in diameter at the top. Each musician held his instrument be-
ilm with both hands, and produced his music by striking It on the ground,
i he had laid a piece of cloth, and beating It with his fingers, or the palmp
I hands. As soon as they began to sound their calabashes, the dancer, a
I man about the middle stature, advanced through the oi)ening crowd

72 BUREAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY

IIl8 Jet-black hair hung In loose and flowing rhiglets on his naked
his necklace was made of a vast number of strings of nicely braided
ti<Hl together behind, while a paraoa (an ornament made of a wh
hung i>endent from it on his breast; his wrists were ornamented
letH fnrnuHl of (lollshed tusks of the hog, and his ankles with loc
thickly Met with dog*s teeth, the rattle of which, during the dance
with the music of the calabash drum. A beautiful yellow tapa wa
fast(Mi('<l round his loins, reaching to his knees. He began his dan
of the luusicianK, and moved forward and backwards, across the
sioiially chanting the achievements of former kings of Hawaii. Tt
silt at the end of the ring, opposite to the musicians, and appean
with the ] performance, which continued until the evening. (Vol. i
l^mdon. Fisher, Sou & Jackson, 1831.)

NiiTK BY THE AiTiiDB. — At the time of Mr. Ellis* visit to Ilawali the orthog
Hawaiian lan^uaf^ was still In a formative stage, and it is said that his <
influcnre In shaping It. Ills use of r instead of I in the words hula, alaapapa,
may, therefore, l)e ascribed to the fact of his previous acquaintance with thi
southern rolynesin, in which the sound of r to a large extent substitutes th
to the probability that for that reason his ear was already attuned to th
southern fashion, and his Judgment prepossessed in that direction.

I

i

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOav BULLETIN 3S PLATE V

IPU HULA, GOURD DRUM

X.— THE HULA PA-lPU, OR KUOLO

9

•

The pa-ipu^ called also the huolo^ was a hula of dignified char-
acter, in which all the performers maintained the kneeling position
and accompanied their songs with the solemn tones of the ipu (pi.
VII ) , with which each one was provided. The proper handling of this
drumlike instrument in concert with the cantillation of the mele
made such demands upon the artist, who was both singer and instru-
mentalist, that only persons of the most approved skill and experi-
ence were chosen to take part in the performance of this hula.

The maimer of treating the ipu in this hula differed somewhat
from that employed in the ala'a-papa, being subdued and quiet in
that, whereas in the pa-ipu it was at times marked with great vigor
and demonstrativeness, so that in moments of excitement and for the
expression of passion, fierce joy, or grief the ipu might be lifted on
high and wildly brandished. It thus made good its title as the most
important instrument of the Hawaiian orchestra.

In the pa-ipu, as in the hulas generally, while the actors were
sometimes grouped according to sex, they were quite as often dis-
tributed indiscriminately, the place for the leader, the kumu, being
the center.

The vigor that marks the literary style of the mele now given
stamps it as belonging to the archaic period, which closed in the
early part of the eighteenth century, that century which saw the
white man make his advent in Hawaii. The poem deals apparently
with an incident in one of the migrations such as took place during
the period of intercourse between the North and the South Pacific.
This was a time of great stir and contention, a time when there was
much paddling and sailing about and canoe-fleets, often manned by
warriors, traversed the great ocean in every direction. It was then
that Hawaii received many colonists from the archipelagoes that lie

to the southward.

Mele

(Ko'i-honua)

Wela KahikI, e!
Wela Kahiki, e !
Wela aku la Kahiki;
Ua kaulu-wela ka moku;

73

74 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

5 Wela ka ulu o Hawaii ;

Kakala wela aku la Kahiki la 01opaiia,<>
Ka'ii wall! kanaka;
O ka hei kapu ^ o Hana-ka-ulanl,<^
Ka bei kapu a ke alii,
10 Ka hoo-mamao-lani,*
Ke kapu o Keawe,*'
A o Keawe
Ke alii holo, ho-i'a i kai, e-e!

« Olopana. A celebrated king of Waipio valley, Hawaii, who had to wife 1
beauty, Luukia. Owing to misfortune, he sailed away to Kahiki, taking wil
wife and his younger brother, Moikeha, who was his puna-lua, settling in a 1
Moa-uJct-nui-akva. Olopana probably ended his days in his new-found home, ba*
heurt-sick at the loss of Luukia's favors, came back to Hawaii and became the
of a line of distinguished men, several of whom were famous navigators. Ex
incident in the life of Olopana is alluded to in the sixth and preceding verses,
tions that narrate his adventures do not inform us.

^ Hei kapu. An oracle ; the place where the high priest kept himself while
the deities of the hciau. It was a small house erected on an elevated platform
and there he kept himself in seclusion at such times as he sought to be the r
communications from the gods.

" Ilana-ka-ulani. A name applied to several heiau (temples). The first one
according to tradition, was built at liana, Maui, and another one at Kaluanui
near the famous valley of Ka-Hu-wa'a. These heiau are said to have been h\
gods in the misty past soon after landing on these shores. Was it to celel
escape from perils by sea and enemies on land, or was it in token of thanl
gods still higher than themselves?

The author's informant can not tell whether th^e followed the fierce, str
Kane or the milder cult of Lono.

^ Hoo-tnamao-lani. An epithet meaning remote in the heavens, applied to an. t
high rank.

« Keatce. This is a name that belonged to several kings and a large family
papa akua — all of which gods are said to have come from Kahiki and to t
their origin from the Wa Po, the twilight of antiquity. Among the demigods
called Kcaicc may be mentioned: (1) Kcavcc-huU, a prophet and soothsayer. (
kilo-pono, a wise and righteous one, who loved justice. (3) Keawe-hulu-maema
his function to maintain purity and cleanliness ; he was a devouring flami
stroyed rubbish and all foulness. (4) Keawc-ula-o-ka-lani. This was the poet
lation given to the delicate flush of early morning. Apropos of this the Hawa
the following quatrain, which they consider descriptive not only of morning
also of the coming in of the reign of the gods :

O Keawe-ula-i-ka-lani,

O Keawe-liko-i-ka-lani,

O Kcawe-uina-pohfi-i-Kahiki ;

Iliki mai ana o Lono.

[Translation]

Keawe-the-red-blush-of-dawn,
Keawe-the-bud-in-t he-sky,
Keawe-thunder-burst-at-Kahlki :
Till Lono comes in to rei.-rn.

(5) Keawc-pa-makani. It was his function to send winds from Kukulu-o-KahU
as from some other points. (6) Kcaicc-io-io-moa. This god inspected the ocean
currents, such as Au-miki and Au-k(i. (7) Kcairc-i-ka-Uko. He took charge
buds and tender shoots, giving them a chance to develop. (8) Keawe-ulu-pu. ]
function to promote the development and fruitage of plants. (9) Keawe-lu-
caused flowers to shed their petals. (10) Keatvc-opala. It was his thankless ti
ate rubbish and litter by scattering the leaves of the trees. (11) Keawe-hulu, a
who could blow a feather into the air and see it at once become a bird with po
away. (12) Ken we-nui-ka-ua-o-IIilo, a sentinel who stood guard by night and
watch over all creation. (13) Kcaice-pulchu. He was a thief and served as co<
gods. There were gods of evil as well as of good in this set. (14) Keawe-oUi,

►N] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAH 75

[Transiatlon]

8ong

(Distinct utterance)

Glowing is Kahiki, oh !
Glowing is Kahiki !
Lo, Kahiki is a-blaze,
The whole island a-burning.
5 Scorched is thy scion, Hawaii.

Kahiki shoots flame-tongues at Olopana,
That hero of yours, and priest
Of the oracle Hana-ka-ulani,
The sacred shrine of the king —
10 He is of the upper heavens.
The one inspired by Keawe,
That tabu-famous Keawe,
The king passion-fond of the sea.

Mele
PALE I

Lau lehua punoni ula ke kai o Kona,
Ke kai punoni ula i oweo ia;
Wewena ula ke kai la, he kokona ;
Ula ia kini i ka uka o Alaea,
5 I hill ahi ula 1 ke kapa a ka wahine,
I hoeu ia e ka ni'a, e ka hana,
E ka auwai lino mai la a kehau.
He hau hoomoe ka lau o ka niu,
Ke oho o ka laau, lauoho loloa.
10 E 16ha ana i ka la i o Kailua la, 1-u-a.
O ke ku moena ololi a ehu

ku'u aina kai paeaea.

Ea, hoea iluna o Mauna Kilohana,

Na kaha poohiwi man no he inoa.

15 Ua noa e, ua pii*a kou wahi kapu, e-e!

1 a'e 'a mai e ha'i.

with the power to convey and transfer evil, sickness, misfortune, and death. (15)
•kaiH. lie was a robber. (16) Keawe-aihue. lie was a thief. (17) Ktuwe-makilo.
8 a beggar. He would stand round while others were preparing food, doing honest
and plead with his eyes. In this way he often obtained a dole. (18) Keawe-puni-
lle was a glutton, very greedy of porlc ; he was also called Kcawe-ai-pua'a. (10)
■inoino. lie was a sloven, unclean in all his ways. (20) Keawc-ilio. The only title
)wn of this superhuman creature was his inordinate fondness for the flesh of the dog.

none of the superhuman beings mentioned seemed fitted to the role of the Keawe of
:t, who was passionately fond of the sea. The author had given up in despair, when
y, on repeating bis Inquiry In another quarter, he was rewarded by learning of — (21)
-i-Ha-kai. He was a resident of the region about the southeastern point of Mololcai,
Lae-ka-Ilio — Cape of the Dog. lie was extravagantly fond of the ocean and allowetl
ither to interfere with the Indulgence of his penchant. An epithet appli«»d to him
>es bis dominating passion : Keawe moe i ke kai o Kohakii, Keawe who sloops in (or
le sea of Kohakfl. It seems probable that this was the Keawe mentioned in the
ti and thirteenth lines of the mele.

appellation Keatce seems to have served as a sort of Jack among the domig<MlH of
■wallan pantheon, on whom was to be laid the burden of a mongrel host of virtues
res that were not assignable to the regular orthodox deities. Somewhat in the same
o we use the name Jack as a caption for a miscellaneous lot of functions, as when
Mk of a ** Jaek-at-all-trades.'*

76 BUBEAU OF AMEBIC AN ETHNOLOGY

CTranslatlon]

Song
CANTO I

Leaf of lehua and noni-tlnt, the Kona sea.

Iridescent saffron and red,

Changeable watered red, peculiar to Kona;

Red are the uplands Alaea;
5 ^Ui, *tis the flame-red stainM robes of women

Much tossed by caress or desire.

The weed-tangled water-way shines like a rope of pearls^

Dew-i>earls that droop the coco leaf,

The hair of the trees, their long locks —
10 Lo, they wilt in the heat of Kailua the deep.

A mat spread out narrow and gray,

A coigiie of land by the sea where the fisher drops hook.

Now looms the mount Kilohana —

Ah, ye wood-shaded heights, ever-lasting your fkme !
15 Your tabu is gone ! your holy of holies invaded !

Broke down by a stranger!

The intricately twisted language of this mele is allege

rope whose strands are inwrought with passion, envy, detract

abuse. In translating it one has to choose between the poeti

garb and the esoteric meaning which the bard made to lurk

the surface.

Mele

PALE II

Kau6 pu ka iwa kala-pahe'e,
Ka iwa, ka manu o Kaula i ka makanL
E ka manu o-ti pani-wai o Lehua,
O na manu kapu a Kuhai-moana,
5 Mai hele a luna o Lei-no-ai,

kolohe, o alai mai ka IJnu-lau.
Puni'a iluna o ka Halau-a-ola;

A ola aku i ka luna o Maka-iki-olea,

1 ka lulu, i ka la'i o kai maio,

10 Ma ka ha'i-w^ i ka mole o Lehua la, Le-hti-a !

O na lehua o Alaka'l ka'u aloha,

() na lehua iluna o Ko'i-alana ;

Ua nonoho hooipo me ke kohe-kohe;

T'a anu, maeele i ka ua noe.
15 Ua mai oe; kau a'e ka nauH laua nei, e-e,

Na 'lii e o'oui mai nei, e-e I

[Translation]

Song

CANTO II

The iwa flies heavy to nest in the brush,

Its haunt on windy Ke-ula.

Tlio watch-bird, that fends oft the rain from Le-hu-a —

UNWBITTEN UTEBATTJRE OF HAWAH 77

Bird sacred to Ku-hal, the shark-god —
5 Shrieks, "Light not on terrace of Lei-no-ai,

Lest Unu-lau fiercely assail you."

Storm sweeps the cliffs of the islet ;

A covert they seek neath the hills.

In the sheltered lee of the gale,
10 The cove at the base of Le-hu-a.

The shady groves there enchant them.

The scarlet plumes of lehua.

Love-dalliance now by the water-reeds.

Till cooled and appeased by the rain-mist.
15 Pour on, thou rain, the two heads press the pillow :

Lo, prince and princess stir in their sleep!

icene of this mele is laid on one of the little bird-islands that
16 northwest of Kauai. The iwa bird, flying heavily to his

place in the wiry grass {kala-pahee) ^ symbolizes the flight
n in his deep-laden pirogue, abducting the woman of his love,
•earning sea-birds that warn him off the island, represented
h-guards of the shark-god Kuhai-moana (whose reef is still

out), figure the outcries of the parents and friends of the
d woman.

' the first passionate outburst (Puni^a iluna o ha Halau-a-ola)
go more smoothly {ola * * *). The flight to covert from
m, the cove at the base of Le-hu-a, the shady groves, the scar-
ipons of the lehua— the tree and the island have the same
all these things are to be interpreted figuratively as emblems
an's physical charms and the delights of love-dalliance.

Mele

PALE III

(Ai-ha'a)

Ku aku la Kea-afi, lele ka makani mawaho,

TJlu-mano, ma ke kaha o Wai-o-lono.

Ua moani lehua a'e la mauka ;

Kani lehua iluna o Kupa-koili,
5 I ka o ia i ka lau o ka hala,

Ke poo o ka hala o ke aku'i.

E ku'i e, e ka uwalo.

liOli ka mu*o o ka hala,

A helelei ka pua, a pill ke alanui :
10 Pu ia Pana-ewa, ona-ona i ke a la,

I ka nahele makai o Ka-unu-loa la.

Nani ke kaunu, ke kaunu a ke alii,

He puni ina'i poi na maua.

Ua hala ke Kau a me ka Hoilo,
15 Mailaila mai no ka hana ino.

Ino mai oe, noho malie aku uo hoi au ;

Hopo o' ka inaina, ka wai, e-e;

Wiwo au, hopohopo iho nei, e-el

78 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHN0L06T

[Translation]

Song
CANTO III

(In turgid style)

A storm from the sea strikes Ke-an,

Ulu-mano, sweeping across the barrens;

It sniffs the fragrance of upland lehua.

Turns back at Kupa-koili;
5 Sawed by the blows of the palm leaves.

The groves of pandanus in lava shag;

Their fruit he would string 'bout his neck;

Tlieir fruit he finds wilted and crushed,

More rubbish to litter the road —
10 Ah, the perfume! Pana-ewa is drunk with the scent;

The breath of it spreads through the groves.

Vainly flares the old king's jmssion,

Craving a sauce for his moat and mine.

The summer has flown : winter has come :
15 Ah, that is the head of our troubles.

Palsied are you and helpless am I;

You shrink from a plunge in the water;

Alas, poor me! I'm a coward.

The ima<2:orv of this mele sets forth the story of the fie
fruitless, love-soarch of a chief, who is figured by the Ulu-
boistorous wind of Puna, Hawaii. The fragrance of uplan
(moani Jehita a''e la mauka^ verse 3) typifies the charms of the
lie pursues. The expression l^ani Jehua (verse 4), literally the
endinf]f of a rain-squall, signifies the man's failure to gain hij
The lover seeks to string the golden drupe of the pandanus
that he may wear them as a wreath about his neck {uwalo
wounded by the teeth of the sword-leaves (o ia i ha lau o i
verse 5). More than this, he meets pow^erful, concerted resists
poo o I'a hala o he ahii^'u verse 6), offered by the compact gi
pandanus that grow in the rough lava-shag {ahuH)^ ^ypi^J
doubt, the resistance made bv the friends and retainers of the
After all, he finds, or declares that he finds, the hala fruit
sought to gather and to wear as a lei about his neck, to be
broken, fit only to litter the road {lolt ha miuy o ha hala^ ver
helelei ha pua, a pill he aJanuL verse 0). In si)ite of his rept
his villification of the woman, his passion still feeds on the tho
the one he has lost ; her charms intoxicate his imagination, >
the i)erfume of the hala bloom bewitches the air of Pana-ewa
Pauaeu'a, ona-ona i he ala, verse 10).

It is difficult to interpret verses 12 to 18 in harmony with th
as above given. They may be regarded as a commentary

i\ UNWBITTEN LITERATXJEE OF HAWAH 79

nate episode in the life of the lover, looked at from the stand-
of old age, at a time when passion still survives but physical
th is in abeyance.

he sugar-boiler can not extract from the stalk the last grain
ar, so the author finds it impossible in any translation to ex-
he full intent of these Hawaiian mele.

Mele

PALE IV

Aole au e hele ka li'u-ld o Mand,
la wai oupe-kanaka « o Lima-loa ; ^
A e hoopunlpuni ia a'e nei ka malUiini;
A mal puni au : he wai oupe na.
5 He ala-pahi ka U'u-1& o MaM;

Ke poloai ^^ la 1 ke Koolau-wahine.**

Ua ulu mai ka hoaloha i Wailua,

A ua kino-lau ® Kawelo f mahamaha-i'a,^'

oupe-kanaka. Man-fooling water ; the mirage.
j-loa. The long-armed, the god of the mirage, who made his appearance at Man&,

ai. To converse with, to have dealings with one.

lau-wahine. The sea-hreeze at Mana. There is truth as well as poetry in the as-
made in this verse. The warm moist air, rising from the heated sands of Manfl,
oubtedly draw in the cool breeze from the ocean — a fruitful dalliance.
y-lau. Having many (400) bodies, or metamorphoses, said of Kawelo.
•elo. A sorcerer who lived in the regioi^ of Man&. His favorite metamorphosis
t> the form of a shark. Even when in human form he retained the gills of a fish
I the mouth of a shark at the back of his shoulders, while to the lower part of his
ire attached the tail and flukes of a shark. To conceal these monstrous append-
wore over his shoulders a kihei of kapa and allowed himself to be seen only while
itttng posture. He sometimes took the form of a worm, a moth, a caterpillar, or
rfly to escape the hands of his enemies. On land he generally appeared as a
latting, after the manner of a Hawaiian gardener while weeding his garden plot.
raltivated lands of Kawelo lay alongside the much-traveled path to the beach
:he people of the neighborhood resorted to bathe, to fish, and to swim in the
He made a practice of saluting the passers-by and of asking them, " Whither are
ngT* adding the caution, "Look to it that you are not swallowed head and tail
■bark ; he has not breakfasted yet " (E akahele oukou o pan po'o, pau hVu i ka
aohe i paina i kakahiaka o ka man6). As soon as the traveler had gone on his
the ocean, Kawelo hastened to the sea and there assumed his shark-form. The
Sesh of children was his favorite food. The frequent utterance of the same can-
ned to the great mortality among the children and youth who resorted to the ocean

place, caused a panic among the residents. The parents consulted a sooth-
rho Burprised them with the information that the guilty one was none other than
ooent-looking farmer, Kawelo. Instructed by the soothsayer, the people made an
p net of great strength and having very fine meshes. This they spread in the ocean
bathing place. Kawelo, when caught in the net, struggled fiendishly to break
mt In vain. According to directions, they flung the body of the monster into an
js oven which they had heated to redness, and supplied with fresh fuel for five
m days — elima anahulu. At the end of that time there remained only gray ashes.
>phet had commanded them that when this had been accomplished they must fill

of the oven with dry dirt; thus doing, the monster would never come to life.
eidected this i^ecaution. A heavy rain fiooded the country — the superhuman work
lorcerer — and from the moistened ashes sprang into being a swarm of lesser sharks.
bem have come the many species of shark that now infest our ocean.
boose which once was Kawelo's ocean residence is still pointed out, 7 fathoms
I ftructare regularly built of rocks.
k«-aia^ fa. The gills or fins of a fish such as marked Kawelo.

80 BTJBEAU OF AMEBIGAN ETHNOLOGY

A na aona ^ mat nei ho olwi e.
10 He mea e wale au e noho akn nei la.
Noho.
O ka noho kan a ka mea waiwai;

kau ka i*a a haawi la mai.
Oli-oli au ke loaa la oe.

15 A pela ke a hi o Ka-maile,^

He alualu hewa a'e la ka malihini,
Kiikuni hewa i ka ili a kau ka uli, e;
Kau ka nli a ka mea aloha, e.

[Translation!

Song
CANTO IV

1 will not chase the mirage of Man&,
That man-fooling mist of god Lima-loa,
Which still deceives the stranger —

And came nigh fooling me — the tricksy water!
5 The mirage of Mand, is a fraud; it
Wantons with the witch Koolau.
A friend has turned up at Wailua,
Changeful Kawelo, with gills like a fish.
Has power to bring luck in any queer shape.

10 As a stranger now am I living,
Aye, living.

You flaunt like a person of wealth,
Yours the fish, till it comes to my hook.
I am blest at receiving from you:

15 Like fire-sticks fiung at Ka-maile —
The visitor vainly chases the brand:
Fool ! he burns his flesh to gain the red mark,
A sign for the girl he loves, oho !

Mele
PALE V

(Ai-ha'a, a he Ko'ihonua paha)

Kauhua Ku, ka Lani, i-loli ka moku;
Tlooltohi ko kua-koko o ka Lani;
TIo kua-koko, pu-koko i ka honua ;
II(» kua-koko kapu no ka Lani;

"Aona. A word of doubtful meaning; according to one It means lucky

poundor (T V ) says it should, or might ho, haona ; he instance)

iiri paoa, in which the word paoa has a similar, but not identical, form and
bono.

'' Ka-nioile. A place on Kauai where prevailed the custom of throwing flrel
tho lofty precipice of Nuololo. This amusement made a fine display at nig
firo sticks fell they swayed and drifted in the breeze, making it diflScult for c
bolow to premise their course through the air and to catch one of them befc
tho ground or tho water, that l)eing one of the objects of the sport. When a
accomplished this feat, he would sometimes mark his flesh with the burnin,
ho might show the brand to his sweetheart as a token of his fidelity.

N] UNWBITTEN LITEBATUBE OF HAWAH 81

5 He ko'i ula ana a maku'i i ka ala,

Hoomau kn-w& mahu ia,

Ka maka o ke ahi alii e a nei.

Ko mai ke keiki koko a ka Lani,

Ke keiki he nuuhiwa ia Hitu-kolo,
LO O ke keiki hiapo anuenue, iloko o ka manawa,

O hi ka wai nui o ka nuuhiwa a Ke-opu-o-lani,

O ua alii lani alewa-lewa nei,

E u-lele, e ku nei ma ka lani;

O ka Lani o na mu'o-lau o Liliha,
15 Ka hakina, ka pu'e, kamaka o Kuhi-hewa a Lola —

Kalola, nana ke keiki laha-laha;

Ua kela, he kela ka pakela

O na pahi'a loa o ka pu likoliko i ka lani

O kakoo hulu manu o o-uln,
20 O ka hulu o-ku'i lele i ka lani,

O hiapo o ka manu leina a Pokahi,

O Ka-lani-opu'u hou o ka moku,

O na kupuna koikoi- o Keoua, o ka Lani Kui-apo-iwa.

[Translation]
Song

CANTO V

(To be recited in bombastic style, or, it may be, distinctly)

Big with child is the Princess Ku ;

The whole island suffers her whimsies ;

The paAgs of labor are on her ;

Labor that stains the land with blood,
6 Blood-clots of the heavenly bom,

To preserve and guard the royal line.

The spark of king-fire now glowing ;

A child is he of heavenly stock.

Like the darling of Hitu-kolo,
10 First womb-fruit bom to love's rainbow.

A bath for this child of heaven's breast.

This mystical royal offspring.

Who ranks with the heavenly peers.

This tender bud of Liliha,
15 This atom, this parcel, this flame.

In the line Kuhi-hewa of Lola —

Ka-lola, who mothered a babe prodigious,

For glory and splendor renowned,

A scion most comely from heaven,
20 The finest down of the new-grown plume,

BYom bird whose moult fioats to heaven,

Prime of the soaring birds of Pokahi,

The prince, heaven-fiower of the island.

Ancestral sire of Ke-oua,
25 And of King Kui-apo-iwa.

25352~BuU. 38—09 6

82 BXJBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

The heaping up of adulations, of which this mele is a ca
stance, was not peculiar to Hawaiian poetry. The Roman S(
stowed divinity on its emperors by vote ; the Hawaiian bard !
careering on his Pegasus, thought to accomplish the same
piling Ossa on Pelion with high-flown phrases ; and every Ic
ject added his contribution to the cairn that grew heavenwan

In Hawaii, as elsewhere, the times of royal debasement, o
cratic degeneracy, of doubtful or disrupted succession, have
been the times of loudest poetic insistence on birth-rank and <
sion for the most frenzied utterance of high-sounding titles,
a disease that has grown with the decay of monarchy.

Applying this criterion to the mele above given, it may hi
to be by no means a product wholly of the archaic peripd.
certain parts, say from the first to the tenth verses, inclusi
the mark of antiquity, the other parts do not ring clear. It i
if some poet of comparatively modern times had revamped
mele to suit his own ends. Of this last part two verses were
ingly an interpolation that they were expunged from the text

The effort to translate into pure Anglo-Saxon this vehem
pour of high-colored phrases has made heavy demands on the
lary and has strained the idioms of our speech well-nigh to tl
of protest.

In lines 1, 2, 4, 8, 14, and 23 the word Lani means a prince

cess, a high chief or king, a heavenly one. In lines 12, 13, 18

the same word lani means the heavens, a concept in the H

mind that had some far-away approximation to the Olyn

classic Greece.

Mele

Ooe no paha ia, e ka lau o ke aloha,

Oia no paha ia ke kau mai nei ka hall'a.

Ke hali'a-li'a mai nei ka maka,

Manao hiki mai no paha an anel.
5 Hiki mai no la ia, na wai e uwe aku?

Ua pan kau la, kau ike iaia;

Ka manawa oi' e ai ka manao iloko.

Ua Inn iho nei an i ke kai nui ;

Nui ka ukiuki, paio o ka naau.
10 Aohe kanaka eha ole i ke aloha.

A wahine e oe, kanaka e an ;

He mau alualu ka ha'i e lawe.

Ike aku i ke kula i'a o Ka-wai-nui.

Nui ka opala ai o Moku-lana.
15 Lana ka limn pae hewa o Makau-wahine.

O ka wahine no oe, o ke kane no ia.

Hiki mai no la ia, na wai e uwe aku?

Hoi mai no la ia, a ia wai e uwe aku?

EMBB80N] UNWBITTBN LITEBATXJBE OF HAWAU 83

[Translation]
• Song

Methtnks it is you, leaf plucked from Love's tree,

You mayhap, that stirs my affection.

There's a tremulous glance of the eye,

The. thought she might chance yet to come:
5 But who then would greet her with song?

Your day has flown, your vision of her —

A time this for gnawing the heart.

I've plunged just now In deep waters :

Oh the strife and vexation of soul!
10 No mortal goes scathless of love.

A wife thou estranged, I a husband estranged.

Mere husks to be cast to the swine.**

Look, the swarming of fish at the weir !

Their feeding grounds on the reef
15 Are waving with mosses abundant.

Thou art the woman, that one your man —

At her coming who'll greet her with song?

Her returning, who shall console?

This song almost explains itself. It is the soliloquy of a lover
estranged from his mistress. Imagination is alive in eye and ear to
everything that may bring tidings of her, even of her unhoped-for
return. Sometimes he speaks as if addressing the woman who has
gone from him, or he addresses himself, or he personifies some one
who speaks to him, as in the sixth line : " Your day has flown,

* * ♦ 5?

The memory of past vexation and anguish extorts the philosophic
I'emark, " No mortal goes scathless of love." He gives over the
past, seeks consolation in a new attachment — ^he dives, Zw'i/, into the
great ocean, " deep waters," of love, at least in search of love. The
old self (selves), the old love, he declares to be only alualu^ empty
husks.

He — it is evidently a man — sets forth the wealth of comfort, opu-
lence, that surrounds hinrin his new-found peace. The scene, being
laid in the land Kailua, Oahu — the place to which the enchanted
tree Maka-lei^ was carried long ago, from which time its waters
abounded in fish — ^fish are naturally the symbol of the opulence that
now bless his life. But, in spite of the new-found peace and pros-
perity that attend him, there is a lonely corner in his heart; the
old question echoes in its vacuum, " Who'll greet her with song?
* * * who shall console ? "

• In the original, Be mau alualu ka haH e lawe, literally " Some skins for another to
take."

*Maka-UL (See note h, p. 17.)

'20
84 BUBEAU OF AMEBIGAN ETHNOLOGY

Uele

Ewa, aina kai ula i ka lepo»

1 ula i ka makani anu Moa'e,
Ka manu ula 1 ka lau ka ai,

I palahe'a ula i ke kai o Kuhl-A.

•
5 Mai kuhi mai oukou e, owau ke kalohe;

Aohe na'u, na lakou no a pau.

Aohe hewa kekahi keikl a ke kohe.

£1' a'e; oia no paha ia.

I lono oukou ia wai, e, ua moe?

10 Oia kini poai o lakou la paha?

Ike aku ia ka mau'u hina-hina —
He liina ko*u, tie aka mai ko ia la.
I aka mai oe i kou la manawa le'a;
A mauawa ino, nui mai ka nuku,

15 Iloomokapu, hoopale mai ka maka,
Hoolahui wale mai i a'u nei.
E, oia imha ; ae, oia no paha ia.

[Translation]
Song

Ewa*s lagoon is red with dirt —
Dust blown by the cool Moa'e,
A plumage red on the taro leaf,
An ocherous tint in the bay.

5 Say not in your heart that I am the culprit.
Not I, but they, are at fault.
No child of the \^'omb is to blame.
There goes, likely he is the one.
Who was it blabbed of the bed defiled?

10 It must have been one of that band.

But look at the rank grass beat down —
For my part, I tripped, the other one smiled.
You smiled in your hour of pleasure;
But now, when crossed, how you scold!

15 Avoiding the house, averting the eyes —
You make of nie a mere stranger.
Yes it's probably so, he's the one.

A poem this full of local color. The plot of the story, as
interpreted, runs somewhat as follows : While the man of t
presumably, is away, it would seem — fishing, perhaps, in t]
of Ew^a's " shamrock lagoon " — the mistress sports with a lo
culprit impudently defends himself with chaff and dust-i
The hoodlums, one of whom is himself the sinner, have b
bing, says he.

] UNWRITTEN LITERATtJKE OF HAWAn 85

accuser points to the beaten down hina-hina grass as evidence
b him. At this the brazen-faced culprit parries the stroke with
orous euphemistic description, in which he plays on the word
fall. Such verbal tilting in ancient Hawaii was practically a
3 against a charge of moral obliquity as decisive and legiti-
s was an appeal to arms in the times of chivalry. He euphe-
lUy speaks of the beaten herbage as the result of his having
i and fallen, at which, says he, the woman smiled, that is she
with his proposals. He gives himself away ; but that doesn't

•

squires some study to make out who is the speaker in the tit-
of the dialogue.

Mele

(Ai-ha'a)

He lua i ka Hikina,
Ua ena e Pele;
Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,
Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;
5 Kawewe ka (y6 i-lalo i akea;
A ninau o Wakea,
Owai nei akua e eli nei?
Owau no, o Pele,
Nana i eli aku ka lua i Niihau a a.

10 He lua i Niihau, ua eua e Pele.

Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,

Ke lele la i-luna, 1-lalo;

Kawewe ka o-6 i-lalo i akea;

A ninau o Wakea,
15 Owai nei akua e eli nei?

Owau no, o Pele,

Nana.i eli aku ka lua i Kauai a a.

He lua i Kauai ua ena e Pele.

Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,
20 Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;

Kawewe ka o-6 i-lalo i akea ;

Ninau o Wakea,

Owai nei akua e eli nei?

Owau no, o Pele,
25 Nana i eli ka lua i Oahu a a.

He lua i Oahu, ua ena e Pele.
Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,
Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;
Kawewe ka o-6 i-lalo i akea;
30 A ninau o Wakea,

Owai nei akua e eli nei?

Owau no, o Pele,

Nana i eli ka lua i Molokai a a.

86 BUBEAU OF AMEBICAN ETHKOLOOT

He Ina 1 Molokal. ua ena e Pele.
85 Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,

Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;

Kiiwewp ka o-6 i-lalo, 1 akea.

Ninau o Wakea,

Ownl net akua e eli nei?
40 Owau no» o Pele,

Nana i eli aku ka lua i Lanai a a.

He lua i Jjanal, ua ena e Pele.
Ke liaoloolo e la ke ao,
Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;
45 Kawewe ka o-^) i-lalo i akea.
Ninau o Wakea,
Owai nei akua e ell nei?
Owau no, o Pele,
Nana i eli aku ka lua i Map! a a.

50 He lua i Maui, ua ena e Pele.

Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,

Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;

Kawewe ka o-6 i-lalo, I akea. •

Ninau o Wakea,
55 Owai, nei akua e ell nei?

Owau no, o Pele,

Nana i eli aku ka lua i Hu'ehu*e a a.

Tie lua i Hu'ehu'e, ua ena e Pele.
Ke haoloolo e la ke ao,
60 Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo;

Kawewe ka o-6 i-lalo, i akea.
Eli-eli, kau niai !

[Translation!

Sonff

(In turpid style)

A pit lies (far) to the East,
Pit het hy the Fire-queen Pele.
Iloavon's dawn is lifted askew.
One oflRo tilts up, one down, In the sky;
5 The thud of the pick is heard in the ground.
The question is asked l)y Wakea,
What pod 's this a-digging?
It is I, it Is Polo,

Who dug Nlihau deep down till it burned,
10 Dug fire-pit re<l-heated by Pele.

Night's curtains are drawn to one side,
One lifts, one hangs in the tide.
Crunch of s])ade resounds in the earth.
Wakea 'gain urges the query,
15 What god plies the spade in the ground?
Quoth Pele, 'tis I :

M] UNWBITTEN LITBBATUBB OF HAWAII 87

I mined to the fire neath Kauai,
On Kauai I dug deep a pit,
A fire-well flame-fed by Pele.

20 The heavens are lifted aslant,

One border moves up and one down:

There's a stroke of 0-6 'neath the ground.

Wakea, in earnest, would know,

Wliat demon's a-grubbing below?
25 I am the worker, says Pele:

Oahu I pierced to the quick,

A crater white-heated by Pele.

Now mom lights one edge of the sky ;

The light streams up, the shadows fall down;
30 There's a clatter of tools deep down.

Wakea, in passion, demands.

What god this who digs 'neath the ground?

It is dame Pele who answers;

Hers the toil to dig down to fire,
35 To dig Molokai and reach fire.

Now morning peeps from the sky
With one eye open, one shut.
Hark, ring of the drill 'neath the plain !
Wakea asks you to explain,
40 What imp is a-drilling below?
It is I, mutters Pele:
I drilled till flame shot forth on Lanai,
A pit candescent by Pele.

»
The morning looks forth aslant;

45 Heaven's curtains roll up and roll down ;

There's a ring of o-6 'neath the sod.

Who, asks Wakea, the god,

Who is this devil a-digging?

'Tis I, 'tis Pele, I who
50 Dug on Maui the pit to the fire:

Ah, the crater of Maui,

Red-glowing with Pele's own fire!

Heaven's painted one side by the dawn,

Her curtains half open, half drawn :
55 A rumbling is heard far below.

Wakea insists he will know

The name of the god that tremors the land.

'Tis I, grumbles Pele,

I have scooped out the pit Hu'e-hu'e,
eo A pit that reaches to fire,

A fire fresh kindled by Pele.

Now day climbs up to the East;
Mom folds the curtains of night ;
The spade of 8api)or resounds 'neath the plain :
65 The goddess is at it again !

88 BtJB£AU OF AMEltlCAN ETHKOLOOlT

This mele comes to us stamped with the hall-mark of an
It is a poem of mythology, but with what story it connects its
author knows not.

The translation here given makes no profession of absolute,
literalness. One can not transfer a metaphor bodily, head anc
from one speech to another. The European had to invent
name for the boomerang or accept the name by which the Aus
called it. The Frenchman, struggling with the English lai
told a lady he was gangrened; he meant he was mortified. 1
for literalism is the cry for an impossibility ; to put the chickc
into its shell, to return to the bows and arrows of the stone ag

To make the application to the mele in question : the word
olo^ for example, which is translated in several different ways
poem, is of such generic and comprehensive meaning that on
fails to express its meaning. It is, by the way, not a wore
found in any dictionary. The author had to grope his waj
meaning by following the trail of some Hawaiian pathfinde
after beating about the bush, finally had to acknowledge tl
path had become so much overgrown since he last went th«
that he could not find it.

The Arabs have a hundred or more words meaning swore
f erent kinds of swords. To them our word sword is very uns;
Talk to an Arab of a sword — ^you may exhaust the list of i
forms that our poor vocabulary compasses, straight sword,
sword, saber, scimitar, yataghan, rapier, and what not, and 5
hit the mark of his definition.

Mele

Haku'i ka uahi o ka lua, pa i ka lani;
Ha'aha*a Hawaii, mokii o Keawe i hanau in.
Kiekie ke one o Mal&ma ia Lohian,
I a'e 'a mai e ke alii o Kabiki,
5 Nana i hele kai uli, kai ele,
Kai popolo-liu'a a Kane,
Ka wa i po'i ai ke Kai-a-ka-hina-lii,
Kai nu'u, kai lewa.

Hoopna o Kane i ka la'ij
10 Pa uli-hiwa mai la ka uka o ke ahi a Laka,

Oia wahine kihene leliua o Hoi)oe,

Pu'e aku o na hala,

Ka hala o Panaewa,

O Panaewa niii, moku lehua;
15 Oliia kupu ha-o'e-o'e;

Loliua ula, i will ia e ke ahi.

A IK), e!

Po Puna, po Hilo!
Po i ka uahi o ku'u aina.
20 Ola ia kini!

Ke a mai la ke ahi!

DN] UlJWRlTTEK LITERATURE OF HAWAII 89

[Translation]
8ong

A burst of smoke from the pit lifts to the skies;
Hawaii *s beneath, birth-land of Keawe;
Malama's beach looms before Lohiau,
Where landed the chief from Kahiki,
5 From a voyage on the blue sea, the dark sea,
The foam-mottled sea of Kane,

What time curled waves of the king-whelming flood.
The sea up-swells, invading the land —

Lo Kane, outstretched at his ease!
10 Smoke and flame overshadow the uplands,

•

Oonflagration by Laka, the woman
Hopoe wreathed with flowers of lehua.
Stringing the pandanus fruit.
Screw-palms that clash in Pan'-ewa —
15 Pan'-ewa, whose groves of lehua
Are nourished by lava shag,
Lehua that bourgeons with flame.

Night, it is night
0*er Puna and Hilo !
20 Night from the smoke of my land !
For the people salvation !
But the land is on flre!

he Hawaiian who furnished the meles which, in their translated
as, are designated as canto I, canto II, and so on, spoke of them
die; and, following his nomenclature, the term has been retained,
igh more intimate acquaintance with the meles and with the term
shown that the nearest English synonym to correspond with pale
Id l)e the word division. Still, perhaps with a mistaken tender-
for the word, the author has retained the caption Canto, as a
of nodding recognition of the old Hawaiian's term — division of
)eni. No idea is entertained that the five pale above given were
posed by the same bard, or that they represent productions from
same individual standpoint. They do, however, breathe a spirit
h in common; so that when the old Hawaiian insisted that they
so far related to one another as to form a natural series for reci-
9n in the hula, being species of the same genus, as it were, lie
not far from the truth. The man's idea seemed to be that thev
e so closely related that, like beads of harmonious colors and
pes, they might be strung on the same thread without producing a
onance.

If these five poems, or pale (pah-lay), numbers I, II, and IV
t» uttered in a natural tone of voice, termed kawele^ otherwise
aed ko*i-honua. The purpose of this style of recitation was to
pt the tone to the necessities of the aged when their ears no longer

do BITBEAU OF AMEfilCAN ETHNOLOGY

heard distinctly. It would require an audiphone to ill)
fectly the difference between this method of pronunciati
ai-ha^a, which was employed in the recitation of cantos
Tlie at' ha a was given in a strained and guttural tone.

The poetical reciter and cantillator, whether in the hal
king's court, was wont to heighten the oratorical effect o:
tion by certain crude devices, the most marked of which
choking the voice down, as it were, into the throat, and t
it strain and growl like a hungry lion. This was the ai-
organic function was the expression of the underground
the soul.

XI.— THE HULA KI'I

I was not a little surprised when I learned that the ancient hula
repertory of the Hawaiians included a performance with marionettes,
ki^i^ dressed up to represent human beings. But before accepting
the hula kVi as a product indigenous to Hawaii, I asked myself,
Might not .this be a performance in imitation of the Punch-and- Judy
show familiar to Europe and America?

After careful study of the question no evidence was found, other
than what might be inferred from general resemblance, for the theory
of adoption from a European or American origin. On the contrary,
the words used as an accompaniment to the play agree with report
and tradition, and bear convincing evidence in form and matter to a
Hawaiian antiquity. That is not to say, however, that in the use of
marionettes the Hawaiians did not hark back to their ancestral homes
in the southern sea or to a remoter past in Asia.

The six marionettes, kVi (pis. vin and ix), in the writer's possession
were obtained from a distinguished kumu-hula, who received them by
inheritance, as it were, from his brother. " He gave them to me," said
he, " with these words, ' Take care of these things, and when the time
comes, after my death, that the king wants you to perform before
him, be ready to fulfill his desire.' "

It was in the reign of Kamehameha III that they came into the
hands of the elder brother, who was then and continued to be the
royal hula-master until his death. These ki'i have therefore figured
in performances that have been graced by the presence of King
Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) and his queen, Kalama, and by his
successors since then down to the times of Kalakaua. At the so-
called "jubilee," the anniversary of Kalakaua's fiftieth birthday,
these marionettes were very much in evidence.

The make-up and style of these ki'i are so similar that a descrip-
tion of one will serve for all six. This marionette represents the
figure of a man, and was named Maka-hu (pi. ix). The head is
carved out of some soft wood — either kukui or wiliwili — which is
covered, as to the hairy scalp, with a dark woven fabric much like
broadcloth. It is encircled at the level of the forehead with a broad
band of gilt braid, as if to ape the style of a soldier. The median
line from the forehead over the vertex to the back-head is crested
with the mahiole ridge. This, taken in connection with the encircling

91

92 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

gilt band, gives to the head a warlike appearance, somewha
were armed with the classical helmet, the Hawaiian name f
is maki'Ole. The crest of the ridge and its points of junct
the forehead and back-head are decorated with fillets of w
of a reddish color, in apparent imitation of the mamo or
birds whose feathers were used in decorating helmets, clo
other regalia. The features are carved with some attempt a<
The eyes are set with mother-of-pearl.

The figure is of about one-third life size, and was o
draped, the author was told, in a loose robe, holoku^ of ta
of the sort known as mahuna^ which is quite thin. This
tapa is perforated at short intervals with small holes, kiko
also stained with the juice from the bark of the root of tl
tree, which imparts a color like that of copper, and makes
waiians class it as paHkukuL A portion of its former, its
apparel has been secured.

The image is now robed in a holoku of yellow cotton,
which is an underskirt of striped silk in green and white. 1
are loosely jointed to the body.

The performer in the hula, who stood behind a screen, by
ating his hands under the clothing of the marionette, could
to it such movements as were called for by the action of t
while at the same time he repeated the words of his part, wo
posed to be uttered by the marionette.

The hula ki'i was, perhaps, the nearest approximation r
the Hawaiians to a genuine dramatic performance. Its usual
ment of musical accompaniment was the ipu, previously de
This drumlike object was handled by that division of the p
ers called the hooj^a'a, who sat in full view of the audience r
lating the ipu in a quiet, sentimental manner, similar to tl
ployed in the hula kuolo.

As a sample of the stories illustrated in a performance
hula ki'i the following may be adduced, the dramatis pers
which are four:

1. Maka-hu^ a famous warrior, a rude, strong-handed brag^
boastful as Ajax.

2. Piiapua-kea^ a small man, but brave and active.

3. Maile-lan-lii ( Small-leaf ed-maile), a young woman, w
comes the wife of Maka-ku.

4. Maile-Pakaha^ the younger sister of Maile-lau-lii, who b
the wife of Puapua-kea.

Maka-kii, a rude and boastful son of Mars, at heart a bully,
a coward, is represented as ever aching for a fight, in whi
domineering spirit and rough-and-tumble ways for a time ga
the advantage over abler, but more modest, adversaries.

i

BBSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 93

Puapuakea, a man of genuine courage, hearing of the boastful
hievements of Maka-ku, seeks him out and challenges him.
At the first contest they fought with javelins, ihe^ each one tak-
.g his turn according to lot in casting his javelins to the full tale
: the prescribed number; after which the other contestant did the
LHie. Neither was victorious.

Next they fought with slings, each one having the right to sling
MTty stones at the other. In this conflict also neither one of them
ot the better of the other. The next trial was with stone-throwing.
*lie result was still the same.

Now it was for them to try the classical Hawaiian game of liia.
Tiis was a strenuous form of contest that has many features in com-
mon with the panathlion of the ancient Hellenes, some points in
z^mmou with boxing, and still more, perhaps, partakes of the char-
cter of the grand art of combat, wrestling. Since becoming ac-
Uainted with the fine Japanese art of jiu-jitsu^ the author recog-
izes certain methods that were shared by them both. But to all of
hese it added the wild privileges of choking, bone-breaking, dis-
Dcating, eye-gouging, and the infliction of tortures and grips unmen-
1 enable and disreputable. At first the conflict was in suspense, vic-
ory favoring neither party ; but as the contest went on Puapuakea
hewed a sUght superiority, and at the finish he had bettered Maka-ku
>y three points, or af,« as the Hawaiians uniquely term it.

The sisters, Maile-lau-lii and Maile-pakaha, who had been inter-
red spectators of the contest, conceived a passionate liking for the
wo warriors and laid their plans in concert to capture them for
hemselves. Fortunately their preferences were not in conflict.
^laile-lau-lii set her affections on Maka-ku, while the younger sister
levoted herself to Pua-pua-kea.

The two men had previously allowed their fancies to range abroad
It pleasure; but from this time they centered their hearts on these
two Mailes and settled down to regular married life.

Interest in the actual performance of the hula ki'i was stimulated
by a resort to byplay and buffoonery. One of the marionettes, for
instance, points to some one in the audience; whereupon one of the
h'fo/Hta asks, "What do you want? " The marionette persists in its
pointing. At length the interlocutor, as if divining the marionette's
wish, says : "Ah, you want So-and-so." At this the marionette nods
as*5ent. and the hoopaa asks again, " Do you wish him to come to
ycui ?" The marionette expresses its delight and approval by nods
an<i gestures, to the immense satisfaction of the audience, wlio join
ill derisive laughter at the expense of the jx^rson held up to ridicule.

I^'sides the marionettes already named among the characters found
in the different hula-plays of the hula ki'i, the author lias heard

•Ai, literally a food, a course.

94 BUBEAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

mention of the following marionettes: Ku^ Kini-k^i^ noo-lehelehe-
kVi^ Kri'krij and Nihi-aumoe.

Nihi-aumoe was a man without the incumbrance of a wife, an
expert in the arts of intrigue and seduction. Nihi-aumoe is a word
of very suggestive meaning, to walk softly at midnight. In Judge
Andrews's dictionary are found the following pertinent Hawaiian
verses apropos of the word niht:

E hoopono ka hele i ka uka o Puna;
E nihi ka hele, mai hoolawehala,
Mai noho a ako 1 ka pua, o hewa,
O inaina ke Akua, [ma ke alanui,
Aole ou ala e hikl aku ai.

[Translation]

Look to your ways in upland Puna ;
Walk softly, commit no olTense;
Dally not, nor pluck the flower sin ;
Lest God in anger bar the road.
And you find no way of escape.

The marionette Ki'i-ki'i was a strenuous little fellow, an Uamuhn^
a marshal, or constable of the king. It was his duty to carry out
with unrelenting rigor the commands of the alii, whether they bade
him take possession of a taro patch, set fire to a house, or to steal
upon a man at dead of night and dash out his brains while he slept.

Eef erring to the illustrations (pi. viii), a judge of human nature
can almost read the character of the libertine Nihi-aumoe written in
his features — the flattened vertex, indicative of lacking reverence
and fear, the ruffian strength of the broad face; and if one could
observe the reverse of the picture he would note the flattened back-
head, a feature that marks a large number of Hawaiian crania.

The songs that were cantillated to the hula ki'i express in some
degree the peculiar libertinism of this hula, which differed from all
others by many removes. They may be characterized as gossipy,
sarcastic, ironical, scandal-mongering, dealing in satire, abuse, hit-
ting right and left at social and personal vices — a cheese of rank
flavor that is not to be partaken of too freely. It might be com-
pared to the vaudeville in opera or to the genre picture in art.

Mele

B Wewehl, ke, ke!
Wewehi oiwl, ke, ke!
Punana <* i ka luna, ke, ke !
Hoonoho kai-oa,^ ke, ke!

<> Punana. Literally a nest ; here a raised couch on the pola, which was a sheltered
platform in the waist of a double canoe, corresponding to our cabin, for the use of chiefs
and other people of distinction.

^ Kai-oa, The paddle-men ; here a euphemism.

JON] UNWBITTEN LITERATUKE OF HAWAH 95

5 Oluna ka wa'a,® ke, ke!
O kela wa'a, ke, ke!
O keia wa'a, ke, ke!

Ninau o Mawi,* ke, ke !
Nawai ka luau'i?^ ke, ke!
30 Na Wewehi-loa,*' ke, ke!

Ua make Wewehi, ke, ke!
Ua ku i ka ihe, ke, ke!
Ma ka puka kahiko,<* ke, ke !
Ka puka a Mawi, ke, ke!

15 Ka lepe, ka lepe, la!

Ka lepe, ua hina a uwe!

Ninau ka lepe, la!

Mana-mana lii-lii,

Mana-mana heheiao,
20 Ke kumu o ka lepe?

Ka lepe hiolo, e?

[Translation]
Song

O Wewehi, la, la!
Wewehi, peerless form, la, la !
Encouched on the pola, la, la!
Bossing the paddlers, la, la !
5 Men of the canoe, la, la!
Of that canoe, la, la!

Of this canoe, la, la !
Mawi inquires, la, la!
Who was her grand-sire? la, la!
10 'Twas Wewehi-loa, la, la!
Wewehi is dead, la, la!
Wounded with spear, la, la !
The same old wound, la, la !
Wound made by Mawi, la, la !

'a'a. A euphemism for the human body.

'awi. The hero of Polynesian mythology, whose name Is usually spelled Maui, like
lame of the island. Departure from the usual orthography is made in order to
i» phonetic accuracy. The name of the hero is pronounced Mdh-icee, not Mdic-ee, as
e island. Sir George Gray, of New Zealand, following the usual orthography, has
a very full and interesting account of him in his Polynesian mythology.
ietcehi-loa. Another name for Wahie-loa, who is said to have been the grandfather
ewehi. The word luauH in the previous verse, meaning real father, is an archaic

Another form is kua-u*l.
Mka kahiko. A strange story from Hawaiian mythology relates that originally the
ID anatomy was sadly deficient in that the terminal gate of the primw ricB was closed.
i applied his common-sense surgery to the repair of the defect and relieved the situa-
Vn olelo la i kinohi ua hana ia kanaka me ka hemahema no ka nvle i ka hou puka
I ka okole, a na Mawi i hoopau i keia pilikia mamuli o kana hana akamai, Ua kapa
Ut puka ka puka kahiko.

96 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOOT [

15 The flag, lo the flag!

The flag weeps at half-mast!

The flag, indeed, asks —

Many, many the flags,

A scandal for number.
20 Why are they overturned?

Why their banners cast down?

The author has met with several variants to this mele, wh
not irreatly change its character. In one of these variants tl
lowing changes are to be noted :

Line4r. Pikaka" e ka luna, ke, ke!

Line 5. Ka luna o ka hale, ke, ke !

Line 8. Ka puka o ka hale, a ke, ke !

Line J). E noho i anei, a ke, ke !

To attempt a translation of these lines which are unadull
slang:

Line 4. The roof is a-drj^ la, la !

Line 5. The roof of the house, la, la !

Line 8. The door of the house, la, la !

Line 9. Tuni in this way, la, la !

The one w ho supplied the above lines expressed inability to
htand their meaning, averring that they are "classical Hawi
meaning, doubtless, that they are archaic slang. As to the
line, the practice of " sitting in the door " seems to have be<
fashion with such folk as far back as the time of Solomon.

Let us picture this princess of Maui, this granddaughl
Wahieloa, Wewehi, as a Helen, with all of Helen's frailty, a
errant, luxurious in life, quickly deserting one lover for the ai
another; yet withal of such humanity and kindness of fascii
that, at her death, or absence, all things mourned her — ^not as L;
was mourned :

*' With cowslips wan that hang the pensive head,

*****

And daffodillies fill their cups with tears,**

but in some rude pagan fashion; all of which is wrought ou
symbolized in the mele with such imagery as is native to the mi
the savage.

The attentive reader will not need be told that, as in many an
piece out of Hawaii's old-time legends, the path through this sc
beset with euphuistic stumbling blocks. The purpose of lang
says Talleyrand, is to conceal thought. The veil in this case is
gauzy.

The language of the following song for the marionette dance,
ki'i, as in the one previously given, is mostly of that kind whic

^ Pikaka (full form pikakao). Dried up, Juiceless.

r] UNWBITTEN UTERATUBE OF HAWAH 97

iians term olelo kapekepeke^ or olelo hund^ shifty talk, or

talk. We might call it slang, though it is not slang in the

sense in which we use that word, applying it to the improvised

rs of thought that gain currency in our daily speech until they

imission to the forum, the platform, and the dictionary. It is

a cipher-speech, a method of concealing one's meaning from

t the initiated, of which the Hawaiian, whether alii or com-

, was very fond. The people of the hula were famous for this

■ accomplishment and prided themselves not a little in it as an

al means of giving appropriate flavor and gusto to their per-

aces.

Mele

Ele-ele kau-kau ; «
Ka hala-le,^ e kau-kau,
Ka e-ele ihi,
Ele ihi, ele a,
5 Ka e-ele ku-pou ; ^
Ku-pou.
Ka hala, e!^

[TranEiIation]

Song

Point to a dark one.
Point to a dainty piece,
A delicate morsel she!
Very choice, very hot I
5 She that stoops over —
Aye stoops!
Ix), the hala fruit !

• translation has to be based largely on conjoctnro. The author
s bit of fun-making, which is couched in old-time slang, died
ut making known the key to his cipher, and no one whom the
it writer has met with is able to unravel its full meaning.
» following mele for the hula ki'i, in language colored by the
motive, was furnished by an accomplished practitioner who
raveled far and wide in the practice of her art, having been one
company of hula dancers that attended the Columbian oxposi-
ti Chicago. It was her good fortune also to reach the antipodes

\-kau. Conjectural meaning to point out some one In the nndlenco, as the marlon-

ten did. People were thus sometimes inveigled in behind the curtain.

a-lr. Said to mean a sop, with which one took up the juice or gravy of food ; a

norsel.

poH. To stoop over, from devotion to one's own pursuits, from modesty, or from

meaning of this line has been matter for much conjecture The author has llnally
I the suggestion embodied in the translation here given, which is a somewhat gross
rf to the woman's physical charms.

25352— Bull. 38—09 7

98 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

in her travels, and it was at Berlin, she says, that she witnessed for
the first time the European counterpart of the hula ki'i, the " Punch
and Judy" show :

Mele no ka Hula KiH

E \e> kau-kau, kala le'e;
E ]e*e kau-kau.
E le*e kau-kau, kala le'e.
E lepe kau-kau.
5 E o-ku ana i kai;
E u-au ai aku;
E u-au ai aku ;
E u-au ai aku !
E-he-he, e!

[Translation]
Song^ for the Hula Ki'i

Now for the dance, dance in accord;
Prepare for the dance.
Now for the dance, dance in time.
Up, now, with the flag!
5 Step out to the right;
Step out to the left!
Ha, ha, ha !

This translation is the result of much research, yet its absolute
accuracy can not be vouched for. The most learned authorities
(kaka-olelo) in old Hawaiian lore that have been found by the writer
express themselves as greatly puzzled at the exact meaning of the mele
just given. Some scholars, no doubt, would dub these nonsense-lines.
The author can not consent to any such view. The old Hawaiians
were too much in earnest to permit themselves to juggle with words
in such fashion. They were fond of mystery and concealment, appre-
ciated a joke, given to slang, but to string a lot of words together
without meaning, after the fashion of a college student who delights
to relieve his mind by shouting " Upidee, upida," was not their way.
" The people of the hula," said one man, " had ways of fun-making
peculiar to themselves."

When the hula-dancer who conmiunicated to the author the above
song — a very accomplished and intelligent woman — was asked for
information that would render possible its proper translation, she
replied that her part was only that of a mouthpiece to repeat the
words and to make appropriate gestures, he pono hula wale no^
mere parrot-work. The language, she said, was such " classic "
Hawaiian as to be beyond her understanding.

BMKB80N] XJNWBITTEN LITEBATTJRE OF HAWAII 99

Here, again, is another song in argot, a coin of the same mintage
as those just given:

Mele

E kau-kau i hale manu, e!
Ike 06 i ka lolo huluhulu, e?
I ka huluhulu a we'uwe'u, e?
I ka punohu,^ e, a ka la e kau nel?
5 Walea ka manu i ka wai, e!
I ka wal lohi o ke kini, e!

[Translation]

8ong

Let's worship now the bird-cage.
Seest thou the furzy woodland,
The shag of herb and forest.
The low earth-tlntiug rainbow,
5 Child of the Sun that swings above?
O, happy bird, to drink from the i)ool,
A bliss free to the million !

This is the language of symbolism. When Venus went about to
ensnare Adonis, among her other wiles she warbled to him of moun-
tains, dales, and pleasant fountains.

The mele now presented is of an entirely different character from
those that have just preceded. It is said to have been the joint com-
position of the high chief Keiki-o-ewa of Kauai, at one time the
kahu of Prince Moses, and of Kapihe, a distinguished poet — ^haku-
mele — and prophet. (To Kapihe is ascribed the prophetic and orac-
ular utterance, E iho ana o luna^ e pii ana o lalo; e hu ana ka paia;
c moe aifia kavla; e kau ana kau-huhu — o lani iluna^ o honua Halo —
" The high shall be brought low, the lowly uplifted ; the defenses shall
stand; the prophet shall lie low; the mountain walls shall abide —
heaven above, earth beneath.")

This next poem may be regarded as an epithalamium, the celebra-
tion of the mystery and bliss of the wedding night, the hodo ana of a
high chief and his high-bom kapu sister. The murmur of the breeze,
the fury of the winds, the heat of the sim, the sacrificial ovens, all are
symbols that set forth the emotions, experiences, and mysteries of the
night :

<■ Punohu. A compact mass of clouds, generally lying low In the heavens ; a cloud-
omen : also a rainbow that lies close to the earth, such as is formed when the sun is
high in the heavens.

