Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ka‘ahumanu Funeral

“Retaining her reason apparently to the last, as she descended into the dark valley, she sent back to us intelligible signals, to show us where her soul was resting and looking for aid.”

“A little before the power of utterance failed, she ejaculated meekly the language of the penitent, confiding soul, giving itself to Christ, as found in two lines of a Hawaiian hymn, which she valued …”

“… and which, with their context, indicated the humble, penitent, and believing posture of her soul, as she was about to present herself before him at the threshold of his heavenly temple. The fifth and sixth lines of what I here translate were audible:”

‘Now will I go to Jesus,
My Lord who pitied me,
And at his feet lie prostrate,
For there I cannot die;
Lo, here am I, O Jesus,
Grant me thy gracious smile:
But if, for sin, I perish,
Thy law is righteous still.’

“Perceiving herself to be dying, she called me; and as I took her cold hand in mine, she inquired, ‘Is this Bingham?’ I replied, ‘It is I.’ She turned her languid and friendly eyes upon me for the last time, and said, ‘I am going now.’”

“Her brother and sister, Adams and Hoapili-wahine, her husband’s children, Kīna‘u, Kauikeaouli, and Nāhi‘ena‘ena; her niece, Kekāuluohi, several members of the mission families, and others, looked and listened with intense interest as the dignified sufferer manifestly felt the cold waters of Jordan. “

“Giving her our Aloha, I bade her ‘Farewell – go in peace – lean on Jesus, and dwell with him forever.’”

“Breathing more and more faintly for ten or fifteen minutes, this ruling mother of the reformed nation fell asleep, no more to be affected by the applause or reproach of human breath. She died just before the dawn, June 5th, 1832.”

“As she rested from her labors, her relatives and attached attendants wept tenderly over their much loved friend, whose going in and out among them had now for ever ceased, and united in prayer to the Christian’s God; and when the morning rose, conveyed her body to her house at Honolulu.”

“Many attended, weeping. The nation felt the shock. None, perhaps, felt it more deeply than the missionaries, whose firmest helper had left them in the midst of their struggle, and who were overwhelmed at the thought that there was not a mortal on earth, who could then fill her place as a leader of her people.”

“At their convention, they immediately adopted the following minute: ‘Whereas God in his mysterious and holy-providence has seen fit to visit this nation by a deeply afflictive stroke, which has removed by death the Queen Regent, Elisabeth Kaahumanu …”

“… a distinguished reformer of her nation, a kind friend, and benefactress of the missionaries, a firm supporter of their cause, and faithful comforter of the brethren, and of the infant churches in these isles …”

“… in whom much confidence has been deservedly placed by the commercial, political, and Christian world, but especially by the people and missionaries of the Sandwich Islands:”

“Resolved, That the business of the general meeting be suspended till after her interment, that we may unitedly pay to her the last sad honors due to her remains, and that a funeral sermon be preached at each of the stations, as a tribute to her worth …”

“… and as a means of consolation to the afflicted people, and of furthering the cause of piety and national improvement, which was so dear to her heart from her conversion to her dying hour.’”

“Preparations being made, while the lamentations of the people were continued, a great concourse assembled in the afternoon of the 8th of June to attend her funeral.”

“Her remains, carefully enclosed in an appropriate coffin, covered with crimson velvet, and attended by a long procession of the relatives of the deceased, and other chiefs, residents, strangers, missionaries, members of churches, and others of the people …”

“… were conveyed from her house to the church that had been built under her auspices, and where she had dropped the tear of gratitude, penitence and joy, in the presence of the great congregation, when the Gospel of the dying and exalted Savior, whom she loved, had been proclaimed to her and her beloved people.”

“Some desired to hear the strains of martial music, but the king said his mother did not desire such things, and the missionaries preferred to move in silence.” (Hiram Bingham)

“The mournful exclamation repeated from mouth to mouth ‘Ua make Kaahumanu,’ Ka‘ahumanu is dead, had touched the hearts of all in Honolulu. Minute guns were discharged from the fort, and from vessels at anchor in the bay. On every flag-staff the colors were at half-mast.”

