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October 30, 2015 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Halekiʻi and Pihana Heiau

The Wailuku area was a major gathering place and royal center of the Maui high chiefs and those of rank. The area from Waiheʻe to Wailuku was the largest continuous area of wet taro cultivation in the Hawaiian Islands.

Royal Centers were where the aliʻi resided; aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities.

To the southeast of ʻIao Stream, below Pihana Heiau, was Kauahea where warriors lived and were trained in war skills. This was a boxing site in the time of Kahekili. (Naone)

The Wailuku spring was located below Pihana Heiau and the taro grown in this area was for the use of the aliʻi (nobility class) only. Much of the evidence for this agricultural system was destroyed by the 1916 flood and by historic cultivation for sugarcane and pineapple.
When Kekaulike, father of Kahekili and Kamehameha Nui, heard that Alapaʻi (the ruling chief of Hawaiʻi) was at Kohala on his way to war against Maui, he was afraid and fled to Wailuku in his double war canoe.

Others with him went by canoe and some overland; the chiefs prepared a litter for Kekaulike and bore him upland to Halekiʻi. There, in March 1736, Kekaulike died.

Fearing the arrival of Alapaʻi, bent on war, the chiefs cut the flesh from the bones of Kekaulike in order to lighten the load in carrying the body to ʻIao for burial. (Kamakau)

The body of Kamehameha Nui (an uncle of Kamehameha I,) who ruled Maui before his brother Kahekili succeeded him, was laid here before being taken to a final resting place on Molokai. Kahekili himself lived here at times (ca. 1765.)

It was at Pihana, in about 1778 or 1780, that Keōpūolani was born (daughter to Kiwalaʻo and Keku‘iapoiwa Liliha.) After Kamehameha defeated Kekaulike’s grandson, Kalanikupule, at ʻIao in 1790, he followed Keōpūolani and her grandmother, Kalola, to Molokai – later taking her as a wife.

In 1797, she gave birth to a son, Liholiho (later known as Kamehameha II,) was born in Hilo; Kauikeaouli, her second son (later Kamehameha III,) was born in Keauhou, North Kona.

Liholiho, after he had been established as heir to Kamehameha’s kingdom, recited the prayer rededicating Pihana Heiau to the gods of his father.

Halekiʻi and Pihana Heiau are the most accessible of the remaining pre-contact Hawaiian structures of religious and historical importance in the Wailuku-Kahului area.

Located about ¼-mile inland along the west side of ‘Iao Stream, they overlook ‘Iao Stream, Kahului Bay and the Wailuku Plain.

Traditional history credits the menehune with the construction of both heiau in a single night, using rock from Paukukalo Beach.

Other accounts credit Kihapiʻilani with building Halekiʻi, and Kiʻihewa with building Pihana during the time of Kakaʻe, the aliʻi of West Maui. Some say that they were built under the rule of Kahekili.

Halekiʻi or ‘house of images’ is thought to be a chiefly compound with thatched hale (houses) built atop the stone platform of the heiau and guarded by the kiʻi (images) placed on the terraces around the sides of the platform.

Pihana was the major heiau of the Wailuku area, historical references suggest, and it is reported to be a luakini, where human sacrifices were offered.

The full name of Pihana is Pihanakalani or ‘gathering place of the aliʻi.’ Others have recorded the name of the heiau as Piʻihana. (Naone)

The two heiau are constructed of stacked waterworn basalt boulders collected from ʻIao Stream. The sides of the heiau were stepped or terraced and an ili-ili (waterworn basalt pebbles) paved platform existed on the top of the heiau.

Constructed upon the terrace and platform surfaces were a number of features, including depressions, pits, walls, and small enclosures. Kenneth Emory of Bishop Museum was in charge of the reconstruction of portions of Halekiʻi in 1959.

The heiau were important for the ritual ceremonies prior to the battles that eventually resulted in the uniting of Maui with the other Hawaiian Islands under Kamehameha I

The site is also important for its association with Kahekili, a major figure in Maui’s history who is connected with Halekiʻi-Pihana from circa 1765-1790, and with Kamehameha I during his conquering of Maui (1792.) (Lots of information here is from NPS and Naone.)