100 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

Mele

(Ko*ihoniia)

O Wanahlli® ka po loa ia Manu'a,*
O ka pii kau kania ^ i Hawaii akea ;
O ka pu leina <* kea a Kilia —
O Kiha nui a Pii-lani— <^
5 O Kauhi kalana-hoDU*-a-Kama ;^

O ka maka iolena ^ ke hoohaulani i-6 !
(> kola kanaka hoali inauna/

Ka Ijini kii*i hono i ka moku.^

1 waibona kapuahi kanaka ehS.,'*
10 Al' i Kauai, i Calm, i Maui,

I Hawaii kahiko o Kea we euaena,*^
Ke iX'A mai la me ke '>koko,
Ke lapa-luiMi la i ka makani,
Makani kua, lie Xaulu.'
IT) Kua ka Wailioa i ka Mikioi,

« WaniihUi. A i»rincoss of the mythological period belonging to Puna, Hawaii.

'^ Manu'a. A kin;; of IIllo, the son of Kane-hili, famous for his skill in spear-tl
tnnika rolling', and all athletic exercises. He was united in marriage, ho-ao, to tl
prIiKM'ss Wanaliili. Tradition deals with Manua as a very lovable character.

*• Pu kau kfima. Tlie conch (pu) is figured as the herald of fame. Kau is use
H(>nso of to Kot on hi^h. in contrast with such a word as icaiho, to set down. Kam
word of dignity for children.

<* I'u h'inn. It is assorted on good authority that the triton (pu), when approach*
fxM'an habitat, will often malto sudden and extraordinary leaps in an effort to escape
is special reference here to the famous conch known in Hawaiian story as Kiha-pu.
credited with supernatural powers as a kupua. During the reign of Uml, son of :
was stolen from the tidau in Waipio valley and came into the hands of god Kane.
wild awa-drinkiuf? revels the god terrified Umi and his people by sounding nightl
witli tl»e conch. The shell was finally restored to King Umi by the superhuman ai
famous doK IMiapua-lena-lena.

' Kiha-nui a Piilani. Son of Piilani, a king of Maui. He is credited with the for
engincMMin^ work of making a paved road over the mountain palis of Koolau, Maui.

f Kauhi kalana-honu"-a-Kama. This Kauhl, as his long title Indicates, was the
tlK' famous king, Kama-lala-walu, and succeeded his father in the kingship over Mt
prol)al)l.v, lianai. Kama-lala-walu had a long and prosperous reign, which ended, h
In disaster. Acting on the erroneous reports of his son Kauhi, whom he had sent
out the land, he invaded the kingdom of Lono-i-ka-makahiki on Hawaii, was woum
defeated in battle, taken prisoner, and offered up as a sacrifice on the altar of Lon
preferring that death, it is said, to the ignominy of release.

I-oUna. Roving, shifty, lustful.

^Kanaka hoali mauna. Man who moved mountains; an epithet of compliment
perhai)s to Iviha, abov<' mentioned, or to the king mentioned in the next verse. Kekai

' Ku'i hono i ka moku. Who bound together into one (state) the islands Maui, 3l
I.anai, and Kahoolawe. This was, it is said, Kekaulike, the fifth king of Maui after
lala-wahi. At his death he was succeeded by Kamehameha-nui — to he distingulshe
the Kamehameha of Hawaii — and he in turn by the famous w^arrior-king Kahekii
routed the invading army of Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii, on the sand plains of Wail

i I uaihona kapuahi kanaka chd. This verse presents grammatical difficulties. Th
/ Implies the imperative, a form of request or demand, though that is probably i
Intent. It seems to l)e a means, authorized by poetical license, of ascribing honor am
glory to the name of the person eulogized, who, the context leads the author to thin
K(>ka\ilike. The Island names other than that of Maul seem to have been thrown
poetical effect, as that king, in the opinion of the author, had no power over Kauai,
or Hawaii. The purpose may have l>een to assert that his glory reached to those is

* Kcauv vnavna. Keawe, whose tabu was hot as a burning oven. Presumably I
the son of Umi, is the one meant.

' A«u/m. The sea-breeze at Waimea, Kauai.

JON] UNWBITTEN LITERATUKE OF HAWAH 101

Pu-ft ia lalo o Hala-U'i,**
Me he alii, alii, la no ka hele i KekaM,
Ka hookiekie i ka li*u-la,^
Ea hele i ke alia-lia la, alia !
20 Alia-lia la'a-laau Eekaha.

Ke kaha o Kala-ihi, Wai-o-lono.
Ke olo la ke pihe a ka La, e!
Ke nu la paha i Honua-ula.

[Translation]

Song

(Distinct utterance)

Wanahili bides the whole night with Manu*a,

By trumpet hailed through broad Hawaii,

By the white vaulting conch of Kiha —

Great Kiha, offspring of Pii-lani,
5 Father of eight-branched Kama-lala-walu.

The far-roaming eye now sparkles with joy,

Whose energy erstwhile shook mountains.

The king who firm-bound the isles in one state,

His glory, ^ymboled by four human altars,
10 Reaches Kauai, Oahu, Maui,

Hawaii the eld of Keawe,

Whose tabu, burning with blood-red blaze,

Shoots flame-tongues that leap with the wind.

The breeze from the mountain, the Naulu.
15 Waihoa humps its back, while cold Mikioi

Blows fierce and swift across Hala-li'i.

It vaunts like a king at Kekaha,

Flaunting itself in the sun's heat,

And lifts itself up in mirage,
20 Ghost-forms of woods and trees in Kekaha —

Sweeping o'er waste Kala-ihi, Water-of-Lono ;

While the sun shoots forth its fierce rays —

Its heat, perchance, reaches to Honua-ula.

Tie mele next given takes its local color from Kauai and brings
idly to mind the experiences of one who has climl)ed the mountain
Is, pali^ that buffet the winds of its northern coast.

Melc

Kalalau, pall eku i ka makani;
Pu ka Lawa-kua,<' hoi mau i Kolo-kini ;
Nu a anahulu ka pa ana i-uka —
Anahulu me na ik) keu elua.

'ala-lU. A sandy plain on Nlihau, where grows a variety of RUKar-oanc that lies

I J covered by the loose soil, kc ko eli o Hala-lii.

Vti'la. The mirage, a common phenomenon on Niihau, and efli>eclally at Mana. on

L

atrn-kma. A wind in Kalalau that blown for a time from the mountalnn and then,

■aid. veers to the north, so that It comes from the dlre<*tion of a Hccondary valley.

kinl, a branch of Kalalau. The l)ard descril)e8 it as continuing to blow for twelve

m before It shifts, an instance, probably, of poetic license.

102 BUBEAU OF AMEBIGAN ETHNOLOGY [i

5 Elua Hono-pu o ia koa kanaka;
Elua Ko*a-mano ° me Wai-aloha,
Ka \m\\ walia iho, waha iho ^ me ke kua ;
Ke keiki pau iloko o ka pali nui.
E bii an' <^ e Makua i Kalalau.

[Translation]

Bonff

The mountain walls of Kalalau

Buffet the l^lasts of Lnwa-kau,

That surge a decade of nights and twain ;

Then, wearied, it veers to the north.

5 Two giant backs stand the cliffs Hono-pu ;
The falls Wai-aloha mate with the sea :
An overhung i)ali — the climber's back swings in
Its mouth — to face it makes one a child —
Makua, whose arms embrace Kalalau.

The mind of the ancient bard was so narrowly centered on the
plot his imagination cultivated that he disregarded the outside i
forgetting that it could not gaze upon the scenes which filled hu

The valley of Kalalau from its deep recess in the northw<
coast of Kauai looks out upon the heaving waters of the P
The mountain walls of the valley are abrupt, often overhai
Viewed from the ocean, the cliffs are piled one upon another lil
buttresses of a Gothic cathedral. The ocean is often stormy
during several months in the year forbids intercourse with
parts of the island, save as the hardy traveler makes his way
precipitous mountain trails.

The hula al(i\i-papa^ hula ipu, hula pa-ipu (or kuolo)^ the
hoo-nand^ and the hula kVi w^ere all performed to the accompan:
of the ipu or calabash, and, being the only ones that were so a<
l^anied, if the author is correctly informed, they may be cl
together under one head as the calabash hulas.

« Ko'a-mano. A part of the ocean Into which the stream Wai-aloha falls. "

^ ^Va1m iho. With mouth that yawns downward, referring, doubtless, to the ov<

ing of the pali, precipice. The same tigure is applied to the hack (kua) of the t;

who climbs it.

<* Elision of the final a in ana.

F AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

PAHU HULA, HULA DRUM

XII.— THE HULA PAHU

The hula pahu was so named from the pahu^ or drum, that was
its chief instrument of musical accompaniment (pi. x).

It is not often that the story of an institution can be so closely
fitted to the landmarks of history as in the case of this hula ; and this
<x)mes about through our knowledge of the history of the pahu itself.
Tradition, direct and reliable, informs us that the credit of intro-
ducing the big drum belongs to La'a. This chief flourished between
five and six centuries ago, and from having spent most of his life
in the lands to the south, which the ancient Hawaiians called Kahiki,
was himself generally styled La'a-mai-Kahiki (La'a-from-Kahiki).
The young man was of a volatile disposition, given to pleasure, and
it is evident that the big drum he brought with him to Hawaii on
one of his voyages from Kahiki was in his eyes by no means the
least important piece of baggage that freighted his canoes. On
nearing the land he waked the echoes with the stirring tones of his
dnim, which so astonished the people that they followed him from
I)oint to point along the coast and heaped favors upon him whenever
Ih* came ashore.

La'a was an enthusiastic patron of the hula and is said to have
made a tour of the islands, in which he instructed the natives in new
forms of this seductive pastime, one of which was the hula ka-ekc.
There is reason to believe, it seems, that the original use of the pahu
was in connection with the services of the temple, and that its adapta
tiun to the halau was simply a transference from one to anothei*
ivligious use.

The hula pahu was preeminently a performance of formal and
%nified character, not such as would be extemporized for the
amusement of an irreverent company. Like all the formal hulas, it
was tabu, by which the Hawaiians meant that it was a reli<rious
'^rvice, or so closely associated with the notion of worship as to make
it an irreverence to trifle with it. For this reason as well as for its
intrinsic dignity its performance was reserved for the most distin-
;nii>li(id guests and the most notable occasions.

Ik)lli classes of actors t(K)k part in the j)erf()rmance of the \\\\\\\
I'aliu. (he olapa contributing the mele as they stood and went throuirh
iIm- motions of the dance, while the lioopaa nmintained the knei*lin<^
jHi-iiion and oi>erated the l)ig drum with the left hand. While his
]*'ft liand was thus engaged, the nuisician with a thoiifjf hold in hi>

• Full l"«n-in. ifiiliN-hula.

UVA

104 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

ri<rlit hand struck a tiny drum, the pu-niu, that was con
sti'a])j)tHl to the thigh of the same side. As its name sigE
jKi-iiiu was made from coconut shelly being headed with fish-
The harmonious and rhythmic timing of these two ins
called for strict attention on the part of the performer. T
having a tone of lower pitch and greater volume than t
wa> naturally sounded at longer intervals, while the pu-niu
its sharp crisp tones in closer order.

Mele
(KoU-honua)

Hilo oe, Hilo, muUwai a ka na i ka lani,

1 liuua ia Hilo, ko-f ana e ka na.
E lial6 ko Hilo ma i-o, i-anei;
luenalena Hilo e, panopano i ka aa.

5 Ua loiu) Pili-keko o Hilo i ka wai;
O-kaknla kn hulu o Hilo i ke anu:
Ta ku o ka iiaka a Jut ua 1 ke one;
la UKK' oni ole Hilo i-lima ke alo;
Va liana ka uluna lehn o Hana-kahL
10 llault* ka onobi Hilo o ka ua i ke one;
I^>kii kapa ka hi-hilo kai o Pai-kaka.
lla. o!

A Puna an, i Kuki'i an, i Ha*eha*e,
Iko ail i ko a kino-Ian lehua.
Ho laau lualalo o ia i)ohakn.
Ilaiiohano Puna e, kehakelia i ka ua,
r> Ixahiko man no ia no-laila.
lit' aiua liaalitH» loii no Puna;
1 luialuH> i ka liala me ka lehua;
IIo nuiikai maluiia. he a malalo;
III' ki'lokeh' ka paiwi o Man-kele.
10 K a hull Apua o. kele ana i Man-kele.

[Translation]

Son (J

(Pomhastio stylo)

Thou art llilo. Hilo. tiiXMl-jrato of heaven.

Ullo has iH)wor to wrinjr out the rain.

Lot llllo turn horo and turn there ;

llllo's kt»pt from omph>y. s(mibor with rain;
r> Plll-koko roars with full stream:

Tho foatliors of llilo bristle with cold.

And hor ha 1 1-st ones smito on the sand.

Sho llos without motion, with upturned face,

Tiio llro-plaoos piUowod with ashes:
l(» Tho bullots of rain aro sla|)pinj? the land,

Pitiless rain, turmolling Pai-kaka.

So, IndtHHl.

i] UNWKITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 105

In Puna was I, in Kn-ki'i, in Ha'e-lia*e,
I saw a wraitli of lehua, a burning bush,
A fire-tree beneath the lava plate.
Magnificent Puna, fertile from rain,
5 At all times weaving its mantle.
Aye Puna's a land of splendor.
Proudly bedight with palm and lehua ;
Beauteous above, but horrid below^,
And miry the plain of Mau-kele.
10 Apua upturned, plod on to Mau-kele.

Mele

Kau lilua i ke anu Wai-aleale;

He maka halalo ka lehua makanoe ; ^

He lihilihi kuku ia no Aipo,^ e;

ka hulu a'a ia o ^Hau-a-iliki ; <^

5 Ua pehi 'a c ka ua a ^ha ka nahele,

Maui ka pua, uwe ^ha i ke anu,

1 ke kukuna la-wai o Mokihana.^

Ua hana ia aku ka pono a ua pololei;
Ua hai 'na ia aku no la oe:
10 O ke ola no ia.

O kia'I loko, kia'i Ka-ula,^
Nana 1 ka makani, hoolono ka leo,
Ka haluiu o ka Malua-kele ; f
Kiei, halo i Maka-ike-ole.

15 Kamau ke ea i ka halau ^ a ola ;
He kula lima ia no Wawae-noho,^
Me he puko*a hakahalm la i Waahila
Ka momoku a ka unu-Iehua o Lehua.
A lehulehu ka hale pono ka noho ana,

20 I.<oaa kou haawina— o ke aloha,

Ke ha una * mai nei ka puka o loi hale.
Ea!

ua makanoe. The lehna trees that prow on the top of Wal-alenle. the mountain
' Kaoai, are of peculiar form, low, stunted, and so furzy as to be almost thorny,
8 mentioned in the next line.

0. A swamp that occupies the summit basin of the mountain. In and about which
rny lehua trees above mentioned stand as a fringe.

-aAliki. A word made up of hau, dew or frost, and iliki, to smite. The a is merely
ctlve.

ihana. The name of a region on the flank of Wai-aleale, also a plant that grows
rho«e berry is fragrant and is used in making wreaths.
\la. A small rocky island visible from Kauai.
iO'kele. A wind.

m. The shed or house which sheltered the canoe, ica'a, which latter, as we have
IS often used figuratively to mean the human body, ospocially the body of n
Kamau ke ea i ka halau might l>e translated "* i>ersistent the breath from her
" There's kames o* hlnny 'tween my luve's lips."

•ae-noho. Literally the foot that abides ; it is the name of a place. Here it is
iderstood aa meaning constancy. It is an instance in which the concrete stands
abstract.

■a. An odor. In this connection it means the odor that hangs about a human
Ml. The hidden allusion, it is needless to say, is to sexual attractiveneaa.

106 BUEEAU OF AMEBICAN £THNOLOaT [bull. 38

I Translation]
Song

Wai-aleale stands haughty and cold.
Her lehua bloom, fog-soaked, droops pensive;
The thorn-fringe set about swampy Ai-po is
A feather that flaunts in spite of the pinching frost
5 Her herbage is i>elted, stung by the rain ;

Bruised all her petals, and moaning in cold
Mokihana*s sun, his wat*ry beams.
I liave acted in good faith and honor.
My complaint is only to you —
10 A matter that touches my life.

Best watch within and toward Ka-ula;
Question each breeze, note §very rumor,
Eyen the whisper of Malua-kele.
Search high and search low, unobservant.

15 There is life in the breath from her body.
Fond caress by a hand not inconstant.
Like fissured groves of coral
Stand the ragged clumps of lehua.
Many the houses, easy the life.

20 You* have your portion — of love;
Humanity smells at the door.
Aye, indeed.

The imagery of this poem is peculiarly obscure and the meaning
difficult of translation. The allusions are so local and special that
their meaning does not carry to a distance.

Wai-aleale is the central mountain mass of Kauai, about 6,000
feet high. Its summit, a cold, fog-swept wilderness of swamp and
lake beset with dwarfish growths of lehua, is used as the symbol of a
woman, impulsively kind, yet in turn passionate and disdainful. The
physical attributes of the mountain are ascribed to her, its spells of
frosty coldness, its gloom and distance, its fickleness of weather, the
repellant hirsuteness of the stunted vegetation that fringes the cen-
tral swamp — these things are described as symbols of her temper,
character, and physical make-up. The bloom and herbage of the
wilderness, much pelted by the storm, are figures to represent her
physical charms. But spite of all these faults and imperfections, a
perennial fragrance, as of mokihana, clings to her person, and she is
the object of devoted love, capable of weaving the spell of fascination
about her victims.

This poem furnishes a good example of a peculiarity that often is
an obstacle to the understanding of Hawaiian poetry. It is the
breaking up of the composition into a number of parts that have but
a loose seeming connection the one with the other.

ETHNOLOOV

. GOURD RATTLE

XIII.— THE HULA tTLI-ULl

lU-vU was so called from the rattle which was its sole
if accompaniinent. This consisted of a small gourd
e of a large orange, into the cavity of which were put
Is, like those of the canna^ a handle was then attached

who took part in this hula belonged, it is ^^aid, to the

hoopaa, and went through with the performance while

qtiatting, as has been described. \Vhile cantillating the

aid the rattle, vZi-uli, in the right hand, shaking it

idm of the other hand or the thigh, or making excursions

ion and another. In some performances of this hula

whidi the author has witnessed the olapa also took part, in one case

a woman, who stood and cantillated the song with movement and

(gesture, while the hoopaa devoted themselves exclusively to bundling

the uli-uli rattles.

The sacrificial offerings that preceded the old-time performances of
this hula are said to have been awa and a roast porkling, in honor of
the goddess Laka.

If the dignity and quality of the meles now used, or reported fo
have been used, in the hula ijli-nli are to be taken as any criterion
of the quality and dignity of this hula, one h»s to conclndo that it
must be assigned to a rank below that of some others, such, for iu-
staiHi'. as the fda'a-papa, pa-ipu, Pels, and others.

David Malo. the Hawaiian hiijtorian. antlior of Ka Moolelo
Ilniritii," in tlie short chapter that he devotes to the luiln, mentions
"Illy ten luilas by name, the ka-laau, pti'i-i/mari?nti, pahii, /w/iii\',
tilii'ii./Mjxi, pa'i-pa'i, pa-ipu, ulili, kolaiti. iiiul the kii-lt-i. UJUi is but
aiKitlier form of the word uli-idi. Any utterance of Malo is to Ix-
rMtivcd seriously; but it seems doubtful if he deliberately seIocte<l
for mention the ten hulas that were really the most importiint. Tt
i*ms nittn- jirobable that he set down the first ten that sttmd forth
Ijroiniiii'nt in his memory. It was not Malo*s habit, nor part of his
i^lucution. to make an exhaustive list of sports and games, or in fiict
'»f anything. He spoke of what occurifd to him. It nnist also Ik"
Miifmlx-retl that, being an ardent convert to Christianity. Malo fi'lt

•Tranxlulnl l.y N. B. Emrnion. M. D., imilor llic lllli> "11311-1111.111 AritlipiKlps." niiil
;.:l-;i>hHl lif the B. 1*. Blthop UiiHCiiai. Ilnwallati liaxr'iti- Cortiimn; ll.lnillnli. llnno-
..li. V.na.

108 BUREAU OF AMEBICAK BTHKOLOOY

himself conscience-bound to set himself in opposition to tk
inents, sports, and games of his people, and he was unable, ap
to see in them any good whatsoever. Malo was a man o
promising honesty and rigidity of principles. His natui
uiuler the new influences that surrounded him after the int
of Christianity, made it impossible for him to discrimina
l)etwwn the good and the pernicious, between the purely hi
p<K»tic and the depraved elements in the sports practised by 1
during their period of heathenism. There was nothing
iilK)ut Malo. Having abandoned a system, his nature comp
to denounce it root and branch.

The fiivt mele here offered as an accompaniment to this
lH>ast of no great antiquity : it belongs to the middle of the b
rentury. and was the product of some gallant at a time whe
and princesses abounded in Hawaii:

Mele

Aole^i manao ia

Kahi wai a o Alekoki.

IIcx)kohu ka na i uka,

Nolio mai la i Nuuanu.
5 Anu-anu, makeliewa au

Ke kali ana i-laila.

Ka ino* palia na paa

Kou manao 1 aneM,

Au i lioomalu ai.
10 Hoomalii oe a malu;

T'a nialu keia kino

Ma mill i a o kou leo.

Kau uui aku ka manao

Kahi wai a o Kai)ena.
15 rani'a paa ia mai

Na uianowai a o uka;

Ahu walo na ki'owai,

Xa papa-hale o luna.

Maluna a'e no wau,
20 Ma ke kuouo liilii.

A waho, a o Ma mala,

Ilao mai nei ehu-ehu;

Pulu au i ka huua-kai,

Kai lioahea i ka ili.
25 Hookahi no koa nui,

Nana e alo ia ino.

Ino-ino mai nei luna,

I ka hao a ka niakani.

lie makani ahai-lono;
30 liOhe ka luna i Pelekane.

ia i)ouli nui

Mea ole i ku'u manao.

1 o, i a-ne'i au,

Ka pi inn la o Ma'ema'e,

n UNWBITTEN LITEBATUEE OF HAWAH 1*09

35 E kilohi au o ka nani

Na pua i Maiina-ala.

He ala oua-ona kou,

Ke pili mai i ane'i,

O a'u lehua ula i-luna,
40 Ai ono a na mauu.

[Translation]
Song

I spurn the thought with disdain

Of that pool Alekoki :

On the upland lingers the rain

And fondly haunts Nuuanu.
5 Sharp was the cold, bootless

My waiting up there.

I thought thou wert true,

Wert loyal to me.

Whom thou laids't under bonds.
10 Take oath now and keep it;

This body is sacred to thee,

Bound by the word of thy mouth.

My heart leaps up at thought

Of the pool, pool of Kapena ;
15 To me it is fenced, shut off.

The water-heads tightly sealed up.

The fountains must be a-hoarding.

For skies are ever down-pouring;

The while I am lodged ui) aloft,
20 Bestowed in the cleft of a rock.

Now, tossed by sea at Ma ma la,

The wind drives wildly the surf;

I'm soaked with the scud of the ocean,

My body is rough with the rime.
25 But one stout hero and soldier,

With heart to face such a storm.

Wild scud the clouds.

Hurled by the tempest,

A tale-bearing wind,
30 That gossips afar.

The darkness and storm

Are nothing to me.
* This way and that am I turning,

Climbing the hill Ma'e-ma'e,
35 To look on thy charms, dear one,

The fragrant buds of the mountain.

What perfume breathes from thy body,

Snch time as to thee I come close,

My scarlet bloom of lehua
40 Yields nectar sought by the birds.

s mele is said to have been the production of Prince William
lilo — afterward king of the Hawaiian islands — and to have been

llO BUREAU OF AMEBIC AN ETHNOLOGY I

addressed to the Princess Victoria Kamamalu, whom he souj
marriage. Both of them inherited high chief rank, and the
spring, according to Hawaiian usage, would have outranke
brothers, kings Kamehameha IV and V. Selfish and politics
siderations, therefore, forbade the match, and thereby hangs
tlie shadow of which darkens this song. Every lover is on*
IK>et : and Lunalilo, even without the love-flame, was more thj
part poet.

The poem shows the influence of foreign ways and teaching
the pressure of the new environment that had entered Hawaii,
form, in the moderation of its language and imagery, and
coherence of its parts; at the same time the spirit of the sob
the color of its native imagery mark it as the product of a Poly
mind.

According to the author's interpretation of the song, A
(voi-so 2), a name applied to a portion of the Nuuanu stream
down than the basin and falls of Kapena {Kahi wai a o Kapena-
14), symbolizes a flame that may once have warmed the singei
agination, but which he discards in favor of his new love, th
of Kapena. The rain, which prefers to linger in the upland r
of Xuuann (verses 3 and 4) and which often reaches not the
levels, typifies his brooding affection. The cold, the storm, ai
tempest that rage at Mamala (verse 21) — a name given to the
just outside Honolulu harbor — and that fill the heavens with d
scud (verses 27 and 28) represent the violent opposition in high
ters to the love-match. The tale-bearing wind, mctkani aha
(verse 29). refers, no doubt, to the storm of scandal. The use (
place-names McCerrtci'e and Mauna-ala seem to indicate Nuuanu
residence of the princess.

Mele

PALE I

Aiihea wale oo, o ka Makaui Inu-wai?
Pa kolonahe i ka ili-kai,
Hoolnii 1110 ka Naulii,
Na 111 11 liiia i ka ha papa.
5 Aii6 au ike i ke ko Hala-li'i,
I keia wa iiaua ia Lehiia.

PALE II

Aia 1 Walmea ku'ii haku-lei;
Hui pu me ka wai ula ili-ahi,
Mohala ka piia i ke one o Pawehe;
10 Ka lawe a ke Koolau

Noho pu me ka ua piinonohu ula 1 ka nahele,
Ike i ka wai kea o Makaweli;

)N] UNWBITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII 111

Ua noho pu i ka nahele
Me ka lei hinahina o Maka-li'l.
15 Liilii ka uka o Koae'a;
Nana i ka ua lani-pili,
Ka 0-6, manu le'a o ka nahele.

I Pa-le-ie au, noho pu me ke anu.
E ha*i a'e oe i ka puana :
20 Ke kahuna kalai-hoe o Puu-ka-Pele.

[Translation]

Song

CANTO I

Whence art thou, thirsty wind,
That gently kissest the sea,
Then, wed to the ocean breeze,
Playest fan with the bread-fruit tree?
5 Here sprawl Hala-lii's canes.

There stands bird-haunted Lehua.

CANTO II

My wreath-maker dwells at Waimea.

Partnered is she to the swirling river;

They plant with flowers the sandy lea,
10 While the bearded surf, tossed by the breeze.

Vaunts on the hills as the sun-bow.

Looks on the crystal stream Makaweli,

And in the wildwood makes her abode

With Hinahina of silvern wreaths.
15 Koaea's a speck to the eye.

Under the low-hanging rain-cloud.

Woodland home of the plaintive o-6.

Ftom frost-bitten Pa-ie-ie
I bid you, guess me the fable:
20 Paddle-maker on Pele's mount.

lis mele comes from Kauai, an island in many respects individ-
;ed from the other parts of the group and that seems to have
the nurse of a more delicate imagination than was wont to flour -
'Isewhere. Its tone is archaic, and it has the rare merit of not
■jfusing the more crudely erotic human emotions into the romantic
inents inspired by nature.

le Hawaiians dearly loved fable and allegory. Argument or
1, dressed out in such fanciful garb, gained double force and ac-
ince. We may not be able to follow a poet in his wanderings;
ocal allusions may obscure to us much of his meaning; the doc-
► of his allegory may be to us largely a riddle ; and the connection
een the body of its thought and illustration and the application,
>lution, of the poetical conundrum may be past our comprehen-
; but the play of the poet's fancy, whether childish or mature, is

Hi BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY U

HI :nt»*r«?sting -tu»ly, and brings us closer in human sympathy i
pt?i)ple whii ti>>k pl»nL-ure in suA things.

In tmnsliitinir thi> [^jeau while not following literally the lanj
iif th^ [)«j»*t. the aim ha> been to hit the targe of his deeper mei
witlnjiit h<.»pele>rily involving the reader in the complexities o:
v\:i::an •:«>l,.r and local top^^niphy. A few words of explai
must -lidice.

P.;e M rkai'i Inu-Kcai (verse 1) — known to all the islands-
wirjl that «Irie> up vegetation, literally a water-drinking wind.

Tilt* y.fJ" \ ver^ o) i^ the ordinary ^ea-breeze at Waimea, I
-••[i.^;t:iiu> ant.iiii[>anied by showers.

// •'.•-.'/"; . \vi>e .'■») i^ a >iindy plain on Niihau, and the pecul
of it- ••aiie'- i- that they sprawl along on the ground, and are
tu a cii[>i«i^^nible extent covered bv the loose soil.

L^r-i.' » vHi-<e »0 i< the well-known bird-island, lying nor
XiihiiL aii'I vi-iMe from the Waimea side of Kauai.

W.^' wrv-ath -maker. htikH-h* < verse 7), who dwells at Waim
Tit rl.:i['- tlir M^.-eaiL-vapor, or the moist sea-breeze, or, it may be,
ri:i!.-t:.t "f the poet's imagination — the author can not mafc
t'xai-tlv what.

Tiio ^. /!■.'•■•':••' 1 verse 14), a native geranium, is a mountain i
that -taii'U ixhowi :i ft'et high, with silver-gray leaves.

J/'v '-..\-/. M'j.k'j.'irL Kmie^a, and Pa-ie-ie are names of plac
Kauai.

/».., .:..-/\/, J vor^^ L'O) as the name indicates, is a volcanic
-ituatOil near Waimea.

The key ur answer (/>'////«</), to the allegory given in verse 21
k'ifoi)"' : .^^''-'i ' .' P>»i'k',i-Pilt. the paddle-making kahuna of ]
mount, when ileolaivil l>v the p<^t (fmku-meh). is hot very inJ
ing xo the foreiiru miiul : but to the Hawaiian auditor it, no d
toi>k the place of our /<"" f*ihnlti Jocetn and it at least showed
the jHX^t was not without an intelligent motive. In the poe]
|M>i«l the author acknowledges his inability to make connectioi
iwcon it and the Ixxiv of the sonor.

I'hio merit we must com^ede to Hawaiian poetry, it wastes no
in\ <4i>w approach. The hi'st stroke of the artist places the au<

XIV.— THE HULA PUlLI

The character of a hula was determined to some extent by the na-
sine of the musical instrument that was its accompaniment. In the
fcmla ptitli it certainly seems as if one could discern the influence of
Qierade, but effective, instrument that was its musical adjunct. This
instrument, the puili (fig. 1), consisted of a section of bamboo from
%luch one node with its diaphragm had been removed and the hollow
Soint at that end split up for a considerable distance into fine divi-
sions, which gave forth a breezy rustling when the instrument was
■truck or shaken.

The performers, all of them hoopaa, were often placed in two rows,
Rftted or kneeling and facing one another, thus favoring a responsive
action in the use of the puili as well as in the cantillation of the
aODg. One division would sometimes shake and brandish their instru-
ments, while the others remained quiet, or both divisions would per-

FiG. 1. — Pufll, bamboo-rattle.

form at once, each individual clashing one puili against the other one
held by himself, or against that of his vis-a-vis; or they might toss
tliem back and forth to each other, one bamboo passing another in
mid air.

While the hula pufli is undeniably a performance of classical an-
tiquity, it is not to be regarded as of great dignity or importance as
compared with many other hulas. Its character, like that of the
mdes associated with it, is light and trivial.

The mele next presented is by no means a modern production. It
fiiems to be the work of some unknown author, a fragment of folk-
lore, it might be called by some, that has drifted down to the present
pneration and then been put to service in the hula. If hitherto the
wonl folklore has not been used it is not from any prejudice against
it. but rather from a feeling that there exists an inclination to stretch
the application of it beyond its true limits and to make it include
popular songs, stories, myths, and the like, regardless of its fitness of
ipplimtion. Some writers, no doubt, would apply this vague term
to a large part of the poetical pieces which are given in this l>ook.
U5352— Bun. 38-09 8 113

114 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [e

On the same principle, why should they not apply the term fol
to the myths and stories that make up the body of Roman and (
mytholog}' ? The present author reserves the term folklore for i
cation to those unappropriated scraps of popular song, story, i
and sui)erstition that have drifted down the stream of antiquit;
that roach us in the scrap-bag of popular memory, often beari
tlieir battered forms the evidence of long use.

Mele

Hiki mai, hiki mai ka La, e.
Aloba wale ka La e kau nei,
Aia nialalo o Ka-wai-hoa, <»
A ka lalo o Kauai, o Lehua.
5 A Kauai au, ike i ka paU;
A Milo-Ui ^ pale ka pali loloa.
E kolo ana ka pali o Makua-lki ; <^
Kolo o Pu-fi, he keiki,
He keiki makua-ole ke uwe nei.

[Translation]
Song

It has come, it has come; lo the Sun!
How I love the Sun that's on high;
Below it swims Ka-wai-hoa,
On the sloiie inclined from Lehua.
5 On Kauni met I a pali,

A beetling cliff that bounds Milo-lii,
And climbing up Makua-iki,
Crawling up was Pua, the child.
An orphan that weeps out its tale.

The writer has rescued the following fragment from the \^
basket of Hawaiian song. A lean-to of modern verse has
omitted; it was evidently added within a generation:

Mele

Malua,*^ ki'i wai ke aloha,
Hoopnln i ka liko ma mane.
F Ion Ion mai na manu.
Inn wai lelina o Panaewa,^
5 K walea ana i ko onacma,
Ke one wall o Oliele.

" Kauaihna. The southern point of Niihnn, which is to the west of Knuai, the e
standpoint of the poet, and therefore "below" Kanai.

'' AlUo-Ui. A valley on the northwestern angle of Kauai, a precipitous region, in
travel from one point to another by land is almost impossible.

'' Makua-iki. Literally " little father," a name given to an overhanging pali, wher
provided a hanging ladder to make travel possible. The series of palls in this i
comes to an end at Milo-lii.

'' The Malua was a wind, often so dry that it sucked up the moisture from the
and destroyed the tender vegetation.

'^ Panaewa was a woodland region much talked of in poetry and song.

►N] UNWBITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII 115

Hele mai nei kou aloha
A lalawe i ko*u nui kino,
Au i hookohu ai,
10 E kuko i ka manao.

Euhi no paha oe no JHopoe *>
Nei lehua au i ka liana ohi ai.

[Translation]
8ong

Malua, fetch water of love,
Give drink to this mamane bud.
The birds, they are singing ecstatic.
Sipping Panaewa's nectared lehua,
5 Beside themselves with the fragrance
Exhaled from the garden Ohele.
Your love comes to me a tornado;
It has rapt away my whole body.
The heart you once sealed as your own,
10 There planted the seed of desire.

Thought you 'twas the tree of Hopoe,
This tree, whose bloom you would pluck?

lat is the argument of this poem? A passion-stricken swain,
rhaps a woman, cries to Malua to bring relief to his love-smart,
/e drink to the parched mamane buds — emblems of human feel-
In contrast to his own distress, he points to the birds carol-
n the trees, reveling in the nectar of lehua bloom, intoxicated
the scent of nature's garden. What answer does the lovelorn
1 receive from the nymph he adores? In lines 11 and 12 she
jringly asks him if he took her to be like the traditional lehua
of Hopoe, of which men stood in awe as a sort of divinity, not
ig to pluck its flowers? It is as if the woman had asked — if the
5 meaning is rightly interpreted — " Did you really think me
ited to vestal vows, a tree whose bloom man was forbidden to
£?"

>poe was a beautiful young woman, a friend of Iliialca, and was persecuted by Pele
to jealousy. One of the forms in which she as a divinity showed herself was as a
tree in full bloom.

XV.— THE HULA KALAAU '

The hula ka-l^iau {ka^ to strike; laauj wood) was named frc
instruments of wood used in producing the accompaniment,
of xylophone, in which one piece of resonant wood was struck a
another. Both divisions of the performers, the hoopaa and the
took part and each division was provided with the instrimienta
cant illation was done sometimes by one division alone, sometin
both divisions in unison, or one division would answer the ot
responsive chanting that was termed haawe aku^ haawe mat
give, to return."

Ellis gives a quotable description of this hula, which he cal
" hum ka raau : "

Five innsicinns advanced first, each with a staff in his left hand, five
f(>ot lon^, about three or four inches in diameter at one end, and taperinj
a point at tho other. In his right hand he held a small stick of hard wo
or nine inches lonjr, with which he commenced his music by striking th<
stick on the larger one, beating time all the while with his right foot on j
plactHl on the jjround beside him for that purpose. Six women, fantai
dresstMl in yellow tapas, crowned with garlands of flowers, having also y\
of native manufacture, of the sweet-scented flowers of the gardenia, oi
n(Hks. and branches of the fragrant mairi (another native plant,) bound
their ankles, now made their way by couples through the crowd, and, ai
at th(^ area, on one side of which the musicians stood, began their dance.
movements were slow, and, though not always graceful, exhibited nothing
sive to niod(»st propriety. Both musicians and dancers alternately cl
soujrs in honor of former gods and chiefs of the islands, apparently much
gratification of the spectators. (Polynesian Researches, by William
IV, 7S-7i), London, 1S:^().)

The mole here first presented is said to be an ancient mele th£
been modified and adapted to the glorification of that astute p
cian, genial companion, and pleasure-loving king, Kalakaua.

It was not an uncommon thing for one chief to appropriat
melv 'nioa of another chief. By substituting one name for anc
bv changing a genealogy, or some such trifle, the skin of the lion,
speak, could be made to cover with more or less grace and to
as an apparel of masquerade for the ass, and without interrupti
Jong as there was no lion, or lion's whelp, to do the unmasking.

The pcx?ts who composed the mele for a king have been spok
as '' the king's washtubs.- ' Mele inoa wei'e not crown-jewels
U6

r] UNWBITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 117

from one incumbent of the throne to another. The practice
propriating the mele inoa composed in honor of another king
■ another line was one that grew up with the decadence of honor
es of degeneracy.

Mele

O Kalakaua, he inoa,

ka pua mae ole i ka la;
Ke pua mai la 1 ka mauna,

1 ke kuahiwi o Mauna -kea;
5 Ke a la i Ki-lau-e-a,

Malamalama i Wahine-kapu,
I ka luna o Uwe-kahuna,
I ka pali kapu o Ka-au-e-a.
E a mai ke alii kia-manu ;
10 Ua WaM i ka hulu o ka mamo,
Ka pua nani o Hawaii ;
O Ka-la-kaua, he inoa!

[Translation]

Bong

Ka-la-kaua, a great name,
A flower not wilted by the sun;
It blooms on the mountains,
In the forests of Mauna-kea;
5 It bums in Ki-lau-e-a,

Illumines the cliff Wahine-kapu,
The heights of Uwe-kahuna,
The sacred pali of Ka-au-e-a.
Shine forth, king of bird-hunters,
10 Resplendent in plumage of ma mo.
Bright flower of Hawaii:
Karla-kaua, the illustrious!

» proper names Wahine-kapu^ Uwe-kahuna^ and Ka-au-e-a in
sth, seventh, and eighth verses are localities, cliffs, bluffs, preci-

etc, in and about the great caldera of Kilauea, following up
lention (in the fifth verse) of that giant among the world's

volcanoes.

5 purpose of the poem seems to be to magnify the prowess of
nee famous king as a captivator of the hearts and loving at-
ns of the fair sex.

Mele

Kona kai opua<> i kala i ka la'i;
Opua hinano ua i ka malie;
Hiolo na wai naoa a ke kehau,

• Ojma means a distinct cloud-plIe, an omen, a weather-sign.

118 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

Ke' na-fi * la na kamalii,
5 Ke kaohi la I ke kakmia o ka la ;
Ku*a la koili i ke kai—
Pomdiana wale la aina!
Aloha wale ke kinl o Hoolulu,
Aohe laa la oe ke aloha,
10 O ku*u panl, o ka me* ow&.

fTranslfltion]
Song

The clond-piles o*er Kona^s sea whet my Joy,
Clouds that drop rain in fair weather.
The clustered dew-pearls shake to the ground ;
The boys drone out the na-d to the West,
5 Eager for Sol to sink to his rest.

This my day for a plunge in the sea —
The Sun will be warming other shores —
Happy the tribes of that land of calm !
Fathomless, deep is my love
10 To thee, my passion, my mate.

The author of this love-song, mele ipo, is said to have been Kalola,
a widow of Kamehameha I, at a time when she was an old woman;
the place was Lahaina, and the occasion an amom* between Liholiho
(Kamehameha II) and a woman of rank. The last two verses of the
poem have been omitted from the present somewhat free, yet faith-
ful translation, as they do not seem to be of interest or pertinent from
our point of view, and there is internal evidence that they were added
as an afterthought.

The hulas on the various islands diiBFered somewhat from one an-
other. In genefal, it may be said that on Kauai they were presented
with more spirit and in greater variety than in other parts of the
group. The following account will illustrate this fact:

About the year 1870 the late Queen Emma made the tour of the
island of Kauai, and at some places the hula was performed as a
recreation in her honor. The hula ka-laau was thus presented; it
was marked, however, by such peculiarities as to make it hardly
recognizable as being the same performance as the one elsewhere
known by that name. As given on Kauai, both the olapa and the
hoopaa took part, as they do on the other islands, but in the Kauai

« The word na-u refers to a sportive contest involving a trial of lung-power, that was
practised by the youth of Kona, Hawaii, as well as of other places. They stood on the
shore at sunset, and as the lower limb of the sun touched the ocean horizon each one,
having filled his lungs to the utmost, began the utterance of the sound na-u-u-u-u, which
he must, according to the rules of the game, maintain continuously until the sun had
disappeared, a lapse of about two minutes' time. This must be done without taking
fresh breath. Anyone inhaling more air into his lungs or intermitting the utterance of
the sound was compelled by the umpire to withdraw from the contest and to sit down,
while anyone who maintained the droning utterance during the prescribed time was de-
clared victor. It was no mean trial.

IKSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OP HAWAII 119

rf ormance the olapa alone handled the two sticks of the xylophone,
deh in other parts formed the sole instrument of musical accom-
niment to this hula. Other striking novelties also were introduced.
Le olapa held between their toes small sticks with which they beat
on a resonant beam of wood that lay on the floor, thus producing
les of a low pitch. Another departure from the usual style of this
la was that the hoopaa, at the same time, devoted themselves
th the right hand to playing upon the pu-niu, the small drum,
lile with the left they developed the deep bass of the pahu. The
3ult of this outre combination must have been truly remarkable.
It is a matter of observation that on the island of Kauai both the
•ecial features of its spoken language and the character of its myths
id legends indicate a closer relationship to the groups of the south-
"n Pacific, to which the Hawaiian people owe their origin, than do
lose of the other islands of the Hawaiian group.

XVI.— THE HULA ILI-ILI

The hula fJi-{Ji\ pobble-dancc, was a performance of the cla
times, in which, according to one who has witnessed it, the
alone took part. The dancers held in each hand a couple of pe
///-/// — hence the name of the dance^— which they managed to
:i<rainst each other, after the fashion of castanets, thus produc
lude music of much the same quality as that elicited fron
'• bones " in our minstrel performances. According to anothei
ness, the drum also was sometimes used in connection wit!
|)e])bles as an accompaniment to this hula.

The ili-ili was at times a hula of intensity — ^that is to say
acted with that stress of voice and manner which the Hawj
lermed ai-/ta\i; but it seems to have been more often perform
that ([uiet natural tone of voice and of manner termed koH-h
which may })e likened to utterance in low relief.

Tlic author can present only the fragment of a song to illus

this hula :

Mele

A lalo maiia o Wai-pfo,
Ike i ka iiani o Hi'i-lawe.
E la wo inai a oki
I na bala o Naiie i ke kai,
f) I na leliiia lii-lu'u paU;

Noho ana lohe i ke kani o ka 0-6,
Hoolono aku i ka leo o ke kahuli.

[Translation]

Song

We twain were lodged in Wai-pi'o,
Beheld Ili'i-lawe, the grand.
We brought and cut for our love-wreath
The rich ha la drupe from Xaue's strand,
r> Tufted lehua that waves on the cliff;
Then sat and gave ear to song of 0-6,
Or harked the chirp of the tree-shell.

Wai-pi^o, the scene of this idyl, is a valley deep and broad wl
the elements have scooped out in the windward exposure of Hav
and scarce needs mention to Hawaiian tourists. HiH-lawe is on<

120

BULLETIN 38 PLATE X

/ \

■■■■'' ^"^ '''

j^"

PUPU-K*MI-OE, POETICALLY STYLED KAHULI

HAWAIIAN TREE-SHELLS (ACHATINELLA '

■ ■ 1

lii

!!

.' I

M

i

:i .

■•i

u

: .1

■*; i

; I '

• I
.1

5

'i

UNWRITTEN LITERATTJRE OF HAWAH 121

gh waterfalls that leap from the world of clouds into the
in.

is a fanciful name applied to the beautiful and unique genus
ells (Achatinella), plate xn, that inhabit the Hawaiian
'he natives are persuaded that these shells have the power of
L song of their own, and the writer has often heard the note
y ascribe to them; but to his ear it was indistinguishable
piping of the cricket. This is the song that the natives
he tree-shells:

Mele

Kahnli aku,
Ealiuli mai,
Kahuli lei ula,
Lei akolea.**
5 Kolea, kolea,*
Efi ka wai,
Wai akolea.

[Translation]

Song of the Tree-shell

Trill a-far,
Trill a-near,
A dainty song-wreath.
Wreath akolea.
5 Kolea, Kolea,

Fetch me some dew,
Dew from pink akolea.

tie piece of rustic imagination is said to have been used
la, but in connection with what dance the author has not
to learn.

'a is a fern (by some classed as a Polypodium) whicli, according to Doctor
Flora of the Hawaiian Islands), '* sustains . its extraordinary length by the
)s which twine round the branches of neighboring shrubs or trees."
le red-breasted plover.

XVII.— THE HULA KA-fiKE-fiKE

The kaehecl'c was a formal hula worthy of high considei
Some authorities assert that the performers in this dance were(
froui the hoopaa alone, who, it will be remembered, maintain*
kneeling position, while, according to another authority, the
also took paii: in it. There is no reason for doubting the sincei
both these witnesses. The disagreement probably arose from
generalization. One is reminded of the wise Hawaiian saw, al
noted, "* Do not think that your halau holds all the knowledge

This hula took its name from the simple instrument that f<
its musical accompaniment. This consisted of a single divisi
the long- jointed bamboo indigenous to Hawaii, which was left
at one end. (The varieties of bamboo imported from China
East Indies have shorter joints and thicker walls, and will n-
swor the purpose, being not sufficiently resonant.) The joints u
the ka(»k(»ek(» were of different sizes and lengths, thus producing
of various pitch. The performer held one in each hand and th
was elicited by striking the base of the cylinder sharply again
floor or some firm, nonresonant body.

On making actual trial of the kaekeeke, in order to prove by
rience its musical quality and capabilities, the writer's pleasur
as great as his surprise when he found it capable of producing
sical tones of great purity and of the finest quality. Experiment
satisfied him that for the best production of the tone it was i
sary to strike the bamboo cylinder smartly upon some firm, ine
substance, such as a bag of sand. The tone produced was of
talline purity, and by varying the size and length of the cylind
l)r()ved possible to represent a complete musical scale. The ir
nient was the germ of the modern organ.

The first mele to be presented partakes of the nature of the
gory, a form of composition not a little affected by the Hawaiiai

A Ilaninkuft an.
Noho i ka ulii ha la.
MaHhini an i ka hiki ana,
I ka na pe'oi>e'e iK>hakn.
5 Noho oe a U'n-H'n.
A luH-luU maUe Iho.

122

►N] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 123

He keiki akamai ko ia pali ;
Elima no pua i ka lima.
Kui oe a lawa
10 I lei no ku'u aloha ;

Ma lama malie oe i ka makemake,
I lei hooheno no ke aloha ole.

Moe oe a ala mai ;
Nana iho oe i kou pono.
15 Hai'na ia ka puana :

Keiki noho pali o Hamakua ;
A waka-waka, a waka-waka.

[Translation]
Song

It was in Hamakua ;
I sat in a grove of Pandanus,
A stranger at my arrival,
A rock was my shelter from rain.
5 I found it a wearisome wait,
Cautiously shifting about.

There's a canny son of the cliff
That has five buds to his hand.
You shall twine me a wreath of due length,
10 A wreath to encircle my love,

Whilst you hold desire in strong curb,
Till love-touch thaws the cold-hearted.

When you rise from sleep on the mat,
Look down, see the conquest of love.
15 The meaning of this short story?

What child fondly clings to the cliff?
Waka-waka, the shell-fish.

9 scene of this idyl, this love-song, mele hoipoipo^ is Hamakua,
trict on the windward side of Hawaii, subject to rain-squalls.
K)et in his allegory represents himself as a stranger sitting in a
mus grove, ulu hala (verse 2) ; sheltering himself from a rain-
1 by crouching behind a rock, ua pe^epe^e pohaku (verse 4) ;
ng about on account of the veering of the wind, luli-luli malie
verse 6). Interpreting this figuratively, Hamakua, no doubt,
\ woman in the case; the grove an emblem of her personality
physical charms; the rain-squall, of her changeful moods and
)ns. The shifting about of the traveler to meet the veering of
'ind would seem to mean the man's diplomatic efforts to deal
the woman's varying caprices and outbursts.
now takes up a parable about some creature, a child of the cliff —
ikua's ocean boundary is mostly a precipitous wall — which he
sents as a hand with five buds. Addressing it as a servant,
is this creature twine a wreath sufficient for his love, kui oe a

124 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BUt

Uvm averse 9), / lei no kuu aloha (verse 10). This creature ^
Hve huils, what is it but the human hand, the errand-carrier of mi
desire, makemake { verse 11) ? The polU by the way, is a figure oi
umhI by Hawaiian poets to mean the glory and dignity of the hui
IkxIv.

That is a fine imaginative touch in which the poet illustrates
IH>wt»r of the human hand to kindle love in one that is cold-hear
a^ if lie liad declareil the hand itself to be not only the wreath-ma!
but the very wn.»atli that is to encircle and warm into response
unresjK>nsive loved one, / lei hooheno no ke aloha ole (verse ]

Diffeiviu^es of physical enWronment, of social convention, of
(t^pte<l nionil and esthetic standards interpose seemingly impassj
barriers In^tween us and the savage mind, but at the touch of an
l>ervading human sympathy these barriers dissolve into very thin

Mele

Kahiki-nui, aawalii<> ka makani!

Nana aku an ia Kona,

Me he kua lei ahi ^ la ka moku ;

Me he lawa iili e, la, no
5 Ku'ii kai im-d hala-k& ^

I ka lae o Haua-mal6 ; *

Me he olohe ill polohiwa,

Ko ku a mauna.

Ma ka ewa lewa ^ Hawaii.
10 Me he ihu leiwi la, ka moku,

Koii nianua. koii palamoa : ^

Kail a waha mai Maima-kea^

A me Maiina-loa,^

Ke ku a Maile-hah^i.*
15 T'liina mai Mamia Kilohana *

I ka poohiwi o Ha'e-hu'e.*

'^ Amrnhi (a word not found in any dictionary) is said by a scholarly Hawaiian t<
an archaic form of the word uicahi, or uahi (milk of fire), smoke, Kahiki-nui is a
re^ou and the wind {makani) often fills the air with dust.

^ Kua hi ahi. No Hawaiian has been found who professes to know the true meaniii}
these words. The transhition of them here jrlven is, therefore, purely formal.

<■ Pa-// Jialaka. An expression sometimes applied to the hand when used as a sh
to one's mc^desty ; here it is said of the ocean (kai) when one's body is immersed In

<* Ilatia-wah't. A cape that lies between Kawaihae and Kailua in north Kona.

*" Eira lend. In this reading: the author has followed the authoritative suggestion
a Hawaiian expert, substituting it for that first given by another, which was cleira. '
latter was without discoverable meaning. Even as now given conjectures as to
meaning are at variance. The one followed presents the less difficulty.

f Palamoa. The name of a virulent kupua that acted as errand-carrier and agent
s<)rcerers (kahuna dnaana) ; also the name of a beautiful grass found on Hawaii t
has a pretty red seed. Following the line of least resistance, the latter meaning '.
been adopted ; In it Is found a generic expression for the leafy covering of the Island

Mauna-kca and Mauna-loa. The two well-known mountains of the big island
Hawaii.

^ Maile-hahci. Said to be a hill In Kona.

* Kilohana and Hu'e-hu'e. The names of two hills in Kona, Hawaii.

3N] UNWBITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII 125

[Translation]
Song

Kahiki-nui, land of wind-driven smoke!

Mine eyes gaze with longing on Kona;

A fire-wreath glows aback of the district.

And a robe of wonderful green
5 Lies the sea that has aproned my loins

Off the point of Hana-mal6.

A dark burnished form is Hawaii,

To one who stands on the mount —

A hamper swung down from heaven,
10 A beautiful carven shape is the island —

Thy moimtains, thy splendor of herbage:

Mauna-kea and Loa stand (in glory) apart,

To him who looks from Maile-hah6i;

And Kilohana pillows for rest
15 On the shoulder of Hu'e-hu'e.

liis love-song — mele hoipoipo — which would be the despair of a
ct literalist — what is it all about ? A lover in Kahiki-nui — of the
«r sex, it would appear — ^looks across the wind-swept channel and
is her thoughts lovingly, yearningly, over to Kona of Hawaii,
oh district she personifies as her lover. The mountains and plains,
leys and capes of its landscapes, are to her the parts and features
ber beloved. Even in the ocean that flows between her and him,
1 which has often covered her nakedness as with a robe, she finds a
i in the chain of association.

XVITI— AX IXTERMISSIOX

I*. r'.ir ::■* }t^rf:»niiiiij(:e of a hula the halau and all the pec

' •■• :• L--^:L'.'jr'u ji'v uLiJ^T t Thbu. the impoation of which was accc

-• •• • V ::j- ..'k-i.:!.*: yiraver that had l»e«en offered before the all

I ■ - V. ft- %i -i»^!\. .'> maner. aiid laid eTerrone present under the n

^ - Li. •• ! i:av»:.- U' '.'ommit do breach of divine etiquette: it e

' :•■■:. • ::.- ::.'»-i h.ii(K^ji\ ivmarkf aud expressions of emotion. 1

::.• ^ -r : f - riijer-. we.ari^d cif the strait- jacket, determined to

:.:.:. :. .^ liTr ii: kK-ial amenities- to lounge, gossip, and s

■'::../. -« ■: J--. :■' auaff 1 Kmial bowl of awa, or to indulge in

^- :• a:.-^. :]ifry -4e»:ured the opportimitr for this interlude

- -:- : :::.*j ihir labu. Thi^ was accomplished by the utterance o

. :i ".abu-lifiiiJir prayer. If the entire force of the h
''•-• - r-T:j"Vt-.l. h wa- at lea,5t so greatly mitigated that
• • • ^jv.-i- itn.»ia- uf life might be carried on without offei

I •• : ' vii^ :Tt»-iv-«l 1»Y the kumu or some person who lepresen
r ' '■ v. :.'<.- '.■'•:jij'Ui-y :

/•m7* Hufj-noa

I>eliiia ''• i-luDa.
I^ebua i-lalo,
A wawae.
A Ka-uhia.^
r» A n Haiiniwi.^

Ki»ii iiiakua-kaiie,*
Mann n Kaj'u': ^
A-koa-kna,
a IV-kaii/
10 () IN'-ka-nana,"

■' I.I iiiiii \'if jil.-il' MM

' i\ii iiiiiii Tin- fi.'irii*' ol" 111*' l!ilr<l month of tlie Ilawlian year, corresponding to
I. inn. II \ III I'l Ihii.ii.\, :i ijiiic wlii-ii ill Ww latitude uf Hawaii nature does not refrain fi
li iifliif- mill fl<i\\ frliif.

ihinnnii 'I In- iwiiiK' :i|iplli'«| ;if(<'r hiv doiitli jmd apotheosis to Papa, the wife of Wal
mill Mil- Mill i:iii!- . iif IIm> IhiwaiiMii rncc. (Tho Polynesian Race, A. Fornander, i. 1

I iiiiiiiiii, I }\'ih )

■' II iti iiniiiitni! Ill wliMiii llu' I'xpn'HHlon *' innkua kane " refers, possibly to Wakea.
liiiiiliiiiiil iir I 'II pit , mill ir MO, vi'iy propiM'Iy lonnod father, ancestor, of the people.

■ WiMMi M AfMif i Miinii n hnnr It iiiJKht ho written) is said to have been a goddi
iiiii iiF fill' riiiiiih lif rdi', II mIhIim' of ili(> son nyintli Moana-nui-ka-lehua, whose domin
uiiM III I III- \Miii'r-i lii>i\v«M'ii nnhii tind Ivaiiai. She is said to have had the gift of <

i|iirili r

' /'i ktiii ii<r«iii III I III' niiiUN iiiiil cImhhch of tlio gods.
•* /'■ Alt iiiiMii irTriri In iiiiMi, Miflr ninkH and classes.

r.'ll

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAn 127

Papa pau.

Pau a'e iluna;

O Ku-mauna,

A me Laka,
15 A me Ku.

Ku i ka wao,

A me Hina,

Hina mele-lanl.

A ua pau;
20 Pau kakou;

A ua noa;

Noa ke kahua;

Noa!

[Translation]
Power to Remove Tahu

Bloom of lehua on altar piled,

Bloom of lehua below,

Bloom of lehua at altar's base.

In the month Ka-ulua.
5 Present here is Haumea,

And the father of thee,

And the goddess of eloquent speech;

Gather, now gather,

Ye ranks of gods,
10 And ye ranks of men.

Complete in array.

The heavenly service is done,

Service of Ku of the mount,

Service of Laka,
15 And the great god Ku,

Ku of the wilds.

And of Hina,

Hina, the heavenly singer.

Now it is done,
20 Our work is done;

The tabu is lifted,

Free is the place.

Tabu-free !

► is another pule hoo-noa, a prayer-song addressed to Laka.
sion for the lifting of the tabu. It will be noticed that
is implied, not explicitly stated All heads are lifted, all
rected heavenward or to the altar, and the hands with a
otion keep time as the voices of the company, led by the
)lemn cantillation, utter the following prayer:

128 BUBEAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

Pule Hoo-noa no Laka

Pupu we'u-we*u« e, L&ka e,
O kona we*u-we*u e ku-w& ; *
O Ku-ka-ohia-LakA,<' e;
Lana me Ku-pulu-pulu ; *
5 Ka I^ehua me ke Koa lau-Ui;
O ka Lama me Mokii-balii,
Kfl-i-kd-i ^ me ka Hala-iiepe;
Lakou me Lau-ka-ie-ie,
Ka Palaf me Maile-lau-lii.
10 Noa, noa i kou kuahu;
Noa, noa ia oe, L&ka ;
Pa-iiA-lOa noa !