“All the natives expressed by some symbol of mourning their respect and affection for their deceased queen. By twelve o’clock, nine or ten thousand people had collected to pay the rites of burial.”

“The funeral procession moved with measured steps and with muffled drums from the late residence of Kaahumanu to the chapel. Several hundred native soldiers, dressed in becoming uniform, were present, and divided to the right and left …”

“… while, through the midst the coffin was borne by six pall-bearers, and was followed by near relatives, the missionaries, the English and American consuls, and a large portion of the natives and resident foreigners.”

“The discourse was preached by the Rev. Mr. Bingham, who, having been the religious counsellor of the late queen, was peculiarly qualified faithfully and feelingly to portray her character.”

“Tears coursed down his face as he described Kaahumanu’s renunciation of idolatry, her interest in the progress of knowledge and piety, her last illness and death. The whole assembly also wept, for Kaahumanu was respected and beloved by all.”

“The services being concluded, the procession moved from the chapel to the place where lie buried the deceased sovereigns, and where, also, were laid the remains of this island queen, to await the bright dawn of an endless day.” (Dix)

“The slow and solemn tolling of the bell struck on the pained ear as it had never done before In the Sandwich Islands. In other bereavements, after the Gospel took effect, we had not only had the care and promise of our heavenly Father, but a queen-mother remaining, whose force, integrity, and kindness, could be relied on still.”

“But words can but feebly express the emotions that struggled in the bosoms of some who counted themselves mourners in these solemn hours; while memory glanced back through her most singular history, and faith followed her course onward, far into the future.” (Hiram Bingham)

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Kaahumanu-(HerbKane)
Kaahumanu-(HerbKane)

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Did Missionaries Steal the Land?

“The popular theory that missionaries acquired land by dishonest practice is unsupported by facts.”

“A page-by-page research of all records of land conveyance in the Territory of Hawaii was made in order to determine the amount of land acquired by each individual member of the American Protestant Mission, the amount paid for it, and, in general, the disposition made of the property.”

“In most instances it is clear that these lands were disposed of for very nominal sums and that comparatively small areas were left by will to descendants.”

“The possession of land by foreigners in the sense of full individual title was always a disputed question. Such early foreign residents as John Young, Isaac Davis Don Francisco De Paula Marin occupied lands given them by the Great Kamehameha in the fullest sense of proprietorship then acknowledged.” (Hobbs)

Let’s look back …

“It being therefore fully established, that there are but three classes of persons having vested rights in the lands—1st, the Government, 2nd, the landlord (Chiefs and Konohiki,) and 3rd, the tenant (Makaʻāinana,) it next becomes necessary to ascertain the proportional rights of each.”

“Happily, evidence on this point is not wanting, though it may be the most difficult one to settle satisfactorily of any connected with land claims. The testimony elicited is of the best and highest kind.”

“It has been given immediately by a large number of persons, of a great variety of character, many of them old men, perfectly acquainted with the ancient usages of the country; some were landlords, and some were tenants.” (Land Commission Principles, adopted by Legislature October 26, 1846)

“The title of the Hawaiian government in the lands so acquired and so bona fide owned, as in the preceding sections set forth, shall be deemed in law to be allodial, subject to the previous vested rights of tenants and others, which shall not have been divested by their own acts, or by operation of law.” (Laws adopted 1846)

In 1848, King Kamehameha III responded to increasing economic pressure from foreigners who sought to control land by fundamentally changing the land tenure system to a westernized paper title system.

The lands were formally divided among the king and the chiefs, and the fee titles were recorded in the Māhele book. Lands granted in the Māhele were granted “subject to the rights of native tenants,” usually tenant farmers who already worked and resided on portions of those lands.

