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They also afforded safe retreats during war. All the non-combatants of the neighboring districts, men, women and children, flocked into them, and there awaited the issue of the struggle. To them also the vanquished fled. If they could reach a spot, a short distance outside the walls, where, during war, a white banner was displayed, they were safe. Should a victorious warrior venture further, he would be put to death by the attendant priests and their adherents. Those once within the pale of the sanctuary, were under the protection of Keave, the tutelar deity of the enclosure. Houses were erected for the accommodation of all within their walls. After a short period, they were permitted to return unmolested to their homes, the divine protection being supposed still to abide with them.

These places of refuge were very capacious, and built after the manner of their temples. The one at Honaunau is seven hundred and fifteen feet in length, and four hundred and four feet wide. Its walls are twelve feet high and fifteen thick, and were formerly surmounted with images, four rods apart, over their whole extent. Three large heiaus were erected within, one of which presented a solid pyramid of stone, one hundred and twenty-six feet by sixty, and ten feet high. In several parts of the wall are large masses of rock, weighing two or more tons, each raised six feet above the ground. This Pahonua was built for Keave, who reigned in Hawaii, two hundred and seventy years ago, and destitute as the islanders were of any machinery, must have been a herculean task, requiring the labor of a vast number of people.

These sanctuaries are somewhat analogous to the Israelitish cities of refuge, and originated, doubtless, from the barbarous and sanguinary customs, common to both nations, which required a safeguard from the effects of evil passions, constantly kept in excitement by the universal prevalence of the law of retaliation, and the bloody character of their warfare.

While considerable difference in government, and certain customs, originating from local circumstances, prevailed

throughout Polynesia, a general uniformity in religion existed. The earliest traditions are strikingly similar, and the rites and priesthood are of the same sanguinary character. A more refined barbarism, prevailed among the Society and Samoa islanders, the former of which have aptly been called the French of the Pacific. Still, when a general comparison is drawn, not a doubt of their common origin can be entertained. The structure of their languages, their physical characteristics, analogous religious systems, and a general conformity in all the arts and customs of life, clearly demonstrate the fact. While the Hawaiian, in certain points, appeared to more advantage than his southern brother, in religion and government, he was behind him. In New Zealand, the Marquesas, Samoa and Tonga groups, an approach to republican freedom prevailed, which here found no counterpart. The power of the chiefs was more restricted, varying much in the different groups. The religion of the Tahitian, Samoan and Tongan, constituted a better defined system, and was founded on certain well established traditions and maxims, handed down from their forefathers. effects, though disastrous in the extreme, were less conspicuously degrading. A refinement of heathenism was diffused, which served to gild the darker shades of its character, and it was not until the veil was completely stripped from the vile image, that all its deformities appeared. Many of the early voyagers, formed from superficial views, favorable opinions of the savage character, which served for awhile to deceive the world with false ideas of the innocency of man, in his primeval condition. A knowledge of his sanguinary worship, and its direful effects, soon served to dissipate this belief; and now, none but those who have theoretical views to maintain, give it credence. A valuable lesson is to be learned from the history of the savage tribes, so rapidly wasting away, or merging into civilized nations, inasmuch as it serves to illustrate the history of unenlightened and unevangelized man left in isolated communities to grope his way, unaided by the light of revelation. Could a result more painful

Its

to human dignity present itself? As long. The laau palau, a species of club before the flood, the wickedness of or halbert, several feet longer, was emman became great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.'

ployed either in thrusting or striking. The paloa, or dagger, was from sixteen inches to two feet in length, frequently pointed at both ends, with a string attached to the handle, by which it was made fast to the wrist. Bows and arrows were rarely used, being so poorly fabricated as to be of little utility.Warlike weapons-Armor-Feather cloaks and hel- Slings, manufactured from human hair mets - War-Preparations-Militia-CampsMode of fighting Victors and vanquished or the elastic fibres of the cocoanut Truces-Peace-Festivals-Orators and Bards- husk, were a destructive weapon. The Songs-Wailing-Games-Dances-Mourning ammunition used, was small, smooth ceremonies-Arts and Agriculture-Houses-Ce

CHAPTER III.