[Translation]
Tabu-lifting Prayer {to Laka)

Oh wild wood bouquet, O I^ka I
Set her greenwood leaves In order due;
And Ku, god of Ohia-La-k&,
He and Ku, the shaggy,
5 Lehua with small-leafed Koa,
And Lama and Moku-haliM,
K(i-l-ktS-i and Hftla -p^)^ ;
And with these leafy I-e-i-e,
Fern and small-leafed Maile.
10 Free, the altar is free !
Free through you, Laka,
Doubly free !

But even now, when the tabu has been removed and the assembly
is supposed to have assumed an informal character, before they may
indulge themselves in informalities, there remains to be chanted a
dismissing prayer, pule hooku'^u, in which all voices must join:

o Pupu we'u-ice'u. A bouquet. The reference is to the wreaths and floral decorations
that bedecked the altar, and that were not only offerinj^s to the goddess, but symbols
of the diverse forms in which she manifested herself. At the conclusion of a perform-
ance the players laid upon the altar the p^arlands they themselves had worn. These were
in addition to those which were placed there before the play began.

^ Ku-ivd. It has cost much time and trouble to dig out the meaning of this word.
The fundamental notion is that contained in its two parts, ku, to stand, and tra, an
interval or space, the whole meaning to arrange or set in orderly intervals.

" La-kd. A Tahitian name for the tree which in Hawaii is called lehua, or ohia.
In verse 3 the Hawaiian name ohia and the Tahitian lakd (accented on the final
syllable, thus distinguishing it from the name of the goddess Ldka, with which It has
no discoverable connection) are combined in one form as an appellation of the god
Ku — ku-ka-ohia-Lakd. This is a notable instance of the survival of a word as a
sacred epithet in a liturgy, which otherwise had been lost to the language.

^ Ku-pulu-pulu. Ku, the fuzzy or shaggy, a deity much worshiped by canoe-makers,
represented as having the figure of an old man with a long beard. In the sixth verse
the full form of the god's name here given as Moku-ha-li'i would be Ku-moku-haliH, the
last part being an epithet applied to Ku working in another capacity. Moku-haUH is the
one who ]:)edecks the island. His special emblem, as here implied, was the lama, a
beautiful tree, whose wood was formerly used in making certain sacred inclosures.
From this comes the proper name Palama, one of the districts of Honolulu.

• Ku-irk^-i. The same as the tree now called ku-ku-i, the tree whose nuts were used
as candles and flambeaus. The Samoan name of the same tree is tH-i-tii-i.

UNWBITTEN UTERATUKE OF HAWAn 129

Pule Hooku'u

Ku ka makaia a ka hnakaU moe ipo ; *
Ku au, hele;
Noho oe, aloha !

Aloha na hale o makoa i makamaka-ole,
5 Ke alanui hele manka o Huli-wale,^ la;
H-u-M.

E hull a*e ana i ka makana,
I ke alana ole e kanaenae aku ia oe.
Eia ke kanaenae, o ka leo.

[Translation]

Dismissing Prayer

Doomed sacrifice I in the love-quest,
I stand [loin-girt] *^ for the journey;
To you who remain, farewell!
Farewell to our homes forsaken.
5 On the road beyond In-decision,
I turn me about —
Turn me about, for lack of a gift.
An offering, intercession, for thee —
My sole intercession, the voice.

ragment — two fragments, in fact, pieced together — ^belongs
ic of Pele. As her little sister, Hiiaka, is about to start on
iturous journey to bring the handsome Prince Lohiau from
it island of Kauai she is overcome by a premonition of Pele's
and vengeance, and she utters this intercession,
•rmalities just described speak for themselves. They mark
an any comments can do the superstitious devotion of the
s to formalism, their remoteness from that free touch of
d artistic pleasure, the lack of which we modems often la-
)ur own lives and sigh for as a lost art, conceiving it to have
5 the possession of " the children of nature."
ithor has already hinted at the form and character of the
ments with which hula-folk sometimes beguiled their pro-
interludes. Fortunately the author is able to illustrate by
' a song the very form of entertainment they provided for
5s on such an occasion. The following mele, cantillated with
ipaniment of expressive gesture, is one that was actually
in awa-drinking bout indulged in by hula- folk. The author
ccount of its recital at Kahuku, island of Oahu, so late as
1849, during a circuit of that island made by King Kanie-

l translation of the first line would be as follows: (Here) stands the doomed

the Journey in search of a bed-lover.
le. To tarn about, here used as the name of a v>lace, is evidently intended

to stand for mental indecision.

eketed phrase is not in the text of the original.

iS—BuU. 38—09 9

130 BUBEAU OF AMEBIC AS ETHNOLOGY

}jaiiuelia III. Thi:^ luele i> reckoned as belonging to the <
jv-jjpn/^r}' of the hula : but to which particular form of the
wa* thviAed La? n<:« been learned:

MHe

Ua <mM o Kane i ka awa :

t'a kau ke k^ha * i ka nlnna ;

1'a LiVlani ^ i ka moena.

Kip6 naal la i ke kapa o ka noe.
5 N*i€vDt<e na hoktl o ka lani —

IiDO-imo mai la i ka po a'e-a'e.

Mahana-lua ^ na knkui a Lanikaula,^

He kaula no Kane.^

Meha na pali o Wai-pfo
10 I ke kani man o Kiha-pti:

A ono ole ka awa a ke alii

I ke kani man o Kiba-pQ:

Moe ole kona po o ka Hooilo ;

Uluhua. a uluhna,
15 I ka niea nana e hnli a loaa

I kola kurma ino i ka pali,

Olali la. a olali.

[Translation!
Song

Kano is drunken with awa ;

His li(»a(l is laid on the pillow;

His body stretched on the mat.

A trumr>et sounds through the fog,
n Diiiiuiod are the stars in the sky;

When the night is clear, how they twinkle !

Lani-kaula's torches look double,

Tlie torches that burn for Kane.

(Jliostly and drear the walls of Waipio
10 At the endless blasts of Kiha-pti.

The king's awa fails to console him;

'Tis the all-night couching of Kiha-pti.

IJroken his sleep the whole winter;

Downcast and sad, sad and downcast,
15 At loss to find a brave hunter

Sim I! st(»al the damned conch from the cliff.

L(K>k, how it gleams [through the fog] I

" l\rlni \h an (»I<»«:miiI expression for tho sido of the head.

''///'(» hnii, llt<*rjill.v to turn tho sido to heaven, is a classic expression of re

' MdlmiKi luii. literally to see douhh\ was an accepted test of satisfactory d
It remhuls the author ot an expression he once heard used by the comediar
tlie phi.v of Toodles. While In a maudlin state from liquor he spoke of the lig!
that was in his hand as a *' (htuhle harreled candle."

'• l.iiiii Ktiulii was a prophet wlu» llvetl on Molokai at a place that still bears
Me had his residence in tlie midst of a j;i*ove of fine knkui trees, the remnant
renuiln to this tiay. Torches made fr»>ni the nuts of these trees were suppos*
HupiMlor tjuallty and they fnrnishtHi the Illumination for the revelries of Ka
fellows.

* itv kuulu no hatit, \ literal trauslntton would l»e, a prophet of Kaue.

HAWAIIAN TRUMPET, PU (CASSIS MADAGASCARENSIS)

BMEBso.N] UNWRITTEN LTTKHATURE OF HAWAII 131

Kano, the chief ^od uf the Hawaiian pantheon, in company with
other ininioii;als, his boon companions, met in ivvehy on the hei^rhts
bounding AVai-pi'o valley. AVith each potation of awa they sounded
a bhist upon their conch-shells, and the racket was almost continuous
from the setting of the sun until drowsiness overcame them or the
coming of day put an end to their revels.

The tumult of sound made it impossible for the priests to perform
acceptably the offices of i-eligion, and the pious king. Liloa. was dis-
tressed beyond measure. The whole valley was disturbed and
tRmUed with forebodings at the suspension of divine worship.

The chief offender was Kane himself. The trumpet which he held
to his lips was a conch of extraordinary size (pi. xiv) and credited
with a divine origin and the possession of suixu'uatural power: its
note was heard above all the others. This shell, the famed Kiha-pu,
had been stolen from the heiau of Paka'a-lana. LiloaV temple in AVai-
pi'o valley, and after many adventures had come into the hands of
god Kiane, who used it, as we see. for the interruption of the very
aeryioes that were intended for his honor.

The rdief from this novel and unprecedented situation came from
an unezpected quarter. King Liloa's awa-i)atches were found to be
safferanfl^ from the nocturnal visits of a thief. A watch was set : the
thief proved to be a dog, Puapua-lenalena. whose master was a con-
firmed awa-toper. When master and dog were* brought into the
preaenoe of King Liloa, the shrewd mcmarch divined the remarkable
duuacter of the animal, and at his suggestion the dog was sent on
the errand which i-esulted in the recovery by stealth of the famed
condi Kiha-pii. As a result of his loss of tlie conch, Kane put an
end to his revels, and the valley of Wai-pi'o again had peace.

This mele is an admirable specimen of Hawaiian poetry, and nuiy
betaken as representative of the best product of Hawaii's classical
period. The language is elegant and concise, free from the redun-
dancies that so often load down Hawaiian compositions. No one, it

IS thought, will deny to the subject-matter of this mele an unusual

«lep^»e of inteivst.
There is a historic side to the story of the conch-shell Kiha-pu.

Not nianv veai*s affo the Hawaiian Museum contained an etliuoloirical

*|*H-iiiien of great interest, the conch-shell Kiha-pu. It wa> fringed.

afiMi- ihe fashion of a witch-doll, with strings, beads, and wanipnni-

lik»' liit> of mother-of-pearl, and had great repute as a kn/nm or hieU-

''litijriT. King Kalakaini. who affected a sentimental lejniing to the

iiol f»ii< of his mother's race, took possession of this famous "curio''

■n.'l it ili>ap]K'ared from public view.

XTX.— THE HULA NIAU-KANI

The hula ynau-l'ani was one of the classic dances of the halau

took its name from the musical instrument that was its accomi
ment. This was a simple, almost extemporaneous, contrivance,
ytructed, like the jew's-harp, on the principle of a reed instrun
It was made of two parts, a broad piece of bamboo with a Ion]
ilinal slit at one end and a thin narrow piece of the same mate
the reed, which was held firmly against the fenestra on the cod
side of j)art number one. The convexity of the instrument
pressed against the lips and the sound was j)roduced bj'^ projec
the breath through the slit in a speaking or singing tone in su
way as to cause vibrations in the reed. The manner of construe
and operating this reed instrument is suggestive of the jew's-1:
It is asserted bv those who should know that the niau-kani wa

«

instrument of purely Hawaiian invention.

Tlu» performer did not depend simply upon the musical tone,
rather upon tlie modification it produced in the utterances that ^
strained througli it. It Avould certainly require a quick ear, n
])raetic'e, and a thorough acquaintance with the peculiarities of
waiian niele to enable one to distinguish the words of a song a
being iransformed by passage through the niau-kani.

As late as about thirty or forty years ago the niau-kani was o
seen in the hands of the native Hawaiian youth, who used it \
means of romantic conversations and flirtation. Since the coming
of the Portuguese and their importation of the tiku-lele^ the ti
jHit(h-p\IiIh\ and other cheap stringed instruments, the niau-kani
left the Held to them and disappeared.

The author's informant saw the niau-kani dance performed »
vears niro at Moana-lua, near Ib^nolulu, and again on the island
Ivauai. The dance in eaih case was the same. The kumu, aided
a pupil, sti>od and played on the niau-kani. straining the canti
lions ihriMigh the reeil- protected aperture, while the olapa, girls, k
lime \o I he nuisic with the movemenls of their dancing,

132

UNWBITTEN LITBBATUBE OF HAWAH 133

Mele

E pi'i ka wal ka nahele,

U!ina, nakolo i na Molo-kama ; o

Ka ua lele mawaho o Mamala-hoa.

He manao no ko'u e ike
5 I na pua ohi'a o Kupa-koili,^

I hoa kaunu no Manu'a-kepa ; c

Ua like laua me Maha-moku. ^

Anapa i ke kai o Mono-lau.®

Lalau ka lima a noa ia ia la,
10 I hoa pili no Lani-huli. f

E hull oe i ku'u makemake,

A loa*a i Kau-ka-opua.^

Elua no pua kau

A ka manao i makemake aL
15 Hoohihi oe a hihi

I lei kohu no neia kino.

Ahea oe hiki mai?

A kau ka La i na pali ; ^

Ka hull a ka makani Wai-a-ma'o,*
20 Makemake e iki ia ka Hala-mapu-ana,

Ka wai halana i Wai-pfi,.^

[Translation]
Song

Up to the streams in the wildwood,
Where rush the falls Molo-kama,
While the rain sweeps past Mala-hoa,
I had a passion to visit
5 The forest of bloom at Koili,

. — The proper names belong to localities along the course of the Wai-oli stream.
okama (more often given as Na Molo-kama). The name applied to a succession of
ide by the stream far up in the mountains. The author has here used a versifier's
e, compressing this long word Into somewhat less refractory shape.
ta-koili. A grove of mountain-apples, ohia ai, that stand on the banlc of the stream
from the public road.

lu'a-kepa. A sandy, grass-covered meadow on the opposite side of the river from
olli.
ia-moku. A sandy beach near the mouth of the river, on the same bank as Manu*a-

XQ-lau. That part of the bay into which the river flows, that is used as an
ig<e for vessels.

\i-huH. The side of the valley Kiiauea of Wai-oli toward which the river malces a
»fore it enters the ocean.

i-ka-opua. Originally a phrase meaning " the cloud-omen hangs,'* has come to be
i the proper name of a place. It Is an instance of a form of personification often
^ by the Hawaiians, In which words having a specific meaning- -such, for instance,
"jack-in-the-box" — have come to l)e used as a noun for the sake of tlie nieaninj:^
d up In the etymology. This figure of speech is, no doubt, common to all lan-
markedly so in the Hawaiian. It may be further illustrattHl l)y the Hebrew
cbabod — ** his glory has departed."

'Mu ka La, i na pali. When stands the sun o'er the pali, evening or late in the
on. On this part of Kauai the sun sets l)ehlnd tlie mountains.
i-n-ma'o. The land-breeze, which sometimes springs up at night.
l-p6, A spot on the bank of the stream where grew a pandanus tree, hala, styled
i-wuitm-ana, the bala-breathing-out-its'fragrance.

134 BUREAU OF AMEBIC AN ETHNOLOGY [bi

To give love^-aress to Manu*a.

Aud her neighbor Maha-mokii.

And 9ee the waters flash at Mono-la u ;

My hand would quiet their rage,
in Would sidle and touch Lani-huli.

Orant me but this one entreaty.

We'll meet *neath the omens above.

Two flowers there are that bloom

In your garden of being;
15 Knt>vine them into a garland.

Fit emblem and croi^Ti of our love.

And whiit the hour of your coming?

WTien stands the Sun o'er the pall.

When turns the breeze of the land,
'20 To breathe the perfume of hala,

While the' currents swirl at Wal-i)ii.

This mele is tlie lan^iia^ of passion, a song in which the 1
frankly pours into the ear of his inamorata the story of his lov
to the time of his hist enthrallment. Verses 11, 12, and 17 are
hin<rua<re of the woman. The scene is laid in the rainy valle
IIanal(M. Kauai, a broad and deep basin, to the finishing of ^\
the elements have contributed their share. The rush and roar o:
waters that unite to form the river Wai-oli, from their wild tuml
in the falls of Molo-kama till they pass the river's mouth and mi
with the flashing waves of the ocean at Mono-lau, Anapa i he I
Moho-Unt (verse 8), are emblematic of the man's passion anc
(juest for satisfaction.

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHMOLOav

WOMAN PLAYING ON THE NOSE-FLUTE (OHE-HANO-IHU)

XX.— THE HULA OHE

The action of the hula ohe had some resemblance to one of the fig-
ures of the Virginia reel. The dancers, ranged in two parallel rows,
moved forward with an accompaniment of gestures until the head of
each row had reached the limit in that direction, and then, turning
outward to right and left, countermarched in the same manner to the
point of starting, and so continued to do. They kept step and timed
their gestures and movements to the music of the bamboo- nose-flute,
the ohe.

In a performance of this hula witnessed by an informant the
chorus of dancers was composed entirely of girls, while the kumu
operated the nose-flute and at the same time led the cantillation of
the mele. This seemed an extraordinary statement, and the author
challenged the possibility of a person blowing with the nose into a
flute and at the same time uttering words with the mouth. The
Hawaiian asserted, nevertheless, that the leader of the hula, the
kumu, did accomplish these two functions; yet his answer did not
remove doubt that they were accomplished jointly and at the same
time. The author is inclined to think that the kumu performed the
two actions alternately.

The musical range of the nose-flute was very limited; it had but
two orj at the most, three stops. The player with his left hand held
the flute to the nostril, at the same time applying a finger of the
same hand to keep the other nostril closed. With the fingers of his
right hand he operated the stops (pi. xv).

' Mele

E pr i ka nahele,
E ike ia Ka-wal-klni,«
Nana ia Piliana-ka-lani,*

*^ Ka-wai-kini. The name of a rocky bluff that stands on the side of Mount Wai-ale-ale,
looking to Wailua. It is said to divide the flow from the great morass, the natural
reservoir formed by the hollow at the top of the mountain, turning a part of it In the
direction of Wai-niha, a valley not far from Hanalei, which otherwise would, it is said
t>y ffawaiiana, go to swell the stream that forms the Wailua river. This rock, in the
old times, was regarded as a demigod, a kupua^ and had a lover who resided in Wai-lua,
also another who resided in the mountains. The words in the first two or three verses
may be taken as if they were the utterance of this Wai-lua lover, saying " I will go up
and see my sweetheart Ka-wal-kini."

^ Pihana-ka-lani. Literally, the fullness of heaven. This was a forest largely of lehua
that covered the mountain slope below Ka-wal-kini. It seems as if the purpose of its
mention was to represent the beauties and charms of the human body. In this romantic
region lived the famous mythological princes — alii kupua the Hawalians called them —

135

186 BUREAU OF AMEBIC AK ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

I kela manu hulu ma*e-xna*e,^
5 Noho pu me Ka-hale-lehua,

Punahele la Kaua-kahl-alil.^

E Kaili/ e Kaili, e !

E Kalll, lau o ke koa,

E Kaili, lau o ke koa,
10 Moopuna a Hooipo-i-ka-MaIanal,<'

Hlwa-hiwa a ka Lehua-wehe ! ^

Aia ka nani 1 Wai-ehu,

I ka wai kaili puuwai o ka makemake.

Makemake au i ke kalukalu o KewA,^
15 E he*e ana i ka nalu o Maka-iwa.

He iwa-iwa oe na ke aloha,

I Wai-lua nui hoano.

Ano-ano ka hale, aohe kanaka,

Ua la*i oe no ke one o All-6.
20 Ala ka ipo 1 ka nahele.

[Translation]
Song

Come up to the wild wood, come;

Let us visit Wal-kinl,

And gaze on Plhana-ka-lanl,

named Kaua-kahi-alii and Aitcohi-kupua, with their princess sister Ka-Tiale-lehua. The
second name mentioned was the one who married the famous heroine of the romantic
story of Laie-i-ka-wai.

« Manu hulu ma'ema'e. An allusion to the great number of plumage birds that were
reputed to be found in this place.

* Punet-hele ia Kaua-kahi-alii. The birds of the region are said to have been on very
intimate and friendly terms with Kaua-kahi-alii. (See note &, p. 135.)

"^ Kaili. The full form is said to be Ka-ili-lau-o-ke-koa — Skin-like-the-leaf-of-the-koa. In
the text of the mele this name is analyzed into its parts and written as if the phrase
at the end were an appellative and not an integral part of the name itself. This was a
mythical character of unusual beauty, a person of superhuman power, kupua, a mistress
of the art of surf-riding, which passion she Indulged in the waters about Wai-lua.

^ Hooipo-i-ka-Malanai. A mythical princess of Wailua, the grandmother of Kaili. This
oft-quoted phrase, literally meaning to make love in the (gently-blowing) trade- wind, has
become almost a stock expression, standing for romantic love, or love-making.

• Lehua-wehe. The piece of ocean near the mouth of the Wailua river in which Kalll
indulged her passion for surf-riding.

f Kalu-kalu o Keicd. Kalu-kalu may mean a species of soft, smooth grass specially
fitted for sliding upon, which flourished on the inclined plain of Kewft, Kauai. One
would sit upon a mat, the butt end of a coconut leaf, or a sled, while another dragged
it along. The Hawaiian name for this sport is pahe'e. KtUu-kalu is also the name ap-
plied to "a very thin gauze-like kapa." (See Andrews's Hawaiian Dictionary.) If we
suppose the poet to have clearly intended the first meaning, the figure does not tally with
the following verse, the fifteenth. Verses 14 and 15 would thus be made to read :

I desire the kalu-kalu (grass) of Kewfi,

That is riding the surf of Maka-iw^a. *

This is an impossible figure and makes no sense. If, on the other hand, we take another
version and conceive that the bard had in mind the gauze-like robe of kalu-kiUu — ^using
this, of course, as a figure for the person clad in such a robe — the rendering I have
given,

I pine for the sylph robed in gauze.

Who rides the surf Maka-iwa,

would not only make a possible, but a poetic, picture. Let the critical reader Judge
which of these two versions hits closer to common sense and probability.

EMEBsoN] UNWRITTEN LITERATUBE OP HAWAII 137

Its birds of plumage so fine;
5 Be comrade to Hale-lehua,

Soul-mate to Kau'kahl-alli.

O, Kaili, Kaili !

Kaill, leaf of the koa,

Graceful as leaf of the koa,
10 Granddaughter of goddess,

Whose name is the breath of love.

Darling of blooming Lehua.

My lady rides with the gray foam,

On the surge that enthralls the desire.
15 I pine for the sylph robed in gauze.

Who rides on the surf Maka-iwa —

Aye, cynosure thou of all hearts.

In all of sacred Wailua.

Forlorn and soul-empty the house;
20 You pleasure on the beach Ali-6;

Your love is up here in the wildwood.

This mele hoipoipo, love-song, like the one previously given, is
from Kauai. The proper names that abound in it, whether of places,
of persons, or of winds, seem to have been mostly of Kauaian origin,
furnished by its topography, its myths and legends. They have,
however, become the common property of the whole group through
having been interwoven in the national songs that pass current from
island to island.

XXL— THE MUSIC AND MUSICAL IXSTRrrMEXTS

THE HAWAIIAXS

A bird is easier captured than the notes of a song. The mele ai
oil of Hawaii's olden time have been preserved for us: but the mus
to which they were chanted, a less perdurable essence, has most
exhaled. In the sudden transition from the tabu system to the iw
order of thinps that came in with the death of Kamehameha in 181
the old fashion of song soon found itself antiquated and outdistance
Its survival, so far as it did survive, was rather as a memorial ai
reiiieiiil)i-aiice of the past than as a register of the living emotions
the present.

Th(» new music, with its pa. ko^ U — ^answering to our do, re, mi*^
was soon in evenbodv's mouth. From the first it was evident

ft. ft.

destined to enact a role different from that of the old cantillatioi
none* tli(» less the musical ideas that came in with it, the air of freedo
from tal)u and priestcraft it breathed, and the diatonic scale, tl
highway alon^ which it marched to conquest, soon produced a notic
able reaction in all the musical efforts of the people. This new see
when it had Ixiconie a vigorous plant, began to push aside the o
indi^'enous stock, to cover it with new growths, and, incredible i
it may seem, to inoculate it with its own poUen, thus producing
cross which to-day is accepted in certain quarters as the genuii
nrtich' of Hawaiian song. E\^en now, the people of northwestei
America are- listening with demonstrative interest to songs whi(
they suppose to be those of the old hula, but which in reality have i
more connection with that institution than our negro minstrelsy hi
to do with the dark continent.

The ()n(» regrettable fact, from a historical point of view, is ihi
a record was not made of indigenous Hawaiian song before th
pi'ocess of siihstitiition and adulteration had begun. It is no eas
matter now to obtain the data for definite knowledge of the subjec

W'hili* the central purpose of this chapter wiU be a study of tl
music native to old Hawaii, and especially of that produced in tl
halaii, Hawaiian music of later times and of the present daj" can m
be entirely n(»glected; nor will it be without its value for the indire*
light it will shed on ancient conditions and on racial characteristic
Th(^ reaction that has taken place in Hawaii within historic times i

"* 'rh«> otirly AiiuM'Uan mittHioimrios to Hawaii named the musical notes of the sea
/Ml, ku, II, ha, no, In, mi.

188

UCSftsoN] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 139

EQsponse to the stimulus from abroad can not fail to be of interest
in itself.

There is a peculiarity of the Hawaiian speech which can not but
have its effect in determining the lyric tone-quality of Hawaiian
music; this is the predominance of vowel and hibial sounds in the
language. The phonics of Hawaiian speech, we must remember,
lack the sounds represented by our alphabetic symbols &, c or «, d^ /,
h h 9.1 ^j ^^^ ^ — ^ poverty for which no richness in vowel sounds can
make amends. The Hawaiian speech, therefore, does not call into full
play the uppermost vocal cavities to modify and strengthen, or refine,
the throat and mouth tones of the speaker and to give reach and em-
phasis to his utterances. When he strove for dramatic and passional
effect, he did not make his voice resound in the topmost cavities of the
▼oioe-trumpet, but left it to rumble and mutter low down in the
throat-pipe, thus producing a feature that colors Hawaiian musical
lecitation.

This feature, or mannerism, as it might be called, specially marks
Hawaiian music of the bombastic bravura sort in modern times, im-
parting to it in its strife for emphasis a sensual barbaric quality. It
can be described further only as a gurgling throatiness, suggestive at
times of ventriloquism, as if the singer were gloating over some wild
physical sensation, glutting his appetite of savagery, the meaning
of which is almost as foreign to us and as primitive as are the
mewing of a cat, the gurgling of an infant, and the snarl of a mother-
tiger. At the very opposite pole of development from this throat-
talk of the Hawaiian must we reckon the highly-specialized tones
of the French speech, in which we find the nasal cavities are called
upon to do their full share in modifying the voice-sounds.

The vocal execution of Hawaiian music, like tin* recitation of much

of their poetry, showed a surprising mastery of a certain kind of

technique, the peculiarity of which was a sustained and continuous

outpouring of the breath to the end of a certain period, when the

luiigs again drank their fill. This seems to have been an inheritance

from the old religious style of prayer-recitation, which required the

priest to repeat the whole incantation to its finish with the outpour

of one lungful of breath. Satisfactory utterance of those old j)rayer-

i songs of the Aryans, the Tnantras^ was conditioned likewise on its

I being a one-breath performance. A logical analogy may be si^en

I between all this and that unwritten law, or supei^stition, which made

it imperative for the heroes and demigods, /.'///>/m, of Hawaii's

inythologic age to discontinue any unfinished work on the coming of

Jiylight.«

*Tke author can see no reason for supposing that this proloiminl uttonuu'o hud auy-
^^^ to do with that Hindoo practice belonging to the yoya, the exerclsif of which con-
"te In ngiiUtliig the breath.

141) BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Uull

When one listens for the first time to the musical utterance of
Hawaiian poem, it may seem only a monotonous onflow of soim
faintly punctuated by the primary rhythm that belongs to accentjb
lacking those milestones of secondary rhythm which set a period
such broader divisions as distinguish rhetorical and musical phrasii
Further attention will correct this impression and show that t
Ilawaiiaiis j)ai(l strict attention not only to the lesser rhythm whi
deals with the time and accent of the syllable, but also to that mc
comprehensive form which puts a limit to the verse.

AVith the Ilawaiians musical phrasing was arranged to fit the vei
of the mele, not to express a musical idea. The cadencing of
musical phrase in Ilaw^aiian song was marked by a peculiarity all
own. It consisted of a prolonged trilling or fluctuating movemc
called r/, in which the voice went up and down in a weaving mann
touching the main note that formed the framework of the melo(
then si)ringing away from it for some short interval — a half of a sti
oi" even some shorter interval — ^like an electrified pith-ball, only
return and then spring away again and again until the impu
(•(Mised. This was more extensively employed in the oli proper, t
\crs(»s of which w^ere longer drawn out, than in the mele such
IoiiiumI the stock pieces of the hula. These latter were genera!
divided into shorter verses.

Musical Instruments

The musical instruments of the Hawaiians included many class
and tlicir studv can not fail to furnish substantial data for a:
attcni])! to estimate the musical performances, attainments, ai
<ronius of tlie ])eople.

Of drums, or drum-like instruments of percussion, the Hawaiia
had four:

1. The pahf/^ or jjahy-Jnda (pi. x), was a section of hollowed Ic
Bread-fruit and coconut were the woods generally used for this pn
])(>se. The tou<rh skin of the shark was the choice for the drumhea
wliicli was held in i)]ace and kept tense by tightening cords of cocon
fiber, that passed down the side of the cylinder.

The workmanship of the pahu, though rude, was of tasteful desig
So far as the author has studied them, each pahu was constructed wi
a diaphragm placed about two-thirds the distance from the hea
obtained by leaving in place a cross section of the log, thus making
closed chamber of the drum-cavity proper, after the fashion of tl
kettledrum. The lower part of the drum also was hollowed out ai
carved, as w^ill be seen in the illustration. In the carving of all tl
specimens examined the artists have shown a notable fondness for
fenestrated design representing a series of arches, after the fashion <

*«:m80N] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 141

t two-storied arcade, the Iiannch of the superimposed arch resting
lirectly on the crown of that below. In one case the lower arcade
eas composed of Eoman, while the upper was of Gothic, arches. The
(race of the design and the manner of its execution are highly pleas-
ng, and suggest the inquiry, Whence came the opportunity for this
ntiniate study of the arch ?

The tone of the pahu was produced by striking its head with the
inger-tips, or with the palm of the hand; never with a stick, so far
IS the writer has been able to learn. Being both heavy and unwieldly,
t was allowed to rest upon the ground, and, if used alone, was placed
o the front of the operator; if sounded in connection with the in-
strument next to be mentioned, it stood at his left side.

The pahu, if not the most original, was the most important instru-
nent used in connection with the hula. The drum, with its deep and
lolemii tones, is an instrument of recognized efficiency in its power
ko stir the heart to more vigorous j)ulsations, and in all ages it has
Ijeen relied upon as a means of inspiring emotions of mystery, awe,
terror, sublimity, or martial enthusiasm.

Tradition of the most direct sort ascribes the introduction of tho
pahu to La'a — ^generally known as La'a-mai-Kaliiki (La'a-froni-
Kahiki) — a prince who flourished about six centuries ago. lie was of
a volatile, adventurous disposition, a navigator of some renown, hav-
ing made the long voyage between Hawaii and the archipelagoes in
the southern Pacific — Kahiki — not less than twice in each direction.
On his second arrival from the South he brought with him the big
drum, the pahu, which he sounded as he skirted the coast quite out
lo sea, to the wonder and admiration of the natives on the land. La'a,
Ijcing of an artistic temperament and an ardent jiatron of the Inila,
at once gave the divine art of Laka the benefit of this newly im-
ported instrument. He traveled from place to place, instructing ilie
ieachers and inspiring them with new ideals. It was he also who
introduced into the hula the kaekeeke as an instrument of music.

2. Tlie pu-niu (pi. xvi) was a small drum made from the slioll of

a coconut. The top part, that containing the eyes, was removed,

and the shell having been smoothed and polished, the openinir was

lightly covered with the skin of some scaleless fish — that of tlu^

hihi ( Acanthurus unicornis) w^as preferred. A venerable kuniu-Inila.

states that it was his practice to use only the skin taken from thi*

right side of the fish, becaus(> he found that it produced a finer (jualit y

of sound than that of the other side. The Hawaiian mind was very

insistent on little matters of this sort — the mint, anise, and cummin

''f their system. The drumhead was stretched and placed in position

*hile moist and flexible, and was then made fast to a ring-shaped

tushion — poalm — of fiber or tapa that hugged the base of the shell.

143 BVBEA.U OF AMEBICAK ETHlTOLOaT [bcu

'Dip HnTcaiiaii.s sometimes made m^a of the clear gum of the ku.
tret' to aid in fixing the drumhead in place.

When in use the pu-niu was lashed to the righi
venience of the x>crformer, who played upon i
hruidetl filers held in his ri^t hand (fig. 2), his
ti> niuuipiiliito llu' big drum that stood on the othc

Of tlin>t< pu-niu in tlie author's collection, one,
off the sound of u below the staff; another tha
stuff, and a third that of tii in the staff.

\\1iiU> tlip grand ribrntions of the pahu filled
solenui tremor, the lighter and sharper tones of
pii|uini<-y to tlie effect, adding a feature which ma
sparklinfT ripples which the breeze carves in the

3. TIk' >/"i or ipu-kula (pi. vn), though not fix
drnnilike instrument. It was made by joining c
jjcar-sbiiijoii gourds of large size in such fashion
shaped tiko ii figure 8. An opening was made ii

Fiu, '1. — Kb, drumBtlck tar pu-nlo. <F1. xvi.)

the smallei' gourd to give exit to the sound. The cavities of the 1
gourds were thrown into one, thus making a single column of i
wliich, in vibrntiou, gave off a note of clear bass pitch. An ipu
huge. y\YA: in the author's collection emits the tone of c in the b
'I'hough of large volume, the tone is of low int^isity and hAs sn
ciirrving i)Owi'r.

For case in litindling. the ipu is provided about its waist witl
loop iif cord or tiipa, by whicli device the performer was enabled
niaiii|)ulii(e this bulky instrument with one hand. The iDStnimi
was sounded by dropping or striking it with well-adjusted fn
agiiinst the jiadded eiirth-floor of the Hawaiian house.

'\'\\» uiannei- anil style of perfoniiing on the ipu varied widi 1
sruliuieut of the mole, a lifrht and ctiressing action when the feeli
was sentimental or pathetic, wild and emphatic when the subject v,
such as to stir the feelings with enthusiasm and passion.

Arusicians iiifcirm us that the dnim — exception is made in the ci
of (lie snare and the kettle drum — is an instrument in which the pit
is a matliT nf <'iimparative indifference, its fimction being to ma
the time and euii)hasize the rhythm. There are other elements.

acBESON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 143

K'ould seem, that must be taken into the account in estimating the value
►f the drum. Attention may be directed first to its tone-character,
lie quality of its note which touches the heart in its own peculiar
vay, moving it to enthusiasm or bringing it within the easy reach
►f awe, fear, and courage. Again, while, except in the orchestra,
:lie drum and other instruments of percussion may require no exact
pitch, still this does not necessarily determine their effectiveness,
rhe very depth and gravity of its pitch, made pervasive by its wealth
of overtones, give to this primitive instrument a weird hold on the
emotions.

This combination of qualities we find well illustrated in the pahu
and the ipu, the tones of which range in the lower registers of the
tuman voice. The tone-character of the pu-niu, on the other hand,
is more subdued, yet lively and cheerful, by reason in part of the
Tery sharpness of its pitch, and thus affords an agreeable offset to
the solemnity of the other two.

Ethnologically the pahu is of more world-wide interest than any
ether member of its class, being one of many varieties of the kettle-
Jniin that are to be found scattered among the tribes of the Pacific,
adl of them, perhaps, harking back to Asiatic forbears, such as the
tom-tom of the Hindus.

The sound of the pahu carries one back in imagination to the
dread sacrificial drum of the Aztec teocallis and the wild kettles of
the Tartar hordes. The drum has cruel and bloody associations,
ffhen listening to its tones one can hardly put away a thought of
the many times they have been used to drown the screams of some
agonized creature.

For more purely local interest, inventive originality, and sim-
plicity, the round-bellied ipu takes the palm, a contrivance of strictly
Hawaiian, or at least Polynesian, ingenuity. It is an instrument of
fascinating interest, and when its crisp rind puts forth its volume
of sound one finds his imagination winging itself back to the mys-
terious caverns of Hawaiian mythology.

The gourd, of which the ipu is made, is a clean vegetable product
cf the fields and the garden, the gift of Lono-wahine — ^unrecognized
slaughter of mother Ceres — and is free from all cruel alliances. No
Meating lamb was sacrificed to furnish parchment for its drumhead.
Its associations are as innocent as the pipes of Pan.

4. The ka-eke-eke^ though not drumlike in form, must be classed
•s an instrument of percussion from the manner of eliciting its note.
It was a simple joint of bamboo, open at one end, the other end
kping left closed with the diaphragm provided by nature. The tone
IS produced by striking the closed end of the cylinder, while held in
a Vertical position, with a sharp blow against some solid, nonresonant
body, such as the matted earth floor of the old Hawaiian house. In

144 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bill.

llie author's experiments with the kaekeeke an excellent substitu
was found in a bag filled with sand or earth.

In choosing bamboo for the kaekeeke it is best to use a varie
which is thin-walled and long-jointed, like the indigenous Hawaiii
varieties, in prefei-ence to such as come from the Orient, all of wlu
are thick-walled and short- jointed, and therefore less resonant tb
the Hawaiian.

The pi»rformer held a joint in each hand, the two being of diffew
si7.es and lengths, thus producing tones of diverse pitch. By maki
n proper st^lection of joints it would be possible to obtain a set caj
ble of i)roducing a i^erfect musical scale. The tone of the kaekec
is of the utmost purity and lacks only sustained force and carryi
j)ower to be capable of the best effects.

An old Hawaiian once informed the writer that about the y<
1850, in the reign of Kamehameha III, he was present at a hi
kaekeeke given in the royal palace in Honolulu. The instrumi
talists iHunbered six, each one of whom held two bamboo joii
U'lie old man became enthusiastic as he described the effect prodw
by their perfornumce, declaring it to have been the most charmi
hula he ever witnessed.

T). The (di-uli (pi. xi) consisted of a small gourd of the size of oe
two iists, into Avliich were introduced shotlike seeds, such as those
the canna. In character it was a rattle, a noise-instrument pure a
sini])le, but of a tone by no means disagreeable to the ear, even
tlie note ])r()duced by a woodpecker drumming on a log is not with(
its pleasurable effect on the imagination.

The ilhistration of the liliuli faithfully pictured by the art
reproduces a specimen that retains the original simplicity of i
instruuiout before the meretricious taste of modern times trie!
it out with silks and feathers. (For a further description of t
instrument, see p. 107.)

(>. The pH-ili was also a variety of the rattle, made by splittinj
long joint of bamboo for half its length into slivers, every altem
sliver being removed to give the remaining ones greater freedom a
to make tluMr play the one upon the other more lively* The tone i
niunuurous breezy rustle that resembles the notes of twigs, lea^
or reeds struck a<2:ainst one another bv the wind — ^not at all an i
worth v imitation of nature-tones familiar to the Hawaiian ear.

The ])erforniers sat in two rows facing each other, a position tl
favored nnitual action, in which each row of actors struck their
struments against those of the other side, or tossed them back a
forth. (For further account of the manner in which the puili v
used in the hula of the same name, see p. 113.)

7. The laau was one of the noise-instruments used in the hula.
consisted of two sticks of hard resonant wood, the smaller of whi

■UBBSON] UNWKITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 145

was struck against the larger, producing a clear xylophonic note.
While the pitch of this instrument is capable of exact determination,
it does not seem that there was any attempt made at adjustment. A
laau in the author's collection, when struck, emits tones the predomi-
nant one of which is d (below the staff).

8. The ohe^ or ohe-hano-ihu (fig. 3), is an instrument of undoubted
antiquity. In every instance that has come under the author's
observation the material has been, as its name — ohe — signifies, a
simple joint of bamboo, with an embouchure placed about half an
inch from the closed end, thus enabling the player to supply the in-
strument with air from his right nostril. In every nose-flute ex-
amined there have been two holes, one 2 or 3 inches away from the
embouchure, the older about a third of the distance from the open
end of the flute.

The musician with his left hand holds the end of the pipe squarely
against his lip, so that the right nostril slightly overlaps the edge of
the embouchure. The breath is projected into the embouchure with
modulated force. A nose-flute in the author's collection with the
lower hole open produces the sound of f# ; with both holes unstopped

Pig. 3. — Ohe-bano-lhu, nose-flute.

it emits the sound a; and when both holes are stopped it produces
the sound of E#, a series of notes which are the tonic, mediant, and
dominant of the chord of F# minor.

An ohe played by an old Hawaiian named Keaonaloa, an inmate
of the Lunalilo Home, when both holes were stopped sounded f ; with
the lower^hole open it sounded S, and when both holes were open it
sounded 0.

The music made by Keaonaloa with his ohe was curious, but not
soul-filling. We must bear in mind, however, that it was intended
only as an accompaniment to a poetical recitation.

Some fifty or sixty years ago it was not uncommon to see bamboo
flutes of native manufacture in the hands of Hawaiian musicians of
the younger generation. These instruments were avowedly imitations
of the D-flute imported from abroad. The idea of using bamboo for
this purpose must have been suggested by its previous use in the
nose-flute.

" The tonal capacity of the Hawaiian nose-flute," says Miss Jennie
Eisner, " which has nothing harsh and strident about it, embraces
five tones, f and § in the middle register, and I, g, and s an

25352— Bun. 38—09 10*

146

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

(BULL.:

octave above. These flutes are not always pitched to the same ke;
varying half a tone or so."* On inquiring of the native who kmd]
furnished the following illustrations, he stated that he had bon
the holes of his ohe without much measurement, trusting to his int
itions and judgment.

I — Range of the Nose-flute

i

The player l>e^n with a slow, strongly accented, rhythmical movemei
which continued to grow more and more intricate. Rhyttunical diminuti
continued in a most astounding manner until a frenzied climax was reache
in other words, until the player's breath-capacity was exliausted.

A pe<;uliar effect, as of several instnmients being used at the same tii
was pHKiuced by the two lower tones being thrown in in wild profusion, oft
apparently simultaneously with one of the upper tones. As the tempo in a
one of these iiicrejised, the rhythm was lost sight of and a peculiar syncopal
efftH.-t resulted.**

II — Music from the Nose-flute

Arranged by Jennie Elsnb

ti

II.

-4^-

/T\

V

-y-- »— h— ■— P-4— t— I . - > -I - L— t— V-

<S\

-B^

k.^-N^^.

5CO

A.

-B

■Hi

-^i^=^

\l Tho pu-d Avns a whistle-like instrument. It was made from
^onril of the size of a loinoiu and was pierced with three holes,
soinetinies only two, one for the nosi\ bv Avhich it was blown, whi

"Tlio wrltor Is liulobtini to Miss Kisnor not only for the above comments but for 1
f«»llo\vlni: sooro which she has olevorly arran};iHl as a sample of nose-flute music p
lUicoil by Keuonaloa.

MmsoN] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 147

he others were controlled by the fingers. This instrument has been
compared to the Italian ocarina.

10. The ili-Ui was a noise-instniment pure and simple. It con-
isted of two pebbles that were held in the hand and smitten together,
ifter the manner of castanets, in time to the music of the voices. (See
p. 120.)

11. The niau'kani — singing splinter — ^was a reed-instrument of a
rude sort, made by holding a reed of thin bamboo against a slit cut
out in a larger piece of bamboo. This was applied to the mouth,
and the voice being projected against it produced an effect similar to
that of the Jew's harp. (See p. 132.)

12. Even still more extemporaneous and rustic than any of these
is a modest contrivance called by the Hawaiians pti-la-L It is nothing
more than a ribbon torn from the green leaf of the ti plant, say three-
quarters of an inch to an inch in width by 5 or G inches long, and
loUed up somewhat after the manner of a lamplighter, so as to form
& squat cylinder an inch or more in length. This was compressed
to flatten it. Placed between the lips and blown into with proper
force, it emits a tone of pure reedlike quality, that varies in pitch,
according to the size of the whistle, from G in the middle register to
a shrill piping note more than an octave above.

The hula girl who showed this simple device offered it in answer
to reiterated inquiries as to what other instruments, besides those of
more formal make already described, the Hawaiians were wont to
use in connection with their informal rustic dances. " This," said
she, •* was sometimes used as an accompaniment to such informal dan-
cing as was indulged in outside the halau." This little rustic pipe,
quickly improvised from the leaf that every Hawaiian garden
supplies, would at once convert any skeptic to a belief in the pipes of
god Pan.

13. The ukekSj the one Hawaiian instrument of its class, is a mere
strip of wood bent into the shape of a bow that its elastic force may
keep tense the strings that are stretched upon it. These strings, throe
in number^ were originally of sinnet, later after the arrival of tlio
white man, of horsehair. At the present time it is the fashion to use
the ordinary gut designed for the violin or the taro-patch guitar.
Every ukeke seen followed closely a conventional pattern, wliidi ar-
Jfiips for the instrument a historic age sufficient to have gathered about
itself some degree of traditional reverence. One end of the stick is
notched or provided with holes to hold the strings, while the other end
is wrought into a conventional figure resembling the tail of a iish and
serves as an attachment about which to wind the free ends of the
firings.

Xo ukeke seen by the author was furnished with ])ins, pegs, or any
similar device to facilitate tuning. Xevertheless, the musician does

li^ BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull

tiin*' hi> iikeke. as the writer can testify from his own observatit
Thi-- Hawaiian musician was the one whose performances on 1
iioH'-Hute are elsewhere spoken of. WTien asked to give a sample
Iii- playing (»n the iikeke. he first gave heed to his instrument as
t«'.stiii*r whether it was in tune. He was evidently dissatisfied a
pulled at <»ne string as if to loosen it; then, pressing one end of i
Ik)w again>t his lips, he talked to it in a singing tone, at the sa
tiuK* plucking the strings with a delicate rib of grass. The effect ^
iiio-t pleasing. The open cavity of the mouth, acting as a resonal
r*H'ii forced the sounds and gave them a volume and dignity that i
V revelation. The lifeless strings allied themselves to a human vc
and liecame animated by a li^'ing soul.

A\'ith the assistance of a musical friend it was foimd that the
I la waiian tuned his strings with approximate correctness to the toi
tlie tliinl and the fifth. We mav surmise that this self-trained mi
('JMii hiu\ instinctively followed the principle or rule proposed
Ari.>t()X(»niis, who directed a singer to sing his most convenient ni
i)n<l then, taking this as a starting point, to tune the remainder of
^tiiii<rs — the Greek kithara, no doubt — in the usual manner fr
this OIK*.

A\'liile tlie ukeke was used to accompany the mele and the oli,
cliief employment was in serenading and serving the young folk
l)rejithing their extemporized songs and uttering their love-tall
li(fijHtfjH). By using a peculiar lingo or secret talk of their own
vent ion, two lovers could hold private conversation in pubUc i
pour their loves and longings into each other's ears without fear
detection — a thing most reprehensible in savages. This display
ingenuity lias i)een the occasion for outpouring many vials of wr
upon the sinful ukeke.

Kxperiment with the ukeke impresses one with the wonder
ehMn«j:e in tlie tone of tlie instrument that takes place when its life!
strings are brought into close relation with the cavity of the moi
Let anyone having normal organs of speech contract his lips into
shape of an ( ), make his cheeks tense, and then, with the pulp of
lihgei" as a plectrum, ship the center of his cheek and mark the t(
that is pi()(hiced. Practice will soon enable him to render a i
octave with fair accuracy and to perform a simple melody that sh
he I'ecogni'/abh' at a short distance. The power and range thus
(piired will, of course, he limited l)v the skill of the operator. C
secret of th(» performance lies in a proper management of the tong
This function of the mouth to serve as a resonant cavity for a musi
instrument is familiarly illustrated in the jew's-harp.

VERSON]

UNWBITTEN LITERATUBE OF HAWAII

149

The author is again indebted to Miss Eisner for the following com-
aents on the ukeke :

The strings of this ukek6, the Hawaiian fiddle, are tuned to t', to b and to cl.
These three strings are struck nearly simultaneously, but the sound being very
Bd>le, it is only the first which, receiving the sharp impact of the blow, gives
nt enough volume to make a decided impression.

Ill — The Ukeke (as played by Keaonaloa)

Arranged by Jennie Elsner

etc.

etc.

etc.

The early visitors to these islands, as a rule, either held the miinic
of the savages in contempt or they were unqualified to report on its
diaracter and to make record of it.

We know that in ancient times the voices of the men as well as of
the women were heard at the same time in the songs of the hula. One
of the first questions that naturally arises is, Did the men and the
women sing in parts or merely in unison?

It is highly gratifying to find clear historical testimony on this
point from a competent authority. The quotation that follows is
from the pen of Capt. James King, who was with Capt. James Cook
on the latter's last voyage, in which he discovered the Hawaiian
islands (January 18, 1778). The words were evidently penned after
the death of Captain Cook, when the writer of them, it is inferred,
must have succeeded to the command of the expedition. The fact
that Captain King weighs his words, as evidenced in the footnote,
•nd that he appreciates the bearing and significance of his testimony,
ftdded to the fact that he was a man of distinguished learning, gives
unusual weight to his statements. The subject is one of so givat in-
terest and importance, that the whole passage is here quoted.^ Tt
•dds not a little to its value that the writer thereof did not confine
Ms remarks to the music, but enters into a general descri])ti(m of the
hula. The only regret is that he did not go still further into details.

Their dances have a much nearer roseml)lance to those of the Now Zealnnilers
thin of the Otaheitlans or Friendly Islanders. They are prefaced with a
rt«iw, aoleum song. In which all the party join, niovinj; tlieir U»^s, and jrently
'triking their breasts In a manner and wltli attitudes tliat are iK»rfe<*tly easy
■nd gnieefnl; and so far tliey are the sanu* witli the dances of tlie Society
'ilaiids. When this has lasted about ten minutes, botli the tune and the motions
xnduuHy quicken, and end only by their inability to supiM)rt tlie fatigue, which

• Italics used are tho«o of tho present niithor.

150 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Ibull

part of the inTforuiiUMt? is the exact counterpart of that of the New Zealande
jiinl (as it is niiioii^ them) the i»ers<m who uses the most violent action i
liolds out tlie loiiirest is apiiiauded as the best dancer. It is to be observed t
in til is danrc tli«* women only t<K>k part and that the dancing of the men is nes
of tlio sann* kind with what we saw at the Friendly Islands; and which n
jKTliaps. with nioiv i»ropriety, Xve called the accompaniment of the songs, n
rnrrrs|M»iidiiii: and jrrai*«*ful motions of the whole body. Yet as we were si)e
tors nf |»nxin;r (*\Iiil>itions <»f the same kind with those we were entertained y
:.t tlio rri«Midly Islands, it is probable that they had likewise their grand e
iinMiiiius (lancos. in which nnmbers <»f both sexes assisted.

Their music is also of a ruder kind, having neither flutes nor reeds, nor ins
11 M 'His of any other s<n-t, that we saw, except drums of various sizes. '.
tiieir S4ni'js. trhirh ihrjf tdiifj in parts, and accompany with a gentle motioi
Tin- aims, in llie siime manner as the Friendly Islanders, had a very pleaf

'I'o the above Captain Km<2: adds this footnote:

As this rinnmstance of their Hinging in parts has been much doubted by]
sniis eminently skilled in music, and would be exceedingly curious if it '
rharly asciTtaintnl, it is to be lamented that it can not be more positively
tlienti<-ate(l.

(aptnin Iinrney and Captain Phillips of the Marines, who have both a tc
able knowl«Ml;:e of imisie, have jriveii it as their opinion they did sing in pai
tliat is to say, that they sang together in different notes, which formed a pleas
Iiariimny.

riiest' jxtMit lemon have fully testified that the Friendly Islanders undoubtt
sni(li«Ml their perfoniiances before they were exhibited in public; that they
an idea of diiTereiit notes being useful in harmony; and also that they reheai
tlieir rninpositions in private and threw out the inferior voices before t
vcntnnMl (o appear before those who were supposed to be judges of their s
ill iiiusic.

In ilnMr re^nlar eoncerts each man had a bamboo <» which was of a diffei
lenirili and j^^ave a different tone. These they beat against the ground, and e
prifnnner. assisted by the note given by this instrument, repeated the s£
nottv aceompanyinjJT it with words, by which means it was rendered someth
sJKUt and S(nn<'tini(»s lon.tr. In this manner the}' sang in chorus, and not o
in'oduced octaves to each other, according to their species of voice, but fell
concords such as were not disajr reliable to the ear.

Now, to overturn this fact, by the reasoning of persons who did not h
these performances, is rather an arduous task. And yet there is great impro
bility tliat any uncivilized piH)ple should by accident arrive at this perfect
in tile art of music, wliicli we imagine can only be attained by dint of sti
and luiowled^'e of the system and the theory on which musical composition
lonndi'd. Siicli miserable jarj^on as our country psalm-singers practice, wh
may be Justly deemed tlu» lowest class of counterpoint, or singing in seve
parts, can not he acciuired in the coarse manner in which it is performed
the churches without considerable time and i)ractice. It is, therefore, scare
cre<lihle that a p(M)ple, semi barbarous, should naturally arrive at any perl
tion in that art which it is much doubted whether the Greeks and Romans, \v
all their relinenuMits in music, ever attained, and which the Chinese, who h<
l»cen lon^'er civilized than any p(H)ple on the globe, have not yet found out.

'» 'flu'se bsiniboos were, no doubt, the same as the ka^keekc, elsewhere described. (
p. 12-J.)

MEBSON] UNWKITTEN LITERATUKE OF HAWAII 151

If Captain Bumey (who, by the testimony of his father, perhaps the greatest
inslcal tlieorist of this or any other age, was able to have done it) has written
own in Euroi)ean notes the concords that these people sung, and if these con-
ords had been such as European ears could tolerate, there would have been
o longer doubt of the fact; but, as it is, it would, in my opinion, be a rash
ndgmeut to venture to affirm that they did or did not understand coimterpoint ;
nd therefore I fear that this curious matter must bt^ considered as still remain-
Dg undecided. (A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the command of
lis Majesty, for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. Performed
inder the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, in His Majesty's ships
the llesolution and Discovery, in the years 1776, 1777, 1778, and 1780, 3 volumes,
London, 1784, iii, 2d ed., 142, 143, 144.)

TMiile we can not but regret that Captain King did not go into de-
tail and inform ns specifically what were the concords those old-time
people " fell on," whether their songs were in the major or minor key,
ahd many other points of information, he has, nevertheless, put
science under obligations to him by his clear and unmistakable testi-
mony to the fact that they did arrange their music in parts. His
testimony is decisive: " In this manner they sang in chorus, and not
only produced octaves to each other, according to their species of
voice, but fell on concords such as were not disagreeable to the ear."
When the learned doctor argues that to overturn this fact would be
in arduous task, we have to agree with him — an arduous task indeed.
He well knew that one proven fact can overthrow a thousand improb-
abilities. " AMiat man has done man can do " is a true saying ; but it
does not thence follow that what man has not done man can not do.

If the contention were that the Ilawaiians understood counter-
point as a science and a theory, the author would unhesitatingly ad-
mit the improbability with a readiness akin to that with which he
would admit the improbability that the wild Australian understood
the theory of the boomerang. But that a musical people, accustomed
to pitch their voices to the clear and unmistakable notes of bamboo
pipes cut to various lengths, a people whose posterity one generation
later appropriated the diatonic scale as their own with the greatest
avidity and readiness, that this people should recognize the natural
harmonies of sound, when they had chanced uj)on them, and should
imitate them in their songs — the improbability of this the author
fails to see.

The clear and explicit statement of Captain King leaves little to
be desired so far as this sort of evidence can go. There are, how-
ever, other lines of inquiry that must be developed:

1. Tlie testimony of the Hawaiians themselves on this matter.
This is vague. No one of whom inquiry has been made is able to
iffirm positively the existence of part-singing in the olden times.
Most of those with whom the writer has talked are inclined to the
view that the ancient cantillation was not in any sense part -singing
as now practised. One nmst not, however, rely too nnich on such

I.>:5 h-rLUk': of AyiERi*:\y ethnology [bills

v-rirr.'^^r.T x- t:.:-, ^h:»?h at ih*? tiest is onlv nMrative. In many case
:: > --. 1 ;-:.: tr.r w::rir^■Hi:s "lo not understand the true meaning am
\*^^r.:.^ **f i:> •♦ ;e*ti'>r.. The Hawaiians have no word or expressioi
-v:.- :.;.::.... > -Krith 'V^r rxpres^iijn ""musical chord/' In all inquirie
::.- v^rit^r i'-a- f.ur.d it neoK^ary to use periphrasis or to appeal ti
-*•::.- :'.l.-irnz:^jT^. Th«* fact must be borne in mind, however, tha
;-^.]>> ijhrz. •]•> a thing, or posb^e^ a thing, for which they haven

•J. A- to ir^e praoti«:re among Hawaiians at the present time, no sat
i-fii'iorv ],r*iti{ ha- Ijeen found of the existence of anv case in whid
ir. i:**- raLtiilatinn** i.if their own songs the Hawaiians — ^those unin
tl!i#i.'»-l liv fiif^igii music — have given an illustration of what cai
pnij^-rly ]m' t»-riiir«l part-singing: nor can anyone be found who cai
ti'-iifv alMrinativelv to the same effect. Search for it has thus h
1m-»-ii a- fr-iitK--- a- pursuit of the will-o'-the-wisp.

y*. T\ii' liffht that i> thrown on this question by the study of tb
oM Hawaiian musical instruments is singularly inconclusive. If i
wt-rt' j>o--ihl(*. for instance, to bring together a complete set o
ka«k««k»* lmiiil><xi> which were positively known to have been use(
MtiSi'tln'v at OIK* j>erforniance, the argument from the fact of thei
formiij«r a musical harmony, if such were found to be the case — or
()!! tin* r^tlif-r hand, of their producing only a haphazard series of un
nl}ii(*<l ;-onncls. if such were the fact — would bring to the decisia
of the f|U('r-tion the overwhelming force of indirect evidence. Bu
-luh jin assortment the author has not l^een able to find. Bamboo i
a f/ail and pcrishabh* material. Of the two specimens of kaekeeb
iii\)i'.i ff)iin(l hv liiin in the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum one wa
< viuki'd and voiceless; and so the testimony of its surviving partne:
\\i\s oi' no nvail.

The Hawaiians of the present day are so keenly alive to musica
liMiinonv lliat it is liardly conceivable that their ancestors two oi
lliree ^nMM'iations n^o ])erpetrated discords in their music. Thej
mil- 1 <'illM*i' linve sun<r in unison or hit on "concords such as were no!
di.atriMMahle to the ear/' If the music heard in the halau to-dav ii
any do-e d<'<j^i('e resembles that of ancient times — it must be assumec
(hilt it does no male voice of ordinary range need have found am
dilliriilt V in soundinir tin- notes, nor do thev scale so low that a female
voi<'e woidd not (»asilv rc^ach them.

«

(Jnintin*:;, then, as we must, the accuracy of Captain King's state-
ment, the conchision to which the author of this paper feels forced
i:. that ;.in<*e the time of the learned doctor's visit to these shores,
more than one hundred and twenty-eight years ago, the art and
innetic*' of j.in^in«:: or cantillating after the old fashion has declinec
amoiii.'; tlie Hawaiians. 'Hie hula of the old times, in spite of all tin
idVorts to maintain it, is Un'oming more and more difficult of procure

MERSON]

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII

153

aent every day. Almost none of the singing that one hears at the
K>-called hula performances gotten up for the delectation of sight-
seers is Hawaiian music of the old sort. It belongs rather to the sec-
xnd or third rattoon-crop, which has sprung up under the influence
rf foreign stimuli. Take the published hula songs, such as ^^Tomi-
temt," " Wahine Poupou^'^ and a dozen others that might be men-
tioned, to say nothing about the words — the music is no more related
to the genuine Hawaiian article of the old times than is " ragtime "
to a Gregorian chant.