More than 240 of the highest-ranking Chiefs and Konohiki in the Kingdom joined Kamehameha III in this task. The first māhele, or division, of lands was signed on January 27, 1848; the last māhele was signed on March 7, 1848.

Each māhele was in effect a quitclaim agreement between the King and a Chief or Konohiki with reference to the lands in which they both claimed interests.

In 1850, a law was passed allowing maka‘ainana (the “native tenants”) to claim fee simple title to the lands they worked.

“The makaʻāinana were the planters and fishers who lived on (ma) the (ka) lands (‘āina;) the final na is a plural substantive.” (Handy) Or, they may be viewed as maka (eye) ‘āina (land) – ‘the eyes of the land.’ Pukui notes the name literally translates to ‘people that attend the land.’

Those who claimed their parcel(s) successfully acquired what is known as a kuleana. Of the 29,221 adult males in Hawaii in 1850 eligible to make land claims, only 8,205 makaʻāinana actually received kuleana awards. Their awards account for a combined 28,600 acres of kuleana lands—less than one percent of the Kingdom’s lands. (Garovoy)

The Kingdom looked to sell land to boost the economic opportunities in the Islands. “The need for agricultural products and the parallel problem of placing more lands under cultivation was again emphasized by the Minister of Finance in his report for 1848 …”

“‘There is little question if these islands ever become populous and wealthy, it must be by agriculture. … But I trust … that the
lands may, at no distant period, lie no longer unoccupied, or devoted solely to the sustenance of cattle and horses but dotted with enclosed and cultivated farms and pleasant dwellings.’”

“In 1849 the problem of getting additional land under cultivation was such that the Minister of Finance in his official report for the year made the following interesting proposal …”

“‘It is submitted to the consideration of the legislature whether the true interests of the country do not require the imposition of a small tax per acre upon all lands lying uncultivate or unused throughout the Kingdom. The lands are of no value whatever to the Kingdom and … they contribute nothing toward the support and maintenance of the government.’”

“The policy of disposing of public lands was, obviously, an attempt not only to enrich the economic life of the Kingdom but also to provide needed funds for the rapidly expanding departments of the new government.” (Hobbs)

At the same time that the Kingdom was addressing distribution of lands to the King, Chiefs and Makaʻāinana, they were also looking at land for the missionaries.

“Some conversation then took place on the expediency and policy of granting lands to Missionaries at a price cheaper than lands are disposed of to other parties.” (Privy Council Minutes, November 23, 1849)

In 1850, provision was made to permit foreigners equal privileges with Hawaiians; on July 10, 1850, the Hawaiian legislature passed ‘An Act To Abolish The Disabilities Of Aliens To Acquire And Convey Lands In Fee Simple’ (sometimes referred to as the Alien Land Ownership Act); it allowed: …

“That any alien, resident in the Hawaiian islands, may acquire and hold to himself, his heirs and assigns, a fee simple estate in any land of this kingdom, and may also convey the same by sale, gift, exchange, will or otherwise, to any Hawaiian subject, or to any alien, resident …” (Penal Code 1850)

At its August 19, 1850 Privy Council meeting, “Mr Wyllie brought forward & read a report of a committee appointed on the 29th April & powers enlarged on the 24th June to report respecting lands applied for by Missionaries.” The report was received and it was Resolved that it be left by the cabinet to publish when they see fit. The ‘Report on Missionary Lands’ was published in the Polynesian on May 7, 1852.

In part, that report notes, “The missionaries who have received and applied for lands have neither received and applied for them, without offering what they conceived to be a fair consideration for them.”

“So far as their applications have been granted, your Majesty’s government have dealt with them precisely as they have dealt with other applicants for land, that is, they have accepted the price where they considered it fair, and they have raised it where they considered it unfair. …”

“One of the undersigned strongly urged that consideration upon your majesty in Privy Council so far back as the 28th of May, 1847, recommending that a formal resolution should be passed, declaring the gratitude of the nation to the missionaries for the services they had performed, and making some provision for their children.”