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remonies before occupying-Clothing-Food- stones, which were cast with great force Fisheries-Commerce between different islands and precision. Small swords, or saws, Stated fairs-Method of computation-Knowl- the edges of which were set with sharks' edge and practice of medicine-Origin and cure of diseases-Modes of burial-Division of time- teeth, were common. Hawaiian dialect.

Defensive armor was seldom employWe now come to a consideration of ed. Besides the malo, the cloth girded the knowledge of the Hawaiians as de- about the loins, a turban was occasionveloped in their arts, manufactures and ally worn. The helmets and war-cloaks, customs. In considering these, how- although they gave their wearers an ever, it is fair to bear in mind the fact imposing and martial appearance, must that the natural resources of their islands have proved an incumbrance. The were extremely few, they furnishing no former being made of wicker-work, and metals and but few minerals. When closely fitted to the crown, were too this is considered, we must award them slightly constructed to afford any secuthe credit of no little ingenuity and skill rity against a well directed blow. Those in what they produced. Indeed it may worn by the high chiefs resembled the be questioned whether they did not carry Grecian casque and were exceedingly civilization in this point to the full ex- beautiful. They were surmounted by a tent of their feeble means. This one lofty crest, sometimes ornamented with fact shows how important a civilized the tail-plumage of the tropic bird, and commerce has become. Without it the the whole thickly wrought with glossy tribes of heathendom would still have red and yellow feathers. With the been groping their isolated way in pov- cloaks, they were admirably adapted to erty and sensuality amid regions which set off to advantage the towering figures required but the presence of commerce of the chiefs. Cloaks or capes, made to add to them tenfold value and make exclusively of yellow feathers, were rethem abodes for refined and intelligent served for the king. beings. The mamo, or feather war-cloak of The warlike weapons of the Hawai- Kamehameha, occupied nine generaians were few and simple. They consisted of spears, javelins, daggers and clubs, made from a tough wood, susceptible of high polish. These were their most effective weapons. They had no shields, javelins being used on the defensive as well as offensive, in the former the feathers, which are exceedingly of which they were even more expert than in the latter. Their lances were perfectly straight, flattened to a point at one end, and from twelve to twenty feet in length. Javelins were similarly constructed, barbed, and about six feet

tions of kings in its fabrication, not being completed until the reign of the father of the present sovereign. Its length is four feet, with eleven and a half feet spread at the bottom. The groundwork is a fine netting. To this

small and delicate, being less than an inch in length, are skillfully attached. They overlap each other, and form a perfectly smooth surface. Around the borders the feathers are reversed. The whole is of a beautifully bright yellow

hue, giving it the appearance of a golden tenants, as were to bear part in its mantle. Such cloaks were rare, for operations. Women frequently fought savage despotism could not produce a in the ranks, or bore refreshments to richer or more costly garment. The birds their party, through the thickest of the from which the feathers are obtained, fray. All were required to bring their are found in the mountainous parts of own weapons and provisions, which the islands, and caught by means of an were generally prepared beforehand, for adhesive substance smeared upon long emergencies of this nature. Should any poles, well baited, which are thickly refuse to obey the summons, their ears scattered about their haunts. Alighting were slit, and they were led into the upon these, their feet become attached; camp with ropes around their bodies. the hunter then easily secures them, and So great was the disgrace attached to plucks from under their wings, the two this punishment, that there was seldom feathers-all each bird produces-which occasion to resort to it. are so much coveted. These feathers Upon reaching the rendezvous, every are highly valued, a piece of nankeen, chief reported the number and condition of the value of one dollar and a half, of his followers to the commander.being the price given for five, in modern Each division encamped around the hut times. If the labor expended on this of its leader, or occupied a large house cloak could be estimated, its nominal by itself. No fortifications were erectworth would be found equal to that of ed, though favorable natural sites for the most costly gems in the regalia of defence were selected for camps, and Europe. Those of other chiefs, being picquets stationed at the several apalternated with red and yellow, rhom- proaches. The non-combatants were boidal figures or lines, relieved with sections of dark purple or glossy black, were less expensive and beautiful. A smaller kind, manufactured of the same materials, was worn by those whose rank did not entitle them to the larger garment. An ornament, made from a whale's tooth, called a palaoa, suspended from the neck by braids of human hair, was much prized.