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Haleki'i-Pihana_Heiau_State_Monument
Haleki’i-Pihana_Heiau_State_Monument
Haleki'i-Pihana_Heiau-Iao_Valley-West_Maui_Mountain-(maui-mike)
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Haleki'i-Pihana_Heiau-Iao_Valley-West_Maui_Mountain-(maui-mike)
Haleki’i-Pihana_Heiau-Iao_Valley-West_Maui_Mountain-(maui-mike)
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Haleki’i-Pihana_Heiau_State_Monument-Sign

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions Tagged With: Hawaii, Maui, Heiau, Wailuku, Halekii Heiau, Pihana Heiau

October 2, 2015 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Mokumanu

“O Hina,
Hold back the night.
Let darkness rest upon the eyes of Peʻapeʻa
That I may save my wife.”

Demigod Maui is known for capturing the sun; here is another story of Maui.

Sometime after his effort to pull Kauaʻi closer to Oʻahu failed, Maui and his three brothers went fishing. Each brother caught a shark; Maui, with his famous hook Manaiakalani, caught a moi and a large ulua.

Maui-kupua told his brothers to paddle ashore and directed them to the best landing place. After they landed, he grabbed his gear and his two fish and returned home.

He began to eat the fish when he saw Kumulama, his wife, being carried away by the chief Peʻapeʻamakawalu (eight-eyed-bat; Peʻapeʻa.) Maui pursued, but Peʻapeʻa was too swift for him and disappeared into the sky beyond the sea.

Grieving, Maui went to his mother, Hina, who told him: “Go to the land of Keahumoa; there you’ll see a large hut. Your grandfather Kuolokele (Ku-honeycreeper) lives there; he’ll instruct you on how to recover your wife.” (hawaii-edu)

Maui saw a hump-backed man, his grandfather, coming toward Waipahu with a load of potato leaves, one pack of which, it is said, would cover the whole land of Keahumoa.

Maui picked up a stone and threw it at his grandfather, striking him on the back, whereupon Kuolokele’s back was straightened. Kuolokele picked up the stone Maui threw at him, and threw it to Waipahu, where it has remained to this day.

Maui explained what had happened; Kuolokele had Maui gather kī leaves, ʻieʻie vines and bird feathers.

On the first day, from the bird feathers, ki leaves and ʻieʻie vines, Kuolokele made the body and wings of a bird – moku-manu (bird-ship.) On the second day, he finished the bird and tested it. It flew ­ the first flying-craft ever in Hawaiʻi.

On the third day, Maui appeared before Kuolokele. “It is ready,” the old man said. “Inside the bird you will find cords. With them you can flap its wings and make it fly. Also there is a bundle of food.

Kuolokele told Maui “Fly in this bird until you come to Moanaliha, the land of Peʻapeʻa. When you reach it, look for the village. If the village is deserted, then look toward the sea and you’ll see a great number of people gathered there, among whom will be Peʻapeʻa, along with your wife.”

“Fly near them, but not too close, just close enough to attract their notice; then fly far out to sea. On your return the people watching you will shout, ‘The bird! The strange bird!’”

“If you hear Peʻapeʻa say that you are his bird, all will be well. He will have you taken into his sleeping house, and you can save your wife.’

Maui entered the body of the bird and started to fly. He flew for two days and two nights.

Arriving at Moanaliha, he looked over the land and noticed that the houses, but no people; he saw a crowd at the seashore. He flew until he was right over the multitude and saw his wife, Kumulama.

He continued flying over the deep ocean; then Maui turned and flew toward land.

As he neared the shore, the people exclaimed, “Oh, an enormous bird! An enormous bird!” Peʻapeʻa said, “Perhaps it’s my bird; if it is, it’ll land on my sacred box.”

Maui heard this and landed on the sacred box. After this, the chief and the people arose and returned to their village.

Arriving at his house, the chief told his attendants to go and bring the bird into the sleeping house. The order was carried out and food was brought to the bird. Maui reached out from the opening of the mouth and took the food inside.

Night fell. Through the eyes of the bird Maui watched as people came in and stretched out on piles of mats. They pulled kapa covers over them and closed their eyes in sleep.

Knowing Peʻapeʻamakawalu had eight eyes, four in front and four behind, Maui waited for all eight to close before he made a move.

After a while, one of the eyes closed, then another and another. But one remained open. He continued waiting until almost daylight, when he prayed to Hina: “Hold back the night!” Hina held back the night.

Maui kept awake until the last eye closed. Then he emerged from the bird, went to where Peʻapeʻa was sleeping, killed him and cut off his head.