“Your majesty’s late greatly lamented Minister of Public Instruction (and former missionary) Mr. Richards, with that disinterestedness which characterized him personally in all his worldly interests, was fearful that to moot such a question would throw obloquy upon the reverend body to which he had belonged, and hence to the day of his death, he abstained from moving it.”

“Neither has any missionary, or any one who had been connected with the mission, ever taken it up to this day; but the undersigned, who are neither missionaries, nor have ever been connected with them, hesitate not to declare to your majesty that it will remain, in all future history …”

“… a stain upon this Christian nation if the important services of the missionaries be not acknowledged in some unequivocal and substantial manner. This acknowledgment should not be a thing implied or secretly understood, but openly and publicly declared.” (Signed by RC Wyllie and Keoni Ana)

“Much has been said against sales of land to individuals of the American missionaries at low prices. But nothing can be more unreasonable and unjust.”

“It is well known that these parties are severing their connection with the Board in Boston with a determination to seek support for themselves and families on the Islands, that they return poor and in most cases with numerous children all born in the Islands …”

“It would then ill become the government to refuse to sell lands at moderate prices to retiring missionaries while it has confirmed grants of thousands of acres to others who never paid one dollar for it …” (Wyllie and Keoni Ana, 1850; Schulz, Hobbs)

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Na Mokupuni O Hawaii Nei-Kalama 1837
Na Mokupuni O Hawaii Nei-Kalama 1837

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Ka‘ahumanu’s Death

Almost 200 years ago, the American Protestant missionaries arrived in the Islands. Their leader was Reverend Hiram Bingham – Sybil … his wife of 2-weeks … joined him. They are my great-great-great grandparents.

They were preachers and teachers. It was important to them that Hawaiians had a personal experience reading the written “Word of the God of Heaven;” but back then, Hawaiian was only spoken, not written. That meant that each needed to learn to read.

So, Hiram and others developed an alphabet and formulated a written language, taught Hawaiians to be literate in their own language and translated the Bible for them to read. The missionaries learned the language, and were soon teaching their lessons in Hawaiian, rather than English.

As teaching expanded, the missionaries’ focus was on the Head, Heart and Hand. In addition to the rigorous academic drills (Head,) the schools provided religious and moral guidance (Heart,) and manual and vocational training (Hand.)

In collaboration with the aliʻi, Hiram and the other missionaries:
• Introduced Christianity to the Islands
• Created the written Hawaiian language and brought about widespread literacy
• Helped formulate a constitutional government
• Made Western medicine available, and
• Introduced a distinctive musical tradition with harmony and choral singing

About a year after Hiram arrived, Kaʻahumanu visited the mission and gave them supplies; it was the first time she showed interest in the teachings of the missionaries, and her first request for prayer. From that point on, Kaʻahumanu came into constant contact with the mission.

Hiram found a friend in Kaʻahumanu – she and other ali‘i visited often. In the wood frame house at Missions Houses, you can correctly say, “Kaʻahumanu slept here.”

A little side story on Hiram and Kaʻahumanu … shortly after arriving in the Islands, with a piece of driftwood, Hiram made a rocking chair for his wife – in describing it, Sybil said, “A box or trunk has been our only seat. My husband, I believe, was never a chair-maker before, but happy for me and the Mission family, that he is everything.”

On Sundays, the rocker was taken to the thatched Kawaiahaʻo church as a seat for Sybil, the pastor’s wife. Her wish was that when she died, she might be found in that chair … her wish was granted when she died in her rocker on February 27, 1848.

The rocker had its admirers, including Kaʻahumanu. She asked Hiram to make her one just like it – he did, it is one of the earliest known pieces of koa furniture in Hawaiʻi.

That was not the only gift Hiram gave Kaʻahumanu.

In 1825, Kaʻahumanu was baptized. Lucy Thurston noted, “She became distinguished for her humility, kindness and the affability of her deportment, regarded the missionaries as her own children, and treated them with the tenderness of maternal love.”