The bare score of a hula song, stripped of all embellishments and
reduced by the logic of our musical science to the merest skeleton of
notes, certainly makes a poor showing and gives but a feeble notion of
the song itself — its rhythm, its multitudinous grace-notes, its weird
tone-color. The notes given below offer such a skeletal presentation
of a song which the author heard cantillated by a skilled hula-master.
They were taken down at the author's request by Capt. H. Berger,
conductor of the Royal Hawaiian Band :

IV — Song from the Hula Pa'i-umauma

Arranged by H. Berger

^^

t

i

raw If

±

d:

etc.

The same comment may be made on the specimen next to be given
as on the previous one : there is an entire omission of the trills and
flourishes with which the singer garlanded his scaffolding of song,
ind which testified of his adhesion to the fashion of his ancestors,
the fashion according to which songs have been sung, prayers recited,
hrave deeds celebrated since the time when Kane and Pele and the
other gods dipped paddle for the first time into Hawaiian waters.
Unfortunately, in this as in the previous piece and as in the one next
to be given, the singer escaped the author before he was able to catch
the words.

V— Song from the Hula Pa-ipu

Arranged by II. Bercjer
» Allegro — Al-ha^a

-m..

154

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[bull. If

Here. a^in. is a piece of song that to the author's ear bears mud
the sjiine resemblance to the ori^nal that an oiled ocean in cals
would lK»ar to the same ocean when stirreil bv a breeze. The fin
dimples which gave the ocean its diamond-flash have been wiped out

VI — Song for the Hula Pele

Arranged by 11. Bergeb

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.

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Is it our (»ar that is at fault ? Is it not rather our science of miisid
notation, in not reproducing the fractions of steps, the enharmonic
that ai(» native to the note-carving ear of the Chinaman, and tha
an* perhaps essential to the perfect scoring of an oli or mele as sun
1)V a Hawaiian ?

None of tlie illustrations thus far given have caught that flucti

atin<r trillin<j: movement of the voice which most musicians intei

viewed on tlie subject declare to be impossible of representation, whil

some flout \\w assertion that it represents a change of pitch. One i

reminded by this of a remark made by Pietro Mascagni : <•

Th<» f<'('Iinjr that a jx^oplo displays in its character, its habits, its natur
and tiiiis (Tcati's an overprivilej;ed type of music, may be apprehended by
foreign spirit wliicli lias IxK'onie accustomed to the usages and expressioi
(onnnon from that particuJar people. But popular music, [being] void of an
sclent Hie basis, will always remain incomprehensible to the foreigner who seel
to study it technically.

\Mieii we consider that the Chinese find pleasure in musical pel
formanees on instruments that divide the scale into intervals le?
than half a stej), and tluit the Arabian musical scale included quartei
steps, we sliall be ol)li<red to admit that this statement of Mascagr
is not merely a llin<r at our musical science.

Here are introduced tlie words and notes of a musical recitatio
done after the manner of the hula by a Hawaiian professional an*
his wife. Acciuaintance witli the Hawaiian language and a feelin.
for the allusions connoted in the text of the song would, of coui*rit
be w gi'eat. aid in enabling one to enter into the spirit of the pel
formance. As thesi* adjuncts will be available to onlv a verv fe^

"The Kvolutlon of Music from tlio Itulian Standpoint, i» the Century Library of Musi
XVI, 521.

30S] UNWRITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII 155

hose who will read these words, in the beginning are given the
ds of the oli with which he prefaced the song, with a translation
he same, and then the mele which formed the bulk of the song,
with a translation, together with such notes and comments as
necessary to bring one into intellectual and sympathetic relation
li the performance, so far as that is possible under the circum-
ices. It is especially necessary to familiarize the imagination
li the language, meaning, and atmosphere of a mele, because the
B^aiian approached song from the side of the poet and elocution-
Further discussion of this point must, however, be deferred to
ther division of the subject :

He Oli

Halaii ^ Hanalei i ka nini a ka iia ;
Kumauo ^ ke po'o-wai a ka liko ;^
Nahd ka opi-wai ^ a Wai-aloha :
O ke kahi koe a Liki i Wai-oli.^
Ua ike 'a.

[Translation!
A Song

Hanalei is a liall for the dance in the pouring rain ;
The stream-head is turned from its bed of fresh green;
Broken the dam that pent the water of love —
Naught now to hinder its rush to the vale of delight.
You've seen it.

^he mele to which the above oli was a prelude is as follows :

Mele

Noluna ka hale kai, e ka ma'a-lewa,
Nana ka maka ia Moana-nui-ka-Lehua.
Noi au i ke kai e niali'o.
Ane ku a'e la he lehtia ilaila —
5 Hopoe Lehtia ki'eki'e.

Maka'u ka Lehtia i ke l^anaka,
lA\o ilalo e hele ai, ilalo, e.
Keaau iliili nehe; olelo ke kai o Puna
I ka ulu hala la, e, kaiko'o Puna.
10 la hoone'ene'e ia pili mai kaua,

'ialau. The rainy valley of Hanalei, on Kauai, is here conii)ared to a halaii, a
«-hall, apparently because the rain-columns seom to draw toj^ether and inclose the
T within walls, while the dark foreshortened vault of heaven covers it as with a roof.
Kumano. A water-source, or, as here, perhaps, a sort of dam or loose stone wall
was run out into a stream for the purpose of diverting; a portion of it into a new
mel.

liko. A bud; fresh verdure; a word much used in modern Hawaiian poetry,
Opiwai. A watershed. In Hawaii a knlfe-edj?ed rld^e as narrow as the hack of a
» will often decide the course of a stream, turning its direction from one to the
V side of the island.

WQioU ileal, water; oli. Joyful). The name given to a part of the valley of Hanalei,
• the name of a river.

156

BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

E ke boa, ke walho e mai la oe;
Eia ka niea ino, he anu, e.
Aohe anti e!

Me be niea la fwabo kaiia, e ke boa,
15 Me be wai la ko kaua ill, e.

VII— Oli and Mclc from the Hula Ala'a-papa

OU — A prelude

[Bl'LL, 3S

ArraDged by Mrs. Yakndlet

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►Nl

UNWBITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII

157

zu^

H H

( 4- times r. )

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kai - ko' - o Pu - -(u-u)- na, {e - e ' e - e). la b6' - o - «<r - e - i.e' - o

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10

15

[Translation]

^ong from the Hula AUi'apapa

From mountain-retreat and root-woven ladder

Mine eye looks down on goddess Moana-Lelifia.

Then I pray to the Sea, be thou calm ;

Would there might stand on thy shore a lehCia-

I^htia tree tall of Hoiwe.

The Lehtia is fearful of man,

Leaves him to walk on the ground below,

To walk on the ground far below.

The i>ebbles at Keaau grind in the surf;

The sea at Keaau shouts to Puna's palms,

"Fierce is the sea of Puna."

Move hither, snug close, companion mine;

You lie so aloof over there.

Oh what a bad fellow is Cold !

Not cold, do you siiy?

It's as if we were out in the wold.

Our bodies so clammy and chill, friend.

Explanatory Remarks

he acute or stress accent is placed over syllables that take the ac-
in onlinary sjjeech.
word or syllable italicized indicates dioun-down-beat.

158 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY IbullS

It will l)e noticed that the stress-accent and the rhythmic accen'
marked by the down-beat, very frequently do not coincide. Thetim
marked by the drum-down-beat was strictly accurate throughout.

The tune was often pitched on some other key than that in tvIuc
it is here ivcorded. This fact was noted when, from time to tim
it was found necessary to have the singer repeat certain passages.

The numl>er of measures devoted to the eV, or fluctuation, which
indicated by the wavering line ^ - ^ - ^ varied from time to tim
even when the singer repeated the same passage. (See remarks c
the r;, p. 140.)

Uedundancies of si^eech (interpolations) which are in disagreemei
with the pres(»nt writer's text (pp. 155-156) are inclosed in brackel
It will l>e seen that in the fifth verse he gives the version MakaSil
ka/tahi. i ka Ichua instead of the one given by the author, which
M(ih'(iu I'd LcJiiia I ke kanaka. Each version has its advocates, ai
^ood arguments are made in favor of each.

On reaching the end of a measure that coincided with the closet
a rhetorical phrase the singer, Kualii, made haste to snatch, as
were, at the first word or syllable of the succeeding phrase. This
indicated by the word " anticipating," or " anticipatory " — writti
anticip, — placed over the syllable or word thus snatched.

It was somewhat puzzling to determine whether the tones whi
this man sang were related to each other as five and three of the maj
key, or as three and one of the minor key. (Continued and strairn
attention Mnally made it seem evident that it was the major key whi
lie intended, i. e., it was f and d in the key of B;^, rather thanf and
in the key of 1) minor.

Kl()( I TioN AND Rhythmic Accent in Hawaiian Song

In their ordinary speech the Ilawaiians were good elocutionists
iM)iu» better. Did they adhere to this same system of accentuation
I heir poetry, or did they punctuate their phrases and words accordii
to (he notions of the song-maker and the conceived exigencies
poetical composition t After hearing and studying this recitation
Kualii the author is compelled to say that he does depart in a gre
measure from the accent of common speech and charge his wor
with intonations and stresses peculiar to the mele. AVhat artifici
influence has come in to produce this result? Is it from some d
mand of ])oetic or of musical rhythm? A^Tiich? It was observ*
that, he substituted the soft sound of t for the stronger sound of
'* because,*" as he explained, " the sound of the t is lighter." Thus
said fe fanrffa instead of ke kanaka, the man. The Hawaiian e
has always a delicate feeling for tone-color.

■^EMON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 159

In all our discussions and conclusions we must bear in mind that
lie Hawaiian did not approach song merely for its own sake ; the
*Qng did not sing of itself. First in order came the poem, then the
^Iijthm of song keeping time to the rhythm of the poetry. The Ha-
ivsiian sang not from a mere bubbling up of indefinable emotion, but
because he had something to say for which he could find no other
idequate form of expression. The Hawaiian boy, as he walks the
^oodsy never whistles to keep his courage up. ^\lien he paces the
lim aisles of Kaliuwa'a, he sets up an altar and heaps on it a sacrifice
if fruit and flowers and green leaves, but he keeps as silent as a
aouse.

During his performance Kualii cantillated his song while han-
Uing a round wooden tray in place of a drum ; his wife meanwhile
lerfomied the dance. This she did very gracefully and in perfect
.ime. In marking the accent the left foot was, if anything, the
favorite, yet each foot in general took two measures ; that is, the left
narked the down-beat in measures 1 and 2, 5 and 6, and so on,
while the right, in turn, marked the rhythmic accent that comes with
the down-beat in measures 3 and 4, 7 and 8, and so on. During the
four steps taken by the left foot, covermg the time of two measures,
the body was gracefully poised on the other foot. Then a shift was
made, the position was reversed, and during two measures the em-
phasis came on the right foot.

The motions of the hands, arms, and of the whole body, including
the pelvis — which has its own peculiar orbital and sidelong swing —
were in perfect sympathy one part with another. The movements
were so fascinating that one was at fii^st almost liyi)notized and dis-
qualifieil for criticisin and analytic judgment. Not to derogate
from the propriety and modesty of the woman's motions, under the
influence of her Delsartian gi*ace one gained new appreciation of
''the chann of woven paces and of waving hands.-'

Throughout the whole performance of Kualii and his wife Abi-
giila it was noticed that, while lu^ was the reciter, she took the j^art
of the olapa (see p. 28) and performed the dance; but to this role she
added that of prompter, repeating to him in advance the words of
the next vei*se, which he then took up. Her verbal memory, it was
erident, was superior to his.

Exi)erience with Kualii and his partner, as well as with othei*s,
emphasizes the fact that one of the great difficulties en(;ountered in
the attempt to write out the slender thread of music (Ico) of a Ha-
waiian mele and fit to it the words as uttered by the singer aris(»s
fnim the constant interweaving of meaningless vowel sounds. I'his,
nhich the Hawaiians call /'/, is a phenomenon comparable to the
M'eaviug of a vine about a framework, or to the pen-flourishes that

160 BUKEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [erLLS

illuminate old German text. It consists of the repetition of a vowe
sound — generally / {=€€) or e (=flr, as in fate), or a rapid interchang
of these two. To the ear of the author the pitch varies through ai
interval somewhat less than a half-step. Exactly what is the inta
val Ii(» can not say. The musicians to whom appeal for aid in de
trriiiining this point has been made have either dismissed it forth
inc»t part as a matter of little or no consequence or have claimed tb
seeming variation in pitch was due simply to a changeful stress c
N'oice or of accent. But the author can not admit that the report c
his senses is here mistaken.

A fuilher embarrassment comes from the fact that this toni
(Miibroiderv found in the i'i is not a fixed quantity. It varies seen
iiigly willi the mood of the singer, so that not unfrequently, when oi
asks for th(» reiH»tition of a phrase, it will, quite likely, be given wit
a somewhat ditlerent wording, calling for a readjustment of tl
rhythm on the part of the musician who is recording the score. Bi
it must he acknowledged that the singer sticks to his rhythm, whid
so far as observed, is in common time.

In justice to the Hawaiian singer who performs the accommodatin
la>k just mentioned it must be said that, under the circumstances i
wliich lie is placed, it is no wonder that at times he departs fro
the ])n»arranged formula of song. His is the difficult task of pitcl
in<r his voice and maintaining the same rhythm and tempo unaid(
])y instrumental accompaniment or the stimulating movements (
the (lance. Let any stage-singer make the attempt to perform 8
aria, or (»ven a sinii:)Ie recitative, off the stage, and .without the su]
])oi't — ri'al or imaginary — afforded by the wonted orchestral accou
])aniineiit as well as the customary stage-surroundings, and he wi
be apt to find himself embarrassed. The very fact of being coe
periled to repeat is of itself alone enough to disconcert almost anyon
The men and Avomen who to-day attempt the forlorn task of repr
(lucing for us a hula mele or an oli under what are to them entire
unsynii)athelic and novel surroundings are, as a nde, past the prin
of life, and not unfrequently acknowledge themselves to be failir
in memory.

After making all of these allowances we must, it would seem, mal
still another alhnvance, which regards the intrinsic nature and pu
i:)ose of HaAvaiian song. It was not intended, nor was it possib
under the circumstances of the case, that a Hawaiian song should 1
sung to an unvarying tempo or to the same key; and even in tl
w ords or sounds that make up its fringework a certain range of ind
A^idual choice was allowed or even expected of the singer. This priv
lege of exercising individuality might even extend to the solid fram
w ork of the mele or oli and not merely to the filigree, the i'i, th;
enwreathed it.

BMBBSON] UNWRITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAII 161

It would follow from this, if the author is correct, that the musical
critic of to-day must be content to generalize somewhat and must
not be put out if the key is changed on repetition and if tempo and
rhythm depart at times from their standard gait. It is questionable
if even the experts in the palmy days of the hula attained such a
degree of skill as to be faultless and logical in these matters.

It has been said that modern music has molded and developed it-
self under the influence of three causes, (1) a comprehension of the
nature of music itself, (2) a feeling or inspiration, and (3) the in-
fluence of poetry. Guided by this generalization, it may be said that
Hawaiian poetry was the nurse flMH pedagogue of that stammering
infant, Hawaiian music ; that the words of the mele came before its
rhythmic utterance in song; and that the first singers were the priests
and the eulogists. Hawaiian poetry is far ahead of Hawaiian song
in the power to move the feelings. A few words suflfice the poet with
which to set the picture before one's eyes, and one picture quickly
follows another ; whereas the musical attachment remains weak and
colorless, reminding one of the nursery pictures, in which a few skele-
tal lines represent the human frame.

Let us now for refreshment and in continued pursuit of our subject
listen to a song in the language and spirit of old-time Hawaii, com-
posed, however, in the middle of the nineteenth century. It is given
as arranged by Miss Lillian Byington, who took it down as she heard
it sung by an old Hawaiian woman in the train of Queen Liliuoka-
lani, and as the author has since heard it sung by Miss Byington's
pupils of the Kamehameha School for Girls. The song has been
slightly idealized, perhaps, by trimming away some of the super-
fluous i'i, but not more than is necessary to make it highly acceptable
to our ears and not so much as to take from it the plaintive bewitch-
ing tone that pervades the folk-music of Hawaii. The song, the mele,
is not in itself much — a hint, a sketch, a sweep of the brush, a lilt of
the imagination, a connotation of multiple images which no jugglery
of literary art can transfer into any foreign speech. Its charm, like
that of all folk-songs and of all romance, lies in its mysterious tug
at the heartstrings.

25352— BuU. 38—09 ^11

162

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[BULL

VIII — ^He Inoa no Kamehameha

(Old Mele — KindneBB of U. R. H. Liliuokalani)

Arranged bj Lillian Byinoto
Hoaeae — Andante ^g^

1. Ai - a i

'J. H« a - lo - ha
8. I ka ai

Wai

pi* - o

Pa -

ka* - a -

la

ka wa

- lii - ne

V

ka

P*

mo' - a

i - ka

la -

a

1. Pao - jiae

2. Pu - I - li
H. li<>-4> - la - aa

ka - pa i - a o

a - na i ka huni n

m a i o ka we-lo - we

u^.

I o
le

ip^

J: »_— I —, —

t >

Kai-a - n

- In

f

^^

o

W a i

me

- «!

±^^^^:^^^^

Ua o- la

i ku'Q kai, Ke

o - lo - a -

e-e- e-e-e*«

5

He Inoa no Kamehameha

Aia i Waipfo « Paka'alana,*
Paei)ae ^ kapu ia o Liloa.**
He aloha ka wahiue pi'i ka pall,^
Puili ana i ka hua ulei,
I ka ai mo'a 1 ka lau laau/
Hoolaaii ^ mai o ka welowelo.
I'a i)e'e pa Kai-a^ulu o Waimea,*
Ua ola i ku'u kai,* Keoloewa,^ e.

" WaipTo. A deep valley on the windward side of Hawaii.

* Poka'alaua. A temple and the residence of King Liloa in Waipi'o.

''Pat par. The doorsill (of this temple), always an object of superstitious regard,
especially so in the case of this temple. Here It stands for the whole temple.

«* IJlon. A famous kins of Hawaii who had his seat in Waipi'o.

«■ Wahinv pii ka piili. Haina-kolo, a mythical character, is probably the one allade
She married a kln^ of Kukulu o Kahiki, and, l)eing deserted by him, swam back to Ha*
Arrived at Waipi'o in a famishing state, she climbed the heights and ate of the ulei be
without first propitiating the local deity with a sacrifice. As an infliction of the offe
deity, she iM'canie distraujjht and wandered away into the wilderness. Her husbao'
pented of liis neglect and after Ion;; search found her. Under kind treatment she regi
her reason and the family was happily reunited.

f Lnu UtdU. Leaves of plants.

" HooUiau. The last i)art of this word, laau, taken in connection with the last wo
the previous verse, form a capital instance of word repetition. This was an artifice
used in Hawaiian poetry, l)oth as a means of imparting tone-color and for the punnin;
it was supposed to exhibit.

* Va pv'c pa Kai-a-ulu o Waimva. Kaia-ulu is a fierce rain-squall such as arises sud«
m the uplands of Waimea, Hawaii. The traveler, to protect himself, crouches (prY
liiiHl a Inimmock of grass, or builds up In all haste a barricade (pa) of light stuff
partial shelter against the <mcoming storm.

* Kai. Taken in connection with Kai-a-ulu In the preceding verse, this is anothc
stance of verse repetition. This word, the primary meaning of which Is sea, or ocei
used figuratively to represent a source of comfort or life.

i Krolorira. The name of one of the old gods l>elonglng to the class called akua no
class of deities that were sent by the necromancers on errands of demoniacal possessic

EMEBSON] UNWKITTEN LITEBATXJRE OF HAWAU 163

[Translation]
A Name-song of Kamehameha

In Waipi'o stands Paka*alana,
The sacred shrine of Liloa.
Love to the woman climbing the steep.
Who gathered the ulei berries,
5 Who ate of the uncooked herbs of the wild,
Craving the swaying fruit like a himgry child.
A covert I found from the storm,
Life in my sea of delight.

•

The text of this mele — ^said to be a name-song of Kamehameha V —
as first secured had undergone some corruption which obscured the
meaning. By calling to his aid an old Hawaiian in whose memory
the song had long been stored the author was able to correct it.
Hawaiian authorities are at variance as to its meaning. One party
reads in it an exclusive allusion to characters that have flitted across
the stage within the memory of people now living, while another,
taking a more romantic and traditional view, finds in it a reference
to an old-time myth — that of Ke-anini-ula-o-kd-lani — the chief
character in which was Haina-kolo. (See note e,) After carefully
considering both sides of the question it seems to the author that,
while the principle of double allusion, so common in Hawaiian poetry,
may here prevail, one is justified in giving prominence to the
historico-mythological interpretation that is inwoven in the poem.
It is a comforting thought that adhesion to this decision will suffer
certain imstaged actions of crowned heads to remain in charitable
oblivion.

The music of this song is an admirable and faithful interpretation
of the old Hawaiian manner of cantillation, having received at the
hands of the foreign musician only so much trimming as was neces-
sary to idealize it and make it reducible to our system of notation.

Explanatory Note

Hoaeae. — ^This term calls for a quiet, sentimental style of recitation,
in which the fluctuating trill i'i, if it occurs at all, is not made promi-
nent. It is contrasted with the olioli^ in which the style is warmer
and the fluctuations of the i'i are carried to the extreme.

Thus far we have been considering the traditional indigenous music
of the land. To come now to that which has been and is being pro-
duced in Hawaii by Hawaiians to-day, under influences from abroad,
it will not be possible to mistake the presence in it of two strains:
The foreign, showing its hand in the lopping away of much redun-
dant foliage, has brought it largely within the compass of scientific
and technical expression; the native element reveals itself, now in

164

BUREAU OF AMEBICAIT ETHNOLOGY

plaintive reminiscfnce and now in a riotous hnnhommie, a rollicking
love of tin- sonsiioHs,.nncl in a styh of delivery and vocal technique
whicli demands a volnptiious throatineas, and which must be heard
to I>e appnviated.
The fon' "

tielil iIk' n
melodies o
jioti-s. thxb
cult ivnted
tupi)ed tlic

(IIIV. Thi:

apprerintii
the lonir a
varioiiK mi

The pei>
in the lanj
ill the text
sicinn will
of these ni
Hvncopatio

The soii(
lllOlljrh dill
Itist cciitHr
its kind in
love-lyric
liniied to ;
witli tho <)l

T=H=^?^^^

ii«*=^,;

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 165

Poli Anuanu

1. Aloha wale oe,
Poli anuanu;
M&e^le au

I ke A.nu, e.

2. He anu e ka ua,
He anu e ka wai,
Li'a kuu ill

I ke anu, e.

3. Ina paha,
Ooe a owau
Ka i pu-kukfi'i,
I ke anu. e.

He who would translate this love-lyric for the ear as well as for the
mind finds himself handicapped by the limitations of our English
speech — ^its scant supply of those orotund vowel sounds which flow
forth with their full freight of breath in such words as a-lo-ha^ po-U^
and d-nu-d-nu. These vocables belong to the very genius of the
Hawaiian tongue.

[Translation]

Cold Breast

1. Love fain compels to greet thee,
Breast so cold, so cold.
Chilled, benumbed am I

With the pinching cold.

2. How bitter cold the rainfall,
Bitter cold the stream,
Body all a-shiver,

From the pinching cold.

3. Pray, what think you?
What if you and I
Should our arms enfold.
Just to keep off the cold?

The song next given, dating from a period only a few years subse-
quent, is of the same class and general character as Poli Anuanu.
Both words and music are peculiarly Hawaiian, though one may
easily detect the foreign influence that presided over the shaping of
the melody.

166

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[Brix.. 38

Moderaio

X — Song, Hua-hua'i

Arranged by Mrs. Yasndley

Chorus

-t L.

II

— I ^— H — ^-^■

5^:=fc

i^— » — tt

Pu kii-ku* • i a • ka i ke ko* - e - ko* - e, A - nu li - po o ka pa - lai.

t I 1 1—7^ — • —

H 1 1 1-

t 1/ > ^-v^

-4 1 1 1-

T^^ — ^-

H 1-

V-i/-V— 5M h

He aloba wau ia oe,
I kau hana, hana i)ono;
La'i ai ke kaunu me ia la,
Hoapaapa i ke kino.

Chorus:
Kaua i ka huahua'i,
E uhene la'i pili koolua,
Pu-kuku'i aku i ke koekoe,
Anu lipo 1 ka palai.

-^-— # — ^— -^ — 1 1 m I w, — a 1 1

> , I ' 1 H-^t =-l-^ »-Ti-H

n

8MBB80N]

UNWKITTEN LITEBATURE OF HAWAn

167

[Translation]

Oythurst

O my love goes out to thee,
For thy goodness and thy kindness.
Fancy kindles at that other,
Stirs, with her arts, my blood.

Chorus:
You and I, then, for an outburst!
Sing the joy of love's encounter,
Join arms against the invading damp,
Deep chill of embowering ferns.

The following is given, not for its poetical value and significance,
Imt rather as an example of a song which the trained Hawaiian singer
delights to roll out with an unctuous gusto that bids defiance to all
description :

XI — Song, Ka Mawae

Solo

By permiasion of the Hawaiian News Co., of llonolula

Arranged by H. Beroer

I^

fc

1. A e ho*

2. Hu - li mai

ke
kou

lo -

ha

i
ua

ka

ma
a -

iiu

w
w

a
a

u.

^-

■*

S-^

-H —

hu
lu

?3:^-

l>iU

1. I ke ka

2. Ua po -

Chona

we • la ho - lu, Pa pi* - o

la i ka a - a, nia • lu - le o

li.
na.

Pilu

I ke

U a

ka - we
pa - lu

i

In - ho - hi
ka u - a,

Pa -

nia - hi

pi' - o
le o

hu - li.

lu - DR.

3 /VL/l'Two meofDTM of an imtmmental interlnde.

Hifrm. — The mnsic to which this hnla song ia set was produced by a member of the Hawaiian Band, Mr.
OB A. Hinm, and anmnged by Oapt. H. Berger, to whom the author is indebted for permission to use it.

Ka Mawae

A e ho'i ke aloha i ka mawae,
I ke Kawelu-holu, Papi'oh(ili.«

HdH mai kou alo, ua anu wau,
Ua pulu i ka ua, malule o-luna.

P^pi'o-huH. A slope in the western valley-side at the head of NuuaDu, where the tall
ikawelu) waves (holu) in the wind.

168

BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[bull. 38

[Tranilatlon]
The Refuge

Return, O love, to the refuge,

The wlnd-toBsed covert of Papl'ohtili.

Face now to my face; I'm smitten with cold,
Soaked with the rain and benuml>ed.

Solo

XII — Like no a Like

Bj iwrmteioii of the Hawaiian y«wt Co. (Ltd.)

Arranged by H. Bebokb

^^P^

±jJt3t

-Ps-

Plla sbf

1. U - a 11 - ke no a

2. Ma - a - n3 - i mni ka

+■

^

li • ke, Me ka n- a ka-nl-le-
ua, He we - li - na pa'a i ka

i

;|

«=^

E*Vt-*

Jtl

hu-a,
Pi-ko,

ijzr^ — \

>-- K-

:i

^^^1?

Me he la e i mid a - na,

A iiau uo wau 1 1 - mi ma - i,

Chorus

A . ia i - lai - la ke a

A lo - a*a i ke ariie-»-he a

lo - ha.
ka ma ka oi.

u - pa ai,

Ku*a

i

1"^

H 1-

-S- fS I A , -

^-f

I - •-: — > — » r-|- K ■

SS

le • i

hi-ki a - M

hi ke ka - ni a oa na - no,

y-

na

ho

ra

lO^

ke a - u

mo - e.

Like no a Like

1. Ua like no a like

Me ka ua kani-lehua ;
Me he la e i mai ana,
Aia ilaila ke aloha.

Chorus:
Ooe no ka'u i upu ai,
Ku'u lei hiki ahiahi,

ke kani o na manu,

1 na hora o ke aumoe.

2. Maanei mai kaua,

He weliua pa 'a i ka piko,

A nau no wau i imi mai,

A loaa i ke aheahe a ka makani.

Chorus.

EMBRSON]

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII

169

Solo

[Translation]

Resemblance

1. When the rain drums loud on the leaf,
It makes me think of my love ;

It whispers into my ear,

Your love, your love — ^she is near.

Chorus:
Thou art the end of my longing.
The crown of evening's delight,
When I hear the cock blithe crowing,
In the middle watch of the night.

2. This way is the path for thee and me,
A welcome warm at the end.

I waited long for thy coming,
And found thee in waft of the breeze.
Chorus.

XIII— Song, Pili Aoao

By penniwion of the Hawaiian News Co. (Ltd.)

Arranged by H. Bisoeb

1. ka po - na- lia i - ho a ke

o, Ka pi* - o ma- U - e ma - la - na, I - ke

2. A DuiU ka pi- li 'na o-lu po - no, Hull a* - o hu-he-no ma - U • e; Ha- ua

i

A-

-N

?S:^=E^

I

-^

^--i i- J-J

ISi

V ' \^ y / -

+■

-♦-

<*•« 1
u - i -

f Chorus

>

ka hu - na
U - 11 - i

mi - ki • a - la, No - we - lo
na - he - na - he, Ko - we - lo

i ka pi . li
i ka pi - li

a - o - a - o.
A - o - a - o.

ttz^-fvjT

o - !• i ka pu - n -

- wai, Hon - liou li-i- 11 - i i

po - 11, No - we - lo i ka pi - li ao - ao.

NoTS. — Tlie C'tmposer of the music and the author of the mele was a Hawaiian named John Meha, a member
of the liawaiiau Band, who diod some ten years ago, at the age of 4U years.

1. O ka ponaha iho a ke ao.
Ka pipi*o ma lie maluna,
Ike oe i ka liana mikiala,
Nowelo i ka pili aoao.

Chorus:

Maikai ke aloha a ka ipo—
Hana mao ole i ka puuwai,
Houhou liilii i ka poll—
Nowelo i ka pili aoao.

2. A man ka pili'na olu pono;
Hull a'e, hooheno malie,
Hanu liilii nahenahe,
Nowelo i ka pili aoao.

Chorus.

170 BUREAU OF A3tfERICAX ETHNOLOGY [BrLL.38

The author of the mele was a Hawaiian named John Meha, who
ilie«l Mjiiif yeai> ago. He wa.s for many years a member of the Ha-
waiian Haiiil aiiil r^t the words to the music given below, which has
since been arranged by Captain Berger.

[Translation]

SUh^ by Hide

1. Outspreads now the da^-n,
Aivbiug itself on high —
But Itx^k : a wondrouR thing,
A thrill at touch of the side.

Choru*:
Most dear to the soul is a love-touch;
Its I'ulse stirs ever the heart
And jrently tbn^lis in the breast —
At thrill from the touch of the side.

2. In time awakes a new charm
As you turn and gently caress;
Short t-omes the breath — at

The thrill from the touch of the side.
Chorus.

The fragments of Hawaiian music that have drifted down to ns
IK) <l()ul)t remain true to the ancient type, however much they may
have rhaii<re(l in quality. They show the characteristics that stamp
all primitive music — plaintiveness to the degree almost of sadness,
uioiiotoiiy. hick of acquaintance with the full range of intervals that
make u]) our (liatoiiic scale, and therefore a measurable absence of that
ear-charm we call melody. These are among its deficiencies.

If, on the other hand, we set down the positive qualities by the
possession of which it makes good its claim to be classed as music,
w(» shall find that it has a firm hold on rhvthm. This is indeed
one of tli(» special excellencies of Hawaiian music. Added to this, we
find that it niak(»s a limited use of such intervals as the third, fifth,
fourth, and at the same time resorts extravagantly, as if in compensa-
tion, to a fine* tone-carving that divides up the tone-interval into
fractions so much less than the semitone that our ears are almost
indifi'erent to them, and are at first inclined to deny their existence.
This minuter division of the tone, or step, and neglect at the same
time of th(» broader harmonic intervals, reminds one of work in which
(he artist chai'ges his picture with unimportant detail, while failing
in attention to the strong outlines. Among its merits we must not
forget to mention a certain quality of tone-color which inheres in the
Hawaiian tongue and which greatly tends to the enhancement of
Hawaiian music, especially when thrown into rhythmic forms.

The first thing, then, to i*epeat, that will strike the auditor on
list(»ning to (his primitive nnisic will be its lack of melody. The voice
goes wavering and lilting along like a canoe on a rippling ocean.

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 171

Then, of a sudden, it swells upward, as if lifted by some wave of emo-
tion ; and there for a time it travels with the same fluctuating move-
ment, soon descending to its old monotone, until again moved to
rise on the breast of some fresh impulse. The intervals sounded may
be, as already said, a third, or a fifth, or a fourth; but the whole
movement leads nowhere ; it is an unfinished sentence. Yet, in spite
of all these drawbacks and of this childish immaturity, the amateur
and enthusiast finds himself charmed and held as if in the clutch of
some Old- World spell, and this at what others will call the dreary
and monotonous intoning of the savage.

In matters that concern the emotions it is rarely possible to trace
with certainty the lines that lead up from effect to cause. Such is
the nature of art. If we would touch the cause which lends attrac-
tiveness to Hawaiian music, we must look elsewhere than to melody.
In the belief of the author the two elements that conspire for this
end are rhythm and tone-color, which comes of a delicate feeling for
vowel-values.

The hall-mark of Hawaiian music is rhythm, for the Hawaiians be-
long to that class of people who can not move hand or foot or per-
form any action except they do it rhythmically. Not alone in poetry
and music and thfe dance do we find this recurring accent of pleasure,
but in every action of life it seems to enter as a timekeeper and regu-
lator, whether it be the movement of a fingerf ul of poi to the mouth
or the swing of a kahili through the incense-laden air at the burial
of a chief.

The typical Hawaiian rhythm is a measure of four beats, varied
at times by a 2-rhythm, or changed by syncopation into a 3-rhythm.

These people have an emotional susceptibility and a sympathy
with environment that belongs to the artistic temperament ; but their
feelings, though easily stirred, are not persistent and ideally cen-
tered ; they readily wander away from any example or pattern. In
this way may be explained their inclination to lapse from their own
standard of rhythm into inexplicable syncopationp.

As an instance of sympathy with environment, an experience with
a hula dancer may be mentioned. Wishing to observe the movement
of the dance in time with the singing of the mele, the author asked
him to perform the two at one time. He made the attempt, but
failed. At length, bethinking himself, he drew off his coat and
bound it about his loins after the fashion of a pa-u, such as is worn
by hula dancers. He at once caught inspiration, and was thus ena-
bled to perform the double role of dancer and singer.

It has been often remarked by musical teachers who have had ex-
perience with these islanders that as singers they are prone to flat
the tone and to drag the time, yet under the stimulus of emotion they
show the ability to acquit themselves in these respects with great
credit. The native inertia of their being demands the spur of ex-

172

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[BULL. 3S

c'itement to keep them up to the mark. While human nature every-
where shares in this weakness, the tendency seems to be greater in
the Hawaiian than in some other races of no higher intellectual and
esthetic advancement.

Another quality of the Hawaiian character which reenforces this
tendency is their spirit of communal sympathy. That is but another
way of saying that they need the stimulus of the crowd, as well as
of the occasion, even to make them keep step to the rhythm of their
own music. In all of these points they are but an epitome of hu-
manity.

Before closing this special subject, the treatment of which has
grown to an unexpected length, the author feels constrained to add
one more illustration of Hawaii's musical productions. The Ha-
waiian national hymn on its poetical side may be called the last ap-
peal of royalty to the nation's feeling of race-pride. The music,
though by a foreigner, is well suited to the words and is colored by
the environment in which the composer has spent the best years of
his life. The whole production seems well fitted to serve as the
i'larion of a people that need every help which art and imagination
can offer.

XIV— Hawaii Ponoi

Words by Kiug Kala&aua

SOPBANO

Composed by H. Beboeb

■i-^-A-=-±...

±

■^

^

I

1. Ha • wAi

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U.)

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Na - ua

kou

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:z

^-T

2. Ha - wai

Tenor
f

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I.

Na - na

ua

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Mo - f,

•li

i,

#--

-^-^

3. Ha - wai - i

Bass

\H,

no - i,

K ka la

liii

I

I:

Piano
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t=t

:J:

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5:

£

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s

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ONl

UNWEITTEN UTEBATUBE OF HAWAII

173

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Ka

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ni

U'

Ke

U'

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11

i

St

Na

:^:

pu

nin-li

k o Q,

Na

po

3

ki'

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na

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o;

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la

ni e.

Ka • me - ha

me - ha

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m

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Ma - ku

la

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me - ha

mo

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174

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

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ka - ua

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ka

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35

ji

-et-

±^

HAW An PONOl

1. Hawai'i ponof,
Nana i kou Mol,
Ka lani Ali'i,
Ke Ali'i.

Refrain:
Makua lani, e,
Kamehameha, e,
Na kaua e pale,
Me ka ihe.

2. Ilawni'i ponof,
Nana i na 'li'i,
Xa pua nuili kou,
Na i)oki'i.

Refrain:

3. Hawai'i ponoi
E ka lahui, e,

O kau liana nni
E ui, e.
Refrain.

JONJ UNWKITTEN LITEKATURE OF HAWAII 175

[Translation]
Hawaii Ponoi

1. Hawaii*s very own,

Look to your sovran Lord,
Your chief that's heaven-born,
Who is your King.

Refrain:
Protector, heaven-sent,
Kamehameha great.
To vanquish every foe.
With conquering spear.

2. Men of Hawaii's land.
Look to your native chiefs.
Your sole surviving lords.
The nation's pride.

Refrain:

3. Men of Hawaiian stock.
My nation ever dear,
With loins begirt for work.
Strive with your might.

Refrain,

XXII.— GESTUEE

Gesture is a voiceless speech, a short-hand dramatic picture. The
Hawaiians were adepts in this sort of art. Hand and foot, face and
eye, and those convohitions of gray matter which are linked to thfl
organs of speech, all worked in such harmony that, when the mfln
spoke, he spoke not alone with his vocal organs, but all over, from
head to foot, every part adding its emphasis to the utterance. V(HI
Moltke could be reticent in six languages; the Hawaiian found il
impossible to be reticent in one.

The hands of the hula dancer are ever going out in gesture, hei
body swaying and pivoting itself in attitudes of expression. Hei
whole physique is a living and moving picture of feeling, sentiment
and passion. If the range of thought is not always deep or high, il
is not the fault of her art, but the limitations of her original endow-
ment, limitations of hereditary environment, the universal limitation?
imposed on the translation from spirit into matter.

The art of gesture was one of the most important branches taughi
by the kumu. When the hula expert, the olohe^ who has entered th(
lialau as a visitor, utters the prayer (p. 47), " O Laka, give grace t(
the feet of Pohaku, and to her bracelets and anklets; give comelines
to the figure and skirt of Luukia. To each one give gesture am
voice. O Laka, make beautiful the lei; inspire the dancers to stam
before the assembly," his meaning was clear and unmistakable, am
showed his high valuation of this method of expression. We are not
however, to sui)pose that the kumu-hula, whatever his artistic attain
ments, followed any set of formulated doctrines in his teaching. Hi;
science was implicit, unformulated, still enfolded in the silence o
unconsciousness, wrapped like a babe in its mother's womb. T<
apply a scientific name to his method, it might be called inductive
for he led his pupils along the plain road of practical illustration
adding example to example, without the confusing aid of preliminar
rule or abstract proposition, until his pupils had traveled over th
whole ground covered by his own experience.

Each teacher went according to the light that was in him, iic
forgetting the instructions of his own kumu, but using them as
starting 2)oint, a basis on which to build as best he knew. Thei
were no books, no manuals of instruction, to pass from hand to han
and thus secure uniformity of instruction. Then, again, it was
long journey from Hawaii to Kauai, or even from one island 1

176

tsinsoN] L'K WRITTEN LITERATrRE OF HAWAII 177

another. The different islands^ as a rule, were rtoi hanies?evl lo one
another under the same political yoke : even di^ricts of the same island
were not unfrequently under the independent sway of warrinsr chiefs :
so that for long periods the separation, even the isolation, in matters
of dramatic art and practice was as complete as in politics.

The method pursued by the kumu may be summarized as follows :
Having labored to fix the song, the mele or oli. in the minds of hi<
pupils, the haumana^ he appointed some one to recite the words of
die piece, while the class, standing with close attention to the motions
of the kumu and with ears open at the same time to the words of the
leader, were required to repeat the kumu's gestures in pantomime
until he judged them to have arrived at a sufficient degree of per-
fection. That done, the class took up the double task of recitation
jmned to that of gesture. In his attempt to translate his concepts
- into physical signs the Hawaiian was favored not only by his vivid

■ power of imagination, but by his implicit philosophy, for the

■ Hawaiian looked at things from a physic;il plane — a safe ground to
stand upon — albeit he had glimpses at times far into the depths of
ether. When he talked about spirit, he still had in mind a form
of matter. A god was to him but an amplified human l)eing.

It is not the purpose to attempt a scientific classification of gesture
18 displayed in the halau. The most that can l^e done will lx» to give
a few familiar generic illustrations which are typical and repre-
sentative of a large class.

The pali^ the precipice, stands for any difficulty or obstacle of
magnitude. The Hawaiian represents this in his dramatic, pictorial
manner with the hand vertically posed on the outstretched arm. the
palm of the hand looking away. If it is desired to represent thin
wall of obstacle as being surmounted, the hand is pushed forward,
and at the same time somewhat inclined, perhaps, from its rigid
perpendicularity, the action being accompanied by a series of slight
Kfting or waving movements as of climbing.

Another way of dramatically picturing this same concept, that of
the pali as a wall of obstacle, is by holding the forearm and hand
vertically posed with the palmar aspect facing the speaker. This
method of expression, while perhaps bolder and more graphic than
that before mentioned, seems more purely oratorical and less graceful,
less subtly pictorial and elegant than the one previously descril>ed,
and therefore less adapted to the hula. For it must be borne in mind
that the hula demanded the subordination of strength to grace and
elegance. We may at the same time be sure that the halau showed
individuality in its choice of methods, that it varied its teclini(iue and
nanner of expression at different times and places, according to the
lifferent conception of one or another kunm.
2ri.3."'j2— Bull, as— Of) VI

178 BUREAU OF AMEBICAK ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

Pro|n'<>i*^ion, as in walking or traveling, is represented by means of
a forward undulatory movement of the outstretched arm and hand,
l)alni downward, in a horizontal plane. This gesture is rhythmic
and lK»autifully pictorial. If the other hand also, is made a partner
in the gesture, the significance would seem to be extended, making it
inchido, i)erhaps, a larger number in the traveling company. The
mere extension of the arm, the back-hand advanced, would serve
the purpose of indicating removal, travel, but in a manner lesB
gracious and caressing.

To r(4:)rosont an open level space, as of a sand-beach or of the earth-
plain, the Hawaiian very naturally extended his arms and open
hands — q)alms downward, of course — ^the degree of his reaching effort
being in a sense a measure of the scope intended.

To represent the act of covering or protecting oneself with clothing,
the Hawaiian placed the hollow of each hand over the opposite
shoulder with a sort of hugging action. But here, again, one can lay
down no hard and fast rule. There was diflferentiation ; the pictorial
action might well vary according to the actor's conception of the three
or more generic forms that constituted the varieties of Hawaiian
dress, which were the mdlo of the man, the pa-u of the woman, and
the decent Mhet^ a togalike robe, which, like the blanket of the North
American Indian, was common to both sexes. Still another gesture,
a sweeping of the hands from the shoulder down toward the ground
would be used to indicate that costly feather robe, the ahuula^ which
was the regalia and j)rerogative of kings and chiefs.

1'he Hawaiian j)laces his hands, palms up, edge to edge, so that the
little finger of one hand touches its fellow of the other hand. By
this action he means union or similarity. He turns one palm down.
so that the little finger and thumb of opposite hands touch each other.
The significance of the action is now wholly reversed ; he now means
disunion, contrariety.

To indicate death, the death of a person, the finger-tips, placed in
a})position, are drawn away from each other with a sweeping ges-
t\ire and at the same time lowered till the palms face the ground. Ir
this case also we find diversity. One old man, well acquainted witl
hula matters, being asked to signify in pantomimic fashion " th(
king is sick," went through the following motions: He first pointec
upward, to indicate the heaven-born one, the king; then he broughl
his hands to his body and threw his face into a j^ainful grimace. Tc
indicate the death of the king he threw his hands upward toward the
skv. as if to signify a removal by fliffht. He admitted the accurac\
of the gesture, previously described, in which the hands are moved
toward the ground.

There are. of course, imitative and mimetic gestures galore, as o\
i:)addling, swimming, divmg, angling, and the like, which one sees

IIUBB80N] UNWBITTEX LITERATURE OF HAWAII 179

every day of his life and which are to be regarded as parts of that

itfii¥ersal shorthand vocabulary of unvocalized speech that is iiseil

i3bft world over from Naples to Honolulu, rather than stage-conven-

tians of the halau. It will suffice to mention one motion or gesture

^ihis sort which the author has seen used with dramatic effect. An

«Id man was describing the action of Hiiaka ^the little sister of Pele )

iriiile clearing a passage for herself and her female companion with

i great slaughter of the reptilian demon-horde of mo\} that came

oat in swarms to oppose the progress of the goddess through their

temtory while she was on her way to fetch Prince I»hiau. The

goddess, a delicate piece of humanity in her real self, made short

wrk of the little devils who covered the earth and tilled the air.

Seizing one after another, she bit its life out. or swallowed it as if it

ikid beeix a shrimp. The old man represented the action most vividly :

-IRssing his thumb, forefinger, and middle finger into a cone, he

"hought them quickly to his mouth, while he snapped his jaws Xo-

Lgether like a dog seizing a morsel, an action that pictured the storv

ktter than any words.

It might seem at first blush that facial expression.* important as it
^ owing to its short range of effectiveness, should hardly be put in
the same category with what may be called the major stage-gestui'es
that were in vogue in the halau. But such a judgment would cer-
ainly be mistaken. The Greek use of masks on the stage for their
^carrying power" testified to their valuation of the countenance as
I semaphoi'e of emotion; at the same time their resort to this ai'tifioi.^
^as an implicit recognition of the desirability of bruiging the win-
low of the soul nearer to the audience. The Hawaiians. though they
Qade no use of masks in the halau, valued facial expression no less
ban the Greeks. The means for the studv of this division of the
ubject, from the nature of the case, is somewhat restricted and the
mrsuit of illustrations makes it necessary to go outside of the halan.
The Hawaiian language was one of hospitality and invitation. The
Kpression mai^ or komo mai^ this way, or come in, was the most
MMumon of salutations. The Hawaiian sat down to meat l)efore an
^11 door; he ate his food in the sight of all men, and it was only
me who dared being denounced as a churl who would fail to invito
itith word and gesture the passer-by to come in and share with him.
this gesture might be a sweeping, downward, or sidewise motion of
Jie hand in which the palm faced and drew toward the speaker.
this seems to hav6 been the usual form when the two parties were
lear to each other; if they were separated by any c*onsi(lerable dis-
tnoe, the fingers would perhaps more likely be tiirned upward, thus
naking^ the signal more distinctly visible and at the same time more
mphatic.

180 BUREAU OF AMEBIGAN ETHNOLOGY Ibcll-S

In the expression of unyoiced assent and dissent the Hawaiiai
practised refinements that went beyond our ordinary conventions
To give assent he did not find it necessary so much as to nod thi
head; a lifting of the eyebrows sufficed. On the other hand, ih
expression of dissent was no less simple as well as decisive, beinj
attained by a mere grimace of the nose. This manner of indieatinj
dissent was not, perhaps, without some admixture of disdain or evei
scorn; but that feeling, if predominant, would call for a reenforce
ment of the gesture by some additional token, such as a pouting of tb
lips accompanied by an upward toss of the chin. A more impersona
and coldly businesslike way of manifesting a negative was by ai
outward sweep of the hand, the back of the hand being turned to tb
applicant. Such a gesture, when addressed to a huckster or a beg
gar — a rare bird, by the way, in old Hawaii — was accepted as final.

There was another method of signifying a most emphatic, evei
contemptuous, no. In this the tongue is protruded and allow©
to hang down flat and wide like the flaming banner of a pantini
hound. A friend states that the Maoris made great use of gesture
with the tongue in their dances, especially in the war-dance, sometime
letting it hang down broad, flat, and long, directly in front, some
times curving it to right or left, and sometimes stuffing it into the hoi
low of the cheek and puffing out one side of the face. This manner-
these methods it might be said — of facial expression, so far as ol
served and so far as can be learned, were chiefly of feminine practio
The very last gesture — that of the protruded tongue — is not met
tioned as one likely to be employed on the stage in the halau, cei
tainly not in the performance of what one would call the serioi
hulas. But it might well have been employed in the hula ki'i (sc
p. 91), which was devoted, as we have seen, to the portrayal of tl
lighter and more comic aspects of daily life.

It is somewhat difficult to interpret the meaning of the varioi
attitudes and movements of the feet and legs. Their remoteness froi
the centers of emotional control, their detachment from the vortia
of excitement, and their seeming restriction to mechanical functioi
make them seem but slightly sympathetic with those tides of emotic
that speed through the vital parts of the frame. But, though som<
what aloof from, they are still under the dominion of, the same em(
tional laws that govern the more central parts.

Man is all sympathy one part with another ;
For head with heart hath joyful amity,
And hoth with moon and tides.

The illustrations brought to illuminate this division of the subje
will necessarily be of the most general application and will seem 1
belong rather to the domain of oratory than to that of dramatic (

IMIBSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 181

stage expression, by which is meant expression fitted for the purposes
of the halau.

To begin with a general proposition, the attitude of the feet and
legs must be sympathetic with that of the other parts of the body.
When standing squarely on both feet and looking directly forward,
Ae action may be called noncommittal, general ; but if the address is
qiecialized and directed to a part of the audience, or if attention is
called to some particular region, the face will naturally turn in that
lirection. To attain this end, while the leg and arm of the corre-
^nding side will be drawn back, the leg and arm of the opposite
dde will be advanced, thus causing the speaker to face the point of ad-
dress. If the speaker or the actor addresses himself, then, to persons,
or to an object, on his right, the left leg will be the one more in ad-
irance and the left arm will be the one on which the burden of gesture
will fall, and vice versa.

It would be a mistake to suppose that every motion or gesture dis-
played by the actors on the stage of the halau was significant of a
purpose. To do that would be to ascribe to them a flawless perfection
and strength that no body of artists have ever attained. Many of
their gestures, like the rhetoric of a popular orator, were mere flour-
ishes and ornaments. With a language so full of seemingly super-
fluous parts, it could not well be otherwise than that their rhetoric of
g^ure should be overloaded with flourishes.

The whole subject of gesture, inchiding facial expression, is worthy
of profound study, for it is linked to the basic elements of psychology.
The illustrations adduced touch only the skirts of the subject ; but
they must suffice. An exhaustive analysis, the author believes, would
«how an intimate and causal relation between these facial expressions
tnd the muscular movements that are the necessary accompaniments
or resultants of actual speech. To illustrate, the i^ronunciation of the
Hawaiian word ae (pronounced like our aye) , meaning '' yes," involves
the o{)ening of the mouth to its full extent ; and this action, when
accomplished, results in a sympathetic lifting of the eyebrows. It is
this ultimate and completing part of the action which the Hawaiian
woman adopts as her semaphore of assent.

One of the puzzling things about gesture comes when we try to
think of it as a science rooted in psycholog}\ It is then we discover
rariations presented by different peoples in different lands, which
force us to the conviction that in only a part of its domain does it
jase itself on the strict principles of psycholog}\ (lesture, like
language, seems to be made up in good measure of an opportunist
rrowth that springs up in answer to man's varying needs and con-
litions. The writer hopes he will not be charged with begging the
[uestion in suggesting that another element which we nuist reckon

182 BUREAU OP AMERICAN EtHNOLOGY ta

with as inflaentiml in fashiiming and stereotyping gesture is trac
and convention. To illustrate — the actor who took the role of
Dundreary in the first performance of the play of the same
accidentaUy made a fantastic misstep while crossing the stage.
audience was amused, and the actor, quick to avail himself o:
open door, followed the lead thus hinted at. The result is tii
won great applause and gave birth to a mannerism which has
nigh become a stage convention.

XXIII.— THE HULA PAHUA

The hula pa-hua was a dance of the classical times that has long
VoMi obsolete. Its last exhibition, so far as ascertained, was in the
year 1846, on the island of Oahu. In this performance both
the olapa and the hoopaa cantillated the mele, while the latter squat-
ted on the floor. Each one was armed with a sharp stick of wood
fashioned like a javelin, or a Hawaiian spade, the 0-6; and with
i ftiis he made motions, thrusting to right and to left; whether in
I imitation of the motions of a soldier or of a farmer could not be
learned. The gestures of these actors were in perfect time with the
rhythm of the mele.

The dance-movements performed by the olapa, as the author has
heard them described, were peculiar, not an actual rotation, but a
sort of half-turn to one side and then to the other, an advance fol-
lowed by a retreat. While doing this the olapa, who were in two
divisions, marked the time of the movement by clinking together
two pebbles which they held in each hand.

The use of the pebbles after the manner of castanets, the division of
the dancers into two sets, their advance and retreat toward and away
from each other are all suggestive of the Spanish bolero or fandango.
The resemblance went deeper than the surface. The prime motive
of the song, the mele, also is the same, love in its diflferent phases
even to its most frenzied manifestations.

Mele

Pa au i ka ihe a Kane ; «
Nana ka maka ia Koolau ; ^
Kau ka opua ^ ma ka moana.
Lu'u a e-a, lu'u a e-a,<^
5 Hikl I TVal-ko-loa.
Aole loa ke kula
I ka pai-lani a Kane.^
Ke kane ^ ia no hoi ia
Ka hula pe-pe'e

* Ihe a Kane. The spear of Kane. What else can this be than that old enomy to
man's peace and comfort, love, passion?

* Koolau. The name applied to the weather side of an island ; the direction in which
one would naturally turn first to Judge of the weather.

'Opua. A bunch of clouds; a cloud-omen; a heavenly phenomenon; a portent. In this
case It probably means a lover. The present translation is founded on this view.

* Lu'u a e-a. To dive and then come up to take breath, as one does in swimmin^i: out
to sea against the incoming breakers, or as one might do in escaping from a pursuer, or
In avoiding detection, after the manner of a loon.

* A Kane and Ke kane. Instances of word-repetition, previously montloned ns ii fashion
macb UMed In Hawaiian poetry. See Instances also of the same figure in lines 13 and 14
and in lines 16 and 17.

l'*4 BL'RELW OF AMERICAX ETHNOLOGY

'•• A k:{ hnlf kn'i.

KTz'i ••*' a \*m** Kahiki-nui:

llfi-l ia iliiua o Kaiia-loa.

Ka lihilihi pua «• ka uiakemake.

M:i" "le ke Ki.-iilau i ka lihilihi.
:~ He I: hi kiileana ia uo I'uua.

< > k'>'u I'liiii ni> ia o ka ike maka.

A"hf ui.-ikam:ika o ka hale, ua hele oe;

N:iwai la au e h*Mikiit:i

I k-'ia Hi;' haul ana mai uei o ka loa?
l>> H»:* Uiakemake im ;iu e ike ninka:

I L<«>kahi \u* \*k le'a ke kauiiii.

Ka h:i:::t ii.an ule a ke ami.

Ii«r :.::ii inawalii*. :i he hu*i nia-loku.

A i:ai!:i lar.a hi. \i\i inuiu ihu.
jT* la i«>iiii < e <• kaiia. ua alii ka umeua :

Ka ha:i:i mail a ka Iiiu-wai :

Mm>> kI^- i ka mil kim».

Kw'ii kiiiii keia ma una ia ha'i.

K Ku. e liii^ilei ia !
r'j' A i:a lh»il '

LTruDsIation]

I ;•.:.; smitten wirli siiear of Kane:
M : . r ■ r y t-s with 1 ongi ii jr so:i u Kuoia ii ;
r.o:.i'!.l tl-e l«»ve-4mien hang o'er the sea.
L liSf arul i-rmie up. dive and come up:
Tl. ■> I r^i'arh my goal Wai-ko-loa.
i"..K' wSlrh .'f I'lain is a trifle
l\' ::.^- :"yfi:l si«irii of Kane.
A\f. .: lii'.sbaml. and luitron is he
r.' :\ V .la IK-*' iif the bended knee.
'■. :l.f l.:-!*. I'f tlie stamping feet.
S':.:: • . ::;■. the ev4io reaches Kahiki:
S: ' :■:. k y^..Ti a wreath by the way
r ■ iV'\v:\ y..!ir ftiiidest ambition:
A \\vo;-.:Li r.vt niarrt»<l by the salt wind
T.". V\:ai : ':iys with the skins of Puna.

; !•': c t" '«"•'.< oyo into eye.
T:- t»".»l\'<s t!.o h»»r»s<». ymi away:
l'r:-.\ w-ii^ w:"." iivoivo. who wek*ome.
ri;:s 1:1: est uiViiiviuHl from far:

■»,' I :»^:vi: tor ouo ^soulilotH" gaze.

One niijhf of i»rtvious communion:
$iKh :* thnvor wilts lun in the coh\ —
OnUl without, a tumult within.
Whal bli5*s, if wo two were together I
V.>M :nv iho blest of us twain:
•*i^ Mia I Ixnids under your form,
"n. -^Virsiv wind, it still rages.

ion]

30

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII

Appeased not with her whole body.
My body is pledged to another.
Crown it, Ku, crown it.
Now the service is free!

185

Some parts of this mele, which is a love-song, have defied the
rathor's most strenuous efforts to penetrate tl»eir deeper meaning.
Hawaiian consulted has made a pretense of understanding it
rholly. The Philistines of the middle of the nineteenth century, into
rhose hands it fell, have not helped matters by the emendations and
iterpolations with which they slyly interlarded the text, as if to set
jfore us in a strong light the stigmata of degeneracy from which
ley were suffering.

The author has discarded from the text two verses which followed
^rerse 28 :

Hai'na ia niai ka piiaua :
Ka wai ana pa i ke kula.

L Translation!

Declare to me now the riddle:
The waters that flash on the plain.

The author has refrained from casting out the last two verses,
though in his judgment they are entirely out of place and were not
in the mele originally.

I

XXIV— THE HULA PELE

The Hawaiian drama coiilil lav hold of no worthier theme thu
tiiat offereil by the story of Pele. In this epic w^e find the natund
and the supernatural, the everyday events of nature and the subliim
phenomena of nature's wonderland, so interwoven as to make a storyS
rich in strong human and deific coloring. It is true that the genini^
of the Hawaiian was not equal to the task of assembling the djjj
>evereil parts and of combining into artistic unity the materials
own imagination had spun. This very fact, however, brings usti
nmch nearer to the inner workshop of the Hawaiian mind.