Maui took his wife and the head and entered the bird again. Then he broke a hole in the roof thatching and flew out.

The next day, the people found neither bird, nor woman, only the headless body of Peʻapeʻamakawalu.

Meanwhile, Maui was flying back to Oʻahu.

As soon as Maui alighted, his grandfather asked, “Where is your wife and your bundle?” “Here they are inside,” replied Maui.

“Then let your wife out first,” said Kuolokele, and Kumulama came out; then Maui brought out the head of Peʻapeʻamakawalu.
Then they ate the prepared feast.

They enjoyed some time together, Kuolokele excused Maui and Kumulama, and they returned home to Hina, who welcomed them back with joy. (Lots of information here from Cultural Surveys, hawaii-edu and Thrum.) The image shows Maui capturing the sun. (Herb Kane)

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Maui_Snaring_the_Sun-(HerbKane)

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions Tagged With: Hawaii, Maui, Manaiakalani, Mokumanu, Kuolokele, Peapea, Hina, Kumulama

August 22, 2015 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Makau

Ua Akamai kekahi poe kanaka Hawaii ia ka lawaia, no ia mea, ua kapa ia lakou, he poe lawaia. O ka makau kekahi mea e lawaia ai. O ka upena kekahi, a o ka hinai kekahi.

Some of the people of Hawaii were very knowledgeable about fishing, and they were called fisher-people. The hook was one thing used in fishing. The net was another, and the basket trap, another. (WE Kealakaʻi, Ka Hae Hawaii, 1861; Maly)

“This is how fishing was done with a hook. The cordage was first twined by the fisherman. The kind of cordage was a three-ply twine, a cord of three strands of olona. The line might be 720 feet long, or perhaps 960 feet long. Then the hooks were made and the fisherman was supplied with these things…” (WE Kealakaʻi, Ka Hae Hawaii, 1861; Maly)

Makau (fishhooks) of Hawai‘i took on many different shapes, each one specialized to catching different types of fish with a variety of fishing techniques.

Simple hooks were made from one piece of material, while composite hooks were made of more than one piece joined by lashing. (Bishop Museum)

“Their fishing-hooks are made of mother-of-pearl, bone, or wood, pointed and barbed with small bones, or tortoise-shell. They are of various sizes and forms”.

“(B)ut the most common are about two or three inches long, and made in the shape of a small fish, which serves as a bait, having a bunch of feathers tied to the head or tail. Those with which they fish for sharks, are of a very large size, being generally six or eight inches long.

“Considering the materials of which these hooks are made, their strength and neatness are really astonishing; and in fact we found them upon trial much superior to our own.” (Captain Cook’s Journal)

The use of human bone for fishhooks seems to have greatly increased in the late prehistoric period, and was relatively uncommon earlier in Hawaiian prehistory.” (Kirch)

The man who was skilled in the art of making fish-hooks (ka-makau) was regarded as fore-handed. (Malo)

The raw material was cut with a coral saw, and holes were drilled in the bone or shell blank with a shell-pointed pump drill. It was then shaped with coral files and finished with sea urchin spine files. (Young)

In helping to shape them, the hard wood of the pua and the rough pāhoehoe lava rock were used as rasps. (Malo)

The Hawaiian fisherman considered his fishhooks to be one of his most prized possessions, and they were carefully cleaned and stored in containers after use. (Young)

The names of the different kinds of hooks used in the ancient times would make a long list. The hoonoho was an arrangement of hooks made by lashing two bone hooks to one shank (they were sometimes placed facing each other and then again back to back.) (Malo)

Hook and line fishing was generally practiced in deep water, kawakawa and aku (bonito) and ula (lobster) are the usual bait; for lack of these any kind of fish is used with varying results.

For deep sea fishing the hook and line are used without rods, and fishermen sometimes use lines over a hundred fathoms (600-feet) in length. (Maly)

Paeaea is fishing with rod, hook and line. The bait most liked is shrimp. Earth worms are sometimes used and any obtainable fry or fish.

The fisherman takes a handful of shrimps, baits his hooks, and then, bruising the remainder and wrapping it up in cocoanut fiber, ties it with a pebble on the line and close to the hooks; the bruised matter spreads through the water when the line is dropped, and serves to attract fishes to the vicinity of the hooks. This bruised matter is called palu. (Maly)

Fishhook construction changed over time. “Hawaiian fishhooks exhibited sufficient temporal variation to render them a useful tool for seriation and relative dating, just as ceramics were used in other parts of the world.” (Kirch)

Catching fish with hook and fishing line was just one of many methods that were practiced in Hawaii. Bare hands, spears, slip nooses, nets, and traps were also used.