Lucy continued, “Her influence and authority had long been paramount and undisputed with the natives, and was now discreetly used for the benefit of the nation.”

In mid-1832, Kaʻahumanu became ill and was taken to her home in Mānoa. Hiram came to her bedside. “Her strength failed daily.”

Hiram noted, “About the last words she used were: ‘Here, here am I, O Jesus, … Grant me a gracious smile.’”

“A little after this she called (Hiram) to her and as (he) took her hand, she asked. ‘Is this Bingham?’ (He) replied, ‘It is I.’”

She finished, “‘I am going now.’” Hiram replied: “‘May Jesus go with you, go in peace.’”

Hiram noted, “The slow and solemn tolling of the bell struck on the pained ear as it had never done before in the Sandwich Islands.”

“In other bereavements, after the Gospel took effect, we had not only had the care and promise of our heavenly Father, but a queen-mother remaining, whose force, integrity, and kindness, could be relied on still.”

“But words can but feebly express the emotions that struggled in the bosoms of some who counted themselves mourners in those solemn hours; while memory glanced back through her most singular history, and faith followed her course onward far into the future.”

Her death took place at ten minutes past 3 o’clock on the morning of June 5, 1832, “after an illness of about 3 weeks in which she exhibited her unabated attachment to the Christian teachers and reliance on Christ, her Saviour.” (Hiram Bingham)

Hiram’s gift to Kaʻahumanu … and one that he shared with all Hawaiians across the Islands … was love … and hope … and guidance to the way of the Lord, salvation and eternal life.

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Kaahumanu,_retouched_image_by_J._J._Williams_after_Louis_Choris
Kaahumanu,_retouched_image_by_J._J._Williams_after_Louis_Choris

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

James Hunnewell

“James Hunnewell was early associated with the commercial interests of these islands, and his long and useful life was marked by such constant goodwill to my kingdom, That I shall always cherish his memory with sincere regard.”

“Although he was only removed in the fulness of time, I deeply sympathize with you in the loss of such a parent, but I congratulate you in the inheritance of such an honored name.” (King Kamehameha IV to Hunnewell’s son)

His Early Life

“A distinctly adventurous Boston group with which the Frothinghams intermarried was the Hunnewell family. Like the Frothinghams, the Hunnewells had much to do with Charlestown. … ‘Hunnewell’s Point’ on the western shore of the Kennebec River, not far south of Bath, Maine, was named. This ‘Point’ was the site of Lieutenant Richard Hunnewell’s garrison at the time of Benjamin Church’s expeditions against the Indians.” (Crawford)

“James Hunnewell was the youngest but one of the seven children of William and Sarah, and he it is who justifies our description of the Hunnewells as ‘adventurous.’ Before his time none of the family had been interested in a seafaring life, but he studied navigation with the distinct intention of journeying to distant countries”. (Crawford)

“As a boy, he was bright and active, of slight figure; at the age of fifteen years, when he first went to sea, weighing but ninety pounds. He was offered attractive situations in stores, but his decided predilection was for the sea.”

“His purpose to go to sea, however, was not prompted by a desire to be free from the parental restraints and the influences of home. He was not a wild, reckless youth, of a roving disposition. On the contrary, his affection for home and kindred was singularly strong.” (Seamen’s Friend)

Going to Sea

‘In early life, although none of my relatives, on either my father’s or mother’s side, had ever been to sea, I had a strong desire for a seafaring life, and, more than any other way, enjoyed being on board boats and vessels.’ (Hunnewell)

“In October, 1816, he started on his first voyage to the Pacific. On that voyage he visited California and the Sandwich Islands, and was absent from home two years.”