sent to strongholds, or fortresses erected on steep eminences, to which, in case of defeat, the whole army retired, and defended them to the last extremity.

Unlike most savages, they appear to have been deficient in the science of strategy; seldom lying in ambush, but making their assaults openly, and generally in the day time. Their methods of attack and defence were various, acIn their modes of warfare, they ex- cording to the nature of the ground and hibited considerable address. Besides the force of the enemy, and exhibited agriculture, war being a chief occu- much ingenuity. When on an open pation, it was reduced to a system of plain, the army was drawn up in the which the following were the principal form of a crescent. A body of spear features. men, forming a kind of phalanx, comIn a war of magnitude, a universal posed the centre, while the slingers, and conscription was enforced, none but those armed with javelins, were disthose incapacitated by age or bodily in-tributed throughout the line. The comfirmity, being excused from following mander was either the highest chief, or their leaders to the field. All were a warrior of distinguished bravery and drilled in the use of arms, and practiced address. His position was in the centre, warlike exercises, such as sham-fights, and the other chiefs were stationed about slinging stones at a mark, throwing the the ranks, at his discretion. When an javelin, warding it off, or catching it in action took place in a narrow defile, the their hands, wrestling, &c. After war army was formed in a single column; was declared, the king, principal war- the first division was called welau, the riors and priests, determined the plan of extremity or point, and received the attack, or the general method for its brunt of the onset. The strongest diprosecution. Lunapai, war-heralds,' vision, in the centre of which was the were sent through all the districts, sum- chief, was pohiwi, 'the shoulder.' Other moning such of the chiefs and their portions were known by similarly de

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scriptive terms. No banners were used, but idols were borne in the ranks; the priests of which, in the heat of the action, rushed forward, uttering terrific yells, and distorted their features into the most frightful forms, to spread dismay into the opposing force, and stimulate the courage of their own; the yells and grimaces being supposed to proceed from the images.

As the whole army seldom engaged at once, the battles were usually a succession of skirmishes, or but partial actions. Naval engagements, in which several hundred canoes were employed on both sides, were not unusual. Flags, called puwalu, were then used, and attached to the triangular sails of the canoes. Boastful shouts, yells, cries of defiance, and every noise calculated to intimidate, resounded among the combatants. The bodies of the first slain on either side, received the greatest indignities, and their mangled remains were dedicated to the gods of the victors. Sometimes a single warrior, deridingly carrying only a fan, would advance from the lines, and insult the opposite party with the most opprobious language, challenging it to begin the attack upon him singly. In reply to this rhodomontade, a dozen or more spears would be cast at him at once; these, by nimbly stooping, twisting and jumping aside, he would avoid. Occasionally, with a motion of his arm, he would ward them off, or catch them in his hands, and hurl them back upon the foe. Should he be slain, a bloody encounter ensued for the possession of the body.

The conflicts, which do not appear to have been very fatal, sometimes lasted for several successive days, and were then terminated by mutual consent; both parties, in contradiction of the vain-glorious civilized custom in such cases, acknowledging themselves luka lua, beaten. More frequently, one was routed, and fled for safety to the sacred enclosures, or their mountain retreats. Those overtaken were massacred, or else brought to the chiefs for their final decision. Some were spared to be slaves; others for future sacrifices. When the chief was mercifully inclined, he spoke to or recognized the prisoners,

who were then safe, and could either return to their own tribe, or join the train of their preserver, which they generally did. The victors erected cairns over the remains of their slain, leaving the bodies of the vanquished to be devoured by wild hogs and dogs. The subdued country was apportioned among the conquering chiefs; the wives and children of the captives, being made slaves, and attached to the soil, to cultivate it for their new masters, who treated them with great harshness.