The fish supply remained constant, because the catching of a certain kind of fish was always restricted to a certain time of the year. Outside of this time it was declared kapu (prohibited.) (National Museum Australia)

“The fish eaten during the summer months of Kau were different as to kind from those eaten during the winter, Hooilo. During Kau the opelu was taken and used for food, during Hooilo the aku – bonito or albicore.” (Malo)

Fishing was the domain of specialists in Hawaiʻi. They were called poʻe lawaiʻa (fishermen), and were generally descended from families of fishermen. Certain religious ceremonies were associated with fishing. (National Museum Australia)

The reefs, lagoons and offshore waters around the Hawaiian Islands vary from place to place; fishing strategies that were successful in one place may not work in another – certain kinds of fishhooks and other gear were needed for particular situations. (Kirch)

The persistent use of shell fishhooks after contact (1778) was driven by cultural, political and economic factors that initially constrained access to – and limited desire for – iron hooks. Hawaiians manufactured shell fishhooks as late as 1850. (Bayman)

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Composite fishhook of bone, fiber and wood-PeabodyMuseum
Composite fishhook of bone, fiber and wood-PeabodyMuseum
Fishhooks-(Young)
Fishhooks-(Young)

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions Tagged With: Makau, Hawaii, Fishhooks

July 18, 2015 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kahuna

The prayers offered in the hula were, as a rule, uttered by kahuna, specially consecrated or appointed for that office. The consecration of a house or of a waʻa (canoe) was done with the aid of a kahuna; and the common people did resort to kahuna of different classes. (Malo)

According to Lorrin Andrews, author of the first Hawaiian dictionary published in 1865, ‘kahuna’ is a contraction of ‘kahu’ (to cook, especially in an earth oven) and ‘ana’ (a particle that adds ‘ing’ to a word). So the base meaning by this idea is ‘a cooking.’

This doesn’t make much sense until you recognize that ‘kahu’ also means ‘to tend an oven, or to take care of the cooking.’ Ancient Hawaiian thought was very symbolic or figurative and a word for one type of activity or experience could be applied to other symbolically related activities or experiences.

So ‘kahu,’ originally referring to taking care of an oven, became a general word for taking care of anything. Another possible origin for the word ‘kahuna,’ however, is that it is simply a combination of ‘kahu’ (to take care of) and ‘na’ (a particle that makes words into nouns). In that case, a basic translation of “kahuna” would be ‘a caretaker.’ (King)

Kahuna is a general name applied to such persons as have a trade, an art or who practice some profession; some qualifying term is generally added. (Lorrin Andrews, Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language, 1865)

‘Kahuna’ was a title, like MD or PhD, and additional descriptive words were used to designate the field of expertise. Just as the modern use of the word ‘doctor’ by itself is generally taken to mean a medical doctor, so the use of ‘kahuna’ by itself generally designated a priest or healer. (King)

Pukui lists various kahuna: kahuna aʻo – teaching preacher, minister, sorcerer; kahuna haʻi ōlelo – preacher; kahuna hoʻoula ʻai – agricultural expert; kahuna hui – priest for deification of kings; kahuna kālai – carving expert, sculptor; kahuna kālai waʻa – canoe builder; kahuna kiʻi – caretaker of images; kahuna lapaʻau – medical doctor; kahuna nui – high priest, councilor to a high chief; kahuna poʻo – high priest; kahuna pule – preacher, minister, as well as others.

Different kinds of kahuna in traditional Hawaiʻi are put into three broad categories, namely: (1) kahuna pule, the kahuna who officiated in the temples of the aliʻi; (2) ‘professional’ kahuna, a large category that includes ‘specialists in different ritualized activities … and medical priests;’ and (3) the kāula, or prophets. (Nimmo)

At the height of ancient Hawaiian civilization there were dozens of classes of kahuna. Each was trained in a specific aspect of ancient culture and they were considered to be among the wisest in society. They also had inherent spiritual gifts and special abilities to communicate with the ancestors. (Winter)

With respect to ritual worship, kahuna is used in Hawaiian to signify one who is an expert; this knowledge may range from approaching the highest gods on the most important ceremonial occasions to knowing the proper chant to ensure the success of fishing. The religious specialists who contacted the gods reflected the hierarchy of the gods as well as that of Hawaiian society. (Nimmo)

Many myths have grown up around kahuna. One is that kahuna were outlawed after the white man came to Hawaiʻi. Craft kahuna were never prohibited; however, during the decline of native Hawaiian culture many died out and did not pass on their wisdom to new students. Liholiho, in abolishing the kapu, effectively eliminated the need for ritual Kahuna.