“(I)t was urged by some of the chiefs that knew me on my previous voyage that I should remain instead of a stranger to trade with them.” (Hunnewell) He traded his boat and cargo for sandalwood, “We were the only traders on shore at Honolulu that had any goods to sell.” There was no currency at the time, so they generally traded for sandalwood. (Hunnewell, The Friend)

Hawai‘i Business Interests – the Foundation for the Formation of C Brewer

“During his first residence at the Islands, he had formed the determination to establish there an independent commercial house”. (Seamen’s Friend)

The company Hunnewell formed in the Island’s had a lasting legacy. The following are the various names which the firm was known: James Hunnewell, Hunnewell & Peirce, Peirce & Hinckley, Peirce & Brewer, C Brewer & Co, SH Williams & Co, C Brewer 2d, C Brewer & Co Ltd. (The Friend, January 1, 1867)

It eventually became C Brewer & Co., Ltd., incorporated on Feb. 7, 1883. The company grew, as did a handful of others. They became known as the Big 5: Amfac – starting as Hackfeld & Company (1849;) Alexander & Baldwin (1870;) Theo H. Davies (1845;) Castle & Cooke (1851) and C Brewer (1826.)

Hunnewell and the Hawaiian Islands Mission

“In October (23), 1819, he embarked on his second voyage to the Pacific, in the noted brig Thaddeus, of which he was an officer, and which vessel and her cargo were the first in which he had an interest as owner. This voyage of the brig Thaddeus will be memorable through all coming time …”

“Although he and they did not have the same purpose in visiting those distant islands, yet, it is not strange, he seems to have caught something of their spirit; for from that time until the close of his life, the missionaries and the cause of missions in the islands, found in him a faithful and sympathizing friend, an untiring, efficient and ready helper.” (Seamen’s Friend)

“March 30, 1820 – Let us thank God and take courage. Early this morning the long looked for Owahyee and the cloud capt and snow spt Mauna Keah appear full in view to the joy of the animated multitude on board …”

“… Capt. B. (Blanchard) this afternoon sent off a boat to make inquiries respecting the king &c. Mr. Hunnewell, a mate, Thos. Hopoo, J. Tamoree and others, went nearly to the shore and fell in with 10 or 12 native fishermen in their canoes who readily gave the important information that the aged King Tameamaah is dead – that Reehoreeho his son succeeds him – that the images of his Gods are burned …” (Thaddeus Journal)

“It was Mr. Hunnewell’s privilege to hear from the lips of Hewahewa, the last High Priest of the old idolatrous system, an account of the causes which induced the destruction of idolatry.”

“He says: ‘This Chief told me he knew the wooden gods could not send rain, or cause food to grow, or send fish, or take care of the old men and women, and he knew there was but one great God dwelling in the heaven; and that in this persuasion he cautiously conversed with the King, Kamehameha II., when he found the King was of the same belief with himself.’”

“And, adds Mr. Hunnewell, ‘I had the pleasure of bringing from the shore to the mission the glad tidings that Hawaii’s idols were no more.’” (Seamen’s Friend, October, 1869)

Click HERE for more information on James Hunnewell.

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Captain James Hunnewell-(MissionHouses)
Captain James Hunnewell-(MissionHouses)

by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Bates’ View of the Tabu

“The will of the high chief was a law from which there was no appeal. He could decide all cases of disputation, levy taxes, and proclaim war, just as best suited his purposes, and none but the royal counselors were permitted to take the least exception.”

“During their life, they were approached with the most absolute veneration; and after death, they were deified and worshiped.”

“A system of landlordism existed, decreasing in subserviency until it reached the monarch, whom it left an absolute lord. This system was originated and sustained by war.”

“The victors always seized the lands of the vanquished, and then gave them their followers. If a king, or chief, or sub-landlord, when passing through his district, happened to see a fine taro-patch, a hog, a mat, or a calabash, that suited his ideas, he had only to claim it, and it became his own.”

“If they wished to build a house, cultivate a tract of land, turn a water-course, or erect a temple for the gods, they had only to summon the people from a district, the entire island, or a neighboring island, and the work was speedily accomplished.”

“To refuse to obey the summons was to insure instant death. There were no courts of justice, no trials by jury, no fixed law, either oral or written.”