Branches of the ti plant, or young banana trees, were used as flags of truce. When peace was sought, ambassadors were sent, bearing these symbols; after arranging the preliminaries, the chiefs and priests of both parties met and adjusted the terms. This done, a pig was sacrificed, and its blood poured upon the ground-emblematic of the fate of either party that should afterwards infringe its conditions. A sweet scented wreath was then woven by the leaders of both sides, and deposited, as a peace offering, in a temple. Feasts, dances and public games, celebrated this return of good will, and heralds were sent to announce the termination of the war.

The professions of the orators and bards were hereditary and highly illustrious. The former were employed on all great occasions to plead cases, and in all national negotiations. The latter, some of whom were blind, were the repositories of the historical and sacred songs, and composers of new, which they sang in honor of their divine and temporal lords. They were handed down with great care from one generation to another; the sole occupation of the bards being their preservation, for which purpose they commenced repeating them by rote, from an early age, until they were indelibly fixed in their memories. Their language was highly figurative, often approaching the sublime; and their imagery well depicted and not without beauty. Their recitations, heightened by animated gestures and by a conciseness and euphony of language, or a wild, plaintive sadness, with local allusions, like the inspiring strains of Gaelic song, swayed with

startling effect the passions of their untutored hearers.

tion of short metrical sentences, without much regard to their rhythmical termination, though the conclusion of each, or the end of several, were made to harmonize in cadence. So popular is this form of expression, that, even to the

Songs and chants were common among all classes, and recited by strolling musicians as panegyrics on occasions of joy, grief or worship. Through them the knowledge of events in the lives of present day, the natives repeat their prominent individuals or the annals of the nation, were perpetuated.*

lessons, orders received, or scraps of ancient songs, or extemporize in this The Hawaiian dialect, from its great monotonous, sing-song tone, for hours smoothness and multiplicity of vowels, together, and in perfect concord. Monis admirably adapted for this kind of osyllables, dissyllables and trisyllables poetry. The chief art lay in the forma- had each their distinct tune.

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Analogous to this was the mournful whose echoes threw back the sorrowful au-we, uttered on occasions of calamity and death. On the decease of a great chief, the wail was commenced at his couch, and borne from one individual to another, until it spread over the island. Night and day the dismal sound was prolonged; its first notes low, gradually swelling until one full, passionate burst of grief filled the air, and resounded among the neighboring rocks and hills,

*The following from Ellis's tour through Hawaii,
is a specimen of their mournful poetry :
Ue, ue, ua make kuu Alii

Ua make, kuu haku kuu hoa,
Kuu hoa i ka wa o ka wi,
Kuu hoa i paa ka aina,
Kuu hoa i kuu ilihune,

Kuu hoa i ka au e ka makani,

Kuu hoa, i ka wela a ka la,

Kuu hoa, i ka anu a ka mauna,

Kuu hoa i ka ino

Kuu hoa i ka malie,

Kuu hoa i mau kai awalu

Ue, ue, ua hala kuu hoa,

Aole e hoi hou mai.

cry. During the night its effect, as thus borne from party to party, from one valley to another, now rising into almost a shriek of bitterness, then subsiding into a low, murmuring sound, was startling and impressive. Watch-fires, surrounded by groups of both sexes, wailing and weeping violently, tearing their hair and giving wayto other barbarous demonstrations of sorrow, completed the scene.

TRANSLATION.

Alas, alas! dead is my chief,
Dead is my lord and my friend;
My friend in the season of famine,
My friend in the time of drought,
My friend in poverty,

My friend in the rain and the wind,
My friend in the heat and the sun,

My friend in the cold from the mountain,

My friend in the storm,

My friend in the calm,

My friend in the eight seas;

Alas, alas! gone is my friend,
And no more will return.

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