Under the Monarchy the term ‘kahuna’ began to be used for foreigners who were recognized experts in their fields, especially for ministers and health professionals. In the 1845 laws doctors, surgeons and dentists were called kahuna. (Pukui)

The native Hawaiian concepts of disease were largely magical although quite perceptive in linking melancholy to physical ailments. Illness required the intercession of a kahuna and some of the herbal remedies used were of value.

King Kamehameha IV sought to restrict the practice of native Hawaiian medicine by kahunas. (nih-gov) His Queen (Queen Emma) in her early years held the kahuna and associated beliefs in contempt (not until her later years did she acknowledge some positive values in the native pharmacopoeia.) (Kanahele)

However, the King’s older brother (in about 1861 – he later became Kamehameha V,) “caused to be issued more than 300 printed licenses to as many native medicine-men, with schedules of prices for their services to the sick.” (The Friend, July 1888)

Secret societies formed, such as the Ahahui Lā‘au Lapa‘au of Wailuku (an association of Native healers known as kahuna) who challenged the efforts of King Kamehameha IV to restrict the practice of Native Hawaiian medicine by kahunas. It asserted the benefits of the traditional plants and medicinal practices in treating diseases such as smallpox. (nih-gov)

Later, Kalākaua, as King, formed the Hale Nauā (also known as Ualo Malie (Malo,)) a secret royal society who according to its constitution was “the revival of Ancient Sciences of Hawaii in combination with the promotion and advancement of Modern Sciences, Art, Literature, and Philanthropy.” (Daws)

In Territorial times, when Hawaiʻi became a tourist destination, visitors discovered that the best surfer on the beach was called ‘kahuna nui heʻe nalu,’ the ‘principal master surfer. He was called ‘kahuna nui’ for short, and this soon became the phrase ‘big kahuna.’ (King)  (Artwork by Herb Kane.)

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Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Hawaiian Traditions Tagged With: Hawaii, Kahuna

June 7, 2015 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Chief’s Canoe

Throughout the years of late-prehistory, AD 1400s – 1700s, and through much of the 1800s, the canoe was a principal means of travel in ancient Hawaiʻi. Canoes were used for interisland and inter-village coastal travel.

Most permanent villages initially were near the ocean and at sheltered beaches, which provided access to good fishing grounds, as well as facilitating convenient canoe travel.

As long distance voyaging declined, the need shifted from voyaging canoes to large canoes for chiefly visits and warfare within the Hawaiian Islands, resulting in changes in canoe design.

For these short coastal and inter-island trips, paddling replaced sailing as the dominant power mode. Never certain when hospitality might turn sour, chiefs prudently traveled with bodyguards. On a visit to another chiefdom, they might prepare his food to avoid poisoning.

Their numbers were a silent announcement of his status. At a signal, they could launch a raid, fight a skirmish, or conduct a guarded retreat to the canoe landing. (Kane)

The canoe was used by the chiefs as a means of ostentation and display. On a voyage the alii occupied the raised and sheltered platform in the waist of the canoe which was called the pola, while the paddle-men sat in the spaces fore and aft, their number showing the strength of the king’s following. (Malo)

And for a chief eager to make a quick getaway regardless of wind conditions, his bodyguards could also be put to work as paddlers. No longer need he wait for a favorable wind, or beat upwind to a destination on long tacks. Paddling provided great freedom of mobility, the ability to move canoes in any direction despite calms or adverse winds. (Kane)

Royal Centers were where the aliʻi resided; aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities, with good surfing and canoe-landing sites being favored.

The Hawaiian court was mobile within the districts or kingdom the aliʻi controlled. A paramount’s attendants might consist of as many as 700 to 1000-followers made of kahuna and political advisors (including geologists, architects, seers, messengers, executioner, etc;) servants which included craftsmen, guards, stewards; relatives and numerous hangers-on (friends, lovers, etc.)