The <torv of Pele is so long and complicated that only a brief
struct of it can be offered now:

Pele. the goddess of the volcano, in her dreams and wanderi
in spirit-form, met and loved the handsome Prince Lohiau.
wouKl not be satisfied with mere spiritual intercourse; she dema
the sacrament of bodily presence. Who should be the embassaddf
bring the youth fn>m his distant home on Kauai? She begged
grown-up sisters to attempt the task. They foresaw the peril
declined the thankless undertaking. Hiiaka, the youngest and
affectionate, accepted the mission; but, knowing her sister's evilH
per. strove to obtain from Pele a guaranty that her own forest^
the life of her bosom friend Hopoe should be safeguarded during
absence.

Hiiaka was accompanied by Wahine-oma'o — ^the woman in
a woman as beautiful as herself. After many adventures they ai
at Ilaena and found Lohiau dead and in his sepulchre, a
to the jealousy of Pele. They entered the cave, and after ten
of ]:>rayer and incantation Hiiaka had the satisfaction of seei
body of Ijohiau warmed and animated bv the reentrance of the s
and the company, now of three, soon started on the return to Ki

The time consumed by Hiiaka in her going and doing and re
ing had bcn^n so long that Pele was moved to unreasonable jealous
and, regardless of her promise to her faithful sister, she devastate
with fire the forest parks of Hiiaka and sacrificed the life of Hiiaka
bosom friend, the innocent and beautiful Hopoe.

Hiiaka and Lohiau, on their arrival at Kilauea, seated themselv<
on its ferny brink, and there, in the open view of Pele's court, Hiiak
in resentment at the broken faith of her sister and in defiance of h<
power, invited and received from Lohiau the kisses and dallian<

186

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 187

which up to that time she had repelled. Pele, in a frenzy of passion,
overwhelmed her errant lover, Lohiau, with fire, turned his body
into a pillar of rock, and convulsed earth and sea. Only through the
intervention of the benevolent peacemaking god Kane was the order
of the world saved from utter ruin.

The ancient Hawaiians naturally regarded the Pele hula with
special reverence by reason of its mythological importance, and they
selected it for performance on occasions of gravity as a means of hon-
oring the kings and alii of the land. They would have considered its
presentation on common occasions, or in a spirit of levity, as a great
impropriety.

In ancient times the performance of the hula Pele, like that of all
other plays, was prefaced with prayer and sacrifice. The offering
customarily used in the service of this hula consisted of salt crystals
and of luau made from the delicate unrolled taro leaf. This was the
gift demanded of every pupil seeking admission to the school of the
hula, being looked upon as an offering specially acceptable to Pele,
the patron of this hula. In the performance of the sacrifice teacher
and pupil approached and stood reverently before the kuahu while
the former recited a mele, which was a prayer to the goddess. The
pupil ate the luau, the teacher placed the package of salt on the altar,
and the service was complete.

Both olapa and hoopaa took part in the performance of this hula.
There was little or no moving about, but the olapa did at times sink
down to a kneeling position. The performance was without instru-
mental accompaniment, but with abundant appropriate gestures.
The subjects treated of were of such dignity and interest as to require
no extraneous embellishment.

Perusal of the mele which follows will show that the story of Pele
dated back of her arrival in this group :

He OU — O Jca mele mua keia o ka hula Pele

Mai Kahiki ka wahine, o Pele,
Mai ka aina i Pola-pola,
Mai ka punohu ula a Kane,
Mai ke ao lalapa i ka lani,
5 Mai ka opua lapa i Kahiki.

Lapa-ku 1 Hawaii ka wahine, o Pele;
Kalai i ka wa*a Houna-i-a-kea,
Kou wa'a, e Ka-moho-alii.
I apo'a ka moku i pa'a;
10 Ua hoa ka wa*a o ke Akua,

Ka wa'a o Kane-kalai-honua.
Holo mal ke au, a'ea'e Pele-honna-mea ;
A*ea*e ka Lani, ai-puni'a i ka moku ;
A'ea'e Kiui o ke Akua,

l'^^ ErXEJkC mF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bollS

Ia val ki ^•^. kft nli o ka wa'a. e ne boa 'Hi?
A~«i.> ^Ll &»:«■ o£BEtt o ka

^Nr

Sat ikr
K 1 A-* be

?cftc. kie skiEi,
je & iKfai> £ ka bale

o Pele.

E 1^1. *

Kx>l£k£.

•

•

2a[tt uUa,

e Pele.

rTtawiatlon]

A Stm^ — Th€ frrt 9omg o/ th*- hula Pele

T^ai. KiLiki «::iiDe the wonuin. l*ele.
yr.c- :iie Idiad K-t I>i>fii-|«>Ia.

ili,ftrr 'ies-rv t'?€ Hawaii ^^iaed the woniau. Pele:

Svir- rar-'^i rise oaa«.^. Hoaua-i-a>kea,

V • r -ti-*;*. O Ki-mohi^-aliL

riirj :. -ssj: Ttie w\>rt v»ii the craft to Ci>mpletioii.

■."'jf .aL>i:::i.rs ^-f tbe a>d*s i-anoe are done.

!'!:•:» tt -J •* ^'f Kane, th^ wt^rld-maker.

V'_r - V-< >^:r\ reLe-hoona-niea o'ermonnts them:

- .i-r fT-r: r:"-i-e# :be wavesv sails about the island :

V":r -• «< '* ".:rr5e a>xis ride tbe billows:

v?.\i.: :s.ir^ Lis seat:

« r.-r lc/-«-# ^-■.:r tbe M!ae of tbe craft.

W:..; >"::^\"" >:: ss;em. be si^^rsman. O, princes V

i\> :* :Le Tel!«>w c>anb.

.T^.T >: >->!. ^'f the saddles dashes o'er the canoe.

Kv. ?. v. I ^.:s feV.ow. Ijihkx
!»-A::l«srk ••:: s^vid land:

:-.; ?/n:i. :!-.c \v:j^^ one, a cixL

S::i:..:< ::; , p>^ :^^ sTay at the honse of Pele.

'..\ :iv. or":::or. in Kahiki !

A :».Hs!;:ni: of ::?rhtnins:. O Pele!

Ko'.oV. forth. O iv:e !

Tnuiition has it that Pele was expelled from Kahiki by herbrotl
lHva;:<o of insuK^xiination. disobedience, and disrespect to tl
mother, // ?.• »-';;?<?, sjiored land. (If Pele in Kahiki conducted ]
M^lf as she lias doiie in Hawaii, rending and scorching the boson
n\other earth — Ilonua-Mea — it is not to be wondered that
brvnhei^s weiv anxious to get rid of her.) She voyaged north.

r] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 189

op was at the little island of Ka-ula, belonging to the Hawaiian
. She tunneled into the earth, but the ocean poured in and put
) to her work. She had the same experience on Lehua, on
11, and on the large island of Kauai. She then moved on to
hoping for better results; but though she tried both sides of
and, first mount Ka-ala — ^the fragrant — and then Konahuanui,
ill found the conditions unsatisfactory. She passed on to
:ai, thence to Lanai, and to to West Maui, and East Maui, at
liSist place she dug the immense pit of Hale-a-ka-la ; but every-
S&e was unsuccessful. Still journeying east and south, she
d'the wide Ale-nui-haha channel and came to Hawaii, and,
Bxploring in all directions, she was satisfied to make her home
[auea. Here is {ka piko o ka konua) the navel of the earth.
)OS of this effort of Pele to make a fire-pit for herself, see the
or the hula kuolo (p. 86), "A pit lies (far) to the east."

Mele

m

A Kauai, a ke olewa * iluna,
Ka pua laua i kai o Wailua ;
Nana mai Pele ilaila ;
E waiho aku ana o Ahu.^
5 Aloha i ka wai nlu o ka aina;
E ala mai ana mokihana,
Wai auau o Hiiaka.
Hoo-paapaa Pele ilaila;
Aohe Kau ^ e ulu ai.
10 Keehi aku Pele i ka ale kua-loloa.

He onohi no Pele, ka oaka o ka lanl, la.
Eli-eli, kau mai!

[Translation!

fiong

To Kauai, lifted in ether,
A floating flower at sea off Wailua —
That way Pele turns her gaze,
She^s bidding adieu to Oahu,
5 Loved land of new wine of the palm.

There comes a perfumed waft — mokihana —
The bath of the maid Hiiaka.
Scene it was once of Pele's contention,
Put by for future attention.
10 Her foot now spurns the long-backed wave ;
The phosphor burns like Pele's eye.
Or a meteor-flash in the sky.
Finished the prayer, enter, possess!

ra. Said to be the name of a wooded region hlf^h up on the mountain of Kauai.

re treated as if it meant the heavens or the blue ether. Its origin is the same

ft word leica, the upper regions of the air.

Am. In this instance the article still finds itself disunited from its subBtantlve.

we have Oahu and Ola'a.

. The summer ; time of warm weather ; the growing seaBon.

190 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [btll.!

The incidents and allusions in this niele belong to the story
Pele's journey in search of Lohiau, the lover she met in her d
and describe her as about to take flight from Oahu to Kauai (verse 4)

Hiiaka's bath, Wat aiiau o Hiiaka (verse 7), which was the sub]
of Pele's contention (verse 8), was a spring of water which Pele
planted at Huleia on her arrival from Kahiki. The ones wdth whoiQ
Pele had the contention were Kukui-lau-manienie and Kukui-laiH
hanahana, the daughters of Lima-loa, the god of the mirage. Thes^
two women lived at Huleia near the spring. Kamapuaa, the swine-n
god, their accepted lover, had taken the liberty to remove the springj
from the rocky bed where Pele had planted it to a neighboring hilt
Pele was offended and demanded of the two women:

" AMiere is my spring of water ? "

*' AATiere, indeed, is your spring ? You belong to Hawaii. What
have you to do with any spring on Kauai? " was their answer.

" I planted a clean spring here on this rock," said Pele.

'•You have no water^ here," they insisted; "your springs are oDj
Hawaii."

" If I were not going in search of my husband Lohiau," said Pel%
" I would set that spring back again in its old place."

" You haven't the power to do that," said they. " The son of \
Kahikiula (Kama-puaa) moved it over there, and you can't undo his i
action." i

The eye of Pele, He onohi no Pele (verse 11), is the phosphor-
escence A\hich Pele's footfall stirs to activitv in the ocean.

The formal ending of this mele, Elieli^ kau mai^ is often found at
the close of a mele in the hula Pele, and marks it as to all intents and
purposes a prayer.

E tcaiho (iku ana o Aku (verse 4). This is an instance of the
separation of the article o from the substantive Ahii^ to which it
becomes joined to form the proper name of the island now called
Oahu.

Mele

Ke a mo la ke ko'i ke akiia la i-uka :
Haki nii'a-nn'a n.ai ka nalu mai Kahiki,
Po-po'i aku la i ke alo o Kilaiiea.'*
Kanaka hoa i ka lakou pnaa kann ;
5 He wahiiie kiii lei lehiia i uka o Olaa,
Kii'n mokn lehiia i ke alo o He-eia.
O Kuku-ena^ wabine,
Kouio i ka lau-ki.

"The flffure in the second and third verses, of waves from Kahiki {nalu mai Kahiki)
boating against the front of Kilauea {Po-po'i aku la i ke alo o Kilauea)^ seems to pictur*'
the trampling of the multitude splashing the mire as if it were, waves of ocean.

" Kukuena. There is some uncertainty as to who this character was ; probably the
same as ilaumea, the mother of Tele.

TJNWBITTEN LITERATXJBE OF HAWAII 191

A'e-a'e a noho.
lO Eia makou, kou lau kaula la.

Eli-eli, kau mai !

[Translation]
Song

They bear the god's ax up the mountahi;
Trampling the mire, like waves from Kahiki
That beat on the front of Kilauea.
The people with offerings lift up a prayer;
5 A woman strings wreaths in Olaa —
Lehua grove mine bordering He-eia.
And now Kukuena, mother god,
CJovers her loins with a pa-ti of ti leaf;
She mounts the altar; she sits.
10 Behold us, your conclave of priests.
Enter in, possess us !

; has the marks of a Hawaiian prayer, and as such it is said to
•een used in old times by canoe-builders when going up into the
ains in search of timber. Or it may have been recited by the
3 and people who went up to fell the lehua tree from which to
the Makahiki« idol; or, again, may it possibly have been re-
by the company of hula folk who climbed the mountain in
1 of a tree to be set up in the halau as a representation of the
^hom they wished to honor? This is a question the author
lot settle. That it was used by hula folk is indisputable, but
w'ould not preclude its use for other purposes.

Mele

Ku i Wailua ka pou hale,^
Ka ipu hoolono i ka uwalo,
Ka wawa nui, e Ulupo.
Aole uwalo mai, e.
5 Aloha nui o Ikuwa, Mahoena.

Ke lele la ka makawao o ka hinalo.
Aia 1 Man& ka oka'i o ka ua o Eleao ;
Ke holu la ka a'ahu o Ka-ti ^ i ka makani ;
Ke puhl a'e la ka ale kunmpali o Ka-fi, Honuapo ;
10 Ke hakoko ka niu o Paiaha'a i ka makani.
rki-uki oukou:
Ke lele la ke kai;
I^ele iao,** lele!
O ka makani Koolau-wahine,

' an account of the Makahiki idol see Hawaiian Antiquities, p. ISO, by David
translated by N. B. Emerson, A. M., M. D., Honolulu, Hawaiian Gazette Company

Hi J, 1003.

( hale. The main post of a houHc, which is here intended, was the powhanA; it

^rded with a superstitious reverence.

u Ka-u. A refereiice, doubtless, to the long jrrass that once covered Ka-fl.

K A small fish that took .short '.lights in the air.

192 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bu;

15 O ka Moa*e-kn.

Lele na, lele kawa ! .<>

I^le aku, lele mai !

Lele 0-6,* 0-6 lele ; *^

Lele opuhi,<* lele;
20 Lele o Kaunfi,^ kaha oe.

E Hllaka e, ku !

[Translation!

Song

At Wailiia stands the main house-post;

This oracle harks to wild voices.

Tumult aud clamor, O Ulu-po;

It utters no voice to entreaty.
5 Alas for the prophet that's dumb !

But there drifts the incense of hala.

Manft sees the rain-whirl of Eleao.

The robe of Ka-fi sways in the wind,

That dashes the waves *gainst the sea-wall,
10 At Honu-apo, windy Ka-ti;

The Pai-ha'a palms strive with the gale.

Such weather is grievous to you :

The sea-scud is flying.

Fly little i-ao, O fly
15 With the breeze Koolau !

Fly with the Moa*e-ku !

Look at the raiu-mist fly !

Leap with the cataract, leap !

Plunge, now here, now there !
20 Feet foremost, head foremost;

Leap with a glance and a glide !

Kaumi opens the dance; you win.

Rise, Hiiaka, arise I

The meaning of this mele centers about a phenomenon that is
to have been observed at Ka-ipu-ha'a, near Wailua, on Kauai.
one standing on a knoll near the two cliffs Ikuwa and Mah
(verse 5) there came, it is said, an echo from the murmur and cL
of the ocean and the moan of the wind, a confused mingling o:
ture's voices. The listener, however, got no echoing answer t(
own call.

The mele does not stick to the unities as we understand them,
poets of old Hawaii felt at liberty to run to the ends of their et
and the auditor must allow his imagination to be transported
denly from one island to another; in this case, first from Waih

'^ Lele kaica. To jump in sport from a heiglit into the water.

^ Lele 0-6. To leap feet first into the water.

«' 0-6 lele. To dive head first into the water.

d Lele opuhi. The same as pahVa, to leap obliquely into the water from a height,
ing oneself so that the feet come first to the surface.

« Knuiui. A woman of Ka-fi celebrated for her skill in the hula, also the name
cape that reaches out into the stormy ocean.

N] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 193

on the same island, where he is shown the procession of whirl-
lin clouds of Eleao (verse 7). Thence the poet carries him to
apo, Hawaii, and shows him the waves dashing against the
walls and the clashing of the palm-fronds of Paiaha'a in the

scene shifts back to Kauai, and one stands with the poet look-
>wn on a piece of ocean where the people are wont to disport
J ves. (Maka-iwa, not far from Ka-ipu-ha'a, is said to be such
B.) Verses 12 to 19 in the Hawaiian (13 to 21 in the transla-
iescribe the spirited scene.

somewhat difficult to determine whether the Kauna mentioned
next poem is the name of the woman or of the stormy cape.

mind of a Hawaiian poet the inanimate and the animate are
ied so closely together in thought and in speech as to make it
o decide which is intended.

Mele

Ike ia Kaimd-wahiiie, Makaiii Ka-ii,
He uniauma i pa ia e ka Moa'e,
E ka uiakanl o-maka o Unulan.
I^ii ka wahiiie kaiU-pua o Paia,
5 Alualu puhala o ka Milo-ime-kaiiAka, e-e-o-e!
He kan&ka ke koa no ka ehii abialii,
() ia nei ko ka ehu kakahiaka —
O maim no, me ka makua o makou.
Ua ike *a !

[Translation]

Song

Behold KaunA, that sprite of windy Ku-u,
Whose bosom is slapped by the Moa'e-kta,
And that eye-smitinj? wind Unulafi —
Women by hundreds filch the bloom
5 Of Pafa, hunt fruit, of the hahi, a-ha !
That one was the gallant, at evening,
This one the hero of lovo, in the morning —
*Twa8 our guardian I had for companion.
Now you see it, a-ha !

lis mele, based on a story of amorous rivalry, relates to a contest
h arose between two 3'oung women of rank regarding the favors
lat famous warrior and general of Kamehameha, Kalaimoku,
a the successful intrigante described as ka makua o itial'ou
se 8), our father, i. e., our guardian. The point of view is that
le victorious intrigante, and in speaking of her defeated rival she
the ii*onical language of the sixth verse, lie l-anaha Ir I'oa no ka
ihiahi^ meaning that her opponent's chance of success faded with
'vening twilight, whereas her own success was crowned with the
::530a— Bull. 38—09 13

194 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

glow of inorning, O in nvi ko ka chu kakahiaka (verse 7). The
epithet kanaka hints ironically that her rival is of lower rank than
herself, though in reality tlie rank of her rival may have been superior
to her own.

The language, as ])ointed out by the author's informant, is marked
with an elegance that stamps it as the product of a courtly circle.

Mele

E oe mauna i kn ohu,
KaM ka leo o ka ohi*a ;
Auwe! make au i ke ahi a niau
A ka luahlne^ moe uaml,
5 A papa enaena, wai ban,
A wa*a kau-M.*

Haila i)epe<' mua me i>eiie waeiin,
O pepe ka muimui :
O kiele ^^ 1 na ulu ^
10 Ka makaM kai kea
O Nlheu^ kolohe;
Ka makaha kai kea !
Eli-eli, kau mai.

[Translation]
Song

Ho! inountain of vapor-puffs,
Now groans tlie nioiuitaiu-apple tree.
Alas ! I I) urn in this deathless flame,
That is fe<l by the woman who snores*
5 On a lava plate, now hot, now cold ;
Now 'tis a canoe full-rij?ged for sea ;
There are seats at tlie bow, amidships, abaft;
Baggajre and men — all is aboard.

« IVIo is often Bpoken of as ki luahinc, the old woman ; but she frequently used her
power of transformation to appear as a young woman of alluring beauty.

^Lava poured out In plates and folds and coils resembles may diverse things, among
others the canoe, ijca'a, here characterized as complete in its appointments and ready for
launching, kauhi. The words arc subtly intended, no doubt, to convey the thoughi of
Tele's readiness to launch on the voyage of matrimony.

'^ Pepe, a seat ; kiele, to paddle ; and ulu, a shortened form of the old word oulu, mean-
ing a paddle, are archaisms now obsolete.

«* \iheu. One of the mythological heroes of an old-time adventure, in which his elder
brother Kana, who had the form of a long rope, played the principal part. This one
enterprise of their life in which they joined forces was for the rescue of their mother,
Ilina, who had been kidnaped by a marauding chief and carried from her home in Hilo
to the bold headland of Haupu, Molokai. Nih^u is generally stigmatized as kolohe
(vei*se 11), mischievous, for no other reason apparently than that he was an active spirit,
full of courage, given to adventure and heaven-defying audacities, such as put the
Polynesian Mawi and the Greek Prometheus in bad odor with the gods of their times.
One of these offensive actions was Nih^u's theft of a certain ulu, breadfruit, which one
of the gods rolled with a noise like that of thunder in the underground caverns of the
southern regions of the world. Nlh^u is represented as a great sport, an athlete, skilled
in all the games of his people. The worst that could be said of him was that he had
small regard for other people's rights and that be was slow to pay his debts of honor.

BULLETIN 38 PL4TE X

PALA-PALAI FERNS

BSu.N] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 195

And now the i)owerfnl thrust of the paddle,
10 Making mii;hty swirl of wat'ry yeast.
As of XihOii, the mischief-uiaker —
A mighty swirl of the yeasty wave.
In heaven's name, come aboard!

ifter the death of Lohiau, his best friend, Paoa, camo l)of()ro Pele
?riiiined to invite death by pouring out the vials of his wrath on

head of the goddess. The sisters of Pele sought to avert the
ending tragedy and persuaded him to soften his language and to
^o mere abuse. . Paoa, a consummate actor, by his dancing, which
1>een i)erpetuated in the hula Pele, and by his skillfully-worded
rer-songs, one of which is given above, not only appeased Pele,
won her.

le piece next appearing is also a song that was a prayer, and
IS to have been uttered by the same mouth that groaned forth the
given above.
, does not seem necessary to take the language of the mele literally.

sufferings that the person in the mele describes in the first j)erson,
ems to the author, mav be those of his friend Lohiau ; and the first
K>n is used for literary effect.

Mele «

Aole e mao ka ohii :
Auwe! make au i ke nlii a nmu
A.ka wahiue moe nauA.
A ini\m ena-ena,
5 A wa*a kau-hl.

I la i la pei)e mua me \>e\yo waona,
O i)ei)e ka muMmuM,
O lel'na kiele,
Kau-mell-eli : *
10 Ka maka kakahi kea

Nihoii kolohe—

Ka maka kalm-kai koa.
Eli-eli, kau mai !

ITrnnsIatiou]

Song

Alas, there's no stay to the smoke;

1 must die mid the qiionchless llanu? —
Deed of the haj; wlio snores in her sle(»p»
Be<lded on lava plato oven-hot.

5 Now It takes the shai)e of canoe;

•The remarks on pp. Ift4 and 1!>."» roj^ardlns; the inolo on p. 104 aro mostly applicable
tlilM niHo.

^ KoMiMt li-rli. The name of the donhlo caniM^ which l>roii;;ht a company of the ;{o<]s
i>in the lanilM of the HonMi — Knkiilu o Katiiki — to Hawaii. Hawaiian myths refer to
Teml mlicratioDs of the Kods to Hawaii; one of them is that described in the mele
ren on p. 187t the flrat mele in this chapter.

1*.*G BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Ibl

Seats at the bow and amidshiiis.
And tbe steersman sitting astern:
Their stn^ke stirs the ocean to foam —
The niyth-<*rsift, Kan-meli-eli I
10 Now look, the wliite gleam of an eye —
It is Nili(^u. the turbulent one —
An eye like the white sandy shore.
Amen, iM»ssess me!

#

The mele now to lx» given has the form of a serenade. Etiq
forbade anyone to wake the king by rude touch, but it was pern
l>le for a near relative to touch liis feet. AVlien the exigenci<
business made it necessary for a messenger, a herald, or a courti
disturb the sleeping monarch, he took his station at the king's
and recited a serenade such as this:

Meic Hoala (no ka Hula Pele)

Enla. e Kahiki-ku;'
E ala, e Kahiki-moe;®
E ala, e ke apapa nu'u ; *
E ala. e ke apapa lani.*
Ti Eia ka hoala nou, e ka lani*^ la, e-e!
E ala oe!

E ala. ua ao. ua malamalama.

A in o Kape'a ma,* la, i-luna;

T'a hiki* uiai ka maka o Umilau;^

" II;iw;iii:ms concfivod of the dome of heaven as a solid structure supported by
that rested on the earth's plain. Diflferent names were given to different sections
wall. Knhiki kii and Kahiki-moe were names applied to certain of these section
would, however, he too much to expect any Hawaiian, however intelligent and well
in old lore, to indicate the location of these regions.

''The words apupa nu'u and apapa lani. which convey to the mind of the nuth<
l»icture of a series of terraced plains or steppes — no doubt the original meaning-
mean a family or order of gods, not of the highest rank, at or near the head of which
I'ele. Apropos of this sul)ject ihe following lines have been quoted:

Hanau ke apapa nu'u :

Ilnnau ke apapa lani ;

Ilanau I*ele, ka hihi'o na lanL

[Translation]

Reuotten were the ^ods of graded rank;
Hegotten were the gods of heavenly rank;
Itegotten was Tele, quintessence of heaven.

This same expression was sometimes used to mean an order of cliiefs. alii. Apap*
was also used to mean tlie highest order of gods. Ku, Kane, KanaJoa, Ijonn\ The
also were gods, for which reason this expression at times applied to the alii of h
rank, those, for instance, who inherited tlie rank of niau-pi'o or of wohi.

'■ Lani. Originally the heavens, came to mean king, chief, alii.

•'There is a difference of opinion as to the meaning of Kape'a ma. After hearing d
opinions the author rondiides that it refers to the rays of the sun that prece<
rising — a (Jreek idea.

'■ Vnuhin. A name for the trade-wind which, owing to the conformation of the
often sweeps down with great force through the deep valleys that seam tlie mounta
west Muui between .Lahaina and Mualaea bay ; such a wind squall was called a mu\

Ksoxl UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 197

10 Ke lioolale mai la ke kupa holowa'a o rkumehame,®
Ka lae niakaui kaohi-wa'a o I'apawai,^
Ka lao uiakani o Analienalio la, e-e!
E ala oel

E ala, ua ao, ua malamalama ;

Ke o a'e la ke kukuna o ka I^i i ka ill o ke kai ;

Ke haliai a'e la, e like me Kmmikahi ^

E hoaikane ana me Makanoni ;

Ka i>ai)a o Apua, na lolii i ka La.

E ala oel

20 E ala, na ao, ua malamalama;

Ke kau aku la ka I>a i Kawaihoa :

Ke kolii aku la ka La i ka ill o ke kai ;

Ke auai mai la ka iwa anai-maka o Lei-no-ai,

I ka luna o Maka-iki-olea,
25 I ka poll wale o T^liua la.

E ala oe I

* I'kumehame. The name of a deep valley on west Maui in the region ahove described.

* Papaicai. The principal cape on west Maui between Lahaina and Maalaoa bay.

^ Kutnu-kahi. A cape in I*una, the easternmost part of Hawaii ; by some said to be the
ii's wife, and the object of his eager pursuit after coming out of his eastern gate
Q'eha'e. The name was also applied to a pillar of stone that was planted on the
irthern border of this cape. Standing opposite to it, on the southern side, was the
onolith Makanoni. In summer the sun in its northern excursion inclined, as the
awaiihins noted, to the side of Kumukahi. while in the season of cool weather, called
mkalii, it swung in the opposite direction and passed over to Makanoni. The people of
una accordingly said, " The sun has passed over to Makanoni," or '* The sun has passed
rer to Kumukahi," as the case might be. Those two pillars are said to be of such a form
ft to suggest the thought that they are phallic emblems, and this conjecture is strength-
led by consideration of the tabus connected with thom and of the religious ceremonies
eformed before them. The Hawaiians speak of them as pohaku eho, which, the author
plieTOB, is the name given to a phallus, and describe them as plajn uncarved pillars.

These stones were set up in very ancient times and are said to have been tabu to
romen at the times of tlieir infirmity. If a woman climbed upon them at such a period
r eTen set foot upon the platform on which one of them stood she was put to death.
kiiotber stringent tabu forbade anyone to perform an ofllce of nature while his face was
nrned toward one of these pillars.

The hiDguage of the mele, Ke huhui ae la e like me Kumukahi (verse 16), implies that
he sun chased after Kumukahi. Apropos of this is the following quotation from an
rttde on the phallus in Chambers's Encyclopedia : " The common myth concerning it
the phallusj was the story of some god deprived of his power of generation — an allusion
o the sun, which in autumn loses its fructifying influence."

In modern times there seems to have grown up a curious mixture of traditions about
hese two stones, in which the old have become overlaid with new superstitions ; and
hese last In turn seem to be dying out. They are now vaguely remembered as relics of
»ld demigods, petrified forms of ancient kupua.* Fishermen, it is said, not long ago
»ffered sacrifices to tliem, hoping thus to purchase good luck. Any offense against tliem,
mch as that by women, above mentioned, or by men, was atoned for by offering l)efore
hese ancient monuments the first fish that came to the fisherman's hook or net.

Mention of the name Kumu-kahi to a Hawaiian versed in ancient lore called up to his
nemory the name of I*ala-moa iis his assochite. The account this old man gave of them
R'as that they were demigods much worsbii)ed and feared for their |)<)wer and malignity.
riiey were reputed to be cannibals on the sly. and. though generally appearing In human
^>rm. were capable of various metamorphoses, tluis eluding detection. They wei-e believed
o hire the power of taking i)osseNsi<»n of men through spiritual obsession, as a result of
rhich the olwessed ones were enabled to heal sickness as well as to cause it. to reve:il
i«crets. and to inflict death, tlius terrifying people beyond measure. The names of these
two demigods, especially that of Palamoa. are to this day appealed to by practitinners of
the black arts.

* The Hawaiian alphal>et had no letter h. The Hawaiians indicated the plural by
preAxInic the particle nu.

1*)8 BX7BEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bi-l

[TraDRlation]

Awake now. Kahiki-ku;
Awake now, Kabiki-nioe:
Awako, j-o gods of lower grade;
Awake, ye gods of heavenly rank.
Ti A wrenade to thee, (> king.
Awake tlie<»!

Awake, it is day, it is light:
The Day-god his arrows is shooting,
T'nulan his eye -far-flashing,
10 Canoe-men from Ukn-me-hame

Are astir to weather the windy cai>e,
The boat-baffling ca])e, Papa-wai,
And the boisterons A-nalie-nahe.
Awake thee!

15 Awake, day is come and the light:

The snn-rays stab the skin of the deep;

It pnrsnes, as did god Knmu-kahi

To companion with god Maka-noui;

The plain of Apna qnivers witji heat
20 Awake thee!

Awake, *tis day, 'tis light;
The sun stands over Waihoa,
Afloat on the breast of (K-ean;
The iwa of I^inoai is preening
l>r> On the cliff Maka-iki-olea,

On the breast of naked I/ehua.
Awake thee! awake!

Tlie follow in<r i^ Ji prayer said to have been used at the time of a
(IrinkiuiT. AA'heii <rivc'ii in the hula, the author is informed, its roc
lion was atronipanied hv the sound of the drum.

He Pule //o rric
PALE T

() IVle la ko'n nkun :
Mihn k:i lani. niilm kn lionua.
Awn iku, awn Inni :
Kni nwnnwn. ka awn nui a Hiiaka,
r> I knn i Mnuli-ola : "

" \fiiu1i ohi. A irtxl of health: ixM'hnps also tlio name of a place. The same word
was applloM to tho l»roath of life, or to tho physiilan's iKiwer of healing. In the M
lotiirno tlio woni mouii, »N>rros|>on(iln:r to wniili. moans life, ihe seat of life. In San
the wonl »»<»w/i means heart. " Sn«M»xe. llvluj; heart *' {Tihr mauri onn. says the M
mothor to hor Infani when it sneozes. Fi»r this Mt of Maori lore aeknowledj^nieii
due to Mr. S. IVrr\ Sn»lth, of New /i<alan«1.

KSO?«l UNWKITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 199

He awa kaim no ua wabiiie.
E kapu!

Ka*i kapu kou awa, e Pele a Honua-mea ;
E kala, e Haumea wabine,
10 O ka waliiue i Kilauea,

Nana i eli a liohonu ka Ina
O Maii-wahiuo, o Kiipu-ena,
O iia waliine i ka inn-liaun awa.
E ola na *kna TDalihini ! "

PALE II

15 I kama'a-ma*a la i ka pua-Iei ;
E ]oa ka wai apua,
Ka pifna i Ku-ka-la-ula : ^
Hoopuka aku 1 Puu-lena,
Aiua a ke Akua i noho ai.

20 Kanaenae a ke Akua uialibini : ^
O ka'u wale iho la no ia, o ka leo.
He leo wale no, e-e!
E lio-i!
Eia ka ai!

[Translation 1

A Prayer to Pele

CANTO 1

Lo, Pele*s the god of my choice:
I^t heaven and earth in silence wait
Here is awa, iK)tent, sacred,
Bitter sea, gresit Hiiaka's root;
5 'Twas cut at Mauli-ola —

Awa ,to the woniMi forbidden,
Jj^ it tabu be !

. Exact be the rite of your awa,
O Pele of the sacred land.

• According to one authority, at the close of the first canto th(? stranger gods — akua
uil{hini — who consisted of that multitude of godlings called the Kini Akua, took their
epsrture from the ceremony, since they did not Ijelong to the Tele family. Internal
▼Idence, however, the study of the prayer itself in its two parts, leads the writer to
IfaMgree with this authority. Other Ilawniians of equally delil>erate judgment support
ilm In this opinion. The etiquette connected with ceremonious awa-drinking, which
he Samoans of to-day still maintain in full form, long ago died out in Hawaii. This
tiquette may never have been cultivated here to the same degree as in its home, Samoa;
tat this poem Is evidence that the ancient llawaiians paid '-roater attention to it than
hej of modern times. The reason for this decline of ceremony must be sought for in
be mental and esthetic make-up of the Hawaiian people ; it was not due to any lack of
ondness In the Hawaiian for awa as a 1)everage or as an intoxicant. It is no help to
leg the question by ascribing the decline of this etiquette to the influence of social cus-
om. To do so would but add one more link to the chain that binds cause to effe<>t. The
ImwrnilaDTmind was not favorable to the observance of this sort of etiquette; it did not
iffbrd a soil fitted to nourish such an artificial growth.

*Tlie meaning of the word Ku-kalu-nla presented great difliculty and defied all attempts
t translation until the suggestion was made by a bright Hawaiian, which was adopted
rfth MitlsfnctloD, that it protiably refernMl to that state of dreamy mental exaltation
ritfcb comes with awa-lntoxication. This condition, like that of frenzy, of madness, and
f Idiocj, the Hawaiian regarded as a divine i)osse88lon.

200 BUREAU OF AMKRICAN ETHNOLOGY |i:rLL.38

10 I'nKOsilm it, mother, Ilaimioa,

Of the giKldess of Kilaiiea ;

She wlio diiK the pit world-ileep,

Aud Mau-wahine and Kupu-eiia,

Who i»rei)are the awa for drhik.
J 5 A heal til to the stranger gods!

CANTO II

Beilock now the l)oard for the feast ;
Fill np the hist bowl to the hrhn ;
Then iM)nr a draught in the sun-cavo
Shiill flow to tlie mellow liaze,
20 That tints the land of the gcxls.

All hail to the stranger gods I
This mj' offering, simply a voice.
Only a welcoming voice,
Tnrn in I .
25 Ix), the feast !

This prayer, though presented in two parts or cantos, is really one,
its puri)ose being to offer a welcome, kmiaenae^ to the feast and cere-
mony to the gods who had a right to expect that coiirtes}-.

One more mele of the number specially used in the hula Pele:

Mele

Nou paha e, ka inoa

E lia'i-ka'i ku ana,

A kau i ka unkn.

E ha pa -ha pa i a'e,
5 A pa i ke kilii

O Ki-lnn-(i-a.

Ilaila ku*u kama,

O Kn-nni-akea."

II(M)konio a'e iloko
30 A o Hale-ma'u-nm*n ; ^

A nia-ii na pn'n

E ola-olA nei.

E kulipe'e nni ai-ahna.*'

E Pele, e Pele!
15 E Pele, e Pele!

lluai'nn I liiini'na !

Ku la ka lani,

I\'ie a hiiila !

'• Knlnknun. for whom all tl.ose fine words are intended, could no more claim kinsliii
with Ku-nui-akea. tlie son of Kau-i-ke-aouli, than with Julius Caesar.

*• Hulv-inim-niau. Used figuratively of the mouth, whose hairy frinjfc — moustache ant
beard — icives it a fancied resemblance lo the rough lava pit where I*ele dwelt. The fijjure
to us no doubt obscure, conveyed to the Hawaiian the idea of trumpeting the^name ant
making it famous.

<* A' kuU-p&e nui ai-ahua. I*ele is here figured as an old, infirm woman, crouching an<
trawling along; a character and attitude ascribed to her, no doubt, from the fancier
resemblance of a lava flow, which, when m the form of a-^i, rolls and tumbles along ove;
the siu'face of the ground in a manner suggestive of the motions and attitude of j
imlsied crone.

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 201

[Translation]

Yours, doubtless, this name,

Which people are toasting

WMth loudest acclaim.

Now raise it, aye raise it,
5 Till it reaches the niches

Of KMau-6-a.

Enshrinetl is there my kinsman,

Kti-nrti-akea.

Then jrive it a place
10 In the temple of Pele;

And a bowl for the throats

That are croakini? with thirst.

Knock-kneed eater of liind,

O Pele, god Pele!
15 O Pele, god PVle !

Burst forth now ! burst forth !

Launch a bolt from the sky !

Let thy lightnings fly I

When this poem « first came into the author's hands, though at-
tracted by its classic form and vigorous style, he could not avoid being
repelled by an evident grossness. An old Hawaiian, to whom he
stated his objections, assured him that the mele was innocent of all
bad intent, and when the offensive word was pointed out he protested
that it was an interloper. The substitution of the right word showed
that the man was correct. The offense was at once removed. This
set the whole poem in a new light and it is presented with satisfaction.
The mele is properly a name-song, mele-inoa. The poet represents
some one as lifting a name to his mouth for praise and adulation.
He tells him to take it to Kilauea — that it may reecho, doubtless, from
the walls of the crater.

• It is said to l)e the work of a hula-master, now some years dead, by the name of
Na ma keel II a.

XXV.— THE IIULA IWI-UMAT^MA

The 1 ula /xt^'-u/nauma — chest -beating hula — called also hula Pa-
Jfhif\'^ was an energetic dance, in which the actors, who were also the
singers, maintained a kneeling position, with the buttocks at times
resting on the heels. In spite of the restrictions imposed by this
attitu(U\ they managed to put a spirited action into the performance;
there were vigorous gestures, a frequent smiting of the chest with the
(»pen hand, and a strenuous movement of the pelvis and lower part of
i\w body called (fmi. This consisted of rhythmic motions, sidewise,
backward, forward, and in a circular or elliptical orbit, all of which
was done with the precision worthy of an acrobat, an accomplish-
nuMit attained only after long practice. It was a hula of classic
celebrity, and was performed without the accompaniment of instru-
mental nuisic.

In the mele now to be given the poet calls ijp a succession of pic-
tures by imagining himself in one scenic position after another, be-
ginning at Ililo and passing in order from one island to another—
omitting, however, Maui — until he finds himself at Kilauea, an his-
toric and traditionally interesting place on the windward coast oJ
the garden-island, Kauai. The order of travel followed by the poet
forbids the supposition that the Kilauea mentioned is the great cal-
dera of the volcano on Hawaii in which Pele had her seat.

It is useless to regret that the poet did not permit his muse to tarry
by tiie way long enough to give us something more than a single
i\veshot at the (piiekly shifting scenes which unrolled themselves be-
fore him, that so he might have given us further reminiscence of th€
lands over which his Pegasus bore him. Such completeness of view,
however, is alien to the poesy of Hawaii.

" f*nhUti, l-'ronoh. so onl'od at Moanalua because a woman who wns its chief exponea
>\Ms a rathoMo. one of the " poe I'ahlni." Much odium has been laid to the charge of th<
hula on aeeoinit of (he supposed indecency of the motion termed ami. There can be m
douhl (hat Ww anU was a( (hues used to represen( acdons unfit for pul>lic view, and so fa
th«» Mau\e Is Just. Uut the anil did not necessarily nor always represent ol»s<'enlty. and t<
thiM e\(eul the hula has been unjustly niali.i;ned.

oxl UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OP HAWAII 203

Mcle

A Hilo au e, lioolulu ka lehua ; ^
A Wai-luku la, i ka Liia-kanilka ; ^
A Lele-iwi^ la, au i ke kai;
A Pana-ewa,** i ka iilu-lehua ;
5 A Ha-ill,^ i ke kiila-manu;

A Mologai, i ke nla-kalii,
Ke kula o Kala'e/ wela i ka la ;
Maiiiia-loa^ la, Ka-lua-ko'i,'* e;
Na ha la o Nilioa,* be uiapuna la;
10 A Ko'i-ahi^ au, ka maile lau-lii la;

A Makua*' la, i ke oue opio-pio,'
K holu ana ke kai o-lalo;
He wahine a-po'i-i)o*i *" e noho ana,
A Kilauea,** i ke awa ula.

[Translation!

Song

At Hilo I rendezvoused with the lehua;
By the Wailuku stream, near the robber-den;
Off cape Lele-iwi I swam in the ocean ;
At Pana-ewa, mid groves of lehna ;
5 At Ha-ili, a forest of flocking birds.
On Molokai I travel its one highway;
I saw the plain of Kala'e quiver with heat.
And beheld the ax-quarries of Mauna-loa.
Ah, the i)erfume Nihoa's pandanus exhales!
10 Ko'i-ahi, home of the small-leafed maile;
And now at Makua, lo, its virgin sand,
While ocean surges and scours on below.
Ix), a woman crouched on the shore by the sea.
In the brick-red bowl, Kilauea's bay.

* LehtAa. A tree that produces the tufted scnrlet flower that is sacred to the sf>ddeas of
i hula. Laka.

^lAM-kandka. A deep and dangerous crossing at the Wailulsu river, which is said to
r« been the cause of death by drowning of very many. Another story is that it was
ee the hiding place of robbers.

'Lele-iwi. The nam6 of a cape at Hilo, near the mouth of the Wai-hiliu river — water of
rtmct Ion.

* Pmma-ewa. A forest region in Ola'a much mentioned in myth and poetry.
■ HmiH. A region in 01a*a, a famous resort fur bird-catchers.

t Ka-We. A beautiful place in tlie uplands l)a('I< of Kaunakaliai, on Molokai.
9 Mumma-loa. The mountain in the western part of Molokai.

* KU'lua-ko'i. A place on this same Mauna-loa where was quarried stone suitable for
iklng the Hawaiian ax.

* Sihoa. A small land near Kalaupapa, Molokai, where was a grove of line i)andanus

* Ki/i-ahi. A small valley in the district of Waianae, Oahu, whore was the home of the
all-leafed ma lie.

* Makua. A valley in Waianae.

' Ome opio-pio. Sand freshly smootlied by an ocean wave.

* Apo'i'po'i, To cronch for the purpose, perhaps, of screening oneself from view, as one.
Instance, who Is naked and desires tu es<'ape ol)servatiou.

' Kilamea. There Is some doubt whether this is the Kilauea on Kaimi or a little place of
name near cai>e Kaena, the westernmost point of Oahu.

204 DURl'LA.U OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bn

III tho next mele to be ^iven it is evident that, though the mc
is dearly Hawaiian, it has lost something of the rugged sinipli
and iniix^rsonality that belonged to the most archaic style, and
it has taken on the sentimentality of a later period.

Mele

•

K Manono la, e-a,
K Maiioiio la, e-a,
Kail ka 6i»e-6pe;
Ka ulu ha la la, c-a,
5 Ka ululie la, e-a.
Ka iilnlie la, e-a,
A hiki Pu'u-nanfi.,
Hali'i punftna
No bull mai.

10 Hull iiiai o-e la;

Moe kana;

Hali'i imnana

No buli mai.

Hiili mai o-e la;
15 Moe kaiia ;

Moe akn kaua;

O ka wai welawela,

O ka papa lohi

O Mau-kele;

20 Moe aku kaua :

O ka wai welawela,

O ka pai)a lohi

O Mau-kele.

A kele, a kole
25 Kou manao la, e-a;

A kele, a kele

Kou manao la, e-a.

[Translation]

Song

Come now, Manono,
Come, Manono, I say,
Take up the burden;
Throujrh gi'oves of pandanus
5 And wild stag-horn fern,

A\'earisome fern, lies our way.
Arrived at the hi 11 -top,
We'll smooth out the nest.
That we may snug close.

10 Turn now to me, dear,
While we rest here,
^lake we a little nest,
That we may draw near.
This way your face, dear,

BOX] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 205

15 While we rest here.

Rest thou and I here,
Near the warm, warm water
And the smooth lava-plate
Of Mau-kele.

20 Rest thou and I here.

By the water so warm,

And the Iftva-plate smooth

Of Mau-kele.

Little by little
25 Your thoughts will be mine.

Little by little

Your thoughts I'll divine.

[anono was the name of the brave woman, wife of Ke-kua-o-ka-

, who fell in the battle of Kuamo'o, in Kona, Hawaii, in 1819,

ting by the side of her husband. They died in support of the

se of law and order, of religion and tabu, the cause of the conserv-

^e party in Hawaii, as opposed to license and the abolition of

restraint.

'he uluhe (verses 5, 6) is the stag-horn fern, which forms a matted

wth most obstructive to woodland travel.

""he burden Manono is asked to bear, what else is it but the burden

life, in this case lightened by love?

\niether there is anv connection between the name of the hula —

ast-lK*ating — and the expression in the first verse of the following

ie is more than the author can say.

Mele

Ka-hipa," na wain olewa,
I^le ana, ku ka mahiki akea ;
KekC? ka niho o Lani-wahine; ^
Opi ke a lalo, ke a luna.
5 A hoi aku au i Lihue,
Nana aku ia Ewa ;
E au ana o Miko-lo-16u,<'

Ka-hipa. Said to be the name of a mythological character, now applied to a place in
iiikii where the mountains present the form of two female breasts.
Lani-wahine. A l)eni{;nant t;ioV>, or water-nymith, Hometimes taking the form of a
uiD, that Ih said to have haunted the laj^oon of I'ko'a, Waialua, Oalui. There is a long
y alM>ut her.

MikO'lo-l6u. A famous man-eatlnj; shark-Kod whose home was in the watei-s of liana,
li. He visited Oahu and was hospitably received by Ka-ahu-pahau and Ka-hru-kil.
rkH of the Ewa lagoons, who had a human ancestry and wre on friendly terms with
r kindred. Mlko-lo-l«Vu. when his hosts denied him human flesh, helped himself. In
conflict that rose the Kwa sharks Joined with their human relatives and friends on
I to put an end to Mlko-lo-lCm. After a fearful contest they took him amd reduced
iKMly to ashes. A dog, however, snatclie<l and ate a portion- .some say the tongue.
•• thp tall — and another part fell Into the water. This was reanlniate<l liy the spirit of
<lea<1 shark and grtw to l>e a monster of the same slxe and power as the one deceasisl
u-lo-l^Ki n(»w gathered his friends and allies from all the waters and made war against
Ewa shurks, but was routed.

2tJ»5 BCttELiC t.»r AXEBICAX ETHNOLOGY Ibcll.

A ^-11 a k.1 majifS.
10 r{p)t>n 1 let LlmA.

A: pKiuIiL •^. i kA oabele.*

Aliiwa a> n^t ola k;ini ti Ijeiwalo.

E m^iu* ana Kt^lmi-kAui '

K;i rii'oa L kA rwa-lTKi :
I.' • 'ba-^^bd I«H 1 ka niakani.

[TRioslAtioflil

Ti^ Kdhif*!. witb nefidnl«»iis l»rpa^s:
Hi.w th»*y :«winz to ami fh>. we-sawl
TTif '•HM'h t»f Laai-wahixK^ jai»e —
A TTTii^ to ap(<er and lower jaw !
.3 Fri'Qi IJhae we !•)■>&: apoo Ewa:

TTierv :<wam the iii«xister. Mik«»-lo-K>a,
lEL* f*-iwebs tt>m out by Pa-|H*-«».
Tli»* ^hark wa» eaojsrht in ^p «>f the hand.
I>>t eui-h i<ae 5tay himself with wild herbs,
I" A nil f«T oiQifort tnm hi? hnngry eyes
T«» the nistlins: trees of Ijei-walo.
Hark ! the whist lin;s:-|>Iover — her okl-tinie seat.
As i>n*^ «:IimlKi( the hili fn>ni Eeho-glen.
Ar.ti «.i»'Is his brow in the breeze.

Til*' tliiva«l of interest that holds together the separate pictui
• nriijHi-in^ till- niele i< sliglit. It will, perhaps, give to the whoh
iiion- 'l^-rinLiH ineaninir if we recognize that it is made up of sns
-hni- at varioii- i»lijet*t- and localities that presented themselves
on»- i;a--iri;L^ alnn^r tho nUl road from Kahilku, on Oahu, to the hi
la nil whirl 1 iravr the tired traveler his first distant view of Honoli
U'fon* h»' f»iit»T»Ml the winding canyon of Moana-lua.

■ /''!-j,i' '.. A >l..-}rk of m«^lpr.iii* size, bnt of preat activity, that fongrht ajirainst Miko
!<'ii. Ir ^-ntfv^^i his »>niiriii«i':s m«>iith. |);issed down into his stomach, and there pla;
\.HVf*- w'uh Thf- nion^r^T, njirini: its war i»ut.

' .It 1,'iknhi. » . I l:n niih»i». The «.*»impanT represented by the poet to be Journeying; p
ilii-oiiL'h nn i]ninh:tMT»rI r»'i;i«iri harren of food. The poet calls upon them to satisfy th
!;iiri::»T ?»y i-wx'wvz «'f Th»- ♦Mlii.lt? wild herbs — they abound everywhere in' Hawaii — at I
s;irn»* tiru*' r»'pn'?.f'rif in:: tli»Mn ms rar?tintr lonsring jilances on the breadfruit trees of 1
walo. Tliis w;js w j:rMV»' in ihp l«»\ver Ipvels of Ewa that still survives.

*" Khlni-knni. \ ffm.-il'- kuimn — witch she miffht be called now — that had the form ol
j)Iov»T. She hK>ko<l :ift»T tii»^ thirsty onos who passed along the road, and lienevolen
>ho\vf'<i th'-fii wlif'rr- tn tiinl \v;i»»'r. T.y h«T oxampio the people of the district are said
ItAvt: l;«.'«jii indureti to give refreshment to travelers who went that way.

XXVI.— THE HULA KU'I MOLOKAI

The hula kiiH Molokai was a variety of the Hawaiian dance that
originated on the island of Molokai, probably at a later period than
what one would call the classic times. Its performance extended to
the other islands. The author has information of its exhibition on
the island of its name as late as the last quarter of the nineteenth
century. The actors, as they might be called, in this hula were
arranged in pairs who faced each other and went through motions
similar to those of boxing. This action, A*//V, to smite, gave the name
to the performance. The limiting w^ord Molokai was added to dis-
tinguish it from another still more modern form of dance called
kuH^ which will be described later.

While the performers stood and went through with their motions,
marching and countermarching, as they are said to have done, they
chanted or recited in recitative some song, of which the following
is an example. This they did with no instrumental accompaniment :

Melc

He a la kai olohia,"
He liiwahlwa ira ka la'i lunhine.
He me' aloha na'u ka makaiii hanai-loli,^
E iiwe ana i ke kai pale iliahi.
5 Kauwd ke alolia i iia Jebua o Kaana/'
Pomaikai aii i kou aloha e nolio nei ;
Ka halukii wale no ia a ka waimaka.
Me he makamaka puka a la
Ke aloha i ke kanaka,
10 E ho-iloli nei i ku'u nui kino.
Mahea hoi an, aV
Ma ko oe alo no.

« Kci olohia. A calm and tranquil sea. This expression has gained a poetic vogue that
almost makes it pass current as a single word, meaning tranquillity, calmness of mind.
As thus explained, it is here translated by the expression *' heart's-ease."

" Makani hanai-loH. A wind so gentle as not to prevent the l)6che de mer (loU), sea-
anemones, and other marine slugs from coming out of their holes to feed. A similar
figure is used in the next line in the expression kai pale iliahi. The thought Is that the
calmness of the ocean invites one to strip and plunge in for a bath.

<* Kauwd ke aloha i na lehua o Kaana. Kaana is said to be a hill on the road from
Keaau to Olaa, a spot where travelers were wont to rest and where they not infrequently
made up wreaths of the scarlet lehua bloom which there alx)unded. It took a large num-
ber of lehua- flowers to suffice for a wreath, and to bind them securely to the fillet that
made them a garland was a work demanding not only artistic skill Init time and patience.
If a weary traveler, halting at Kaana. empl<»yod his time of rest in plaiting flowers into
a wreath for some loved one, there would be truth as well as poetry in the saying, " Love
slaves for the iebuas of Kaana."

207

208 BUKEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bcll.38

[Translation!

Song

Precious the gift of heart's-ease,
A wrejith for the cheerful dame;
So dear to my heart is the breeze
That murmurs, strip for the ocean.
5 lA>ve slaves for wreatlis from Kaana.
I'm blest in your love tliat reigns here;
It si>eaks in the fall of a tear —
The choicest thing in one's life,
This love for a man by his wife —
10 It has power to shake the whole frame.
Ah, where am 1 now?
Here, face to your face.

Tho plalitiules of mere sentiiiientalism, when put into cold print,
are not stinuilating to the imagination; m(H)ds and states of feeling
often approaching the morbid, their oral expression needs the reen-
forcement of voice, tone, countenance, the whole attitude. They are
for this reason most difficult of translation and when rendered liter-
ally into a foreign speech often become meaningless. The figures
employed also, like the watergourds and wine-skins of past genera-
tions and of other peoples, no longer appeal to us as familiar objects,
but recjuire an efl'ort of the imagination to make them intelligible and
vivid to our mental vision. If the translator carries these figures ol
sj)eech over into his new rendering, they will often demand an expla-
nation on their own account, and will thus fail of their original
intent ; while if he clothes the thought in some new figure he take^
the risk of failing to do justice to the intimate meaning of the origi-
nal. The force of these remarks will become apparent from ai
analysis of the prominent figures of speech that occur in the mele.

Mclc

Ho inoa no ka T^ani,

Xo Nahi-CMia-ena :

A kn liniM o waliine.

Ilo'i kM (Mia ii kM niakaiii :
5 Xolio k;i la'i i ka nialiuo —

Makani ua ha -a 6:

Ko ki' ail i hala, oa.

rnnawai o Mana,'

Wai ola na ko knpa
10 A ka ilio nanA,

Ilao, nanalui i ke kai :

lOhn kai nAna ka pna,

Ka pna o ka iliaii.

" l*iniairin ft \tano. A sprJnji of wator at Iloniiapo, Hawaii, which bubbled up a
.such a lovol thai I ho oroan roviMwl it »t hi«;h tide.

sj UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 209

Ka ohtii o Mai)ei)e,«
15 Ka uioeua we*u-we'u,

I iilana ia e ke A'e,

Ka naku loloa.

Hea mai o Kawelo-lioa,*

Nawai la, e, ke kapuV
20 No NShl-^na-^na.

Ena na pua i ka wni,

Wai au o Holei.

[TrunRlation]
Song

A eulogy for the princess,

For N(ihi-6ua-^na il name!

Chief among women !

She soothes the c»old wind with her flame —
5 A i)eace that is mirrored in calm,

A wind that sheddeth rain;

A tide that flowed long ago;

The water-spring of Manft,

Life-spring for the people,
10 A fount where the lapping dog

Barks at the incoming wave.

Drifting si)ray on the bloom

Of the sand-sprawling ili-au

And the scarlet flower of ohai,
15 On the wind- woven mat of wild grass,

Long naku, a springy mattress.

The six)ut-horn, Kawelo-hea,

Asks, Who of right has the tabu?

The princess NAhi-CMia-^na I
20 The flowers glow in the i)ool.

The bathing i)ool of Holei !

lis mele inoa — name-son^ or eulo^^ — was composed in relebra-
of the lamented princess, Xahienaena, who, Ix^foro she was
lhI by evil influences, was a most attractive and promising
acter. She was the daughter of Keopuohmi and younger sistei-
lamehameha III, and came to her untimelv death in IS^G. Th(»
p was comiM)unded from the words na, the, d/ii fires, and
wtf, hot, a meaning which furnishes the motive to the mele.

I ohai o Mapritc. A beautiful floworinj; Hhrub, also spoken of as ka ohai o Papi'u-
said to have been brought from Kaliiki by Xamaka-o-kaba'i.

tTt'io-Kea. A blowhole or spouting horn, also at Ilonuapo. tbronub wbich the ocean
tain times sent up a column of spray or of water. After the volcanic dlsturbancr
W thin spouting horn ceased action. The rendlnji: force of the earthquakes muHt
»roken tip and choked the subterranean channel throu^^h which the ocean had forced

y

25:i52— Bull. 38—00 14

XXVII.— THK IIULA KIELfil

The hula ki-v-lci^ or kt'le-I/i^ was a i)erforinance of Hawaii's
classic times, and finds mention as such in the professedly imperfect
list of hulas ^ven by the historian David Malo." It was marked bv
strenuous bodily action, gestures with feet and hands, and that vigor-
ous exercise of the iK»lvis and body termed am/, the chief feature of
which was a rotation of the pelvis in circles and ellipses, which is not
to be i*egarded as an effort to portray sexual attitudes. It was a per-
formance in which the whole company stood and chanted the mele
without instrumental accompaniment.

The sacrifice offered at the kuahu in connection with the produc-
tion of this hula consisted of a black pig, a cock of the color termed
ula-hiwa — ^black pointed witli red — a white hen, and awa. Accord-
ing to some authorities the offerings deemed appropriate for the sac-
rifice that accompanied ench hula varied with the hula, but was
definitely established for each variety of hula. The author's studies,
liowever, lead him to conclude that, whatever may have been the
original demands of the gods, in the long run they were not over-
particular and were not only willing to put up with, but were w^ell
pleased so long as the offering contained, good pork or fish and strong

awa.

Mclc

Kii pilikfi Haimlei-lehiia,^ la;
Kan'o ^ 'lima o ka iiaC^Ie,** la ;
Km IMli-Iki i ka Hua-inoa, la;
E ka iiiauna o ke a'a lewalewa ^ la.
5 A lewa ka \\o\\e o ko'n boa, la,

« Hawaiian Antiquities, by David Malo ; translated hy N. B. Emerson, A. M., M. D.
Honolulu, the Hawaiian Gazette Company (Limited), 1003.

^ Hanalei-lehua. A wilderness back of Ilanalei valley, Kauai, in which the lehua tree-
abounds. The features of this region are as al)Ove described.

*" Kad'o. To bend down the shrubs and tussocks of grass to furnish solid footing? in
crossing swampy ground.

«* Xa^'le. Boggy ground ; a swamp, such as pitted the summit of Kauai's central moun-
tain mass, Waifile&le.

* A'a lewaletca. Aerial roots such as are put forth by the lehua trees in high altitudes
and in a damp climate. They often aid the traveler by furnishing him with a sort of
ladder.

210

BULLETIN 38 PLATE X

AWA-PUHI, A HAWAIIAN GINGER

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAW An 211

A ko-(i ka hoi>e o ke kolea, la —

Xa u'i elua.*»

Ki-ki*i ku ua i ka uaua keia, la.^

L Translation]
Song

Perilous, steep, is the climb to Hanalei woods;
To walk canny footed over its bogs;
To balance oneself on its ledges.
And toil up ladder of hanging roots.
5 The bulk of my guide overhangs me.
His loins are well-nigh exhausted:
Two beautiful shapes!
'Neath this bank I crouch sheltered from rain.

