The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-11-07
A Visit 20 a Hawaiian Goddess-the Princes
Opinion Of the Hula. &c.

HIuo, October IS. 1874.
Ma EnIToR being en- 4 tour through the Hiio
PlAntations. I was asked to visit a sick native. A
short hAlf mle FROM the p!antatioa house brought Ee
TO the deor Of 3 decent lookiag grass house. To the
lent. on some mats lay the sick man. who bad a fever
Aser examining him. l took a lock around the apart
meat Across the other end Of the house vas
stretched a calico curtain, enclosing - room some six
feet wide. Having heard something Of = divinity q
great virtues in ths neighbOrhood, i raised the corner
Of the curtain, and there lay before me- al the ara
phernaliA Of the famous AHiG. such as native drums,
small ealAbasbes with pebbles in them for ratsle>, and
in the corner Of the room the altar or shrine of LNKA,
the presiding deity Of the Hawaiian Hala
The altar as seen by me, consisted Of strips Of Tur-
key-red cloth hanging in the corner Of the room,
about two feet apart, With one piece Of the same
across the apper part. leaving an open space two by
three feet, and across this were wrea,hs Of flowers,
with a board across the bottom. which was strewn
with fresh fern leaves and small aowers. Not wish
ing to intrade too far, 1 left. and pursued my in
quiries elsewhere, with the following result
From a reliable scarce, l learned some particulars
about the goddess Laka and her temple. The Ka-
huna, or priest-who is also the teacher Of the hula
gets a class of pupils together. The frs, thing to DO
is to build an altar. The kahuna goes through with
u variety ~ NGHNihooASss hIA AuSu S8aEtc y III
mountain. He must not look back. nor to the right
nor left. but straight ahead; nor must be eat. drink.
spit. or attend to any Of the calls Of nature until the
material is gathered for the altar. This consists Of
three small branches from the highest top of the obia
tree, Cor mountain arple) where Laka is supposed to
dwell; tops Of all the different varieties Of ferns
the children of the goddess; these are bound around
each of the ohia branches, with wreaths Of small
nnwarS S.ruDg on fuina These fbrae hund1ae a.
prepared are supposed TO embody the spirit Of Laka.
After this the following rules are strictly enforced
The learners of the bala are strictly tabu from female
society; from touching a dead body; certain kinds of
sugar cane, and fish, some Of the varieties of lima
must not be eaten; they must not spit in running
water; and various other obligations are imposed.
If any of these rules are broken. for the highest
o6ense a pig is supposed to appease the wrath Of the
goddess and the hunger of the priest at the same
time. For smaller ofenses a bunch Of ava answers.
There is one peculiar ceremony the scholars must all
observe on entering the house dedicated TO Laka; on
one side of the door is a small vessel containing water
with salt in 1.-THE person on entering dips the ends
of the fingers in the water and then to the lips, from
thence they must proceed straight to the altar and
otter a prayer to the goddess that they may learn to
excel in the hula.
When the class have learned all the arts Of the
hula, and are pronounced proficient enough to appear
in public and before the Chiefs, a feast is given in
the sacred house, at the conclusion Of which the altar
is taken down and all the paraphernalia are snugly
tied in one bunch and thrown into the nearest stream;
and this ends the reign of Laka. until the kahuna
can get together another class of the young Of both
sexes who are willing to abide by his rules, pay the
fines, and otherwise reimburse him for imparting the
mysteries of Laka, when another altar has TO be
erected and the same ceremonies gone through with.
Is it not q strange thing that such trashy supersti-
tons still linger among the Hawaiians, in spite Of
all the enlightenment and civilization they have re-
ceivedl Since writing the above. l hear that the
Kahuna, Mainipo by name is dead. Thereis little to
say by way of obituary. He was a c~orrupter of the
young of both sexes, and a miserable cuss all around;
too lazy to work for an honest living, and afraid to
steal anything that was too heavy to carry,--so let
rest.
I o the arrival of II. r.. II. Prince Leleiohoku at
Hilo, the hula companies offered him their services,
which were declined; and in his address to the peo-
pie, at the Court House, he spoke Of the hula as one
of the evils that he would like to see banished from
the land Both Gov. Kipi and the Hon. Simon X.
Kaai, WHO followed the Prince, spoke in the same
strain, and characterized the hula as demOrAli2ing to
the youth of both sexes, bht more particularly the
young lemaieSs u ieaihFphcse hhcient uAhces 10 get
money for their worthless male relatives-instead Of
being at school, or occupied In some useful employ
ment.
Three weeks have passed in Hilo without rain, and
things look dry throughout the district.
z There was an accident at Onomea the other day.
A native fell sixty feet from a bridge that was being
built, but struck in a soft place and got of with a
broken arm and a terrible shaking.
Yours SC. E. W.