There was no regular schedule for movement between Royal Centers. In part, periodic moves served to ensure that district chiefs did not remain isolated, or unsupervised long enough to gather support for a revolt.

In addition to personal economic support, the king also required tribute and taxes by which to maintain and display his political power.

Structures associated with the Royal Centers include heiau (religious structures) and sacred areas, house sites for the aliʻi and the entourage of family and kahuna (priests), and activity areas for burial, bathing, games, recreation, and crafts.

Religion and politics were closely interwoven in Hawaiian culture. The Royal Centers reflect this interrelationship with residential sites, heiau and sacred sites present within a defined royal compound.

Puʻuhonua (places of refuge) were often associated with these Royal Centers, reflecting the strong association between puʻuhonua and sites occupied by the high-ranking aliʻi.

A ruling chief moved his court as desired, travelling along the coasts by canoe with his attendants and setting up temporary establishments at certain sites for purposes of business or pleasure.

The canoes “have the bottom for the most part formed of a single piece or log of wood, hollowed out to the thickness of an inch, or an inch and a half, and brought to a point at each end.”

“The sides consist of three boards, each about an inch thick, and neatly fitted and lashed to the bottom part. The extremities, both at head and stern, are a little raised, and both are made sharp, somewhat like a wedge, but they flatten more abruptly, so that the two side-boards join each other side by side for more than a foot.”

“They are rowed by paddles, such as we had generally met with; and some of them have a light triangular sail, like those of the Friendly Islands, extended to a mast and boom. The ropes used for their boats, and the smaller cords for their fishing-tackle, are strong and well made.” (Captain Cook’s Journal)

“This village (at Kealakekua Bay) we found to be the residence of (Kamehameha;) from whence, before the ship was well secured, eleven large canoes put off from the shore with great order, and formed two equal sides of an obtuse triangle.”

“The largest canoe being in the angular point, was rowed by eighteen paddles on each side…. (The Chief’s) canoe was advanced a little forward in the procession, to the actions of which the other ten strictly attended, keeping the most exact and regular time with their paddles, and inclining to the right or left agreeably to the directions of the king…”

The Chief “conducted the whole business with a degree of adroitness and uniformity, that manifested a knowledge of such movements and maneuver far beyond what could reasonably have been expected. In this manner he paraded round the vessels, with a slow and solemn motion.” (Captain Vancouver)

Later, “Near sunset, our distinguished guests took leave and returned to the shore on their state vehicle-their double canoe, seated on a light narrow scaffolding which rested on the semi-elliptical timbers by which two large parallel canoes, each neatly carved from a tree, are yoked together, five or six feet apart.”

“Their large canoes are two to three feet in depth, and thirty to fifty in length. The thin sides are raised by the addition of a nicely fitted waist-board. Additional pieces of thin wood, ingeniously carved, are attached at the ends, covering a few feet as a deck turning up some fifteen inches at the extremity, and giving the appearance of greater finish, beauty and utility.”

“The favored passengers on a Hawaiian double canoe sit three or four feet above the surface of the water, while the rowers sit on thwarts in the canoe with their feet below the surface and their faces forward. The steersmen sit in the stern.”

“Their paddles have a round handle from three to four feet long, and a thin blade from twelve to eighteen inches long and eight to twelve wide, and are grasped by one hand at the extreme end, and by the other, near the blade, and are used by main strength.”

“The chiefs, on this occasion, were rowed off with spirit by nine or ten athletic men in each of the coupled canoes, making regular, rapid and effective strokes, all on one side for a while, then, changing at a signal in exact time, all on the other.”

“Each raising his head erect, and lifting one hand high to throw the paddle blade forward beside the canoe, the rowers, dipping their blades, and bowing simultaneously and earnestly, swept their paddles back with naked muscular arms, making the brine boil, and giving great speed to their novel and serviceable sea-craft.” (Hiram Bingham)

The image shows Kalaniʻōpuʻu, Chief of Hawaiʻi, bringing presents to Captain Cook (John Webber.)

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Kalaniopuu, King of Hawaii, bringing presents to Captain Cook-John_Webber-1779
Kalaniopuu, King of Hawaii, bringing presents to Captain Cook-John_Webber-1779

Filed Under: Hawaiian Traditions, Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance Tagged With: Hawaii, Canoe, Alii

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Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

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