At first blush this mele seems to be the account of a perilous climb
through that wild mountainous region that lies back of Hanalei,
Kauai, a region of tangled woods, oozy steeps, fathomless bogs, nar-
row ridges, and overhanging cliffs that fall away into profound
abj'^sses, making such an excursion a most precarious adventure. This
is what appears on the surface. Hawaiian poets, however, did not
indulge in landscape-painting for its own sake; as a rule, they had
some ulterior end in view, and that end was the portrayal of some
primal human passion, ambition, hate, jealousy, love, esi)ecially love.
Guided by this principle, one asks what uncouth or romr.ntic love
adventure this wild mountain climb svmbolizes. All the Hawaiians
whom the author has consulted on this question deny any hidden
meaning to this mele.

• L"i elua. Literally two beauties. One interpreter says the reference is to the arms,
with which one palls himself np ; it is here rendered " flanks."

^ Ki-ki'i ka ua i ka nana keia, la. The meaning of this passage is obscure. The most
plausible view is that this is an exclamation made by one of the two travelers while
rroucbing for shelter under an overhan&ring bank. This one, finding himself unprotected.
[l exclaims to bis companion on the excellence of the shelter he has found, whereupon the
; Me<*oi:d man comes over to share his comfort only to And that he has been hoaxed and that
I the deceiver has stolen bis former place. The language of the text seems a narrow foun-
dation on which to base such an incident. A learned Hawaiian friend, however, finds it
uU impUed in this passage.

XXVIII.— THE HULA Mf T MUT

The conception of this peculiar hula originated from a pathetic
incident naiTate<l in the story of Hiiaka's journey to bring Prince
I»hiau to the court of Pele. Haiika. standing with her friend .
Wahine-omaV) on the heists that overlooked the beach at Kahakn* '*
loa, Maui, saw the figure of a woman, maimed as to hands and feet, :
(lancing in fantastic glee on a plate of rock by the ocean. She sang
as she danced, pouring out her soul in an ecstacy that ill became her
pitiful condition; and as she danced her shadow-dance, for she was
but a ghost, poor soul I these were the words she rei>eated : .

AuwC', auwi% mo' ku'u Hnia I
Anwf', aiiwCs iiio' ku'u lima !

[Translation]

AluH, alas, maimed are my liajids!
Alas, alas, maimed are my hands!

Wnliihc-oiinro, hicking ^spiritual sight, saw nothing of this: but
liiialviK in downright pity and goodness of impulse, plucked a hala
fniil from tho string about her neck and threw it so that it fell
l»ofoiH» \\\i} poor creature, who eagerly seized it and with the stumps of
hrr hands ludd it up to enjoy its odor. At the sight of the woman's
ploa^^nn* lliiaka sang:

K<»*n wwW hoi ka wahine lima-lima ole, wawao olp.
V. ha ana i kana i'a. kiri-kuM ana i kana opihi.
Wa'n-wa'u ana i kana limn, Mana-mana-ia-kalu-e-a.

I Translation!

nt»w ploastHl is tlu» jrii'l nuiimed of hand and foot,
iJropln^j for fish, imnndin^ shells of opihi,
Knojullnir lior nioss, Mana-mana-ia-kaln-ea !

I \w Mu wor \»f \\\K^ di^solato civatuiv, grateful for Hiiaka's recogni-
u»»u *\\\s\ K\ud altiuiion, \va> that i)iTtty mele appropriated by hnla
y^^\\\ M (ho wreath ont»\ ahvady giv(Mi (p. r)()), which will bear repe-

Ko irJ hiMi la o l\a nia I ko kai. t^e!
Ko hw(l(Mualanw) o Nlllmn. na nialie.
\ iu.»Hr. im ka Inn wal.
Uv^ inn nuM la na hala o Nanr i ko kai.
' S\» Suno K.» hala. no V\\\u\ ka waliine.

CUEKSox] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 218

[ Translation 1

Kauln wreathes lier brow with tlie ocean ;
Niihaii shines forth in the calm.

After the calm blows the Inu-wai, •

And the palms of Naue drink of the salt.
5 From Naue the palm, from Puna the maid,

Aye, from the pit of Kilauea.

The liiila mu^ft-mu'^u^ literally the dance of the maimed, has long
>een out of vogue, so that the author has met Avith but one person.
ind lie not a practitioner of the hula, who has witnessed its perform-
ince. This was in Puna, Hawaii; the performance was by women
>nlj^ and 'w^as without instrumental accompaniment. The actors were
seated in a half-reclining position, or kneeling. Their arms, as if in
imitation of a maimed person, were bent at the elbows and doubled
lip, so that their gestures were made with the upper arms. The
mole they cantillated went as follows:

Pii ana a-rima,**

A-ilma kai nui,

Kai pua-lena ;

A-flma, pai-4-a,^
5 Naholo i ka laupapa.

Popo'i, popo'i, popo'i !

Pii mai pipipi,*^ alealea ;

Noho i ka malua kai

0-ri,<^ o-l kela.
10 Ai ka limu akaha-kaha ; ^

Ku e, Kahiki, 1 ke kai nui !

I ke kai pualena a Kane!

A ke Akua o ka lua.

Fa hiki i kai!
15 A I humu-humu, _

E lau, e lau e,

Ka opihi ^ koele !

Pa i uka, pa i kai,

Kahi a ke Akua i pe'e al.

• A-dma. An edible black crab. When tho surf is high it climbs up on the roclcR.

• Pai-^-a. An edible gray crab. Tho favoril<» timo for taltinji: tliosc crnhs is whon tlie
hiffh tide or surf forces them to leave the water for protection.

' Pipipi. A blacic Reasbell (Nerita). With it is often found tlie aJed-Ua, a tjray shell.
Thef»e BhellflRh, lilce the crabs above mentioned, crawl up the rocl<s and cliffs during stormy
weather.

^ O-ti. A variety of eel that lurl«s in holes ; it is wont to keep its head lifted. The
o-<' (Kame v<»rse) is an eel that snalces about in the shallow wator or on the sand at
the edge of the water.

• Akahaknha. A variety of moss. If one ate of this as he gathered it, the ocean at once
became tempestuous.

f Opihi. An edible bivalve found in the salt waters of Hawaii. Tele is said to have
been very fond of It. There is an old sayinp. He akua a I opihi o Peic — " Pele is a ;;oddess
who eats the opihi." In proof of this statement they point to the huge piles of opihi
shells that may be found along the coast of Puna, the middens, no doubt, of the old-time
IMfN»ple. Kofle was a terra applied to the opihi that liv«»s well under water, and thero-
fo/«» are delicate eating, .\nother meaning given to the word koele— opihi koele, line
17 — Is ** heaped up."

214 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY f bull. 38

20 IVe oe a iialo loa;

Ua nalo na Pele.

E hual e, hua*i e, boa*!,

O Ku ka mahu nui akea!<>

Iho i kai o ka Milo-holu ; ^
2r» Aunn mehann i ka wni o ko Akna.

Ke a e, ke a mai la

Ke a hi a ka Wahine.

E hula e. e hnla e, e hnla e!

E hnla mai oukou !
30 Vi\ iKxi IK) Manamana-ia-kaln-^a,

Puili kua, puili alo:

Iloln i kai, holo i uka,

Holo i ka lua o Pele —

He Akua ai pohaku no Puna.
35 O Pi,<^ o Pa,<^ uhini mai ana,

O Pele I ka lua.

A noa!

[Translation 1

Black crabs are climbing.

Crabs from the great sea,

Sea that is darkling.

Black crabs and gray crabs
5 Scuttle o'er the reef-plate.

Billows are tumbling and lashing.

Beating and surging nigh.

Seashells are crawling up;

And lurking in holes
10 Are the eels o-(i and o-I.

But taste the moss akHhakfiha,

Kahiki ! how the sea rages !

The wild sea of Kane!

The pit-god has come to the ocean,
15 All consuming, devouring

By heaps the delicate shellfish !

Lashing the hiount, lashing the sea.

Lurking place of the goddess.

Pray hide yourself wholly;
20 The Pele women are hidden.

Burst forth now ! !>urst forth !

Ku with spreading column of smoke!

Now down to the grove Milo-holu ;

Bathe in waters warmed by the goddess.
2r> Behold, they burn, behold, they burn !

" O Ku la mahu inii akea. The Ilawaiians have come to treat this phrase as one word,
an epithet applied to tlie ^od Ku. In the author's translation It is treated as an ordi-
nary phrase.

^ Milo-h61u. A grove of mllo trees that stood, as some affirm, about that natural basin
of warm water in IMina, which the Hawaiians called Wai-tccla-iccla.

<" Pi, Pa. Those were two imaginary little beings who lived In the crater of Kilauea.
and who declared their presence by a tiny shrill piping sound, such, perhaps, as a stick of
green wood will make when burning. Pi was active at such times as the fires were
retreating. Pa when the fires were rising to a full head.

ASON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 215

Tbe tires of tluj goddess bum !

Now for the dance, tbe dance!

Bring out tbe dance made public

By Mfina-mtina-ia-Ivrilu-e-a.
30 Tuni about baclv, turn about face;

Advance toward tlie sea ;

Advance toward tbe land,

Toward tbe pit tbat is Pele's,

Portentous consumer of rocks in Puna.
35 Pi and Pa chirp tbe criclcet notes

Of Pele at home in her pit.

Have done with restraint !

The imagery and language of this mele mark the hula to which it
longed as a performance of strength.

XXIX.— THE IIULA KOLAXI

For the i)urpose of this book the rating of any variety of hula mui
dei)end not so much on the grace and rhythm of its action on tl
^tage as on the imaginative power and dignity of its poetry. Judge
in this way, the kolani is one of tlie most interesting and importai
of the hulas. Its jx^rformance seems to have made no attempt i
sensationalism, yet it was marked by a peculiar elegance. This miM
have l)een due in a measure to the fact that only adepts — olohe-
those of the most finished skill in the art of hula, took part in i1
presentation. It was a hula of gentle, gracious action, acted and sun
while the performers kept a sitting position, and was without instn
mental accompaniment. The fact that this hula was among the nun
Ik^' chosen for presentation before the king (Kamehameha III) whi
on a tour of Oaliu in the year 1846 or 1847 is emphatic testimony \
to the esteem in which it was held by the Hawaiians themselves.

The mele that accompanied this hula when perforated for tl
king's entertainment at Waimanalo was the following:

He na la, he ua,

He ua pi'i mai ;

Xoe-noe balaii,

I la In 11 loa o Lono.
5 () lono oe;

Pa-A-a na pali

I ka liana a IkuwA —

PobA ko-ele-ele.

A Welehu ka malAma,
10 Xoho i Makali'i :

Li'i-li'i ka liana.

Aia a e'e-n.

He (Ml ia no ka la hiki.

Hiki mai ka I^ani,
35 Xaiiwenwe ka lioiiua,

Ka liana a ke ola'i iini :

Moe poiio ole ko'u po —

Xa iiilio ai kalakala,

Ka liana a ka Xiulii
20 A inan i ke kai loa.

He loa o ka liiki'na.

A na noa, a na iioa.

216

[e:uk«>x1 unwritten LITERATURE OF HAWAII 217

I Translation I

Lc), the rain, the rain I

The i-ain is approaching;

The dance-hall is niurkj-.

The great hall of Iamio.
5 Listen ! its mountain walls

Are stunned with the clatter.

As when in October,

Heaven's thunderbolts shatter.

Then follows Welehu,
10 The month of the Pleia<ls.

Scanty the work then done,

Save as one's driven.

Spur comes with the sun.

When day has arisen.
' ];% Nr»w comes the neaven-bom ;

Tlie whole land doth shako.

As with an earthquake:

Sleep quits then my bed :

How shall this maw l>e fed !
. 20 Great maw of the shark —

r

Ryes that gleam in the dark
Of the boundless sea !
liSLTe the king's visits to me.
All is free, all is f n-** !

Tf the author of thi.s Hawaiian idyl >fmght to adapt it- de-rriptivo
imager^' to the features of any particular landscape*, it would alm^M
seem a.s if he had in view the very region in whirh Kauikfaoiili
found himself in the vear 1&47 as he listened to the rnele of thir
unknown Hawaiian Theocritus. Under the sf>ell of thi- pfx^m. on*.-
is transported to the amphitheater of Maiina-wili. a valley -^^parat^d
from Waimanalo only by a rampart of hill-. At one*- back an- the
I abrupt walls of Konahuanui: at the rijrht. and eiicroachinir ^f a-
almost to shut in the frr>nt, -tan<ls tlie knife-erl^e (,f Oloniana: i*>
the left range the furzy hill- of Ulamawao: whil*- dir*'<^'tly xn i].r
front, looking north, wind- th*' jrr^eri vall^'V. who-^- wat«-r-. UrfMi'**
reaching the ocean, spread out iiito rli^- fi-h-pond- and d i^k -wamp-
of Kailua. It would seem a- if thi- nm-t hav*- U><-i, rh*- v*-iy pi-f ;!^
the idyllic poet had in mind. Tlii- -niiliujr. y<ri i^>« k-v.a]l»rd. anip':.:-
theater was the vast dancediall of Loii^i — Ilnhm lo" >. Z-/"^' v^r-r-
4) — whose walls wen? deaf'-n^-d. -t!ijji<-d ^ i^i-n-n, v-:-*- •■ . V.y ::.-
tumult and uproar of tliir niuliitud^r tliat a]v.a;.> fo!!- -vf-'l ::. ::.r
wake of a king, a midtitud" v. Jjfw i.ijrht-loLi: itrv*!- 'viM-h-l -1-^: :
Mot pono cle ko'u po i v*-r-^ 17 <. Th*? j^/et -^i^iHi-: to '.— t:.::.k::,i: f
this^ame hungrk' multitudt- ii. v»-r-^ 1^. .V./ /,;/,/> o^ l.-'l-- ■' . '. t-r^/.y
the teeth that tear th»- f«»:: a]-<» wh^r, }**- -j>-ak- of t:,.^ N. :.. .-r--
19). a mvthical ^hark. \:.*- :r]o\\ of who-*- *-v«- \va- -aid : . <
for a great distan*.-*- ii. th*- 'y:<-an. A in*i»i '» l-^ hoi f'^^j vrr-*- -

« ^* .

218 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

Ikuwdj Wclehtf, Makain (verses 7, 9, and 10). These were months
in the Hawaiian year corresponding to a part of September, October
and November, and a part of December. The Hawaiian year began
when the Pleiades (MakalPi) rose at sunset (about November 20),
and was divided into twelve lunar months of twenty-nine or thirty
days each. The names of the months differed somewhat in the
different parts of the group. The month Ikuwd is said to have been
so named from its being the season of thunderstorms. This does not
of itself settle the time of its occurrence, for the reason that in Hawaii
the procession of the seasons and the phenomena of weather follow .
no definite order ; that is, though electrical storms occur, there is ,
no definite season of thunderstorms. .

Malca-lPi (verse 10) was not only the name of a month and the j
name applied to the Pleiades, but was also a name given the cool, ^
the rainy, season. The name more commonly given this season was ,
Ilooilo. The Makahiki period, continuing four months, occurred at ,
this time of the year. This was a season when the people rested from
unnecessary labor and devoted themselves to festivals, games, and
special religions observances. Allusion is made to this avoidance of
toil in the words LPiliH ka hana (verse 11).

One can not fail to perceive a vein of gentle sarcasm cropping up
in this idyl, softened, however, by a spirit of honest good feeling.
Witness the following: Noe-noe (verse 3), primarily meaning cloudy,
conveys also the idea of agreeable coolness and refreshment. Again,
while the multitude that follows the king is compared to the ravenous
man-eating Niuhi (verse 19), the final remark as to the rarity of the
king's visits, He loa o ka hikVna (verse 21), may be taken not only as
a salve to atone for the satire, but as a sly self-gratulation that the
affliction is not to be soon repeated.

XXX.— THE HULA KOLEA

■e T^as a peculiar class of hulas named after animals, in each one
eh the song-maker developed some characteristic of the animal
Jiciful way, while the actors themselves aimed to portray the
's movements in a mimetic fashion. To this class belongs the
oleaJ^ It was a peculiar dance, performed, as an informant

by actors who took the kneeling posture, all being placed in
7 and facing in the same direction. There were gestures with-
it, arms, heads, and bodies moving in a fashion that seemed to

in a far-off way the movements of the bird itself. There was
•umental accompaniment to the music. The following mele is
t was given with this hula :

Kolea kai piha ! ^

I aha mai nei?

Ku-nou ^ mai nei.

E aha kalvou?
5 E ai kakou.^

Nohea ka ai?^

No Kahiki mai.^

Hiki mai ka I^ni,^

Olina Hawaii,
10 Mala'ela'e ke ala,

Nou, e ka Lani.

Puili pu ke aloha,

PiH me ka'u manu.^

Ka puana a ka nioe?
15 Moe oe a hoolana

plover.

a Jkai pHha. The kolea is a feeder along the shore, bis range limited to a narrower
the tide rises. The snrre was one of the methods used by the llawaiians for the
of this bird. In his efforts to escape when snared he made that futile bobbing
irlth bis head that must be familiar to every hunter.

&Uy the bobbing motion, ku-nouy is the prelude to flight ; but the snared bird can
\Tk% more, a fact which suggests to the poet the nodding and bowing of two lovers
ley meet.

i kakou. Literally, let us eat. While this figure of speech often has a sensual
% It does not necessarily imply grossness. Hawaiian iiteralness and narrowness
Milary Is not to be strained to the overthrow of poetical sentiment.
the question Xohea ka aif, whence the food? that Is. the bird, the pm't answers,
iki mai, from Kahiki, from some distant region, the gift of heaven, it may Im\ as
In the next line, Hiki mai ka Lani. The coming of the king, or chief. Lani, liter-
e hea Ten-bom, with the consummation of the love. Exactly what this connection
le can say.

:he expression PiH me ka'u manu the poet returns to his figure of a bird as n^p-
\g a loved one.

219

220 BURKAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bcl

Ka liuli'a i Liki nini:
Oot» jm me a'u
Nolio pii i ka wai aliali.
Ilai'iia ia ka iiauiia.
20 <> ka bua o ke kolea, aia i Kahiki.^
Iliki mai kou aloha, niae'elc an.

[Translation]

A plover at the full of the sea —

What, pray, is it saying to me?

It keeps bobbing its noddy.

To do what would you counsel?
5 Why, eat its plump body!

Whence comes the sweet morsel?

From the land of Kahiki.

When our sovereign apiiears,

Hawaii gathers for play,
10 Stumble-blocks cleared from the way —

Fit rule of the king's highway.

I.et each one embrace then his love;

For me, 1*11 keep to my dove.

Hark now, the signal for bed I
ir> Attentive then to love's tread,

AVhile a wee bird sings hi the soul.

My love comes to me heart-whole —

Then quaff the waters of bliss.

Say what is the key to all this?
20 The plover egg's laid in Kahiki.

Vom* love, when it comes, finds me dumb.

The plover — kolea — is a wayfarer in Hawaii; its nest -home i
distant lands, Kahiki. The Hawaiian poet finds in all this sc
thing that reminds him of the spirit of love.

" O An hua o ke kolca, aia i Kahiki. In declaring that the egg of the kolea Is laid
t'()n»i;;ii hind, Knhiki, the poer enigmatizes, basing his thought on some fancied resemh
between tlio mystery of love and the mystery of the kolea's birth.

XXXI.— THE HULA MAN(3

e hula mano, shark-dance, as its name signifies, was a perform-
that takes class with the hula kolea, already mentioned, as one of
nimal dances. But little can be said about the physical features
is hula as a dance, save that the performers took a sitting posi-
that the action was without sensationalism, and that there was
strumental accompaniment. The cantillation of the mele was in
istinct and quiet tone and manner which the Hawaiians termed
lonua.

e last and only mention found of its performance in modern
J was in the year 1847, during the tour, previously mentioned,
li Kamehameha III made about Oahu. The place was the lonely
•omantic valley of Waimea, a name already historic from having
the scene of the tragic death of Lieutenant Hergest (of the ship
ilu^) in 1792.

Mele

Auwe! pail an i ka niniio niii, e!
Lala-kea« iiiho pa-kolii.
Pau ka papa-kii o Ijoiio *
I ka ai ia e ka luano iiui,
5 O Niubi maka a hi,
Olapa i ke kai liiK).
Ahu e ! au-we !
A pua ka wili-wlli,
A uanahu ka Diano,^

ila-kca. This proper namo, as it scorns once to have hwMi, has now become rather
ssignation of a whole class of man-eating sea-monsters. The Hawaiians worshiped
dual sharks as demigods, in the belief that the souls of the departed at death, or
before death, sometimes entered and took possession of them, and that they at times
ed human form. To this class belonged the famous shark Niuhi (verse 5).
tpa-ku o Lono. This was one of the underlying strata of the earth that must be
1 before reaching Milu, the hades of the Hawaiians. The cosmogony of the south-
olyneslans, according to Mr. Tregear, recognized ten papa, or divisions. " The first
on was the earth's surface ; the second was the abode of Rongo-ma-tane and Ilaumia-
ke : • • • the tenth was Meto, or Ameto, or Aweto, wherein the soul of man
utter extinction." (The Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, by l*klward
nr. F. R. (i. S., etc., Wellington, New Zealand, 1801.)

'rvtes H and 9 are from an old proverb which the Hawaiians put Into the following
tio :

A pua ka wlllwlll,

A nanuhu kn man 6 :

A pua ka wahine u'l,

A nanahu ke kanawal.

fTranslatlon]

When flowers the will will,
Then bites the shark ;
When flowers a young woman.
Then bites the law.

people came to take this old saw seriously and literally, and during the season
the wiliwlll (Krythrlna monosperma) was clotbe<l In its splendid tufts of briek-rtMl.
n* k<*pt their children from swimming Into the deep sea by setting l)efore them the
i of the shark.

»0»m I

222 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bill .>

10 Aawe! imu au i ka iiianO nui!
Kai II H. kui el(\
Kai iN»iM»lolitiii o Kane.
*A litilm an i ka*u biila,
Tail a 11 i ka iiianO nui !

(TraDslutiuuI

Kong

Alan! I am fieized by the akark, i;reat shark!
Ijihi-kea with triple-bankeil teeth.
The Htratiini of Ijouo in Koue»
Tom n|) by the monster ahark,
5 Nluhl with fler>' eyes,

That flamed in the deep blue Hea.
AIhh! and alas!
When flowers the wili-wili tree,
That is the time when the shark-^od bites.
10 Alas! I am si^ized by the hu^e shark!
O blue sea, () dark 8€»a,
Foani-mottliHl seal of Kane!
What pleasure I t(M>k in my danclnj?!
Alas! now consumiHl by the monster shark!

Who would imafjiiie that a Hawaiian would ever picture the pen]
of love as a shark? As a bird, yes; but as a shark! What a light
this fierce idyl casts on the imagination of the people of ancient
Hawaii !

XXXII.— THE HULA ILfO

The dog took his part and played his enthusiastic role in the
domestic life of every Hawaiian. He did not starve in a fool's para-
dise, a neglected object of man^s superstitious regard, as in Constan-
tinople; nor did he vie with kings and queens in the length and
purity of his pedigree, as in England ; but in Hawaii he entered with
full heart of sympathy into all of man's enterprist^s, and at his
death bequeathed his body a sacrifice to men and gods. Tt was fit-
ting that the Hawaiian poet should celebrate the dog and his alto-
gether virtuous and altruistic services to mankind. The hula iVto
may be considered as part of Hawaii's tribute to man's most faithful
friend, the dog.

The hula ilio was a classic i>erformance that demanded of the act-
ors much physical stir; they shifted their position, now sitting, now
standing; they moved from place to place; indulged in many ges-
tures, sometimes as if imitating the motions of the dog. This hula
long been out of commission. Like the two animal-hulas pre-
iously mentioned, it was i)erformed without the aid of instrumental
teocompaniment.

The allusions in this mele are to the mvthical storv that tells of
Kane's drinking revels on the heights about Waipi'o valley; how he
and his fellows by the noise of their furious conching disturbed the
prayers and rituals of King Liloa and his priests, Kane himself l)e-
ing the chief offender by his blowing on the conch-shell Kihapii,
Ktolen from Liloa 's temple of Paka'alana : its recovery by the wit and
dramatic action of the gifted dog Puapua-lenalena. (See p. 131.)

5

Mvlc

Ku i\ nana e I

Mnkolo " o Ku !

Hoolei ia ka \oV'

I le! no Pnapua-leiialena,

Ho lei binano no Kahili/

He wehiwehi no Xiho-kfi.*'

* Xlakole. Red-ejed ; ophthalmic.

*The wreath, M, Is not for tho crod, but for tho do«; riinpun-lcnalenn. th«» oin» who
lb the iitory recovered the stolen conch. Kiha-pii (verse I'O), with which Rod Kane
nlKbt hideous and dlsturlied the repose of pious Kln^ Lilon {Mov olv ka ;>o o kv alii,
19).

** Kahili. Said to be the foster mother of Punpun-lennhMia.

' \iho-kti. I^iterally an upright tooth, was the mime of the hill on which lIvtHl the
old couple who were the foster parents of the dog.

224 BUREAU OF AMERI(*AN ETHNOLOGY Iblll.38

Kaauiui ka laui,^ uwe ka houua ;

A aoa aku oe;

Ij«»Ue o Hlwa-iili.*
10 Ka niiliniili a ka lani.

Noho opua i ka malAnialdnia

Mfilama ia ka iimS

He hano-wai no Kiliue.'

Wahine nobo pali o Haena.
15 Eiiaeiia iia ahi o Kilauesi/

Ka haku pali o Kaniohoalii/

A noho i Waipi'o,

Ka iiali kapu a Kane.

Moe ole ka po o ke alii,
20 Ke kani man o Kiha-pt).

«

I'kiuki, uluhua ke alii :
Hoonna ka elele ; ^
T/>aaJ Kauai o Mflno.
Kupuen a Wai-ali me Kahili;
25 A ao aku oe, aoa,* aoa a aoa.
Hana e o Kaua-hoa,'
Ka mea fli o Hana lei.
HuVa kaua, moe i ke awakea.

" Kuan in i ka lani, rtc. Portents by which heaven and earth expressed their ap-
preciation of the birth of a new prodigy, the dog Piiapiia-lenalena.

^ Iliica-uli. An epitliet applied to the Island of Hawaii, perhaps on account of tlie
Immense extent of territory on that island that was simply black lava ; hUca, black, was
:i sacred color. The term uU has reference to its verdancy.

' //;u. Wal-iill. the foster father of the dog. while fishing In a mountain brook,
hrouuht up a pel)ble on his hook : his wife, who was childless and yearned f jf offspring,
kept It In n calabash wrapped in choice tapa. In a year or two it had developed into
the wonderful dojr. Puapua-Ienalena. The calabash was- the ipu here mentioned, the
snmo as the hano trai (verse 13), a water-container.

'' Kilior. A sorceress who lived at Ilaena, Kauai, on the steep cliifs that were
Inaccessible to human foot,

' I'Jna-ina nn ahi o KUauca. *• Hot are the fires of Kilauea." The duplicated word
rna-cnn. taken In connection with Ha-ena in the previous verse, is a capital instance
of a form of assonance, or nonterminal rhyme, much favored and occasionally used by
Hawaiian poets of tht^ middle period. From the fact that its use here introduces a
break in the lo;i:ical relation which it is hard to reconcile with unity one may think
Ibat the poet was seduced from the straight and narrow way by this opportunity for
•AW indul^MMic'» that sacrifices reason to rhyme.

f Kamoho-alii. The brother of Tele : bis person was so sacred that the fiames and
smoke of Kllauea dared not invade the bank on which he reposed. The connection of
I bought between this and the main line of argument is not clear.

" lloouna ka chic. According to one story LIloa dispatched a messenger to brinf?
I'uapua Icnalena and his master to Waipi'o to aid bim In regaining possession of Kiha-pi'i-

'' .1 (lo iikn or, una * * * . This indicated the dog's assent. Puapua-lenalena under-
stood what was said to blin. but could make no reply in human speech. When a question
was i)ut to him. if be wisbe<l to make a negative answer, he would keep silent; but \f
he wished to (»xpress assent to a proposition, he barked and frisked about.

' Hana c a Kaua hoa. * * * Xo one has been found who can give a satisfactory
(explanation of the logical connection existing between the passage here cited and the
I'est of the poem. It tr<»ats of an armed conflict between Kauahoa and his cousin Kawelo.
ii hero from Oahu. which took place «)n Kauai. Kauahoa was a retainer and soldier of
.\i-kanaka. a king of Kauai. The period was in the reign of King Kdkuhihewa, of Oahu.
Kawelo invaded Kauai with an armed force and made a proposition to Kauahoa which
Involved treachery to Kauahoa's liege-lord Al-kanal<a. Kauahoa's answer to this proposi-
tion is given in verse 'JS ; Hu'r a kaua. imw i kr airakra! — "Strike home, then sleep
at midday I " The sleep at midday was (he sleep of death.

ON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 225

Kapae ke kaua o ka hoahanau ! ^
30 Hookahi no pua o ka oi;

Awlli pu me ke kaio*e.*

I lei no Puapua-lenalena.

O ku'u luhi ua hiki iho la,

Ka nioi o Paka'a-lana.^
35 A lana ka manao, hakuko'i 'loko,

Ka hae man ana a Pnapua-Ienalena,

A hiki i Kumu-kahi,^

Kahi an i noho ai,

A hiki iho la ka elele,
40 Inn i ka awa kau-laan o Puna.^

Aoa, he, he, hene!

he author of this mele, apparently under the sanction of his
ic license, uses toward the great god Ku a plainness of speech
ch to us seems satirical ; he speaks of him as makole^ red-eyed, the
It, no doubt, of his notorious addiction to awa, in which he was
alone among the gods. But it is not at all certain that the
vaiians looked upon this ophthalmic redness as repulsive or dis-
:;efuL Everything connected with awa had for them a cherished
le. In the mele given on p. 130 the cry was, " Kane is drunken
a awa ! " The two gods Kane and Ku were companions in their
jls as well as in nobler adventures. Such a poem as this flashes
rong light into the workings of the Hawaiian mind on the crea-
is of their own imagination, the beings who stood to them as
s; not robbing them of their power, not deposing them from the
one of the universe, perhaps not even penetrating the veil of en-
ntment and mystery with which the popular regard covered them,
he most perhaps giving them a hold on the affections of the people.

[Translation]
Song

Look forth, god Ku, look forth!
Huh ! Ku is blear-eyed !
Aye, weave now the wreath —
A wreath for the dog Pua-lena;
5 A hala plunge for Kahili,

Choice garlands from Niho-kti.

Kapae ke kaua o ka hoahanau! This was the reply of Kawelo, ur;?ing Kauahoa to

the demands of kinship above those of honor and loyalty to his liege-lord. In the

^ that ensued Kauahoa came to his death. The story of Kawelo is full of romance.

toio'e. Said to be a choice and beautiful flower found on Kauai. It is not described

ffllebrand.

la nioi Paka'a-lana. The doorsill of the tomple, hciau, of Paka*a-lana was made

e exceedingly hard wood nioi. It was to this temple that I^lapua-lenaIena brought

ODcb Klha-pd when he had stolen (recovered) it from god Kane.

UMukahi. See note c on p. 107.

tea kau-laau o Puna. It is said that in Puna the birds somotimos plante<l the awa

B stumps or in the orotchOK of the trees, and this awa was of the finest quality.

25352— Bull. 38—01) lo

226 BUREAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 31

There was a scarry of clouds, earth groaned;

The sound of your baying reached

Hawaii the verdant, the pet of the gods;
10 A portent was seen in the heavens.

You were kept in a cradle of gourd,

Water-gourd of the witch Kilioe,

Who haunted the cliffs of Haena —

The fiery blasts of the crater
16 Touch not Kamoho-alii's cliff.

Your travel reaches Waipi'o,

The sacred cliff of god Kane.

Sleep fled the bed of the king

At the din of the conch Kiha-pli.
20 The king was tormented, depressed;

His messenger sped on his way;

Found help from Kauai of M&no —

The marvelous foster child.

By Waiuli, Kahuli, upreared;
25 Your answer, a-o-a, a-o-a ! —

'Twas thus Kauahoa made ready betimes.

That hero of old Hanalei —

" Strike home ! then sleep at midday ! "

** God fend a war between kindred ! "
30 One flower all other surpasses;

Twine with it a wreath of kai-o'e,

A chaplet to crown Pua-lena.

My labor now has its reward.

The doorsill of Pa-ka'a-lana.
35 My heart leaps up in great cheer;

The bay of the dog greets my ear,

It reaches East Cape by the sea.

Where Puna gave refuge to thee,

Till came the king's herald, hot-foot,
40 And quaffed the awa*s tree-grown root.

A-o-a, a-o-a, he, he, bene!

The problem to be solved by the translator of this peculiar mel(
is a difficult one. It involves a constant readjustment of the mentaJ
standpoint to meet the poet's vagrant fancy, which to us seems to oc-
cupy no consistent point of view. If this difficulty arises from the
author's own lack of insight, he can at least absolve himself from the
charge of negligence and lack of effort to discover the standpoint
that shall give unity to the whole composition; and can console him-
self with the reflection that no native Hawaiian scholar with whom
he has conferred has been able to give a key to the solution of this
problem. In truth, the native Hawaiian scholars of to-day do not
appreciate as we do the necessity of holding fast to one viewpoint.
They seem to be willing to accept with gusto any production of their
old-time singers, though they may not be able to explain them, and
though to us, in whose hearts the songs of the masters ever make
music, thev mav seem emptv riddles.

«3 UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 227

The solution of this problem here furnished is based on careful
udy of the text and of the allusions to tradition and myth that
lerein abound. Its expression in the translation has rendered neces-
iry occasional slight departures from absolute literalness, and has
ivolved the supplying of certain conjunctive and explanatory words
ad phrases of which the original, it is true, gives no hint,-but without
'hich the text would be meaningless.

One learned Hawaiian with whom the author has enjoyed much
imference persists in taking a most discouraging and pessimistic
iew of this mele. It is gratifying to be able to differ from him in
his matter and to be able to sustain one's position by the consenting
pinion of other Hawaiians equally accomplished as the learned
Hend just referred to.

The incidents in the story of Puapua-lenalena alluded to in the
nele do not exactly chime with any version of the legend met with.
rhat is not strange. Hawaiian legends of necessity had many vari-
ints, especially where, as in this case, the adventures of the hero oc-
barred in part on one and in part on another island. The author's
knowledge of this story is derived from various independent sources,
kiainly from a version given to his brother, Joseph S. Emerson, who
look it down from the words of an intelligent Hawaiian youth of
Kohala.

English literature, so far as known to the author, does not furnish
yny example that is exactly comparable to or that will serve as an
Hlnstration of this nonterminal rhyme, which abounds in Hawaiian
;ry. Perhaps the following will serve the purpose of illustration :

'Twas the swine of Gadara, fattened on tnast.
The r/Kist-he&d watch of a ship was the last
To see the wild herd careering past.

»ueh a combination as this :

He was ji mere flat,
Yet flattered the girls.

Such artificial productions as these give us but a momentary in-

tual entertainment. AVhile the intellectual element in them was

lacking with the Hawaiians, the predominant feeling, no doubt,

a sensuous delight coming from the repetition of a full-throated

f*)owel-combination.

XXXIII.— THE HULA PUA'A

•

The hula puaa rounds out the number of animal-dances that have
survived the wreck of time, or the memory of which has come down
to us. It was a dance in which only the olapa took part without the
aid of instrumental accompaniment. Women as well as men were
eligible as actors in its performance. The actors put much spirit
into the action, beating the chest, flinging their arms in a strenuous
fashion, throwing the body into strained attitudes, at times bending
so far back as almost to touch the floor. This energy seems to have
invaded the song, and the cantillation of the mele is said to have been
done in that energetic manner called ai-ha^a.

The hula pua'a se^ns to have been native to Kauai. The author
has not I>een able to learn of its performance within historic times
on any other island.

The student of Hawaiian mythology naturally asks whether the
Imla pua'a concerned itself with the doings of the mythological
hog-deity Kama-pua'a whose amour with Pele was the scandal of
Hawaiian mythology. It takes but a superficial reading of the mele
to answer this question in the affirmative.

The following mele, or oli more properly, which was used in con-
nection with the hula pua^a, is said to have been the joint production
of two women, the daughters of a famous bard named Kana, who was
the reputed brother of Limaloa (long-arriied), a wonder-working
hero who piled up the clouds in imitation of houses and mountains
and who produced the mirage :

on

Ko'i maka nui,<»
Ike ia na pae moku,
Na moku o Mala-la-walii,*
Ka noho a Ka-maulu-a-nlbo,
5 Kupuna o Kama-pua'a.

" KoH maka nui. The word maka, which from the connection here must mean the
edge of an ax, is the word generally used to mean an eye. Insistence on their peculiarity
leads one to think that there must have been something remarkable about the eyes of
Kama-pua'a. One account describes Kama-pua*a as having eight eyes and as many feet.
It is said that on one occasion as Kama-pua'a was lying in watt for Pele In a volcanic
bubble in the plains of Puna Pele's sisters recognized his presence by the gleam of his
eyes. They immediately walled up the only door of exit.

^ Malorla-walu. A celebrated king of Maui, said to have been a just ruler, who was
slain in battle on Hawaii while making war against Lono-1-ka-makahikl, the rightful ruler
of the island. It may be asked if the name is not introduced here because of the word
traZu (eight) as a reference to Kama-pua'a's eight .eyes.

228

r\ UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 229

Ike ia ka bono a Pii-lani ; *

Ku ka pa6a i na mokupuni.

Ua puni au ia Pele,

Ka u'i noho mau i Kilauea,
10 Anau hewa 1 ke a o Puna.

Keiki kolohe a Ku ame Hlna — *

Hina ka opua, kau 1 ke olewa,

Ke ao pua*a ^ maalo i Haupu.

Haku'i ku'u manao e hoi ^ i Kahiki ;
15 Pau ole ka'u hoohilii ia Hale-ma'u-ma'u,*

I ka pali kapu a Ka-moho-alii. f

Keia kuahiwi a mau a ke ahi.

He manao no ko'u e noho pu;

Pale 'a mai e ka hilahila,
20 I ka hakukole ia mai e ke Akua wahine.

Pale oe, pale au, iloko o ka hilahila;

A hilahila wale ia iho no e oe;

Nau no ia hale i noho.^

Ka hana.ia a ke Ko'i maka nui,
25 Ike ia na pae moku.

He hiapo* au na Olopana,

He hi'i-alo na Ku-ula,

Ka mea nana na haka moa;

'lani. A £ing of Maui, father-in-law to Uml, the son of Liloa.
ia. There were several Hinas in Hawaiian mythology and tradition. Olopana, the
Kamaulu-a-niho (Fomander gives this name as Ka-maunu-a-ntho) , on his arrival
Lahiki, settled in Koolau and married a woman named Hina. Kama-pua'a is said
he natural son of Hina by Kahiki-ula, the brother of Olopana. To this Olopana
tributed the heiau of Kawaewae at Kaneohe.

pua*a. The cloud-cap that often rested on the summit of Haupu, a mountain on
near Koloa, is said to have resembled the shape of a pig. It was a common saying,
[>ig is resting on Haupu."
'i. To return. This argues that, if Kama-pua'a was not originally from Kahiki,

at least visited there.
le-ma'u-ma'u. This was an ancient lava-cone which until within a few years con-
to be the most famous fire-lake in the caldera of Kilauea. It was so called, prob-
ecause the roughness of its walls gave it a^ resemblance to one of those little shelters
'rom rough ama'u fern such as visitors put up for temporary convenience. The
las not the same pronunciation and is not to be confounded with that other word
leaning everlasting.
moho-aWi. The brother of Pele ; in one metamorphosis he took the form of a

A high point in the northwest quarter of the wall of Kilauea was considered his

residence and regarded as so sacred that no smoke or fiame from the volcano ever

1 it. He made his abode chiefly in the earth's underground caverns, through

the sun made its nightly transit from West back to the East. He often retained

of the day to warm and illumine his abode. On one such occasion the hero Mawi
led into this region and stole away the sun that his mother Hina might have the
of its beat in drying her tapas.

fc i noho. The word hale, meaning house. Is frequently used metaphorically for
man body, especially that of a woman. Pele thus acknowledges her amour with
»iia'a.

po. A firstborn child. Legends are at variance with one another as to the
\ge of Kama-pua'a. According to the legend referred to previously. Kama-pua'a
p son of 01opana*s wife Hina, his true father l)eing Kahikl-uia. the brother of
i. Olopana seems to have treated him as his own son. After Kama-pua'a's

of his mother's henroosts, Olopana chased the thief into the mountaiuH and
d him. Kama eventually turned the tables against his benefactor and caused the
f Olopana through the treachery of a priest in a heiau; he was offered up on thf
I a lacrifice.

2iM) BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

Noho i ka uka o Ka-Iiu-wa'a ; ^
30 Kua wa*a ia ho*i i Kahiki.

Pau ia ike ana ia Hawaii,

Ka aina a ke Akna i hiki mai ai,

I Qoho malihini ai i na moku o HawaiL

Malihini oe. malihini au,
35 K(>*i maka noi, ike ia na pae opuaa.

A pepelii. a pepeln, a pepelii

Ko ia la huelo ! pili i ka. lemu !

Hu! hu! hu! hn!

Ka-haku-ma'a-lani ^ kou inoa !
40 A e u mal oe, e Kane-hoa-laui.

Ua uoa.

[Translation]
Song

Ax of broadest edge I'm bight;

Tbt? island groups I've visited, .

Islands of Mala-la-walu,

Seat of Ka-maiilu-a-nibo,
5 (irandam of Kama, the swine-god.

I have seen Pi'i-lani's glory,

Wbose fame spreads over the islands.

Knamored was I of Pele;

Her beauty holds court at the fire-pit,
10 (Jiven to ravage the plains of Puna.

Mischievous son of Ku, and of Hina,

Whose cloud-bloom hangs in ether,

The pig-shai)ed cloud that shadows Haupu.

An impulse comes to return to Kahiki —
ir> The chains of the pit still gall me.

The tabu cliff of Ka-moho-alii,

The mount that is ever ablaze.

I thought to have dcmiiciled with her;

Was driven away by mere shame —
20 The shameful abuse of the goddess!

(U) thou, go I — a truce to the shame.

It was j'our manners that shamed me.

Free to you was the house we lived in.

These were the deeds of Broad-edged-Ax,
25 Who has seen the whole group of islands.

Olopana's firstborn am I,

Nursed in the arms of Ku-ula ;

" Ka-Uu-ira'a. The bil^e of tlie. canoe. This is the name of a deep and i
at Ilauula, Koolau. Oahii, and is well worth a visit. Kama-pua'a, hard pi
host of his enemies, broke through the multitude that encompassed him on
and with his followers escaped up this narrow gorge. When the valley
abrupt end before him, and he could retreat no farther, he reared up on
and scaled the mountain wall ; his feet, as he sprang up, scored the p
immense hollowed-out grooves or flutings. The llawaiians call these vra'
resemblance to the hollow of a Hawaiian canoe. This feat of the hog-p
recognition of Kama-pua'a as a deity ; and from that time no one entere
valley witlumt making an offering to Kama-pua'a.

'* Ka-haku-ma'a-lani. A name evidently applied to Kama-pua'a.

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE • OF HAWAII 231

Hers were the roosts for the gamecocks.

The wilds of Ka-llu-wa'a my home,
30 That too my craft back to Kahiki ;

This my farewell to Hawaii,

Land of the God's immigration.

Strangers we cam^ to Hawaii ;

A stranger thou, a stranger I,
35 Called Broad-edged-Ax :

I*ve read the cloud-omens in heaven.

It curls, it curls ! his tail — it curls !

Look, it clings to his buttocks !

Faugh, faugh, faugh, faugh, uff !
40 What! Ka-haku-ma'a-lani your name!

Answer from heaven, oh Kane!

My song it is done!

If one can trust the statement of the Hawaiian who communicated
the above mele, it represents only a portion of the whole composition,
the first canto — if we may so term it — ^having dropped into the limbo
of f orgetfulness. The author's study of the mele lends no countenance
to such a view. Like all Hawaiian poetry, this mele wastes no time
with introductory flourishes ; it plunges at once in medias res.

Hawaiian mythology figured Pele, the goddess of the volcano, as a
creature of passion, capable of many metamorphoses; now a
wrinkled hag, asleep in a cave on a rough lava bed, with banked fires
and only an occasional blue flame playing about her as symbols of her
power; now a creature of terror, riding on a chariot of flame and
carrying destruction; and now as a young woman of seductive
beauty, as when she sought passionate relations with the handsome
prince, Lohiau ; but in disposition always jealous, fickle, vengeful.

Kama-pua'a was a demigod of anomalous birth, character, and
make-up, sharing the nature and form of a man and of a hog, and
assuming either form as suited the occasion. He was said to be the
nephew of Olopana, a king of Oahu, whose kindness in acting as his
foster father he repaid by the robbery of his henroosts and other un-
filial conduct. He lived the lawless life of a marauder and freebooter,
not confining his operations to one island, but swimming from one to
another as the fit took him. On one occasion, when the farmers of
Waipi'o, whom he had robbed, assembled with arms to bar his retreat
and to deal vengeance upon him, he charged upon the multitude,
overthrew them with great slaughter, and escaped with his plunder.

Toward Pele Kama-pua'a assumed the attitude of a lover, whose
approaches she at one time permitted to her peril. The incident
took place in one. of the water caves — volcanic bubbles — ^in Puna,
and at the level of the ocean ; but when he had the audacity to invade
her privacy and call to her as she reposed in her home at Kilauea she
repelled his advances and answered his persistence with a fiery onset,
from which he fled in terror and discomfiture, not halting until he

232 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull.

had put the width of many islands and ocean channels between hii
self and her.

In seeking an explanation of this myth of Pele, the volcano g(
and Kama-pua'a, who, on occasion, was a sea-monster, there is i
necessity to hark back to the old polemics of Asia. Why not accoui
for this remarkable myth as the statement in terms of passion ft
miliar to all Hawaiians of those impressive natural phenomena tha
were daily going on before them? The spectacle of the smokiii]
mountain pouring out its fiery streams, overwhelming river and for
est, halting not until they had invaded the ocean ; the awful tunnoi
as fire and water came in contact; the quick reprisal as the angr
waves overswept the land; then the subsiding and retreat of thi
ocean to its own limits and the restoration of peace and calm, thi
fiery mount still unmoved, an apparent victory for the volcanic
forces. Was it not this spectacular tournament of the elements thai
the Hawaiian sought to embody and idealize in his myth of Pele am
Kama-pua'a ? "

The likeness to be found between the amphibious Kama-pua'a an(
the hog appeals i^icturesquely to one's imagination in many ways
The very grossness of the hog enables him becomingly to fill the rol
of the Beast as a foil to Pele, the Beauty. The hog's rooting snoul
that ravages the cultivated fields ; his panicky retreat when suddenl;
disturbed; his valiant charge and stout resistance if cornered; hi
lowered snout in charge or retreat; his curling tail — ^how graphic
ally all these features appeal to the imagination in support of th
comparison which likens him to a tidal wave.

" *' Tlio Hawaiian tradition of Pele, the dread goddess of the volcanic fires," says M
Fornandor. " analojious to the Samoan Fe'e, is probably a local adaptation in aftertinw
of «n elder myth, half forgotten and much distorted. The contest related in the l^ei
botweon Tele and Kaniapua'^i. the eight-eyed monster demigod, indicates, however.
confuaod knowledge of some ancient strife between religious sects, of which the form
representetl the worshipers of fire and the latter those with whom water was the prim
pal elonnnit worthy of adoration." (Abraham Fomander, The PoljTiesian liace, pp. 51, 2
Trubnor iV: Co., London.)

XXXIV.— THE HULA OHELO

The hula ohelo was a very peculiar ancient dance, in which the
actors, of both sexes, took a position almost that of reclining, the
body supported horizontally by means of the hand and extended leg
of one side, in such a manner that flank and buttock did not rest upon
the floor, while the free leg and arm of the opposite side swung in
wide gestures, now as if describing the arch of heaven, or sweeping
the circle of the horizon, now held straight, now curved like a hook.
At times the company, acting in concert, would shift their base of
support from the right hand to the left hand, or vice versa. The
whole action, though fantastical, was conducted with modesty.
There was no instrumental accompaniment ; but while performing the
gymnastics above described the actors chanted the words of a mele
to some Old World tune, the melody and rhythm of which are lost.

A peculiar feature of the training to which pupils were subjected
in preparation for this dance was to range them in a circle about a
large fire, their feet pointing to the hearth. The theory of this
practice was that the heat of the fire suppled the limbs and imparted
vivacity to the motions, on the same principle apparently as fire en-
ables one to bend into shape a crooked stick. The word kapuahi^ fire-
place, in the fourth line of the mele, is undoubtedly an allusion to
this practice.

The fact that the climate of the islands, except in the mountains
and uplands, is rarely so cold as to make it necessary to gather
about a fire seems to argue that the custom of practising this dance
about a fireplace must have originated in some land of climate more
austere than Hawaii.

It is safe to say that very few kumu-hulas have seen and many
have not even heard of the hula ohelo. The author has an authentic
account of its production at Ewa in the year 1856, its last perform-
ance, so far as he can learn, on the public stage.

Mele

Ku 06 ko'u wahi ohelo nel la, aiiwe, aiiwe!
Maka'u au i kau mea nui wali-wali, wall-wall !
Ke hoolewa nei, a lewa la, a lewa nel !
Minomino, enaena ka la la kapuahi, kapuahl!
5 Nenea 1 ka la*l o Kona, o Kona, a o Kona !

Pohu mallno i ke kai hawana-wana, hawana-wana !
He makaii na ka lawaia nul, a nul e, a nui la !
Ke 0-6 nei ke alio o ka ipu-holobolona, boloholona !

233

234 BUREAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull.

NanA i ka opua makai e, makai la !
10 Maikai ka hana a Mali'o e, a Mali'o la !
Kohu ix>no ka inu ana i ka wai, a wai e!
Auwe, ku oe ko*u wahi ohelo nei la, ohelo nei la !

2

I^i-6 lele, kl-(^ lele, ki-6 lel'e, e!

Ke niapu mat nei ke ala, ke ala e !
15 ITa malihlnl ka hale, ua hiki la, ua hiki e!

Ho'i paoa i ka uka o Manai-ula, ula la, ula e !

Maanei oe, e ka makemake e noho malie, ma-li-e !

Ka pa kolonahe o ka Unulau mahope, ma-ho-pe!

Pe'e oe, a pe'e au, pe'e o ia la,
20 A haawe ke alolia 1 ke kaona, 1 ke kaona la !

Mo-li-a i ka nahele e, nahele la !

E hele oe a manao mai i ka luhi mua, a i-mua !

O moe hewa na Iwl i ke alanui, ala-nui.

Kaai)a Hawaii a ka moku nui, a nui e!
25 Nui mai ke aloha a iiwe au, a uwe au.

Au-we ! \m\i au i ka man^ nui, man nui !

Au-we ! pau au i ka mau6 uui, man6 nui !

[Translation]
Song

1

Touched, thou art touched by my gesture, I fear, I fear,
i dread your mountain of flesh, of flesh ;
How it sways, how it sways, it sways !
I'm scorched by the heat of this hearth, this hearth.
5 We l)ask in this summer of Kona, of Kona;

Calm mantles the whispering sea, the whispering sea.
Lo, the hook of the fisherman great, oh so great !
The line hums as it runs from the gourd, from the gourd.
Kegard the cloud-omens over the sea, the sea.
10 Well skilled in his craft is Mali'o, Mali'o.

How grateful now were a draught of water, of water !
Pardon ! thou art touched by thrust of my leg, of my leg !

2

Forth and return, forth and return, forth and return !
Now waft the woodland perfumes, the woodland perfumes.

15 The house ere we onterecl was tenant-free, quite free.
Heart-heavy we turn to the greenwood, the greenwood :
This the place, Heart's desire, you should tarry, should tarry.
And feel the soft breath of the Unulau, Unulau —
Ketireuieut for you, retirement for me, and for him.

20 We'll give then our heart to this task, this great task.
And build in the wildwood a shrine, ay a shrine.
You go; forget not the toils we have shared, have shared.
Lest your bones lie unblest in the road, in the road.
How wearisome, long, the road 'bout Hawaii, great Hawaii !

25 Love carries me off with a rush, and I cry, I cry,
Alas, I'm devoured by the shark, great shark !

This is not the first time that a Hawaiian poet has figured love
the monster shark.

BUREAU OF AMEOICAM ETHNOLOQV

XXXV.— THE ITULA KTLU

The hula WZw was so called from being iiseil in a sport IxMirinj? that
name which was much patronized by the alii class of the anoioiu
r%ime. It was a betting game, or, more strictly, forfeits wero
pledged, the payment of which was met by the jHM*forinantv of a
dance, or by the exaction of kisses and embraces. The satisfaction of
these forfeits not unfrequently called for liberties and auuvssions
that could not be permitted on the spot or in public, but must wail
the opportunity of seclusion. There were, no doubt, times when tht^
conduct of the game was carried to such a pildi of litvnse as to otfeiut
decency; but as a rule the outward proprieties weiv siHMuiu^lv as
well regarded as at an old-fashioned husking Ihh», wIumi the tindii\^
of the "red ear" conferred or imposed the privilegi* ov |H'ualtY of
exacting or granting the blushing tribute of u kiss. .Vctual iu\pn>*
prieties were not witnessed.

The game of kilu was played in an ojmmi nuitted spmv that lay U^-
tween the two divisions of the audience-; the women In^ng on one
side and the men on the other. Any chief of recognized rank in tlio
papa alii was permitted to join in the game; and kings and qu^vns
were not above participating in the pleasures of this sport. Omv
admitted to the hall or inclosure, all wumc p(»ers and stood on an inpud
footing as to the rules and privileges of the game. King nor quivn
could plead exemption from the forfeits incurred nor ileny to another
the fidl exercise of privileges acquired under the rules.

The players, five or more of each sex, having luvu selected by the
president. La anoano (''quiet day"'), sat facing each t)ther \\\ the
•'^pace between the spectators. In front of each |)layer stood a conical
l>lock of heavy wood, broad at the base* to keep it ui)right. The
kilu, with which the game w^as ])laye(l, was an oval, one-sideil
rtish, made by cutting in two an egg-shai)e(l coconut shell. The ob-
ject of the player was to throw his kilu so that it should travel with
a sliding and at the same time a rotary motion across the matted floor
and hit the wooden block which stood before the one of his choice on
the .side opposite. The men and the women took turns in playing. A
successfid hit entitled the player to claim a kiss from his opponent, a
toll which was exacted at once. Success in winning ten points made
one the victor in the game, and, according to some, entitled him to
claim the larger forfeit, such as was customary in the democratic

2;i5

286 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

gmme of ume. The |)ajinent of these extreme forfeits was delayed
till a convenient season, or might be commuted — on grounds of policy,
or at the request of the loser, if a king or queen — ^by an equivalent
of land or other valuable possession. Still no fault could be found
if the winner insisted on the strict payment of the forfeit.

The game of kilu was often got up as a compliment, a supreme ex-
pression of hospitality, to distinguished visitors of rank, thus more
than making gmxl the polite phrase of the JSpanish don, **' all that I
have is vours."

The fact that the hula kilu was performed by the alii class, who
took great pains and by a&siduous practice made themselves proficient
that they might be ready to exhibit their accomplishment before the
public, was a guarantee that this hula, when performed by them,
would l)e of more than usual grace and vivacity. ^Vhen performed
in the halau as a tabu dance, according to some, the olapa alone took
part, and the numl)er of dancers, never very large, was at times
limited to one performer. Authorities differ as to whether any
musical instrument was used as an accompaniment. From an allu-
sion to this dance met with in an old story it is quite certain that the
drum was sometimes used as an accompaniment.

Let us picture to ourselves the scene: A shadowy, flower-scented
hall; the elite of some Hawaiian court and their guests, gathered,
in accord with old-time practice, to contend in a tournament of wit
and grace and skill, vying with one another for the prize of beauty.
The president has established order in the assembly; the opposing
players have taken their stations, each one seated behind his target-
block. The tallykeej)er of one side now makes the challenge. " This
kilu," says he, " is a love token ; the forfeit a kiss." An Apollo of the
oppositeside joyfully takes up the gauge. His tallykeeper introduces
him by name. He plumes himself like a wild bird of gay feather,
standing forth in the decorous finery of his rank, girded and flower-
bedecked after the manner of the halau, eager to win applause for his
party not less than to secure for himself the loving reward of -victory.
In his hand is the instrument of the play, the kilu; the artillery of
love, however, with which he is to assail the heart and warm the
imagination of the fair woman opposed to him is the song he shoots
from his lips.

The story of the two songs next to be presented is one, and will
show us a side of Hawaiian life on which we can not afford en-
tirely to close our eyes. During the stay at Lahaina of Kame-
hameha, called the Great — whom an informant in this matter- always
calls " the murderer," in protest against the treacherous assassina-
tion of Keoua, which took place at Kawaihae in Kamehameha's very
presence — a high chiefess of his court named Kalola engaged in a
love affair with a young man of rank named Ka'i-ama. He was

SON] UNWBITTEN LITEKATURE OF HAWAII 287

;h her junior, but this did not prevent his infatuation. Early
morning she rose, leaving him sound asleep, and took canoe for
okai to serve as one of the escort to the body of her relative,
la, on the way to its place of sepulture.

3me woman, appreciating the situation, posted to the house and
ed the sleeper with the information. Ka'iama hastened to the
'e, and as he strained his vision to gain sight of the woman of his
tuation the men at the paddles and the bristling throng on the
:ral platform — the pola—ot the craft, vanishing in the twilight,
le on his imagination the impression of a hazy mountain thicket
ting on the waves, but hiding from view some rare flower. He
e vent to his feelings in song :

Mele

Pua ehu kamal^na *■ ka iika o Kapa'a ;
Luhi-ehu iho la * ka pua i Maile-htina ;
Hele a ha ka iwi <^ a ke Koolau,
Ke pud, mai i ka maka o ka nahelehele,
5 I hali hoo-mufi,*' hoohalana i Wailua.
Pa kahea a Koolau-wahine,
O Pua-keM, e-e-e-e!
He pua laukona ^ ka nioe e a loir ai ;
O ia moe la, e kaulele hou/
10 No ka po 1 hala aku aku nei.

Hoiho kaua a eloelo, e ka hoa, e,
A hookah! I

L Translation]

1^0 f I (J

Misty and dim, a bush in the wilds of Kapa'a,
The paddlers bend to their work, as the flower- laden
Shrub inclines to the earth in Maile-htina :
They sway like reeds in the breeze to crack their Iwnes —
5 Such the sight as I look at this tossing grove.
The rhythmic dip and swing on to Wailua.
My call to the witch shall fly with the breeze.
Shall be heard at Pua-ke'i, e-he, e-he !
The flower-stalk Lauk6na beguiles man to love,
10 Can bring back the taste of joys once our own.

