The Polynesian., 1840-12-05
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Oahu, some hundred or hundred and fifty
years since, will communicate them, hoping
thereby to induce some other one to search
more carefully for the whole story.
Halcmanu, eight or ten miles cast Of Wal
aua is the place where kalo Aikanata, a
cannibal chief. once lived. This little spot
nearly resembles an oX-bOw in shape, and lies
between two deep raviues: the only access
to it from the sea being through narrow
lsthmus of only few yards in width. On this
little ox-bow of one or two hundred acres is
the site ola heather temple, OF oblong shape,
about 20) feet by 60, sufficiently large to
seat 800 people in the native way, and leave
Il small space unoccupcd.
Near this is the site of house said to have
been occupied by the chicf;-dimension 80
feet by 40. Between the house and the tenn
pie, little to the west is large excavation
in the earth, sufficient to admit an OK to he
roasted whole this is pointed out as the
oven in which men were formerly roasted
for the icasts Of the Chief.
Still further to the west, and distant from
the temple about - or ID rods is Il large
flat stone, with smooth surface, nearly an
octagonal shape six feet perhaps in diameter,
and of one or two tons weight. Onths stone
it is said the roasted victims Of this cannibal
chief were dissected and eaten. The stone
goes by the name of kalo's Jpn hai or meat
platter Natives say that pieces Of this
stone broken OF and exposed to the action
of fire, have frequently developed an oily
substance which they suppose arises from
lis having been saturated with the fat Of VIC
TINS. The experiment however, which we
made, did not satisfy us that such would be
likely to take place at this late period.
Ka!o is reported as having been chief
over about three thousand people, all of
whom lived within Il few miles OF the he
iau or temple, where he was accustomed
occasionally to feast on the dead body of
some enemy, intruder, or stranger who
might be despatched for the OCCASION
Kaanokcewc, his servant or under chief
lived at a place called Kancwai; where
there IS very narrow pass between two ra-
vines, and very abrupt on both sides. On
this neck Of land kaanokecwe built his
house, reaching from bank to bank; 80 that
all who might GO to the mountains for timber
in that direction must 90 through his house;
travellers also from the north side of the
Island frequently passed that way.
All Of these he was in the habit Of qucs-
tloning as to the object of their several
journeys and if by any artificc he could
implicatc them in deception real or iancicd
he regarded them as lawful prey, took their
lives, and carried them with haste to HALO
to he dcvourcd.
kaanokeewc is reported as having been
very athletic; ready to give battle to any
man, and sure to conquer in sing combat.
SO that the victims procured by him for his
master were numerous. Natives say, many
iortics in number. Kaanokccwe DESTROYED
all his own brethren and those of his wife,
except one, who escaped him and went to
Kauai. On Kauai be learned the art of man
aging a contest in single combat, and with
his newly acquired skill returned to Oahu
No sooner had he arrived than he heard
that his sister, Kaholckua, wife of Kaano-
kcewe had been killed by her husband. On
this intelligence he made haste to the spot,
found his sister not dead but severely injured.
lie then attacked Kaanokecwc with all his
skill, and in the encounter both Of them went
Off the precipice together: and in the fall
kaanokeewe's head was caught between two
trees, and, grappled as he was with his an
tagonist, his neck was broken short of.
With the death of this procurcr of victims,
the cannibasm of the chief kalo ended, as
he had no one to procure him victims
From that time this horrd custom ceased.
Previous to the time of KaIo, it is said