“The property, the services, the life, and almost the souls of the people, were claimed by their rulers.”

“But the broadest and most gloomy page of their past history is that which records their religious condition. It was a unity of Church and State.”

“The two heads of the nation were the king and priest, but the hierarch was paramount. There was a reciprocity of sacerdotal and kingly power: the first promised the favor of the gods, the latter the support of the spears hurled by banded warriors.”

“The paramount claims of the hierarch soon found a solid support in the foundation of the most hellish system … that has ever cursed fallen humanity. This was the tabu system.”

“As the tabu system expanded and strengthened, it imposed restrictions on every act, word, and thought; it covered every article of food, and related to every act of religious worship; it was so framed, that it was absolutely impossible not to violate its bloody requirements; its mandates even entered the sanctuaries families, and imposed a heavy restriction upon the rights of men and women.”

“When a couple entered the marriage state, the man must build an eating-house for himself, another for his god, another for a dormitory, another for his wife to eat in, and another in which to beat kapa: these four the men had to build.”

“In addition to this, he had food to provide; then he heated the oven and baked for his wife; then he heated the oven and baked for himself; then he opened the oven containing his wife’s taro, and pounded it; then he performed the same operation on his own.”

“The husband ate in his house, and the wife ate in hers. They did not eat together, lest they should be slain for violating the tabu.”

“A tabu existed in relation to idols. The gods of the chiefs and common people were of wood. If one made his idol of an apple-tree, the apple-tree was afterward tabu to him. So of all the trees of which idols were made.”

“So, too, of articles of food. If one employed taro as an object of his idolatry, to him the taro became sacred, and might not be eaten by him. Thus it was with every object of which a god was made.”

“Birds were objects of worship. If a hen, the hen was to him sacred. So of all the birds which were deified. Beasts were objects of worship. If a hog, the hog was sacred to him who chose it for his god. So, too, of all quadrupeds of which gods were made.”

“Stones were objects of worship, and tabu, so that one might not sit on them.”

“Fish were idolized. If one adopted the shark as his god, to him the shark was sacred. So, also, of all fish; so of all things in heaven and earth: even the bones of men were transformed into objects of worship.”

“A tabu was imposed on such accidental events as it was impossible for the common people to avoid. Hence, if the shadow of a common man fell on a chief-if he went into a chief’s yard-if he put on a kapa or malo of the chief, or wore the chief’s consecrated mat, or if he went upon the chief’s house, it was death!”

“So, if he stood when the king’s bathing-water, or kapa, or malo were carried along, or when the king’s name were mentioned in song, or if he walked in the shade of a chief’s house with his head besmeared with clay, or with a wreath round it, or wearing a kapa mantle, or with his head wet, it was certain death!”

“There were many other offenses of the people which were made capital by the chiefs and priests. H a woman ate pork, cocoanuts, bananas, a certain kind of fish, or lobster, it was death. To be found in a canoe on a tabu, day was death.”

“If a man committed a crime, he died; if he was irreligious, he died; if he indulged in connubial pleasures on a tabu, day, or if he made the slightest noise while prayers were saying, he had to die.”

“While the common people could commit no crime under penalty of death, the priests did as they pleased.”

“When one deemed it desirable that a temple should be built, he applied to the king, who commanded the natives to construct it; which being done, the king and priest were sacred; and on the day when a log of wood was obtained for a god, a man was sacrificed in order to impart power to the wooden deity.”

“When sacrifices were offered, men were slain and laid upon the altar with swine; if a fish proper for an offering could not be obtained, a man was sacrificed in its stead; and human victims were required on other occasions.”

“The king and the priest were much alike, and they constituted the main burden of the nation.” (All here is from Bates.)

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Hikiau_Heiau_illustration-William_Ellis_(Captian_Cook's_Crew)-1782
Hikiau_Heiau_illustration-William_Ellis_(Captian_Cook’s_Crew)-1782