*ua ehu kamaUna (yellow child). This exclamation is descriptive of the man's visual
Msion on fleeing the canoe with ils crowd of passenj^ers and paddlers, in the misty

of morning, receding in the distance. The kamaK'na is a mountain shrub having a
w flower.

lUhi ehu iho la. Refers to the drooping of a shrub under the weijsht of its leaves and
rs, a figure applied to the l)ending of the paddlemen to their worlc.
fele a ha ka iiri. An exaggerated figure of speech, referring to the exertions of the
at their paddles (ha, to strain).

hali hoomu. This refers in a fine spirit of exaggeration to tlie regular motions of
laddlera.

'm<i laukona. A Isind of sugar-cane which was prescribed and used l)y the kahunas as
phrodlsiac.
iCulcle hou. To experience, or to enjoy, again.

288 BUREAU OF AMEBIGAN ETHNOLiOQT [bull. 38

Make real again the hours that are flown.

Tnm hither, mine own, let's drench us with love —

Just for one night!

The unchivalrous indiscretion of the youth in publishing the secrei
of liis amour elicited fi'oni Kamdiameha only the sarcastic remark*
" Couhln't lie eat his food and keep his mouth shut?" The lady her-
self t(H)k the same view of his action. There was no evasion in her
i-eply ; her only reproach was for his childishness in blabbing.

Mele

KfthikAlafhi, kaha ^ ka I^ nin ke kua o Lehua ;
Lulana iho la ka pihe a ke Akua ; ^
R*i uiai ka Fnulau ^ o Halalfi;
I^we ke Koolau-wahine ^ i ka hoa la, lilo;
5 Hao ka Mikioi ** i ke kai o I^hua :

Puwa-l'a na hoa-makani f mai lalo, e-e-e, a.
I hoonalonalo i ke aloha, pe'e uia-loko;
Ha*i ka wai-maka hanini;
I ike aku no i ka uwe ana iho;
10 Pelii wale no ka hoa kanialii, e-e, a!

[Translation]
Song

The sun-furrow gleams at the back of Lehua ;
Tlie Kings had his till of scandal and diaff:
The wind-god empties his lungs with a laugh :
And the Mikioi tosses the sea at Lehua,
r» As the trade-wind wafts his friend on her way —
A congress of airs that ruffles the bay.
Hide love 'neath a mask — that's all I would ask.
To si>ill but a tear makes our love-tale appear;
He iKHirs out his wt>e : I've seen it, I know ;
H> That's the way with a boy-friend, heigh-ho!

Tlio art o{ (raiishuiiig from the Hawaiian into the English tongue
consists largi^ly in a fitting substitution of generic for specific terms.
I'ho Hawaiian, for instance, had at command scores of specific names
for tho sanio wind, or for the local modifications that were inflicted

' Tho ptoturo of tho sun dotlininjr. kahn. to the west, its reflected light-traolc. kola
kahiifii, furrowins: tho moan with jrlory, may l>e taken to be figurative of tlie loved
nuil lH»autlfnl woman. Kalohi. siuHHiinsr on hor westward canoe-flight.

•* Uini. l.ltorally a >riHi. mnst stand for tho kinj;.

'■ t nuloii. A siHvlal namo for tho trade-wind.

•' Knohn4 Withitif. l.lkowlso another namo for the trade-wind, here represented as carry-
In^ o(T tl»o tman's^ oMupanlon.

♦ Mikioi, An Impotnous. jrnsty wind is roprosentod as lashinj? the ocean at Lehua, thus
ptoturln^ tho emotional ^tir attondinjr Kniola's departure.

'The wonls l^wra i'a thi hoa nmkani. whioh literally mean that the congress of winds.
M«i /M»fi ntokani. have stirred up a commotion, even as a school of fish agitate the surface
v>f tho vHOMU, tmtiu i'tif refer to the scaudai caused by Ka'i-amu's conduct.

ftsox] UNWBITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 239

m it by the features of the landscape. One might almost say that
ry cape and headland imposed a new nomenclature upon the
eze ivhose direction it influenced. He. rarely contented himself
;h using a broad and comprehensive term when he could match
I situation with a special form.
rhe singer restricts her blame to charging her youthful lover with

indiscreet exhibition of childish emotion. The mere display of
otion evinced by the shedding of tears was in itself a laudable
ion and in good form.

This first reply of the woman to her youthful lover did not by any
tans exhaust her armament of retaliation. ^Vhen she next treats

the affair it is with an added touch of sarcasm and yet with a
ig froid that proved it had not unsettled her nerves.

Mele

Ula Kala'e-loa ** i ka lepo a ka makani ;
Hoonu'anu*a na pua i Kalama-ula,
He hoa i ka la'i a ka manii — ^
Manu ai ia i ka hoa laiikona.
5 I keke lau-au'a ia e ka nioe;
E kuhi ana ia he kanaka e.
Dan no keia mai lima a lalo;
Hun& ke aloha, pe'e maloko.
Ike 'a i ka uwe ana iho.
10 Pelfl, ka hoa kamalii —

He uwe wale ke kamalii.

[Translation]
Song

Red glows Kala'e through the win(l-l)lo\vii dust
That defiles the flowers of Lama- ula.
Outraged by the croak of this bird,
That eats of the aphrodisiac cane,
5 And then boasts the privileged bed.
He makes me a creature of outlaw :
True to myself from crown to foot-sole.
My love I've kept sacred, pent up within.
He flouts it as common, weeping it forth —
10 That is the way with a child-friend ;
A child just blubbers at nothing.

To return to the description of the game, the player, haviuir
tered his vaunt in true knightly fashion, with a dexterous whirl
>w sends his kilu spinning on its course. If his play is successful

id the kilu strikes the target on the other side at which he aims, the

^ —

■ Kala*e.-loa. The full name of the place on Molokai now known as Kala'e.
* La'i a ka manu. Some claim this to t)e a proper name. iM'ia-kaniann, that of a pia<'
«r Kala'e. However that may be the poet evidently uses the phrase here In its etyino-
^cal sense.

uMiience. vho have kepc ^iiexu.-e dH now. break forth in applaase, and
jist ^laily-ifieepcr prociaims riii: tocccss in boaatfol faahion:

ou

P*i^hii«>aii £1 la. iE<»mt» :iii>im>:
isaiie ka la ilaitn

icLon'

N«Tw wrracHS rhe^ w>»rTn r,> its anal:
A ;$nippie: >1«iwti fiilm tile rain.

It :? aow the winner- riaht t«> eroft^ over and claim his forfeit
Tiie Aiiiiienfe >ieaLr onr applao^ie or dwsion in an.stinted measure;
the •^nthikriiiirm reaches fever-point when some one makes himself the
•'hampion t)f the game by bringing his score up to ten. the limit. The^
plav is often kept Tip till morning, to be resumed the following ni^t*

Here ako is a mele. which tradition repcMts to have been cantil-
luteal by Hiiaka. the sL^er of Pele. during her famous kilu contest
w:th the Princess Pele-ula. which took place at Kou — ^the ancient
aiime &>r Honolulu — on Hiiaka's voyage of return from Kauai to
her -inters •!oiirt at Kilauea. In this affair Lohiau and Wahine-
^jQiao Lt)ntentleii '^n the side of Hiiaka. while Pele-ula was assisted
hv her husband. Kou. ami bv other experts. But on this occasion the
di«:e were ••t3ggeil : the victory was won not by human skill but by the ]
ma^«.'al pr-wer of Hiiaka. who tumeti Pele-ida's kilu away from the
tar:r»^t Hd,.h time she threw it. but usetl her gift to compel it to the
mark when the kilu was cast bv herself.

K'i'n hoa m.-^i ka maki%ni kueha-kapa o Kalalau,^
Mdi aa pali ku I ' o Makna-ikt
Ke lawe la 1 ka baka.' a UIo !
A lil.^ ..M?. la !
.' Ku'u kaae I ka ahu ka'i <> Maka-pa*ii.
Huki iluua ka Lae-o-k;i-laau : ^
♦ »ia pali makuanile ' olaila.
i >liiohi ku ka t»ali o UlamaM. e-i>!
A lilo 'H?. la I

•» Th«» !i<*«*ount jiiMive :;iv»»n i^* iiiri:»»ly l<nsfrHi on I>:ivid Malo's descripUon of the garni
kilu. In his confessedly imperi*e<'t list of the hulas he does not mention the hula kilu,
This hula was. however, included in the list of hulas announced for performance in the
proirramm** of Kini; Kalakaua's coronation ctTi'monics.

^ Ka-lalau (in the translation by the omission of the article fca, shortened to Lalau)
A deep rllff liound valley on the windward side of Kauai, accessible only at certain times
of the year by boats and by a steep mountain trail at its head.

'^ Pali ku'i. Ku'i means literally to join together, to splice or piece out. The cliffs
tower one al)ove another like the steps of a stairway.

«* llaka. A ladder or frame such as was laid across a chasm or set up at an impassable plact
in a precipitous road. The windward side of Kauai about Kalalau abounded in such places

*" Lar-o-ka-laau. The southwest point of Molokai. on which Is a light-house.

f Makua olv. Literally fatherlesH, perhaps uieanlng remarkable, without peer.

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 241

[Translation]
Song

Comrade mine in the robe-stripping l^iists of Lalau,
On the up-piled beetling cliffs of Makua,
The ladder * * * is taken away * * ♦ it is gone !
Your way is cut off, my man !
5 With you I've backed the uhu of Maka-pu'u,

Tugging them up the steeps of Point-o'- woods,
A cliff that, stands fatherless, even as
Sheer stands the pall of Ula-mao —
And thus * ♦ * you are lost !

This is but a fragment of the song which Hiiaka pours out in her
efforts to calm the fateful storm which she saw piling up along the
horizon. The situation was tragic. Hiiaka, daring fate, defying the
dragons and monsters of the primeval world, had made the journey
to Kauai, had snatched away from death the life of Lohiau and with
incredible self-denial was escorting the rare youth to the arms of her
sister, whose jealousy she knew to be quick as the lightning, her ven-
geance hot as the breath of the volcano, and now she saw this feather-
head, with monstrous ingratitude, dallying with fate, calling down
upon the whole party the doom she alone could appreciate, all for the
smile of a siren whose charms attracted him for the moment; but,
worst of all, her heart condemned her as a traitress — she loved him.

Hiiaka held the trick-card and she won ; by her miraculous power
she kept the game in her own hands and foiled the hopes of the lovers.

Jlcic

V]a ka lani ia Kanaloa,"
Ula ma'enia'e ke ahi a ke A'e-loa.«
Pohina iluna i ke ao makani,
Naue pu no i ka llikai o Makahana-loa,^
5 Makemake i ka ua lihau.<*

Aohe hana i koe a Ka-wai-loa ; ^
Noho a ka li'u-ia i ke kula.
I kula oe no ka makemake, a hiki iho,
I hoa hula no ka la le'ale'a,
10 I noho i)U me ka uahi pohina/

" Kanaloa. One of tlip four jjreat j;o<ls of tho ITawaiianK, here reprosenied as iilayinj;
the part of PliopbuB Apollo.

^ A'e-loa. The name of a wind whose blowhij; was said to l)e favorahlo to th<» fisher
man in this region.

c Makahana-loa. A favorite fishing ground. The word llikai ("skin of the sea")
^aphically depicts the calm of the regioi!. In the translation the name aforementioned
bas been shortened to Kahana.

<» Lihau. A gentle ratn that was considered favorable to the wortt of the fisherman.

« Ka-wai-loa. A division of Waialua, here seemingly used to mean the farm.

f Uahi pohina. Literally gray-headed smoke. It is said that when studying togethf i-
the words of the mele the pupils and the kumu would often gather about a tire, whii
the teacher recited and expounded the text. There is a possible allusion to this In the
mention of the smoke.

25352— Bull. 38—09 16

242 BUBEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 38

Hina oe i ka Naulu,^ noho pu me ka Inuwai.^

Akahi no a pumehana ka hale, ua hiki oe :

Ma*ema'e ka luna i Haupu.^

Upu ka makemake e ike la Ea-ala.
15 He ala ka makemake e ike ia Liliu'e ; ^

Ku*u uka ia nolio ia Halemano.^

Maanei oe, pale oe, p&le au,

Hana ne*e ke kikala i ka ha'i kelki.

Hai'na ka manao — ^nolio i Waimea,
20 Hoouu'u pu i ka Va. ku o ka aiua.^

E kala oe a kala au a kala ia Ku, Ahueua.^

[Translation]
Song

Kanaloa tints heaven with a blush,

'Tis the flame of the A'e, pure red.

And gray the wind-clouds overhead.

We trudge to the waters calm of Kahana —
5 Heaven grant us a favoring shower I

The work is all done on the farm.

We stay till twilight steals o'er the plain

Then, love-spurred, tramp o'er it again,

Have you as partner in holiday dance —
10 We've moiled as one in the gray smoke;

Cast down by the Naulu, you thirst.

For once the house warms at your coming.

How clear glow the heights of yon Haupu!

I long for the sight of Ka-ala,
15 And sweet is the thought of Lihu'e,

And our mountain retreat, Hale-mano.

Here, fenced from each other by tabu.

Your graces make sport for the crowd.

What then the solution? Let us dwell
20 At Waimea and feast on the fish

That swarm in the neighboring sea.

With freedom to you and freedom to me,

Licensed by Ku and by Ahu-6na.

" Naulu. A wind.

^ Inu-wai. A wind tliat dried up vegetation, liere indicating tliirst.

^ Ilaupu. A mountain on Ivauai, sometimes visible on Oaliu in clear weather. (Sec
note c. p. L*liO, on Ilaupn.

'^ Llhu'f. A beMutlful and roninnfic region nesUed, as the Ilawaiians say, "between
Ihe thighs of the mountain." Mount Kaala.

" Hfilf-mnnn. Literally the multit>ide of houses; a sylvan region bound to the south-
western flank of the Konahuanui rancje of mountains, a region of legend and romance,
since the coming of the white raau given over to the ravage and desolation that follow
the free-ranging of cattle and horses, the vaquero. and the abusive use of fire and
ax by the woodman.

^ I' a leu ka aina. Fish common to a region : in this place it was probably the kala.
which word is found in the next line, though in a different sense. Here the expression
is doubtless a euphemism for dalliance.

Ku, Ahuena. At Waimea, Oahu, stood two rocks on the opposite bluffs that sentineled
the bay. These rocks were said to represent respectively the gods Ku and Ahuena.
patrons of the local fishermen

ox] UKWHTTTEK LTTERATURE OF HAW AH 248

le scene of this idvl is bad in the district of Waialua, Oahu, but
[>oet gives his imagination free range regardless of the unities,
chief subjects of interest that serre as a trellis about which the
an sentiments entwine conoem the duties of the fisherman, who is
a farmer; the school for the hula, in which the hero and the
ine are pupils: and histlT an ideal condition of happiness which
lovers look forward to under the benevolent dispensation of the
I Ku and Ahuena.

mong the numerous relatives of Pele was one said to be a sister,
was stationed on a bleak sun-burnt promontory in Koolau, C>ahu,
re she supported a half-starved existence, striving to hold si^ul
body together by gathering the herbs of the fields, eked out by
elicited gifts of food contributed by passing travelers. The pa-
ic plaint given below is ascribed to this goddess.

Mao wale i ka lani
Ka leo o ke Akua pololL
A iM>]oli a ui<»e au
a ku*u la jHiloli,
5 A i»la i kou aloha :

I na*i i»ii no i k<i waimaka i* uwe iiei.
E uwe kaua. e!

ITranslationJ

Eiigulfed ill heaven's abyss
Is the (T.V of the famish<^l ^cmI.
I Rank to the ground from faintness.
My day of utter starvation ;
5 Was rescued, revived, by your l<»ve:
Ours a contest of tejirs symiwithetic —
I^t us iK)ur out together our tears.

tie Hawaiian thought, it not undignified to express sympathy
fiU'ino) with tears.

XXXVI.— THE HULA HOO NA-XA

The liula hoo-na-na — to quiet, amuse — was an informal dance,
siich as was performed without the usual restrictions of tabu that
hedge<l about the set dances of the halau. The occasion of an ont-
<loor festival, an ahaaina or htau^ was made the opportunity for the
i»xhibition of this dance. It seems to have been an expression of pure
sjx>rtiveness and mirth-making, and was therefore performed with-
out sacrifice or religious ceremony. While the king, chiefs, and
nialo — courtiers who ate in the king's presence — are sitting with the
guests about the festal board, two or three dancers of graceful car-
riage make a circuit of the place, ambling, capering, gesturing as
they go in time to the words of a gay song.

A i)erformance of this sort was witnessed by the author's infor-
mant in Honolulu many years ago; the occasion was the giving of ji
royal liiau. Theiv was no musical instruments the performers wen
ni(*n, and the niele thev cantillateil went as follows:

•

A piii. :i pilf,
A pili ka'u luaiiu
Ko kepnii" o ka iihi-Iaaii.
Toai a iKiiii.
r> Nolio ana i muH-wa*a : ^

Iloomru ka niomona a ko alii.
Eli-eli ^ ko kapii : iia noa.
Xoa ia wai?
Xoa ia ka lani.
10 Kan lilua,'' kaohi ka maku'u
E ai ana ka ai a ko alii !•
Hoonii'n. lioonn'u lioonu'n
I ka i'a a ke alii I

" l\i itaii. (Jimi. llic bird Wmo of tlio fowicM-. wiiicli wns obtained from forost froos. hut
•'s|M'<iiill.v from flic iiIh. the Itrondfniit.

'' Midi irii'a innili. ;i \ov\\\ nppliod to :\ y«nni^MM- Iirofli««ri. 'Plio Idon iiivolv(»d is that (»f
srpjii'jit Ion by nn iiih'rvMl. its m yoiin;r«'r bi'oflici" is soparatod from Iiis older brother by
n\\ liilerviil. Mnlinni is .'in iii(»M'v:il of wnler. n stream. Wn'n. the last part of tin* above
('oni|»onnd word, literally a ranoc. Is here userl tro|)ically to mean the tables, or th^
dislics. on wblcli the food was spiead. they bein« lonjx and narrow, in the shape of a
raiioe. Tln' whole term, consrcpient ly. refers to the peoi)le and the table about which
I bey arc H<ated.

•r.liili. A wo'd tbat is found in ancient prayers to emphasize the word knpv or
Ibc word utm

' l.ihiii. To stand erect and act without the re^^traint usually prescribed In the presence
«'f royalty

L'44

50X] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAU 245

[Translation]

She is limed, she is limed,
My" bird is limed,
With the gum of the forest.
We make a great circuit,
5 Outskirttug the feast.

You shall feast on king's bounty :
No fear of the tabu, all's free.
Free! and by whomV
Free by the word of the king.
10 Then a free rein to mirth !
Banish the kill-joy
Who eats the king's dainties!
Feast then till replete
With the good king's meat!

XXXVII.— THE HULA ULILI

The hula vlili^ also called by the descriptive name kolUi — ^to wave
or flutter, as a pennant — was a hula that was not at all times con-
fined to the tabu restrictions of the halau. Like a truant schoolboy,
it delighted to break loose from restraint and join the informal pleas-
urings of the people. Imagine an assembly of men and women in
the picturesque illumination given by flaring kukui torches, the men
on one side, the women on the other. Husbands and wives, smoth-
ering the jealousy instinctive to the human heart, are there by
mutual consent — their daughters they leave at home — each one ready
to play his part to the finish, with no thought of future recrimina-
tion. It was a game of love- forfeits, on the same lines as kilu and
ume.

Two men, armed with wands furnished with tufts of gay feathers,
pass up and down the files of men and women, waving their deco-
rated staffs, ever and anon indicating with a touch of the wand per-
sons of the opposite sex, who under the rules must pay the forfeit
demanded of them. The kissing, of course, goes by favor. The
wand-bearers, as tliey move along, troll an amorous ditty:

on

Kii na ka ipo ♦ * *
Mahele-liele i ka la o Kona ! ^
O Kona, kai a ke Akua.^
Eliia la, hull ka Wai-opiia,^
r> Nehe 1 ke kula,

Leha iluna o Wai-aloha.**
Kani ka aka a ka iia i ka laau,
Hoolaau ana 1 ke aloha ilaila.
Pill la, a pill 1 ka'u manu —
10 C) pill o ka La-hlki-ola.
Ola ke kini o-lalo.
Hana i ka mea he ipo.
A hnl e hut la !
Hui Koolau-wahlne ^ o Piia-ke-f!^

** La o Kona. A dny of Kona, i. e., of fine weather.

*> Kai a ke Akua. Sea of the gods, because calm.

« Wai-opua. A wind which changed its direction after blowing for a few days from one
quarter.

•* Wai-aloha. The name of a hill. In the translation the author has followed its mean-
ing ("water of love").

" Koolau-wahine. The name of a refreshing wind, often mentioned in Hawaiian poetry :
here used as a symbol of female affection.

f Pua-ke-i. The name of a sharp, bracing wind felt on the windward side of Molokal ;
used here apparently as a symbol of strong masculine passion.

246

SON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAH 247

[Translation]

Song

A search for a suv-eetheart ♦ ♦ ♦

Sport for a Kona day !

Kona, calm sea of the gods.

Two days the wind surges;
5 Then, magic of clond!

It veers to the plain.

Drinks op the water of love.

How gleesome the sound

Of rain on the trees,
10 A balm to love's wound !

The wand touches, heart-ease!

It touches my bird —

Touch of life from the sun !

Brings health to the million.
15 Ho, now comes the fun !

A meeting, a union —

The nymph, Koo-lau,

And the hero, Ke-1.

XXXVITT.— THE HFT.A O.^^U

The so-cdllecl hnla o-nin is not to be classed with the regular dances
of the halaii. It was rather a popular sport, in which men and
women capered about in an informal dance while the players engaged
in a <^)nii)etitive game of top-spinning. The instrument of sport was
made from the lower pointed half of an oval coconut shell, or from
the corresjwnding part of a small gourd. The sport was conducted
in the presence of a mixed gathering of people amid the enthusiasm
and boisterous etfervesi^ence which betting always greatly stimulated
in Hawaii.

The [)layers were divided into two sides of equal number, and each
player had before him a plank, slightly hollowed in the center — like
the board on which the Hawaiians pounded their poi — to be used as
the bed for spinning his top. The naked hand, unaided by whip or
string, was used to impart to the rude top a spinning motion and at
the same time the necessary projectile force — a balancing of forces
that called for nice adjustment, lest the whirling thing reel too far to
one side or run wild and fly its smooth bed. Victory was declared
and the wager given to the player whose top spun the longest.

The feature that most interests us is the singing, or cantillation, of
the oli. In a dance and game of this sort, which the author's inform-
ant witnessed at Kahuku, Oahu, in 1S44, (me contestant on each side,
in turn, cantillated an oli during the performance of the game and
the dance.

OH

Ke i)oM nei ; u'fna la !
Kani 61e-ol^i, hau-walaau !
Ke wawa Pu'u-hina-hlna ; «
Kani ka aka, he-hene na paH,
r» Na pali o Ka-iwl-kii4.»

Hanohano, makana I ka Wai-opiia.^
Malibini ka hale, iia hiki mai:
Kani ka imhu a Lohiau,
A Lohiau-ipo** i Haena la.
10 Enaena ke aloha, ke hiki mai;

" Pu'u-hinahina. A precipitous place on the coast near ITaena.

" Kn-iwi-ku'i. A high cliff against which the waves dash.

'' \V(ii-opua. The name of a pleasant breeze.

<* Lohiau-ipo. The epithet ipo, sweetheart, dear one. was often aflSxed to the name of
Lohiau, in tolsen, no doubt, of his being distinguished as the object of Pele's passionate
regard.

248

E^EBSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAH 249

Auau i ka wai a Kanaloa."
Nan& kaua ia Llma-huli,^ e.
E hull oe a loaa pono
Ka la nel o-nlu.

r Translation]
Song

The rustle and hum of spinning top.
Wild laughter and babel of sound —
Hear the roar of the waves at Pu*u-hlna!
Bursts of derision echoed from cliffs,
5 The cliffs of Ka-iwi-ku'l;

And the day is stirred by a breeze.
The house swarms with women and men.
List! the drum-beat of Ix)hiau,
Lohiau, the lover, prince of Haena— ;
10 I^ove glows like an oven at his coming;
Then to bathe in the lake of the God.
Let us look at the vale Lima-hull, look!
Now turn we and study the spinning —
That trick we must catch to be winning.

This fragment from antiquity, as the local coloring indicates, finds
its setting at Haena, the home of the famous mythological Prince
Lfohiau, of whom Pele became enamored in her spirit journey. Study
of the mele suggests the occasion to have been the feast that was given
in celebration of Lohiau's restoration to life and health through the
persevering incantations of Hiiaka, Pele's beloved sister. The feast
was also Lohiau's farewell to his friends at Haena. At its conclusion
Hiiaka started \^ ith her charge on the journey which ended with the
tragic death of Lohiau at the brink of the volcano. Pele in her
jealousy poured out her fire and consumed the man whom she had
loved.

* Kannloa. There is a deep basin of clear water, almost fluorescent in Its sparkle, In one
of the arched caves of Haena, which is called the water of Kanaloa — the name of the great
God. This is a favorite bathing place.

<* lAma-huli. The name of a beautiful valley that lies baclc of Haena.

XXXTX.— THE HTTLA KI?I

Tho Jircoiiiit of the Hawaiian hulas would lx» incomplete if witboot
mention of the hula ktrL This Avas an invention, or introductipii,
of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Its formal, public, ap-
j)earance dates from the coronation ceremonies of the late KingKala-
kaua. 1888, when it filled an important place in the programme. Of
the '2()2 hula performances listed for exhibition, some 30 were of the
hula ku*i. This is perhaps the most democratic of the hulas, and
from the date of its introduction it sprang at once into public favor.
Not numy years ago one could witness its extemporaneous perform-
ance by nonprofessionals at many an entertainment and festive gath-
ering. Even the school -children took it up and might frequently be
seen innocently footing its measures on the streets. (PI. xxiv.)

The steps and motions of the hula ku'i to the eyes of the author
resemble those of some Spanish dances. The rhythm is in oonmion,
or double, time. One observes the following motions:

FUfnre .1. — 1. A step obliquely forward with the left foot, aims
pointing the same way, body inclining to the right. 2. The ball of
the left foot (still advanced) gently pressed on the floor; the heel
swings back and forth, describing an arc of some 30 or 40 degrees.
J^. The left foot is set firmly in the last position, the body inclining
to it as the base of sup|)()ii:; the right foot is advanced obliquely,
and 4, jM'rfornis the heel-swinging motions above described, arms
pointing oblicjuely to the right.

Figure B, — Hands i)ressed to the waist, fingers directed forward,
thumbs l)ackward, elbows well away from the body; left foot ad-
vanced as in figure A, 1, body inclining to the right. 2. The left foot
j)erf()nns the heel-waving motions, as above. 3. Hands in same po-
sition, right foot advanced as previously described. 4. The right
foot perfoi'uis the swinging motions previously described — ^the body
inclined to the left.

Figure (\ — In this figure, while the hands are pressed as before
aiTiHiist the waist, with the elbows thrown well awav from the bodv.
the |)erf()rnier sways the pelvis and central axis of the trunk in a cir-
cular or elliptical orbit, a movement, which, carried to the extreme.
is termed ami.

There are other figun^s and modifications, which the ingenuity and
fancy of performers have introduced into this dance; but this account
nuist suffice.
250

EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 251

Given a demand for a pas seul^ some pleasing dance combining

grace with dexterity, a shake of the foot, a twist of the body, and a

wave of the hands, the hula ku'i filled the bill to perfection. The

very fact that it belonged by name to the genus hula, giving it, as

it were, the smack of forbidden fruit, only added to its attractiveness.

It became all the rage among dancing folk, attaining such a vogue

as almost to cause a panic among the tribunes and censors of society.

; Even to one who cares nothing for the hula per se, save as it might

be a spectacle out of old Hawaii, or a setting for an old-time song,

the innocent grace and Delsartian flexibility of this solo dance, which

one can not find in its Keltic or African congeners, associate it in

mind with the joy and light-heartedness of man's Arcadian period.

The instruments generally used in the musical accompaniment of the
hula ku'i are the guitar, the nhu-lele^ the taro-patch fiddle,** or the
mandolin ; the piano also lends itself effectively for this purpose ; or
a combination of these may be used.

The songs that are sung to this dance as a rule belong naturally to
later productions of the Hawaiian muse, or to modifications of old
poetical compositions. The following mele was originally a name-
song (mele-inoa). It was appropriated by the late Princess Kino-iki ;
and by her it was passed on to Kalani-ana-ole, a fact which should
not prejudice our appreciation of its beauty.

Mele

I aloha i ke ko a ka wai,
I ka i mai, e, anu kaua.
IJa anu na pua o ka laina,^
Ka wahine noho anu o ke kula.
5 A luna au a o Poli-ahu ; ^
Ahu wale kai a o Wai-lua.
Lua-ole ka hana a ka makani,
A ke Kiu-ke'e^ a o na pali,
Pa iho i ke kai a o Puna —
10 Ko Puna mea ma 'a mau ia.
Pau ai ko'u lihi lioihoi
I ka wai awili me ke kai.
Ke ono hou nei ku'u pu'u
I ka wai hu'ihuM o ka uka,

• The uku-lele and the tarn-poich fldflle are stringed Instruments resembUne In general
appearance the fiddle. They seem to have been introduced Into these Islands by the
Portuguese immigrants who have come in within the last twenty-flve years. As with the
icultar. the four strings of the uku-lele or the five strings of the taro-patch fiddle are
plucked with the finger or thumb.

* -Vo pua o ka laina. The Intent of this expression, which seems to have an erotic
meaning, may perhaps be inferred from Its literal rendering In the translation. It re-
quires a tropical imagination to follow a Hawaiian poem.

' Poli-ahu. A place or region on Mauna-keu.

* Kiu-ke'e. The name of a wind felt at Nawillwlll, Kauai. The local names for winds
differed on the various islands and were multiplied almost without measure : as given in
the mythical story of Kama-pua'a, or in the semihistorlc tale of KQ-a-Paka*a, they taxed
tlie memories of raconteurs.

252 BUREAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [bul

15 Wai hone i kv kumu o ka pali,

I malu i ka lau kui-kui.<'

Ke kuhi nei au a he pono

Ka ilinia lei a ke aloha,

Au i kaa nui aku at,
21) I ka nanl oi a oia pua.

(TranRlation]
Song

How (^leasing, when home by the tide,

One says, you and I are a -cold.

The l>uds of the center are chilled

Ot the woman who shivers on shore.
5 I st<K>d on the height Poli-ahu :

The <KVrtn enrobed Wai-lua.

Ah. strange are the pranks of the wind,

The Kiu-ke e wind of the i>ali !

It sniites now the ocean at Puna —
10 Tliat's always the fashion at Puna.

(■one, gtme is the last of my love.

At this mixture of brine in my drink !

My mouth is a-thirst for a draught

Of the tH»ld mountain-water,
15 That plays at the fix>t of the cliflf.

In the shade of the kui-kui tree.

I thought our love-flower, ilima —

i>ft wi'm as a garland by you —

Still held its c*olor most true.
2i> You'd oxi-hauge its l>eauty for rue!

Mvlc

Kanlana mai nei Pua I^inakila :
Olali »H» o ke aupuni hui.
Nana i koke aku ke kahua.
Na ale o ka Pakipika.
,'» l.ilo i niea ole iia enemi :

Puuwai hao-kila, he nmnao i^aa :
Na Ka nuivi^i la i lioike mai.
Ta kan Lanakila i ka hanohano,

ka u*i niaiH^la la o Aina-hau;
10 O ko'ii lu»a ia la »» pili ai--

1 hoa kaana i ka pnuwai,

1 na k«>h! kelekele i ka Pn'iikolu.
Ina iia iia Pua Koniela.
Ka u'i kaulana o Aiiia-pna I
ir> o ka pr.a o ka l.eluia int» ka llinia
I lei kahiko no ki>*u kino,
Ka Palai lan-lii me ka Maile.
Ke a la e luHMie i kou iH>li.

^ Kui Kf.i, Tho oMor nanio form o( tV.o inv tAlenrites triloba^, popularly kno'
-ioino as tho v-juidlo mu troo. from tlio faot that its oily nut^ wore used in making t«
hukui. or futui, is tho nan»»» mm- appllod to x\w iro«\ ilso to a torch or lamp. T
monu lani;uHw:o still rotains the arvhaio name tuHui. This is one of the few ins
in \vhlv*h the orliiinal otvmoloi:y of a word is retalntnl in Hawaiian poetry.

EB80N] UNWBITTEN UTEBATURE OF HAWAII 253

[Translation]
Song

Fame trumpets your conquests each day,

Brave Lily Victoria !

Your scepter finds new hearts to sway,

Subdues the Pacific's wild waves,
5 Your foes are left stranded ashore.

Firm heart as of steel !

Dame Rumor tells us with glee

Your fortunes wax evermore.

Beauty of Aina-hau,
10 C'omrade dear to my heart.

And what of the hyacinth maid,

Nymph of the Flowery LandV

I choose the lehua, ilima.

As my wreath and emblem of love,
15 The small-leafed fern and the niaile —

What fragrance* exhales from thy breast!

The story that might explain this modern lyric belongs to the gos-
p of half a century ago. The action hinges about one who is styled
ua Lanakila — literally Flower of Victory. Now there is no flower,
idigenous or imported, known by this name to the Hawaiians. It is
1 allegorical invention of the poet. A study of the name and of its
terpretation, Victory, at once suggested to me the probability that
was meant for the Princess Victoria Kamamalu.
As I interpret the story, the lover seems at first to be in a condition
unstable equilibrium, but finally (concludes to cleave to the flowers
the soil, the lehua and the iJhia (verse 15), the palai and the nuule
ei-se 17), the meaning of which is clear.

-THEOLI

Th.<* HawaEian wof^d m^h. inrladed all forms of poetical composi-
tiofu TY^. fact that the Emele. in whaterer form, was iatended for
fAntillatiofi. or s#>me -rort of rhvthmicai utterance addressed to the
ear. ha.^ giTea to this w4M>] in modem times a special meaning that
frovers the id«i of song •im' of singing, thos malniig it overlap ambigu-
iiwAj into the territory that more properly belongs to the word olL
The oli was in strict ^^en-* the lyric utterance of the Hawaiians.

In its mo^ familiar form the Hawaiians — many of whom pos-
-esjsed the gift of impro^-isation in a remarkable degree — used the oli
not only for the songful expressicm of joy and affection, but as the
vehicle of hiunorous or sarcastic narrative in the entertainment of
their r-omrades. The traveler, as he trudged along under his swaying
burden, or as he rested bv the wavside, would solace himself and his
companions with a pensive improvisation in the form of an oli. Or,
sitting alx>nt the camp-fire of an evening, without the consolation of
the so<'ial pipe or bowl, the people of the olden time would keep warm
the fin* of go<Kl- fellowship and cheer by the sing-song chanting of the
oli. in which the extern |X)raneous bard recounted the events of the
(lay and won the laughter and applause of his audience by witty,
ofttinies exagg<*rated, allusions to many a humorous incident that had
marked the journey. If a traveler, not knowing the language of the
country, noticed his Hawaiian guide and baggage-carriers indulging
in mirth while listening to an oli by one of their number, he would
[probably \n\ right in suspecting himself to be the innocent butt of
their merriment.

TIk* lover poured into the ears of his mistress his gentle fancies:
the moth(»r stilled her child with some bizarre allegory as she rocked
it in her arms; the hard favored by royalty — the poet laureate —
;>mus(»(l the idle moments of his chief with some witty improvisation;
the alii himself, gifted with the poetic fire, would air his humor or
his di(hictic comuients in rhythmic hhape — all in the form of the oli.

The dividin*r line, then, between the oli and those other weightier
forms of the mele, the iiuxi, the kdinkcni (threnody), the pule^ and
(hat unnamed variety of mele in which the poet dealt with historic
i)V mytholo^ic subjects, is to be found almost wholly in the mood
of the singer. In truth, the Hawaiians not imfrequently applied the
term pule to coinj^ositions which we moderns find it hard to bring
within our delinitions of prayer. For to our understanding the

254

■MESSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 255

Hawaiian pule often contains neither petition, nor entreaty, nor aspi-
ration, as we measure such things.

The oli from its very name {oli-oli^ joyful) conveys the notion of
gladness, and therefore of song. It does not often run to such length
as the more formal varieties of the mele ; it is more likely to be pitched
to the key of lyric and unconventional delight, and, as it seems to
the writer, more often than other forms attains a gratifj'ing unity by
reason of closer adherence to some central thought or mood; albeit^
when not so labeled, one might well be at a loss whether in any given
case he should term the composition mele or oli.

It may not be entirely without significance that the first and second
examples here given come from Kauai, the island which most vividly
has retained a memory of the southern lands that were the homes of
the people until they came as emigrants to Hawaii.

The story on which this song is founded relates that the comely

Pamaho'a was so fond of her husband during his life that at his death

she was unwilling to part with his bones. Having cleaned and

wrapped them in a bundle, she carried them with her wherever she

went. In the indiscretion begotten of her ill-balanced state of mind

she committed the mortal offense of entering the royal residence

while thus encumbered, where was Kaahumanu, favorite wife of

Kamehameha I. The king detailed two constables i^ilamuku) to

remove the woman and put her to death. When they had reached a

safe distance, moved with pity, the men said : '' Our orders wen* to

slay; but what hinders you to escape?" The woman took the hint

and fled hot- f pot.

OH

Ka wal opua-makani o Wailua,*
I huUhia e ke kai ;
Awahla ka lau hau,
Ai pftla-ka-M, ka ai o Makft'u-kiu.
5 He kill ka pua kukui,

• He elele hooholo na ke Koolau ; *
Ke kipaku mai la i ka vva'a — ^
" E holo oe ! "

Holo newa ka lau niaia me ka pua liau,
10 1 pili aloba me ka mokila ula i ka wai;
Maalo pulelo i ka wai o Malu-akn.
He aka kaua makani kaili-hoa :
Kaili Ino ka lau Malua-kele,
Lalau, ho[)U hewa i ka hoa kanaka ; **

•The scene is laid in the region about the ^Vaih^n, a river on Kauai. This stream,
tosiied with waves driven up from the sea, represents figuratively the disturbance of the
woman's mind at the coming of the otficers.

• Koolau. The name of a wind ; stands for the messengers of the king, whose Instruc-
tloas were to expel (kipaku j verse 7) and then to slay.

*■ Wa'a. Literally canoe; stands for the woman herself.

* Hoa kandka. Human companion: Is an allusion to the bundle ot her husbands bonos
which she carries with her. but which are torn away and lost in the flood.

256 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [buli

15 Koe a kau me ka manao iloko.

Ke apo wale la no i ke one,

I ka uwe wale iho no i Mo'o-mo'o-iki,<» e !

He ike moolelo na ke kuhi wale,

Aole ma ka waha mat o k&naka.
20 Hewn, pono ai la hoi au, e ka boa ;

Nou ka ke aloha,

I lua-ai-ele ^ ai i o, i auei ;

Fa kuewa i ke ala me ka wai-maka.

Aoho wa, iia uku i koii hale —
25 Hewa au, e!

(Translation]
Song

The wind-beaten stream of Wailiia

Is tossed into waves from the sea ;

Salt-drenched are the leaves of the hau,

The stalks of the taro all rotted —
5 *Twas the crop of Maka*u-klu.

The flowers of kukui are a telltale,

A messenjcer s\yed by the gale

To warn the canoe to depart.

Pray you depart!
10 Hot-foot, she's off with her pack —

A bundle red-stained with the mud —

And phost-swift she breasts Malu-aka.

Quest follows like smoke — lost is her companion ;

r'ierce the wind plucks at the leaves,
IT) (Jrabs — by mistake — her burden, the man.

Despairiiijr. she falls to the earth.

And, liufTfrinj; the hillock of sand,

Sobs out lier soul on the beach Mo-mo-iki.

A tale this wrung from my heart,
20 Not told by the tongue of man.

Wrong! yet right, was I, my friend;

My love after all was for you,

While I lived a vagabond life there and here.

Sowing my vagrom tears in all roads —
25 Prompt my payment of debt to your house —

Yes, truly, I'm wrong!

" .]fo'o-)H(t'o-iki. A Ihnd nf W.Milun. Knuni.

'' Ijiiu-ai-dc. To carry jil)Out with one ii sorrow

XLI.— THE WATER OF KANE

[f one were asked what, to the English-speaking mind, consti-
tes the most representative romantico-mystical aspiration that has
en embodied in song and story, doubtless he would be compelled
answer the legend and myth of the Holy Grail. To the Hawaiian
ind the aspiration and conception that most nearly approximates
this is that embodied in the words placed at the head of this chap-
r, The Water of Kane. One finds suggestions and. hints of this
inception in many passages of Hawaiian song and story, sometimes
phosphorescent flash, answering to the dip of the poet's blade,
metimes crystallized into a set form ; but nowhere else than in the
Uowing mele have I found this jewel deliberately wrought into
ape, faceted, and fixed in a distinct form of speech.
This mele comes from Kauai, the island which more than any
her of the Hawaiian group retains a tight hold on the mystical and
taginative features that mark the mythology of Polynesia; the
and also which less than any other of the group was dazzled by
5 glamour of royalty and enslaved by the theory of the divine birth
kings.

He Mele no Kane

He fi-i, he iiinau :
E ti-i aku ana an ia oe,
Aia i-h^a ka wai a Kane?
Aia i ka hikina a ka La,
5 Puka i Hae-hae;«

Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E ti-i aku ana an ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i Kau-lana-ka-la,&
10 I ka pae opua i ke kai,*^
Ea mai ana ma Nihoa,**

Hae-hae. Heaven'R eastern gate ; the portal in the solid walls that supported the heav-
j dome, through which the sun entered in the morning.

' Kau-Jana-ka-la. When the setting sun, perhaps by an optical illusion drawn out into a
itlike form, appeared to be floating on the surface of the ocean, the Hawalians named
' phenomenon Kau-lana-ka-la — the floating of the sun. Their fondness for personlflca-
Q showed Itself in the final conversion of this phrase into something like a proper name,
Ich they applied to the locality of the phenomenon.

' Pae opua i ke kai. Another Instance of name-giving, applied to the bright clouds that
m to rest on the horizon, especially to the west.

* Xihoa (Bird island). This small rock to the northwest of Kauai, though far below the
izon, is here spoken of as if it were in sight.

25352— Bull. 38—09 17 257

258 bure;au of American ethnology [blll.88^

Ma. ka mole mai o L^ua;
Ala i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E (&-i akD ana aii ia oe,
15 Aia i-hea ka Wal a Kane?

Aia i ke koa-hiwl, i ke koa-lono^
I ke awfiwa^ i ke kaha-wai ;
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E t'i akn ana an ia oe,
20 Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?

Aia i-kai, i ka moana,

I ke Koa-lan, i ke annenue,

I ka punohu.^ i ka ua-koko,^

I ka alewa-lewa;
25 Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E d-i akn ana an ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i-lnna ka Wai a Kane,
I ke ouli, i ke ao eleele,
30 I ke ao pano-pano,

I ke ao popolo-hna mea a Kane la, e !
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E (i-i akn ana an ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
35 Aia i-lalo, i ka honua, i ka Wai hu,
I ka wai kau a Kane me Kanaloa — ^
He wai-puna, he wal e inu,
He wai e mana, he wai e ola.
E ola no, e-a!

[Translation]
The Water of Kane

A query, a question,
T put to you :

Where is the water of Kane?
At the Eastern Gate
5 Where the Sun comes in at Haehae;
There is the water of Kane.

A question I ask of you :
Wliere is the water of Kane?
Out there with the floating Sun,

" Punohu. A rod luminous cloud, or a halo, regarded as an omen portending some sacre<l
and Important ovont.

" I a-koko. Literally bloody rain, a term applied to a rainbow when lying near the
ground, or to a frcshot-stroam swollen with the red muddy water from the wash of the
hillsides. Tliese wore important omons, claimed as marking the birth of tabu chiefs.

'' Wai kau a Kane mc Kanaloa. Once when Kane and Kanaloa were journeying together
Kanaloa complained of thirst. Kane thrust his staflP into the pall near at hand, and out
flowed a stream of pure water that has continued to the present day. The place is at
Ivcanae, Maul.

tERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 259

10 Where cloud-forms rest on Ocean's breast,
Uplifting their forms at Nihoa,
This side the base of Lehua ;
There is the water of Kane.

One question I put to you :
15 Where is the water of Kane?

Yonder on mountain peak,

On the ridges steep,

In the valleys deep.

Where the rivers sweep;
20 There is the water of Kane.

This question I ask of you :
Where, pray, is the water of Kane?
Yonder, at sea, on the ocean,
In the driving rain,
i:r> In the heavenly bow,

In the piled-up mist-wraith.
In the blood-red rainfall,
In the ghost-pale cloud-form;
There is the water of Kane.

30 One question I put to you :

Where, where is the water of Kane?

Up on high is the water of Kane,

In the heavenly blue,

In the black piled cloud,
35 In the black-black cloud.

In the black-mottled sacred cloud of the gods;

There is the water of Kane.

One question I ask of you :
•Where flows the water of Kane?
40 Deep in the ground, in the gushing spring.

In the ducts of Kane and Loa,

A well-spring of water, to quaff,

A water of magic iiower —

The water of life!
45 Life ! O give us this life I

XLII.— GENERAL REVIEW

In ihi< preliminary excursion into the wilderness of Hawaiian lit-
erature we have covered but a >inall part of the field ; we have reached
no definite Uiundarie^: followed no stream to its fountain head;
gaine<l no hi^h jxiint of vantage, from which to survey the whole.
It was indet^l cmt^ide the purpo>e of this book to make a delimita-
tion of the whole field of Hawaiian literature and to mark out its
relations to the formulated thoughts of the world.

Certain provi>ional conclusions, however, are clearly indicated:
that this unwritten >peech- literature is but a peninsula, a semide-
tached, outlying division of the Polynesian, with which it has much
in conunon, the whole running back through the same lines of an-
cestry to the people of Asia. There still lurk in the subliminal con-
soiou>ne-^^ of the race, as it were, vague memories of things that long
ago parsed from sight and knowledge. Such, for instance, was the
mo'o: a word that to the Hawaiian meant a nondescript reptile, which
his imagination vaguely pictured, sometimes as a dragonlike monster
belching fire like a chimera of mytholog\% or swimming the ocean
like a sea-serpent, or multiplied into a manifold piestilential swarm
infesting the wilderness, conceived of as gifted with superhuman
|)Owers and always as the malignant foe of mankind. Xow the only
Hawaiian representatives of the reptilian class were two species of
harmless lizards, so that it is not conceivable that the Hawaiian notion
of a mo'o was derived from objects present in his island home. The
Avord mo'^o may have been a coinage of the Hawaiian speech-
center, but the thing it stood for must have been an actual existence,
like the python and cobra of India, or the pterodactyl of a past
geologic period. May we not think of it as an ancestral 'memory, an
impress, of Asiatic sights and experiences?

In this connection, it will not, perhaps, lead us too far afield, to
remark that in the Hawaiian speech we find the chisel-marks of
Hindu and of Aryan scoring deep-graven. For instance, the Ha-
waiian word /;«?/, cliff or precipice, is the very word that Young-
husband — following, no doubt, the native speech of the region, the
Pamirs — applies to the mountain-walls that buttress off Tibet and
the central plateaus of Asia from northern India. Again the Ha-
waiian word mele^ which we have used so often in these chapters as
to make it seem almost like a household word, corresponds in form,
in sound, and in meaning to the Greek ^iXo5: ra fiiXrf^ lync

260

■MJERSON] UNWKITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 261

poetry (Liddell and Scott). Again, take the Hawaiian word /'rt,
fish — ^Maori, ika; Malay, ikan; Java, iwa; Bouton, ikani (Edward
Tregear: The Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary). Do not
these words form a chain that links the Hawaiian form to the lxOv%
of classic Greece ? The subject is fascinating, but it would soon lead
us astray. These examples must suffice.

If we can not give a full account of the tangled woodland of Ha-
waiian literature, it is something to be able to report on its fruits
and the manner of men and beasts that dwelt therein. Are its fruits
good for food, or does the land we have explored bring forth only
poisonous reptiles and the deadly upas? Is it a land in which the
lery principles of art and of human nature are turned upside down ?
Its language the babble of Bander-log ?

This excursion into the jungle of Hawaiian literature should at
least impress us with the oneness of humanity; that its roots and
q)rings of action, and ours, draw their sustenance from one and the
same primeval mold ; that, however far back one may travel, he will
never come to a point where he can say this is " common or unclean ; ■'
80 that he may without defilement " kill and eat " of what the jungle
provides. The wonder is that they in Hawaii of the centuries past,
shut off by vast spaces of sea and land from our world, yet accom-
plished so much.

Test the ancient Hawaiians by our own weights and measures.
The result will not be to their discredit. In practical science, in
domestic arts, in religion, in morals, in the raw material of literature,
even in the finished article — though unwritten — the showing would
not be such as to give the superior race cause for self-gratulation.

Another lesson — a corollary to the above — is the debt of recogni-
tion we owe to the virtues and essential qualities of untutored human
nature itself. Imagine a portion of our own race cut off from the
thought-currents of the great world and stranded on the island-
specks of the great ocean, as the Polynesians have been for a period
of centuries that would count back to. the times of William the Con-
queror or Charlemagne, with only such outfit of the world's goods
as might survive a 3,000-mile voyage in frail canoes, reenforced by
such flotsam of the world's metallic stores as the tides of ocean might
diance to bring them — and, with such limited capital to start with
in life, what, should we judge, would have been the outcome of the
experiment in religion, in morals, in art, in mechanics, in civilization,
or in the production of materials for literature, as compared with
what the white man found in Hawaii at its discovery in the last
quarter of the eighteenth century ?

It were well to come to the study of primitive and savage ])eople,
of nature-folk, with a mind purged of the thanks-to-the-goodness-
and-the-grace spirit.

262 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [buix. 38

It will not do for us to brush aside contemptuously the notions
held by the Hawaiians in religion, cosmogony, and mjrthology as
mere heathen superstitions. If they were heathen, there was noth-
ing else for them to be. But even the heathen can claim the right
to be judged by their deeds^, not by their creeds. Measured by this
standard, the average heathen would not make a bad showing in
comparisfm with the average denizen of Christian lands. As to
beliefs, how much more defensible were the superstitions of our own
race two or three centuries ago, or of to-day, than those of the Ha-
waiians? How much less absurd and illogical were our notions of
cosmogony, of natural history: how much less beneficent, humane,
lovable the theology of the pagan Hawaiians than of our Christian
ancestors a few centuries ago if looked at from an ethical or practical
point of view. At the worst, the Hawaiian sacrificed the enemj^ he
took in battle on the altar of his gods; the Christian put to death
with exquisite torture those who disagreed with him in points of doc-
trine. And when it comes to morals, have not the heathen time and
again demonstrated their ability to give lessons in self-restraint to
their Christian invaders?

It is a matter of no small importance in the rating of a people to

take account of their disposition toward nature. If there has been

a failure to appreciate truly the mental attitude of the "savage,''

and especially of the Polynesian savage, the Hawaiian, toward the

book of truth that was open to him in nature, it is always in order

to correct it. That such a mistake has been made needs no further

proof than the perusal of the following passage in a book entitled

*' History of the Sandwich Islands : "

To the heathen the lMK»k of nature is a sealed book. Where the word of God
is not, the works of God fail either to excite admiration or to impart instruc-
tion. The Sandwich Islands present some of the sublimest scenery on earth,
hut to an ijoiorant native — to the great mass of the people in entire heathen-
ism — it has no meaning. As one crested billow after another of the heaving
ocean rolls in and dashes ui)on the unyielding rocks of an iron-bound coast,
which seems to say, ** Hitherto shalt thou come and no farther," the low-minded
heathen is merely thinking of the shellfish on the shore. As he looks up to
the everlasting mountains, girt with clouds and capped with snow, he betrays
no emotion. As he climbs a towering clifif, looks down a yawning precipice,
or abroad upon a forest of deep ravines, immense rocks, and spiral mountains
thrown together in the utmost wildness and confusion by the might of God's
volcanoes, he is only thinking of some roots in the wilderness that may be
good for food.

There is hardly a poem in this volume that does not show the utter
falsity of this view. The writer of the words quoted above, now in
his grave for more than sixty years, was a man for whose purity and
moral character one must entertain the highest esteem. He enjoyed
the very best opportunity to study the minds of the " heathen " about
him, to discern their thoughts, to learn at first hand their emotions

^uobsonI

tJKWBlTTEK LITERATURE OP HAWAII

263

{^toward the natural world, whether of admiration, awe, reverence,
:€r whether their attitude was that of blank indifference and absorp-
Iticm in selfish things. But he utterly failed to penetrate the mystery,
the " tmith and poetry," of the Hawaiian mind and heart. Was it
because he was tied to a false theology and a false theory of human
nature ? We are not called upon to answer this question. Let others
ly what was wrong in his standpoint. The object of this book is not
Mmtroversial ; but when a palpable injustice has been done, and is
persisted in by people of the purest motives, as to the thoughts, emo-
tions, and mental operations of the " savage," and as to the finer
workings within that constitute the furniture and sanctuary of heart
and soul, it is imperative to correct so grave a mistake ; and we may
be sore that he whose words have just been quoted, were he living to-
day, would acknowledge his error.

Though it is not the purpose of these pages to set forth in order
t treatise on the human nature of the " savage," or to make unneeded
ipology for the primitive and uncultured races of mankind in general,
« for the Hawaiian in particular, yet it is no small satisfaction to
be able to set in array evidence from the life and thoughts of the
stvages themselves that shall at least have a modifying influence
upwi our views on these points.

The poetry of ancient Hawaii evinces a deep and genuine love of
ntture, and a minute, affectionate, and untiring observation of her
moods, which it would be hard to find surpassed in any literature.
Her poets never tired of depicting nature; sometimes, indeed, their
art seems heaven-born. The mystery, beauty, and magnificence of the
island world appealed profoundly to their souls; in them the ancient
Hawaiian found the image of man the embodiment of Deity; and
their myriad moods and phases were for him an inexhaustible spring
of joy, refreshment, and delight.

GLOSSARY

The study of Hawaiian pronunciation is mainly a study of vowel
sounds and of accent. Each written vowel represents at least two
related sounds.

A (ah) has the Italian sound found in father, as in ha-le or in
La-ka; also a short sound like that of a in liable, tfS in ke-a-ke-a,
to contradict, or in a-ha, an assembly.

E (a) has the sound of long a in fate, or of e in pr^y, without the
i-glide that follows, as in the first syllable of P^-le, or of m^-a, a
thing; also the short sound of e in net, as in ^-ha, hurt, or in p^a, a
sail.

I (ee) has the long sound of i in p2que, or in pob'ce, as in ?'-li, skin,
or in h^'-la-h^-la, shame ; also the short sound of i in h^ll, as in H-hi,
border, and in ^-ki, small.

O (oh) has the long sound of o in note or in e>ld, without the u-
glide, as in IJ-a, long, or as in the first syllable of L(5-no; also a
short sound, which approximates to that sometimes erroneously given
to the vowel in coat, as in po-po, rotten, or as in lo-ko, a lake.

U (oo) has the long sound of u in rwle, as in hii-la, to dance; and
a short sound approximating to that of u in ft^U, as in mii-ku,
cut off.

Every Hawaiian syllable ends in a vowel. No attempt has been
made to indicate these differences of vowel sound. The only diacrit-
ical marks here employed are the acute accent for stressed syllables
and the apostrophe between two vowels to indicate the glottic closure
or interruption of sound (improperly sometimes called a guttural)
that prevents the two from coalescing.

In the seven diphthongs oe, at, ao, aw, ei^ ia^ and ua a delicate ear
will not fail to detect a coalescence of at least two sounds, thus prov-
ing them not to be mere digraphs.

In animated description or pathetic narrative, or in the effort to
convey the idea of length, or height, or depth, or immensity, the Ha-
waiian had a way of prolonging the vowel sounds of a word, as if
by so doing he could intimate the amplitude of his thought.

The letter w {way) represents two sounds, corresponding to our
w and our v. At the beginning of a word it has the sound of w {way) ,
retaining this even when the word has become compounded. This
is illustrated in TFai-a-lu-a (geographical name), and ii?a-ha
mouth. In the middle of a word, or after the first syllable, it

265

266

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[bull. 3S

almost always has the sound of v (vay)^ as in he-t^a (wrong), and
in E-u^a (geographical name). In ha-wB.-w& (awkward), the
compound word ha-wki (water-pipe) , and several others the w takes
the way sound.

The great majority of Hawaiian words are accented on the penult,
and in simple words of four or more syllables there is, as a rule, an
accent on the fourth and on the sixth syllables, counting back from
the final syllable, as in la-na-ki-la (victorious) and as in ho-o-ko-lo-
ko-lo (to try at law).

Aha (fL-ha) — ^a braided cord of sinet;
an assembly; a prayer or religious
service (note a, p. 20).

Ahaaina (d-ha-fti-na) — a feast.

At (ai, as in aisle) — vegetable food; to
eat ; an event in a game or contest
(p. 93).

Aird-lo (to eat in the presence of) —
tlie persons privileged to eat at an
alii's table.

Aiha'a (ai-lia'a) — a strained, bom-
bastic, guttural tone of voice in re-
citing a mele, in contrast to the style
termed ko'irhonua (pp. 80, 90).

Ailolo (ai-16-lo=to eat brains) — ^a
critical, ceremonial sacrifice, the con-
ditions of which must be met before
a novitiate can be admitted as a
practitioner of the hula as well as of
other skilled professions (pp. 15,
31, 34).

Aina (al-na) — the land; a meal (of
food).

Alii (a-li'i) — a chief; a person of
rank; a king.

Aloha (a-16-ha) — good will; affection;
love; a word of salutation.

Ami i^-mi) — to bend; a bodily mo-
tion used in the hula (note, p. 202).

Aniicnue (a-nti-e-nu-e) — a rainbow; a
waterfall in Hilo (p. 61, verse 13).

Ao (Ti-o) — dawn; daytime; the world;
a cloud (p. 196, verse 7).

Auniakua (ati-ma-ku-a) — an ancestral
god (p. 23).

Awa (a-va) — bitter; sour; the sopo-
rific root of the Piper methystieum
(p. 130).

Ekaha (e-kfiha) — the nidus fern, by
the Hawaiians sometimes called ka
hoe a Maivi, Mawi's paddle, from
the shape of its leaves (p. 19).

Haena (Ha-4-na) — ^a village on the
windward coast of Kauai, the home
of Lohiau, for whom Pele conceived
a passion in her dreams (p. 186).

Hala (lid-la) — a sin; a variety of the
"screw-pine" (Pandanus odoratissl-
mus, Hillebrand). Its drupe was
used in decoration, its leaves were
braided into mats, hats, bags, etc.

Halapepe (Jid-la-p^pe) — a tree used
in decorating the kuahu (Dracaena
aurea, Hillebrand) (p. 24).

Halau (ha-l^u — made of leaves) — ^a
canoe-shed; a hall consecrated to
the hula ; a sort of school of manual
arts or the art of combat (p. 14).

Hale (h^-le) — ^a house.

Hanai'kuahu ( ha-nai-ku-^Thu — altar-
feeder) — the daily renewal of the
offerings laid on the kuahu ; the
officer who performed this work
(p. 29).

Uanohano (hfi.-no-hfi-no) — shaving dig-
nity and wealth.

Ilau (how) — a tree whose light, tough
wood, strong fibrous bark, and muci-
laginous flowers have many uses
(Hibiscus tiliaceus).

Haumca (Hau-m^-a) — a mythological
character, the same as Papa (notec,
p. 126).

Heiau (hei-atj) — a temple.

Hiiaka (Hi'l-^-ka) — the youngest sis-
ter of Pele (p. 186).

Hilo (HMo) — to twist as in making
string; the first day in the month
when the new moon appears ; a town
and district in Hawaii (pp. 60, 61).

Holoku (h6-lo-kli) — a loose gown
resembling a " Mother Hubbard,"
much worn by the women of Hawaii.

EMEBSON]

UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII

267

Hoonoa (ho'o-n6-a) — ^to remove a
tabn; to make ceremonially free
(p. 126).

Hooulu (ho'o-ti-lu) — ^to cause to
grow; to inspire. (Verse 3, Pule
Kuahu, p. 20, and verse 1, Pule
Kuahu, p. 21.)

Hoopaa (ho'o-pfi'a) — the members of
a hula company who, as instrumen-
talists, remained stationary, not
moving in the dance (p. 28).

Uuikala ( hti-i-ka-la ) — to cleanse
ceremonially; to pardon (p. 15).

Hula (h(i-la), or int hulahula — to
dance, to make sport, to the accom-
paniment of music and song.

ra (i'a) — fish; a general term for
animal food or whatever relish
serves for the time in its place.

leie (1-e-I-e) — ^a tall woody climber
found in the wild woods, much used
in decoration (Freycinetiu arnotti,
p. 19).

Ilamuka (Ma-mti-ku) — a constable.

Ilima (i-ll-ma) — a woody shrub (Sida
fallax, Hillebrand) whose chrome-
yellow flowers were much used in
making wreaths (p. 56).

//to (i-lf-o) — a dog; a variety of hula
(p. 223).

Iwnu (X-mu), sometimes umu (ti-mu) —
a native oven, made by lining a hole
in the ground and arching it over
witb stones ( verse 3, Oil Pati, p. 51 ) .

Inoa. (i-n6-a) — a name. (See Mele
inoe.)

Jpo (1-po) — ^a lover; a sweetheart.

Ipoipo (I-po-I-po), hoipo (ho-I-po),
or hoipoipo (ho-I-po-I-po) — to make
love; to play the lover; sexual dal-
liance.

ipu (I-pu) — ^a general name for the
Cncurbitacese, and the dishes made
from them, as well as dishes of
coconut shell, wood, and stone; the
drum-like musical instrument made
from joining two calabashes (p.
73).

/ica (I-wa, pr. 1-va) — the number
nine; a large black sea-bird, prob-
ably a gull (p. 76).

Kahiki (Ka-hl-ki)— Tahiti; any for-
eign country (p. 17).

Kahiko (ka-hl-ko) — ancient; to ar-
ray ; to adorn.

Kahuna (ka - hti - na) — ^a priest; a
skilled craftsman. Every sort of
kahuna was at bottom and in some
regard a priest, his special dei>art-
ment being indicated by a qualifying
word, as kahuna anaana, sorcerer,
kahuna kalai tco*a, canoe-maker.

Kai (pr. kye) — the ocean; salty.
I'kai, to the ocean ; ma-kai, at the
ocean.

Kakaolelo (ka-kA-o-l§-lo) — one
skilled in language; a rhetorician;
a councilor (p. 08).

Kamapua'a (Ka-ma-pu-a*a) — liter-
ally the hog-child; the mythological
swine-god, whose story is connected
with that of Pele (p. 231).

Kanaka (ka-ud-ka) — a man; a com-
moner as opposed to the alii.
Kanaka (k(l-na-ka), men in gen-
eral; the human race. (Notice the
diflCereut accents;)

Kanaenac ( kd-uae-na^ ) — ^a propitia-
tory sacrifice; an intercession; a
part of a prayer (pp. 16, 20).

Kanaloa ( Kii-na-16-a ) — one of the
four major gods, represented as of
a dark complexion and of a malig-
nant disposition (p. 24).

Kane (Kfl-ne) — male; a husband;
one of the four major gods, rei)re-
sented as being a tall blond and of
a benevolent disi)osition (p. 24).

Kapa (kd-pa) — the pai)er-cloth of the
Polynesians, made from the fibrous
bark of many plants by i)Oundlng
with wooden beaters while kept
moist.

Kapo (Kd-po) — a goddess and patron
of the hula, sister of the poison-g<Hl,
Kalai-pahoa, and said to be mother
of Laka (pp. 25, 45).

Kapu (kd-pu) — a tabu; a religious
prohibition (pp. 30, 57).

Kau (Ka-n)— '»the milk;" a district
on the island of Hawaii.

Kawt'lc (ka-wMe) — a manner of can-
tillating in a distinct and natural
tone of voice; about the same as
ko'irhonua (p. 58).

Kihei (ki-h6i) — a robe of kaim worn
after the fashion of the Roman toga.

268

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[BULL. 38

Kit (kfl)— to fetch, to go after a
thing; an image, a picture, a mario-
nette; a variety of the hula (p. 91).

Kilauea (Ki-lau-4-a) — ^the great ac-
tive volcano of Hawaii.

Kini (Iti-ni)— the number 40,000; a
countless number. Kini Akua, a
host of active, often mischievous,
little folk in human form that
peopled the deep woods. They re-
sembled our elves and brownies, and
were esteemed as having godlike
powers (p. 21, note; p. 24).

Kilu (kl-lu) — ^a dish made by cutting
off obliquely the top of a coconut
or small gourd, which was used as
a sort of top in the game and dance
called kUu, (Hula kilu, p. 235.)

Ko — sugar-cane ; performed, accom-

plished. With the causative prefix

ho'Oy as in ho'oko (ho'o-k6), to

accomplish, to carry to success

(p. 30).

KoH (k6'i) — an ax, an adz; originally
a stone implement. (See mele be-
ginning KoH maka titii,.p. 228.)

KoH honua (ko'i ho-nti-a) — a com-
pound of the causative ko, i, to utter,
and honua, the earth; to recite or
cantillate in a quiet distinct tone, in
distinction from the stilted bom-
bastic manner termed ai-ha'a (p. 58).

Kokua-kumu (ko-kti-a-ku-mu) — the
assistant or deputy who took charge
of the halau in the absence of the
kumu-hula (p. 29).

Kolea (ko-le-a) — the plover; the name
of a hula (p. 219).

Kolohe (ko-16-he) — mischievous; rest-
less; lawless (note d, p. 194).

Kona (K6ua) — a southerly wind or
storm ; a district on the leeward side
of many of the islands.

Koolau (Ko'o-lau) — leaf-compeller ;
the windward side of an islaud ; the
name of a wind. (.1 Koolau tcau,
ike i ka ua, verse 1, p. 59.)

Ku — to stand; to rise up; to fit; a
division of land; one of the four
major gods who had many functions,
such as Ku-pulupulu, Ku-mokuhalii,
Ku-kaili-moku, etc. (Mele, Ku e,
nana e/ p. 223.)

Kuahu (ku-^-hu) — ^an altar; a rustic
stand constructed in the halau in
honor of the hula gods (p. 15).

Kuhai-inoana (Ku - hfii - mo - d - na) —
a shark-god (pp. 76, 77).

KuH (ku'l)— to smite; to beat; the
name of a hula (p. 250).

Kukui (ku-k(i-i)— a tree (Aleurites
moluccana) from the nuts of which
were made torches; a torch.
(Mahana lua na kukui a Lanikaula,
p. 130, note c.

Kumu-hula (kti-mu htila) — ^a teacher
and leader of the hula.

Kupee (ku-pe'e) — a bracelet; an
anklet (Mele Kupe'e, p. 49.)

Kupua (ku-pti-a) — a superhuman be-
ing; a wonder-worker; a wizard.

Ku-pulupulu (Kti-pti-lu-p(i-lfi) — Ku
the hairy; one of the forms of god
Ku, propitiated by canoe-makers
and hula folk (p. 24).

Laa (Wa) — consecrated; holy; de-
voted.

Laa-mai-Kahiki — A prince who
flourished some six or seven cen-
turies ago and voyaged to Kahiki
and back. He was an ardent patron
of the hula (p. 103).

Lama (Id-ma) — a torch; a beautiful
tree (Maba sandwicensis, Hille-
brand) having fine-grained whitish
wood that was much used for sacred
purposes (p. 23).

Lanai (la-n&i) — ^a shed or veranda;
an open part of a house covered only
by a roof.

Lanai (La-na*i)— the small island ly-
ing southwest of Maui.

Lani (M-ni) — the sky; the heaven or
the heavens; a prince or king;
.heaven-born (pp. 81, 82).

Lehua (le-hti-a) — a forest tree (Me-
trosideros polymorpha) whose beau-
tiful scarlet or salmon-colored
flowers were much used in decora-
tion (Pule Hoo-noa, p. 126).

Lei (lei: both vowels are sounded,
the / slightly) — a wreath of flowers,
of leaves, feathers, beads, or shells
(p. 56).

Liloa (Li-16-a) — an ancient king of
Hawaii, the father of Umi (p. 131).

■XEBSON]

UNWRITTEN LITEBATUBE OF HAWAII

269

Lohiau (L6-lii-&u) — the prince of
Haena, with whom Pele became
enamored in her dreams (p. 186).
Ta>Io (16-10)— the brain (p. 34).
Lono (Li6-no) — one of the four major

gods of Hawaii (p. 24).
Luau (lu-ad) — greens made by cook-
ing young taro leaves; in modern
times a term applied to a Hawaiian
feast.
Mahele (ma-h^le) — ^to divide; a divi-
sion of a mele ; a canto ; a part of a
song-service (p. 58).
Mahiole (ma-hi-6-le) — a helmet or
war-cap, a style of hair-cutting in
imitation of the same (p. 91).
Mahuna (ma-hti-na) — a small parti-
cle; a fine scale; a variety of deli-
cate kapa ; the desquamation of the
skin resulting from habitual awa-
drinking.
Uakalii ( Mfi-ka-li'i ) —small eyes ;
small, fine; the Pleiades (p. 216 and
note on p. 218).
J/oIo (m&-lo) — a loin-cloth worn es-
pecially by men. (Verses 3, 4, 5, 6
of mele on p. 36).

Mano (ma-n6) — a shark; a variety of
hula (p. 221).

Hauna (milu-na) — a mountain. A
word possibly of Spanish origin.

J/e/c (m^le) — a i)oem; a song; to
chant ; to sing.

1/de inoa — a name-song; a eulogy

(pp. 27, 37).
Mele kaMa (ka-h<»a=to call) — a pass-
word by which one gained admis-
sion to the halau (pp. 38, 41).

J/oo (m6'o) — ^a reptile: a dragon; a
raythologic monster (p. 200).

Muumuu (mu'u-mu'u) — an under gar-
ment worn by women ; a shift ; a
chemise; a i>erson niainuHl of hand
or foot; the name of a hula (p. 212).

Saulu (nfiu-lu) — name of the sea-
breeze at Wainioa, Kauai, la nn-
M/i/=a heavy local rain (pp. 110,
112).

yoa (n6-a) ^-ceremonially free; unre-
strained by tabu (p. 126).

.Yowi (n6-ni)— a dy(»-plant (Morinda
eitrifolia) whos4» fruit was somt^
times eaten.

Kuuanu (Nu*u-ft-nu) a valley back of
Honolulu that leads to the " Pali."

Ohe (6-he) — bamboo; a flute; a vari-
ety of the hula (pp. 135, 145).

Ohelo (o-h6-lo) — an edible berry that
grows at high altitudes; to reach
out; to stretch; a variety of the
hula (p. 233).

Ohia (o-hi'a) — a name in some places
applied to the lehua (q. v.), more
generally the name of a fruit tree,
the "mountain apple" (Eugenia
malaccensis).

Olapa (o-lil-pa) — those members of a
hula company who moved in the
dance, as distinguished from the
hoopaa, q. v., who sat and cantil-
lated or played on some instrument
(p. 28).

on (6-li)— a song; a lyric; to sing or
chant (p. 254).

OZio7i— Joyful.

Olohc (o-16-he) — an expert in the
hula ; one who has passed the ailolo
test and has also had much experi-
ence (p. 32).

Oo (0-6) — a spade; an agricultural
implement, patterned after the
whale spado (p. 85) ; a blackbird,
one of th()S(» that furnished the
golden-yellow feathers for the Hhu-
nla\ or feather cloak.

Pacpae (pae-pile) — a prop; a support;
the assistant to the po'o-pua'a (p.
20).

Pahu (pil-hu) — a box; a drum; a
landmark ; to thrust, said of a si)ear
(pp. 103. 138).

Pale (i)ii-Ie) — a division; a canto of
a mele; a division of the song serv-
ice in a hula i)erformance (pp. 58,
80).

Pali (pA-li) — a precipice; a mountain
wall cut up with steep ravines.
(Mele (m pp. 51-5,3, verses 4. 5, 8, 16,
17, 27, 49.)

Papa (pA-pa) — a board; the plane of

the earth's surface; a mythological
character, the wife of Wakea.
Pa-n (pa-(i) — a skirt; a garment worn
by women reaching from the waist
to al)out the kni»es (p. 50). The
dress of the hula performer (p. 40),
Oil Pa-a (p. 51),

270

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY

[BCLL. 38

Priv (P^le)— tlie goddeiw of the vol-
cano and of Toloanoen generally, who
held court at the crater of Kllaoea.
on Hawaii; a variety* of the hula
(p. 186).

Pikai (pl-kAl)— to asperse with sea-
water mixed, perhafm, with turmeric,
etc., H8 In ceremonial cleansing (p.
31).

Poit-puaa (|M>*o-pu-a*a)— Boards head;
the one selei*ted by the pupils In a
H(*b<M)l of the hula to be their agent
and mouthpiece <p. 29).

Pua*a (pu-a'a)— a pig; the name of a
Iniln (p. 22S).

Puka (p(l-ka) — a hole, a doorway, to
imss through.

Pulv (pO-le) — a prayer; an incanta-
tion ; to pray.

Pulou (pu-lo*u)— to muffle; to cover
the hoiul and face (p. til),

Puniu (pu-nf-u) — a coconut shell; a
small drum made from the coconut

Puniu — Continued,
shell (p. 141) ; a derisive epithet for
the human headpiece.

Ti, or ki — a plant (Draoena termi-
nalis) that has large smooth green
leaves used for wrapping food and
hi decoration. Its fleshy root be-
comes syrupy when cooked (p. 44).

Uka {iX'ka.) — landward or mountain-
ward.

Uku-lele ((i-ku-16-le) — a flea; a* sort
of guitar introduced by the Portu-
guese.

Uniki (u-nl-ki)— the d^but or the first

public i)erformance of a hula actor.

( \'er8e 21 of mele on p. 17. )
Waa (w&'a) — a canoe.
Wahitw (wa-hl-ne) — ^a female; a

woman ; a wife.
Wai — water.
Waialeale ( Wal-ft-le-fi-le) — billowy

water; the central mountain on the

island of Kauai (p. 106).

INDEX

[Note. — All Hawaiian words, as such (except catch words), are italicized.]

Page

Aala kupukupu: mele kupe^e 49

A EULOGY for the princess: song for the hula_ huH Molokai 209

A Hamakua au: mele for the hula kaekeeke 122

A HiLO au, e: mele for the hula paH-umauma 203

AiA I Wai'pi*o PaJca^alana: old m£le set to music VIII 162

Ai-ha'a, a style of recitation 58

Aiix)LO OFFERING, at graduation from the school of the halau 32

eating of 34

inspection of 33

A KA.UAI, a he olewa iluna: w^le for the hula Pele 189

A KE KUAHiwi: a hanaenae to Laka 16

A Koa'e-kea: m£le for the hula ala^a-papa 67

A KooLAU WAu: mele for the hula ala*a-papa 59

A LALo mauxi o Waipi^o: mele for the hula iliili. 120

Alas, alas, maimed are my hands!: lament of Mana-mana-ia-kaluea 212

Alas, I am seized by the shark: song for the hula mano 222

Alas, there's no stay to the smoke!: song for the hula Pele 195

Aloha na hale o makou: mele homo, welcome to the halau 39

Aloha vxile oe: song with music IX 164

Altar-prayer —

at ailolo inspection: Laka sits in her shady grove 34

at ailolo service: O goddess Laka! 34

in prose speech: E ola id'u^ % ha maliJiini 46

Invoke we now the four thousand 22

Thou art Laka 42

to Kane and Kapo: Now Kane, approach 45

to Laka: Here am I, O Laka from the mountains 20

to Laka: This my wish 43

to Laka: This spoil and rape of the wildwood 19

Altar, visible abode of the deitv 15

A MACKEREL SKY, time for foul weather: song for the hula ala'a-papa 70

Ami, not a motion of lewd intent 210

Amusements in Hawaii communal 13

Anklet song: Fragrant the grasses 49

AoLE AU E HELE ha Wu-la o Mand: mele for the hula pa-ipu 79

AoLE E MAO ka ohu: mele for the hula Pele 195

AoLE I MANAO lA : mele for the hula uli-uli 108

A Piu, a pili: mele for the hula hoonand 244

A pit lies (far) to the East: song for the hula pa-ipu 86

A PLOVER at the full of the sea: song for the hula kolea 220

A PUA ka vriliwili: a bit of folk-lore (note) 221

271

272 INDEX

I

Page ;

A Puna au: mele for the hula pahu 104 \

A SEARCH for a sweetheart: song for the hula ulili 247 j

Aspersion in ceremonial purification .- 15 ■

Assonance by word-repetition 227 \

A STORM from the sea: song for the hula pa-ipu 78 i

At Hilo I rendezvoused with the lehua: song for the hula pa^i-umauma 203

Attitude of the Hawaiian toward —

nature 26?

song 159

the gods 225

At Wailua stands the main house-post: song for the hula PeU 19?

AuHEA wale oe^ e ha Makani Inu-wai?: mele for the hula uli-uli 110

Auwe, auwBy mo* ku*u limal: lament of Mana-mana-ia-kaluea 212

AuwE, pau au i ka mxino nui, e\: mele for the hula mano 221

A uwEUWE ke ko'e a ke kae: m^le oli in the game of kilu 24$

AwA DEBAUCH of Kane 131

A wiLiwiLi i ka hale o ka laumli^ e: a proverbial saying (note) 55

Ax OP BROADEST EDGE I'm Mght: song for the hula pua^a 23^

Bamboo rattle, the puili 144

Bedeck now the board for the feast: song-prayer for the hula PeU 200

Begotten were the gods of graded rank: song of cosmology (note) 196

Behold Ka.una, that sprite of windy Ka-ii: song for the hula Pele 19r.

Big with child is the princess Ku: song for the hula pa-ipu 81

Bit op polk-lore : A pua ka wiliwili (note) 221(

When flowers the wiliwili (note) 221

Black crabs are climbing: song for the hula mu'umu^u 214

Bloom of lehua on altar piled: prayer to remove tabu at intermission 127

Blow, blow, thou wind of Ililo! : old sea song (note) 65

Burst of smoke from the pit: song for the hula pa-ipu 89

Cadence in music 140

Calabash hulas 102

Call to the man to come in: song of welcome to the halau 41

Castanets '. 147

Ceremonial cleansing in the halau 30

Cipher speech 97

Clothing or covering, illustrated by gesture 178

Coconut drum, puniu 141

Come now, Manono: song for the hula pa'i-umauma 204

Come up to the wildwood, come: song for the hula ohe 136

Comrade mine in the robe-stripping gusts of Lalau: song for the hula kilu 241

Conventional gestuueh - - - 180, 182

Costume of the hula dancer 49

Court of the alii the recruiting ground for huhi performers 27

Cults of the hula folk — were there two? 47

Dance, a premeditated affair in Hawaii 13

David Malo, hulas mentioned by 107

Death, represented by gesture 178

Debut of a hxda performer 35

Debut-song of a hula performer: Ka nalu nui, a ku hi nalu n:ai Kona 35

Decorations of the kuahu — the choice limited 19

Dismissing prayer at intermission: Doomed sacrifice 1 129

INDEX 273

Page

Dispensation granted to pupils before graduation from the halau 33

Divisions of mele recitation in the hula 58

Doomed sacrifice I : dismissing prayer at intermission 129

Dressing song of hula girls: Ku ha punohu ula 55

Drum —

description of 140

introduced by La'a-mai-Kahiki 141

Drum hula, the ! 103

E ALA, e Kahiti-ku: mele for the hula Pele 196

B HEA i he handka e homo maloko (mele homo) : welcome to the halau 41

E HOOPONO ha hele: mele apropos of Nihi-aumoe 94

E HOOULU ana i Kini o he Ahua: altar-prayer 21

EiA KE KUKO, ha Wa: altar-prayer, to Laka 43

k' AU, e Laka mai uha: altar-prayer 20

E IHO ana olunm: oracular utterance of Kapihe 99

E KAUKAU i hale mmiUy e: Toele for the hula kVi 99

A Laka, e!: mele huahu at ailolo service 34

E le'e kaukau: m^le for the hula hi'i 98

Eleele kaukau: mele for the hula hiH 97

Ellis, Rev. William —

his description of the '^hura ha-raau " 116

his remarks about the *'hura araapapa" 71

Elocution and rhythmic accent in Hawaiian song 158

£ Manono lay ea: m^le for the hula pa'i-umauma 204

Engulfed in heaven's abyss: song for the hula hilu 243

E OE MAUNA i ha ohu: mele for the hula Pele 194

E OLA ia'u, i ha malihini: altar-prayer, in prose speech 46

E pi' I iba nahele: mele for the hula ohe 135

E pi'i ha wax ha nahele: mele for the hula niau-kani 133

Efithalahium, m£le for the hula ki'i: Wanahili ka po loa ia Manuka 100

E ULU, e ulu: altar-prayer to the Kini Akua 46

Ewa's LAGOON is red with dirt: song for the hula pa-ipu 84

E Wewehi, ke, kel: mele for the hula kiH 94

Fable, Hawaiian love of Ill

Facial expression 179

Fame trumpets your conquests each day: song for the hula ku'i 253

Fbbt and legs in gesture 181

Fish-tree, Maka-lei (note) 17

Flowers acceptable for decoration 19

Fluctuating utterance in song, iH 158

Folk-lore, application of the term 114

Foreign influence on Hawaiian music 138, 163

Fragrant the grasses of high Kane-hoa: anklet song 49

From Kahiki came the woman, Pele: song for the hula Pele 188

From mountain retreat —

flong for the hula ala^a-papa 64

with music VII 157

Game of kilu 235

Game of NA-tj (note) 118

General review 260

25362— Bull. 38-09 18

274 INDEX

GekTUKE — Page

illiuitniting an obiitaclo 177

illustruting movement 178

influence<l by convention 180

inviting to com© in 179

mimetic 178

n^proHenting a plain 178

representing clothing o^ covering 178

repreitenting death 178

repretienting union or similarity 178

taught by the kumu-hula 176

with feet and legs 181

(Urd on the pa-v : tiring song 54

(iU)HHARY 266

(iLowiN(} is Kahiki, oh!: song for the hula pa-ipu 75

of health, Mauli-ola (note) 198

of mirage, Lima-loa (note) 79

(i()i>8, attitude of the Hawaiian toward the 225

Gods of the hula 23

(lOURO DRUM, ipu-hula 142

(lOURD-RATTLE, uU-uli 144

(iRADUATioN from the hahu

ailolo sacrament 32, 34

ceremonies of 31

tabu-lifting j)rayer: ( )h wildwo<Ml bouquet, oh Laka 32

H AKi pu o ka naJielehflc: altar-prayer to Laka 18

II AKU 'i ita uahi o ka lua : inele for the hula pa-ipu 88

IIalau

a school for the hula 30

ceremonies of graduation from 31

decorum required in 30

description of 14

its worship contrasted with that of the heiau 15

passwords to 38

purification of its site 14

rules of conduct while it is abuilding 15

worship in 42

Halau IIanalei i ka nini a ka ua\ an oli 155

Hale-ma'uma'u (note) 229

Hall for the hula. See Halau.

Hanalei is a hall for the dance in the pouring rain: a song 155

Hanau ke apapa nu^u: song of cosmology (note) 196

Haunt of white tropic bird: song for the hula aWa-papa 67

Hawaiian harp, the ukeke 147

Hawaiian love of fable Ill

Hawaiian musical instruments 138

Hawaiian music displaced by foreign 138

Hawaiian slang 98

Hawaiian song —

elocution and rhythmic accent 158

characteristics , , 170

INDEX 275

Hawahan song — Continued. Page

melody; rhythm 171

tone-intervals 158

Hawaiian speech, music affected by peculiarities of 139

Hawaii Ponoi (national hymn) with music XIV 172

Hawaii's Very Own: translation of national hymn 175

He ALA kai olohia: mele for the hula hi'i Molokai 207

Heaven magic fetch a Hilo pour: song for the hula ala^a-papa 66

He inoa no ka Lani: mele for the hula kuH Molokai 208

He inoa no KaTnehameha: song set to music VIII 162

He lua i ka hikina: mele for the hula pa-ipu 85

Here am I, O Laka from the mountains: altar-prayer to Laka 20

He ua la, he ua: m£le for the hula kolani 216

He u-i, he ninau: mele for Kane 257

HlIAKA —

her bathing place 190

in a kilu contest with Pele-ula 240

See Gods of the hula.

HiKi MAI, hiki max ka La, e\: mele iot the hula puili 114

Hi'u-o-lani, kit kauao Hilo: mele for the hula aWa-papa 65

HoAEAE explained 163

Hoe Puna i ka wa'a pololo a ka ino: mele for the hula ala*a-papa 70

HoiNAiNAU m£a ipo: mele for the hula aWa-papa 71

Hole Waimea i ka the a ka makani: mele for the hula ala^a-papa 68

Ho! mountain of vapor puffs: song for the hula Pele , 194

HoOLEHELEHE-KI*I 91

HooPA*A, a division of the hula performers 28, 57

HoopONO OE, he aina kai Waialua i ka haw. mele for hula aWa-papa 60

How PLEASED is the girl maimed of hand and foot: song of Hiiaka 212

How PLEASING, when borne by the tide : song for the hula kuH 252

HuAHUA*i: song with music X: lie aloha wau ia oe 166

Hula —

degeneration of 14

intermission of 126

support and organization 26

Hula ala*a-papa, the —

a religious service 11, 57

company — organization of 29

dancer's costume 49

democratic side of 26

remarks on, by Rev. W. Ellis 71

Hula hoonanA, the .» 244

Hula fLifLi, the 120

Hula ilio, the 223

Hula kaekeeke, the 122

Hula ka-laau • 116

its novel performance on Kauai 118

responsive chanting in 116

Hula kielei. the 210

Hula ki'i, the 91

Hula kilu, the 235

Hula kolani, the 216

Hula kolea, the 219

276 INDEX

Page

Hula koliu, the 246

Hula ku'i Molokai, the 207

Hula eu 'i, the 250

Hula ku6lo, the 73

Hula m an6, the 221

Hula mu'umu'u, the 212

Hula niau-kaki, the 132

Hula ohelo, the 233

Hula ohe, the 135

Hula o-niu, the 248

Hula pa-hua, the 183

Hula pahu, the 103

Hula pa-ipu, the 73

Hula pa'i-umauma, the 202

Hula PalAni, the (note ) 202

Hula Pele, the 186

Hula performance, influenced by instrument of accompaniment 113

Hula performers —

classes 28, 57

d^but 35

physique 57

Hula pua'a, the 228

Hula puili, the 113

Hulas —

calabash hulas 102

David Male's list of 107

first hula 8

gods of 23

of varying dignity and rank 57

See also Ilida and names of various hulas.

Hula songs — their source 58

Hula ulili, the 246

Hula Uu-uLf , the 107

" HuRA ka raau," description of, by Rev. William Ellis 116

I aloha ikeko a ha wai: mele for the hula kuH 251

I am smitten with spear of Kane: song for the hula pa-hua 184

Idyl, typical Hawaiian 217

I'l—

a fluctuating utterance in song 158

its vowel repetition 159

I kama'ama'a la i ha puxilei: inele pule for the hula Pele 199

Ike ia Kaukini : mele to Kaukini (note) 51

Ike ia KaunA-wahine, Mahani Ka-u: mele for the hula Pele 193

Iliili, castanets 147

III omen, words of, in m£le inoa 37

In Puna was I: song for the hula pahu 105

Intermission of hula 126

In the uplands, the darting flame-bird of La'a: password to the halau 41

Invitation to come in, by gesture 179

Invoke we now the Four Thousand: altar-prayer 22

In Waipi'o stands Paka'alana: name-song of Kamehameha 163

Ipu hula, gourd drum 58, 142

treatment of, in hula pa-ipu and in hula ald'a-papa 73

INDEX 277

Page

I 8PURN THE THOUGHT with disdain : song for the hula iili-tUi 109

It has come, it has come: song for the hula puili 114

It was in Hamakua: song for the hula kaekeeke 123

I WILL NOT CHASE the mirage of Mand: song for the hula pa^dpu 80

Kaekeeke, musical bamboo pipe 143

Kahea i ha mele 58

Ka-hiki-nui, auwahi ha makani: mele for the hula haeheehe 124

Ka-HIKI-nui, land of wind-driven smoke: song for the hula haeheehe 125

Kahcpa, na waiu olewa: mele for the hula paH-umxiuma 205

Kahuli aku, hahuli mai: meU apropos of the tree-shell 121

Eakua pa-u, ahu na hihepa: tiring song 51

Kalakalaihi, haha ha La ma he hua o Lehvxi: rnele for the hula hilu 238

Kalakaua, a great name: song for the hula ha-laau 117

Kalalau, pali ehu i ha makani'. mele for the hula hiH 101

Ka-liu-wa'a (note) 230

Ka.ma-pua'a, his relations with —

Kapo 25

Pele 231

Ka Mawae : song and music XI 167

Kamehameha II, song composed by 69

Ka-moho-aui (note) 229

Kanaenae to Laka: A he huahiwi, i he hudUmo 16

KA.NALOA. See Gods of the hula.

Kanaloa tints heaven with a blush: song for the hula hilu 242

Ka nalu nui, ahu ha nalu mai Kona: name-song to Naihe 35

Kane, hiki a'e, he maldma ia luna: altar-prayer to Kane and Kapo 44

Kane is drunken with awa: song for interlude 130

Kane's awa debauch 131

Kane. See Gods of the hula.
Kapo —

parentage and relations to the hula 47

relations with Kama-pua'a 25

See Gods of the hula.

Kauai, characteristics of its hula 119

Kauhua Ku, ha Laniy iloli ha mahu: mele for the hula pa-ipu 80

Kau ka ha-e-a, hau o ha hana wa ele: mele for the hula ala^a-papa 69

Ka uka holotKia ahi-manu o La^a: password to the halau 41

Kaulana mai nei Pua Lanahila: mele for the hula huH 252

Kaula wears the ocean as a wreath: wreath-song 56

Kaula wreathes her brow with the ocean: song of Mana-mana-ia-kaluea 213

Kau ulua i he anu Wai-aleale: mele for the hula pahu 105

Kauo pu ka iwa hala-paJie^£: mele for the hula pa-ipu 76

Ka wai opua-mahani o Wailua: an oli 255

Kawelo, a sorcerer who tiUTied shark (note) 79

Keaau is a long strip of wildwood : song for the hula ala'a-papa 62

Keaau shelters, Waiakea lies in the calm: song for the hula ala'a-papa 61

Ke amo la he hoH he Ahua la i uha: mele for the hula Pele 190

Keawe —

a name of many personalities (note) 74

the red blush of dawn: old song (note) 74

Ke lei mai la o Kaula i he hai, e-e! —

TTvele of ^lana-mana-ia-kaluea 212

wreath-song ^

278 INDEX

Page
Kb POHi. NEi; uHna la: mele for the hula o-niu 248

Ki'i-Ki'i 91

Ki*i NA KA ipo: mele for the hula ulili 246

KiLELEI, THE HULA 210

KiLU, a game and a hula 235

KiLU-coNTEST of Iliiaka with Pele-ula 240

Kino, Capt. James, on the xnuRic and dancing of the llawaiiami 149

King's wash-tubs 116

KiNi Akua, the 24,46

Ko'i-HONUA, a style of recitation 58, 89

Ko'i MAKA NUi: mele oli for the hula puaa 228

KoLEA KAi PiHA : m^U for the hula kolea 219

KoNA KAI OPUA, t kala i ha laH: meU for the hula ka-laau 117

KuAHU-SERVicE, not a rigid liturgy 21

KUAHU, THE 15. 32

Ku AKU LA Keaau, lele ha makani mauaho: m£le for the hula pa-ipu 77

KuA LOLOA Keadu i ka nahele: m^le for the hula ala'a-papa 62

Ku, A MARIONETTE 91

Ku E, NAN A E ! : mele for the hula ilio 223

Ku I Wailua ka pou hale: mele for the hula Pele 191

Ku KA MAKAIA a ka huaka*i moe ipo : dismissing prayer at intermission 129

Ku KA PUNOHU ula i ka moana: girl's dressing Bong 55

KuKULU o Kahiki (note) 17

KuMU-HULA, a position open to all 15

KuMUKAHi, myth (note) 197

KuNiHi KA MAUNA t ka Za'i, e\ mele kahea, password to the halau 40

Ku OE Ko'u WAHi ohelo nei lay auwe^ auweV. mele for the hula ohelo 233

Ku PiLiKi'i Hanalei lehuay la: mele for the hula kielei 210

Ku-PULUPULU. See Gods of the hula.

Ku. See Gods of the hula.

Ku'u HOA MAI ka makani kuehu kapa o Kalalau: mele for the hula kilu 240

La'a-mai-Kahiki —

his connection with the nula pahu 103

introduces the drum, or pahu hula 141

Laau, a xylophone 144

Laka —

a block of wood her special symbol 20, 23

adulatory prayer to 18

a friend of the Pele family 24

aumakua of the hula 23

compared with the gods of classic Greece 24

emanation origin 48

epithets and appellations of 24

invoked as god of wildwood growths 24

special god of the hula 24

versus Kapo 47

wreathing her emblem 34

Laka sits in her shady grove: altar-prayer 34

Lament of Mana-mana-ia-kaluea — •

Alas, alas, maimed are my hands ! 212

Auw€j auwey mo^ ku^u lima ! 212

Lau lehua punoni ula ke kai o Kona : mele for the hula pa-ipu 75

INDEX 279

Page

X^EAF OP LEHUA and noni-tint, the Kona sea: song for the hula pa-ipu 76

11«E*A WALE ^01 ha wahine Uma-lima ole, wawae ole: mele of Hiiaka 212

liEHUA iluna: tabu-lifting prayer at intermission 126

Xeub Mahu'i-lani a luna: a tiring song 56

Xet*s worship now the bird-cage: song for the hula kiH 99

XiiFT Mahu'i-lani on high : tiring song 56

XiKE NO A like : song with music XII 168

Ltma-loa, god of mirage (note) 79

X^rxERALiSM IN TRANSLATION vorsus fidelity 88

LrruRGY OP kuahu not rigid 21

X-fi'uLi'u ALOHA ia'u mele kahea: password to the halau 39

IxDNO, LONG have I tarried with love : password to the halau 39

LoNO, cult of 18

See Gods of the hula.

Look porth, god Ku, look forth : song for the hula ilio 225

X-,OOK NOW, Waialua, land clothed with ocean-mist : song for the hula ala'a-papa 60

i^OK TO YOUR WAYS in Upland Puna: song apropos of Nihi-aumoe 94

>, Pele's the god of my choice: song prayer for the hula Pele 199

)f THE rain, the rain: song for the hula kolani 217

>VE PAIN COMPELS to greet thee: song, "Cold breast,'' with music IX 165

►VE IS AT PLAY in the grove : song for the hula aWa-papa 71

)VE TOUSLED Waimea with shafts of the wind: song for the hula aWa-papa. 69

iYHic OR OLi: The wind-beaten stream of Wailua 256

iYRIC UTTERANCE 254-256

^Iahele or pale, divisions of a song 58

liAi KAHiKi ka wahine^ o Pele: mele for the hula Pele 187

Maile-lau-li'i 91

Maile-pakaha 91

Maka-ku 91

Maka-l^i, a mythical fish-tree (note) 17

Makali'i, the Pleiades (note) 17

Malua, fetch water of love: song for the hula puili 115

Malua, hVi wax ke aloha: mele for the hula puili 114

Mao wale % ka lani: mele for the hula kilu 243

Marionette hula 91

Masks not used in the halau 179

Mauli-ola, god of health (note) 198

Meles —

apropos of —

Elahuli, the tree-shell : Kahuli aku, kahuli mai 121

Keawe : Keawe ula-i-ka-lani (note) 74

Nihi-aumoe : E hoopono ka hele % ka uka o Puna 94

at d6but of hula performer: Ka nalu nui, a ku ka nalu mai Kona 35

for interlude : Ua ona o Kane i ka awa 130

for Kane : He u-i, he nindu 257

for the —

hula ala^a-papa —

A Koa^e-kettj i Pueo-hulu-nui 67

A Koolau waUj ike i ka ua 59

Hi^u-o-lanij kiH ka ua o Ililo 65

Hoe Puna i ka wa^a poldlo 70

Ho-ina-inau mea ipo i ka naheU 71

280 INDEX

Meles — Continued .
for the — Continued.

hula ala^a-papa — Continued.

Hole Waimea % ka the a ka makani

Hoopono 06, he aina kai Waialua i ka hcu

Kau ka ha-i-a, kau o ka hana wa ele

Ktui loloa Keaau i ka nahele

Noluna ka Hale-kai, no ka md'a-lewa

Pakd Kea-aUj lulu Wai-akea

hula hoonand: A pili, a pili

hula iliili: A lalo maua o WaijyVo

hvXa ilio: Ku €, nand e!

hula kaekeeke —

A Hamahua au..

Kahihi-nuiy auwahi ka makani

hvia ka-laau —

Kona kai opua % kala i ka Wi

KalakauMf he inoa

hula kielei Ku pilikiH Hanalei-lehua^ la

hula kiH —

E kauJcau i hale manu, e!

E le^e kaukau

Eleele kaukau

E Wewehiy ke^ke!...,

KalalaUf pali eku i ka makani

Pikdka Cy ka luna ke^ ke!

hula kilu —

Kdlakdlaihif kaha ka La ma ke kua o Lehua

Ku^u hoa m/ii ka makani kuehu-kapa o Kalalau..

Mao wale i ka lani

Pua ehu kamalena ka uka o Kapa^a ,

Ula KaWe-loa i ka lepo a ka makani

Via ka lani ia Kanaloa

hula kolani: He v^ la, he ua

hula kolea: Kolea kai piha

hula kuH —

/ aloha i ke ko a ka wai

Kaulana mm nei Pua Lanakila

hula kuH Molokai —

He ala kai olohia

He inoa no ka Lani

hula mano: Auwe! pau au i ka mano nui, e!

hula mu^umu^u: PiH ana a-ama

hula niau-kani: E pVi ka wai ka nahele

hula ohe: E pi' i ka nahele

hula ohelo: Ku oe ko^u wahi ohelo nei la, auwe, auwe! .

hula o-niu: Ke pohd nei ,u^ina la!

hula pahu —

A Puna au, i KukiH au, i Ha^eha'e

Kau lilua i ke anu Wai-aleale

Hilo oe, muliwai a ka uxi i ka lani

hula pa-hua: Pa au i kaih£ a Kane

INDEX 281

liELEs— Continued .
for the — Continued.

hula pa-ipu — Page

Aole au e hele ha Wu-la o Mand 79

HahuHkauahio ka liM 88

He lua % ha hikina 85

Kavhua Ku, ha Lani, iloli ka moJcu 80

KaiLO pu ka iwa kala-pahe' e 76

Ku aku la Kea-aii^ lele ka makani mawaho 77

Lau lehvja punoni ula ke kai o Kona 75

Ewa, aina kai ula i ka lepo .*. . 84

Ooe no paha ia^ e ka lau o ke aloha 82

Wela Kahiki, e! 73

hula paH-umauma —

A Eilo aUy 6, hoolulu ka lehwi 203

E Manono la^ ea 204

Kahipaj na waiu olewn ^ 205

hula Pele —

A Kauai, a ke olewa iluna 189

Aole e mao ka ohu 195

E alttj e Kahiki-ku 196

E oe mauna i ka ohu .194

/ kama^ama^a la i ka pua-lei 199

Ike ia Kaund-wahine, Makani Ka-u 193

Ke amo la ke Akua la i-uka 190

Ku i Wailua ka pou hale 191

Mai Kahiki ka Wahine, o Pele 187

Nou paha e, ka inoa 200

Pele la ko^u akuxi 198

hula puili — ^

Hiki mai, hiki mai ka La, e! 114

Malvxiy kVi wai ke aloha 114

hvia ulili: Ki'i na ka ipo 246

hula {lU-uU —

Aole i mana^o ia 108

AuJiea wale oe, e ka Makani Inu-nai? 110

inoa —

composition and criticism of 27

must contain no words of ill omen 37

their authors called ** the king's wash-tuba " 1 16

to Naihe: Ka nalu nui, a ku ka nalu mai Kona 85

in the hula, starting of 58

iahea, password to the halau —

Ka uka holo-kia ahi-manu o La'a 41

Kunihi ka mauna ikald'i, e '. 40

LVu-lVu aloha ia^u 39

^offio, welcome to the halau —

Aloha na hale o makou i makamaka ole 39

E hea i ke kanaka e komo maloko 41

*w^, altar-prayer —

E,Laka,e! 34

Noho ana Laka i ka ulu wehiwehi 33

282 INDEX

Meles— Continaed. Page

kupf'f, anklet flomt: Aaia tupukupu ta uka o Kanehoa 49

of Hiiaka: Le*a tcoU hoi ha vtUnifu limalima oU, wawae ole 212

of Mmnft-mana-ia-kaluea: Ke lei mai la o Kaula i he hat e-e! 212

o/i—

for the All/a pua'a: Ko'i maha nut 228

in the game of hilu: A uveuttf he ho'e a he hot' 240

^t to mu9io —

XI : A e ho'i he aloha i ha mawae 167

VI II : Aia i Waipi'o Paka'alana 162

IX : Alnha vale oe 164

VII : Halau Ilanalei i ha nini r J a ua 156

XIV: Hawaii ponoi' 172

X : He aloha uau iaoe 166

XIII: O ha ponaha ihoahe a^ 169

XII: Uaiiheuoallhe 168

t > Kaukini : The ia Kauhini^ he latraia manu ( note ) 51

Melody of Hawaiian song 170

Metrites it is tcu'. leaf plucked from Love's tree: son^^ for hula pa-ipu 83

Mimetic gesture 178

Mistaken' views about the Hawaiian^ 262

Misty and dim, a bush in the wilds of Kapa'a: Pong for huia I ih: 237

Motion, illustrated by gesture 178

Musical instruments 140

influence on a hula performance 113

the haeheehe 122

the pu-la-\ 147

the uhehe 149

Musical selections —

I : range of the noee-flute 146

II : from the nose-flute 146

III: the uM'i' as played by Keaonaloa 149

IV: song from the hula pa'i-umauma 153

V: song from the hula pa-ipu 153

VI : song from the hula Pele 154

VII : oli and tmle from the hula ala^a-papa 156

VIII : He inoa no Kamehameha 162

IX: song, Pali anuanu: Aloha wale cc 164

X : song, Hua-hiMi 166

XI : song, Ka Mawae 167

XII : song, Like no a Like 168

XIII: song, Pili-aoao 169

XIV: Hawaiian National Hymn, Hawaii Ponoi 172

Music and poetry, Hawaiian — their relation 161

Music op the Hawaiians 138-140

cadence 140

phrasing 140

rhythm 160

under foreign influences 163

vocal execution 139

Myth about Kumu-kahi (note) 197

Mythical shark, Papi'o (note) 206

Name-song op Kamehameha : In Waipio stands Pa ka'alana 163

of Naihe: The huge roller, roller that surges from Kona 36

INDEX 283

National hymn of Hawaii — Page

translation 175

withmuBicXIV 172

Na-u, a game (note) 118

NiAU-KANi, a musical instrument 132

Niheu^ mythological character (note) 194

NiHI-AUMOE 91

NoHO ANA Laka i ka ulu wehiweki: altar-prayer 33

NoLUNA ha hale kaij e ha ma^alewa —

Tfiele for the hula aWa-papa 63

mele with music VII 155

NoSE-FLUTE 135, 145

music from, II 146

remarks on, by Jennie Eisner 146

Nou PAHA E, ha inoa : mele for the hula Pele 200

Now FOR THE DANCE, dauce in accord: song for the hula ki'i 98

Now, Ka-Ne, approach, illumine the altar: altar-prayer to Kane and Kapo. . . 45

Now WRIGGLES THE WORM to its goal : soug in the game of hilu 240

Obstacle, an, illustrated by gesture 177

O EwA, aina hai ula i ha lepo: mele for the hula pa-ipu 84

O GODDESS Laka I : altar-prayer 34

Ohe hano-ihu, the nose-flute 135, 145, 146

O HiLO OE, HilOy muliwai ahauaiha lani: mele for the hula pchu 104

Oh Wewehi, la, la! : song for the hula hi'i 95

Oh wildwood bouquet, Oh Laka —

tabu-removing prayer at graduation 32

tabu-removing prayer at intermission 128

O KA.LAKAUA, he inoa: mele fox the hula ha-laau 117

O KA PONAHA iho a he ao: song with music XIII 169

O Keawe-ula-i-ka-lani: old mele apropos of Keawe (note) 74

O Laka oe : altar-prayer to Laka 42

Olapa, a division of hula performers 28, 57

Old sea song —

Blow, blow, thou wind of Hilo! (note) 65

Pa mm^ pa mai (note) 65

Old song : Keawe, the red blush of dawn (note) 74

Olelo huna, secret talk 97

Oli and mele —

dividing line between 254

from the hula ald'a-papa, music VII 156

Oli lei: Ke lei mai la o Kaula i he haij e! 56

Oli pa-u: Kahua pa-Uj ahu na hihepa 51

Oli, THE 234-256

illustration of: Ka wai opua-mahani o Wailua 255

Oli, with music VII : Halau Hanalei i ha nini ahaua 155

Olopana, a famous king (note) 74

MY LOVE goes out to thee: song with music X 167

OnE-BREATH PERFORMANCE 139

OoE NO PAHA lA, e ha lau o he aloha: m^le for the hula pa-ipu 82

Pele la ho^u ahua: mele for the hula Pele 198

Oracular utterance of Kapihe: E iho ana oluna 99

Organization of a hula company 29

Orthography of the Hawaiian language — influence of Rev. W. Ellis (note). . . 72

284 INDEX

Page

Outspreads now the dawn : song with music XIII 170

O Wanahili hapoloaia Manuka: mele for the hula ki'i 100

Pa AU I KA iA« a Kane: mele for the hula pa-hua 183

Pahu, the drum 140

Paku Keaau, lulu Waiakea: meU for the hula pa-hxia ...' 60

Pa MAI, pa mat: old sea song (note) 65

Papi*o, mythical shark (note) 206

Part-sinoino in Hawaii —

at the present time 152

in ancient times 1 50, 152

Password to the halau —

In the uplands, the darting flame-bird of La'a 41

Long, long have I tarried with love 39

Steep stands the mountain in calm 40

Pa-u halaka, the (note) 124

Pa-u song: Gird on the pa-ii, garment tucked in one side 54

Pa-u, the hula skirt 49

Peculiarities of Hawaiian speech, music affected by 139

Pele —

relations of, with Kama-pua'a .' 231

story of 186

Perilous, steep, is the climb to Hanalei wo(xis: song for the hula kielei 211

Phrasing in music 140

Physique of hula performers 57

Pi'i ANA a-Aha: mele for the hula mu'umu'u 213

PikAka, e, ka luna, ke, ke: m^le for the hula ki'i 96

Pillars of heaven's dome, Kukulu o Kahiki (note) 17

Pitching the tune 158

Plain, a, illustrated by gesture 178

Pleiades, the, MakaliH (note) 17

Poetry of ancient Hawaii r 161, 263

Point to a dark one: song for the hula ki'i 97

Poli anuanu, song with music IX : Aloha wale oe 164

Prayer of adulation to Laka: In the forests, on the ridges 18

Prayer op dismissal at intermisdon: Ku ka Tnakaia a ka huakaH moe ipo 129

Precious the gift of heart 's-ease: song for the hula kuH Molokai 208

Proverbial saying: Unstable the house 53

Pu-A, a whistle 146

PuA ehu kamalena ka uka o Kapa'a: mele for the hula kilu 237

Puapua-kea 91

PuiLi, a bamboo rattle 144

Pu-LA-f , a musical instrument 147

Pule hoonoa —

at graduation exercises: Pupu we^uwe'u e, Laka e! 31

at intermission : Lehua i-luna 126

to Laka: Pupu we'uwe'u e, Laka e! 128

Pule kuahu —

E hooulu ana % Kini o ke Akua, 21

Ei* aUj e Laka mai uka 20

in prose speech : E ola ia^u, i ka malihin i 46

to Kane and Kapo: Kane hiki a'c, he. maldma ia luna 44

to Laka: Eia ke kuko, ka Wa 43

to Laka: Haki pu o ka nahelehele 18

to Laka: Laka oe 42

•to the Kini Akua: E ulu, e ulu, Kini o ke Akua! 46

INDEX 285

Page

Puna plies paddle night-long in the stonn: song for hula aWa-papa 70

PuNCH-AND-JuDY SHOW and the hula hVi 91

Pu-Niu, coconut drum 141

Pupils op the halau — di8i)en8ation before graduation 33

Pupu-A-LENALENA, a famous dog 131

Pupu we'uwe'u e, Ixika e!: pule hoonoa —

at graduation 31

at intermission 128

Purification of the huh, company 15

of the site for the hahu 14

Range of the nose-flute 146

Recitation in the hula, style of 58

Red glows Kala'e through the wind-blown dust: song for the hula bilu 239

Reed-instrument, the ntau-kani 147

Relation of Hawaiian poetry and music 161

Religion in Hawaii somber .♦ 13

Responsive chanting in the huh. kn-laau 116

Return, O love, to the refuge: song with music XI 168

Rhythm in Hawaiian music 160, 171

Rules and penalties controlling a huh company 29

Rules op conduct during the building of a halau 15

Shark-god, Kawelo, a sorcerer (note j 79

She is limed, she is limed: song for the huh hoonand 245

Singing in ancient times — ^testimony of Capt. James Kin?' 149

Skirt for the huh, the pa-u 49

Slang among the Hawaiians 98

Song, Hawaiian attitude toward 159

See also Hawaiian song.
Songs —

apropos of Nihi-aumoe: Look to your ways in upland Puna 94

at the first huh 8

composed by Kamehameha II 69

divisions of 58

epithalamium, for the huh ki'i: Wanahili bides the whole night with

Manu'a 101

for interlude: Kane is drunken with awa 130

for the —

huh ah^a-papa —

A mackerel sky, time for foul weather 70

From mountain retreat and root- woven ladder 64

Haunt of white tropic-bird 67

Heaven-magic fetch a Hilo pour 66

Keaau is a long strip of wildwood 62

Keaau shelters, Waiakea lies in the calm 61

Look now, Waialua, land clothed with ocean mist 60

Love is at play in the grove 71

Love tousled Waimea with shafts of the wind 69

Puna plies paddle night-long in the storm 70

Twas in Koolau I met with the rain 59

huh hoonand: She is limed, she is limed 245

huh iliili: We twain were lodged in Waipi'o 120

hula ilio: Look forth, god Ku, look forth! 225

286 INDEX

SoNna -Continued.

fc»r the— Continued. Page.

hula kaekteke: It waa in Ilamakua 123

Kahiki-nui, land of wind-driven smoke 125

hula ka-laau: Kalakaua, a f^reat name 117

The cloud-pilofl o'er Kona's sea 118

hula kieUi: Perilous, steep is the climb to Ilanalei woods 211

hula tVi —

Let's worship now the bird-oago 99

Now for the dance 98

Oh Wewehi, la, la! 95

Point to a dark one 97

The mountain walls of Kalalau 102

The roof is a-dry, la, la! 96

hula kilu —

Comrade mine in the robe-stripping gusts of Lalau 241

Engulfed in heaven's abyss 243

Kanaloa tints heaven with a blush 242

Misty and dim, a bush in the wilds of Kapa'a 237

Red glows Kala'e through the wind-blown dust 239

The sun-furrow gleams at the back of I^hua 238

hula kolani: I^, the rain, the rain! 217

hula kolea: A plover at the full of the sea 220

hula ku'i —

Fame trumpets your conquests each day 253

How pleasing, when borne by the tide 252

hula ku'i Molokai —

A eulogy for the princess 209

Precious the gift of heart's ease! 208

hula mano* Alas, I am seized by the shark, great shark! 222

hula mu^umuhi: Black crabs are climbing 214

hula niau'kani: Vp to the streams in the wildwood 133

hula ohe: Come up to the w^ildwood, come 136

hula ohelo: Touched, thou art touched by my gesture 234

hula o-niu: The rustle and hum of spinning top 249

hula pahu —

In Puna was I, in Kiki'i, in Ha'e-ha'e 105

performers 103

Thou art Hilo, Hilo, flood-gate of heaven 104

Wai-aleale stands haughty and cold 106

hula pa-huxi: I am smitten with spear of Kane 184

hula pa-ipu —

A burst of smoke from the pit lifts to the skies 89

A pit lies (far) to the east 86

A storm from the sea strikes Ke-au 78

Big with child is the Princess Ku 81

Ewa's lagoon is red with dirt 84

Glowing is Kahiki, oh! 75

I will not chase the mirage of Mana 80

Leaf of lehua and noni-tint 76

Methinks it is you, leaf plucked from love's tree 83

The iwa flies heavy to nest in the brush 76

hula paH'Umauma —

At Hilo I rendezvoused with the lehua 203

Come now, Manono 204

Tis Kahipa, with pendulous breasts 206

INDEX 287

Songs — Continued.

for the — Continued. Page
hiUa Pele —

»

Alas, there's no stay to the smoke 195

At Wailua stands the main house-post 192

Bedeck now the board for the feast 200

Behold Kaund, that sprite of windy Ka-d 193

From Kahiki came the woman, Pele 188

Ho! mountain of vapor puffs! 194

Lo, Pele's the god of my choice 198

They bear the god's ax up the mountain 191

To Kauai, lifted in ether 189

With music VI 154

Yours, doubtless, this name 201

hula piLa^a: Ax of broadest edge I'm hight 230

hula puili —

It has come, it has come 114

Malua, fetch water of love 115

hula ulili: A search for a sweetheart 247

hula uli-uli — ^

I spurn the thought with disdain 109

Whence art thou, thirsty Wind? Ill

from the hula paH-umauma — music IV 153

in the game of hilu: Now wriggles the worm to its goal 240

of cosmology —

Begotten were the gods of graded rank (note) 196

Hanau ke apapa nu'u (note) 196

of Hiiaka : How pleased is the girl maimed of hand and foot 212

of Mana-mana-ia-kaluea : Kadla wreathes her brow with the ocean 213

of the tree-shell : Trill afar, trill a-near 121

of welcome to the halau: WTiat love to our cottage homes! 40

The Water of Kane : This question, this query 258

with music —

VII : Hanalei is a hall for the dance in the pouring rain 155

XIV: Hawaii's very own 175

VIII : In Waipi'o stands Paka'a-lana 163

IX: Love fain compels to greet thee 165

X: my love goes out to thee 167

XIII : Outspreads now the dawn 170

XI : Return, O love, to the refuge 168

XII : When the rain drums loud on the leaf 169

Source of hula songs ^ 58

Steep stands the mountain in calm: password to the halau 40

Stress-accent and rhythmic accent 158

Support and organization of the hula 26

Tabu, as a power in controlling a hula company 30

Tabu-removing prayer at intermission: Oh wild wood bouquet, O Laka! 128

Tempo in Hawaiian song 160

The cloud-piles o'er Kona's sea whet my joy: song for the hula kalaau 118

The huge roller, roller that surges from Kona: name-song to Naihe 36

The iwa flies heavy to nest in the brush: song for the hula pa-ipu 76

The mountain walls of Kalalau : song for the hula kVi 102

The rainbow stands red o'er the ocean: tiring song 55

The roof is a-dry, la, la!: song for the hula kiH 96

288 INDEX

The RU8TLE AND HUM of Hpinoiiig top: eong for the hula o-niu 249

The sun-purrow gleanu at the back of Lehua: eong for the hula hilu 238

The wind-beaten stream of Wailua: an oli or lyric 256

They bear the god's ax up the mountain: song for the hula Pele 191

This my wish, my burning desire: altar-prayer to Laka 43

This question, this quer>': song, The Water of Kane 258

This spoil and rape of the wild wood : altar-prayer to Laka 19

Thou art Hilo, Hilo, flood-gate of heaven: song for the hula pahu 104

Thou art Laka : altar-prayer to Laka 42

Thy blessing, Laka: altar-prayer in prose speech 47

Tiring song —

LeU Mahu^ilani a liina 56

Lift, Mahu'ilani, on high 56

The rainbow stands red o'er the ocean 55

'Tis Kahipa, with pendulous breasts: song for the hula pa'i-umauma 206

To Kauai, lifted in ether: song for the hula Pele 189

Tone-intervals in Hawaiian song 158

Touched, thou art touched by my gesture: song for the hula ohelo 234

Translation, literalism in, versus fidelity 88

Trill a-far, trill a-near: song of the tree-shell . . * 121

'TwAS IN Koolau I met with the rain: song for the hula aWa-papa 59

Ua ona o Kane i ka awa: mele for interlude 130

Ukeke, a Hawaiian harp 147

music of 149

Uku-lele and taro-patch fiddle, used in the hula hiH (note) 251

Ula Kala'e-loa I ka lepo a ha mahani: mele for the hula Hlu 239

Ula ka lani m Kanaloa : nule for the hula hilu 241

ULi-ULf , a musical instrument 107, 144

Union or similarity, illustrated by gesture 178

Vocal execution of Hawaiian music 139

Vowel-repetition in the I'l : 159

Wai-aleale stands haughty and cold : song for the hula pahu 106

Wanahili bides the whole night with Manu'a: (epithalamium) song for the

hula hi'i 101

Water of Kane, the : a song of Kane 257

Wela Kahiki, e!: mele for the hula pa-ipu 73

Welcome to the halau: Call, to the man to come in 41

We twain were lodged in Waipi'o: song for the hula iliili 120

What love to our cottage homes ! : song of welcome to the halau , 40

Whence art thou, thirsty Wind?: song for the hula Mi-uli. Ill

When flowers the wiliwili: a bit of folk-lore (note) 221

When the rain drums loud on the leaf: song with music XII 169

Word-repetition in poetry 54

for assonance : 227

Worship in the halau 42

contrasted with worship in the heiau 15

Wreathing the emblem of goddess Laka 34

Wreath-song : Kaula wears the ocean as a wreath 56

Xylophone, the laau 144

Yours, doubtless, this name: song for the hula Pele 201

o

iHMf

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