The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-10-03
WORSHIP THEIR OLD IDOLS
Missionaries and Their Children Own
ing the Land Given as One
Reason for the Decline.

Trinity Church was crowded sun
day morning on the occasion of tht
return to his charge of Rev. DR.. J. B
Wakefield, the rector, after an ex
tended vacation spent on the Ha
waiian Islands. AS was expected
DR.. Wakefield delivered an interest
ing discourse, dealing with his obser
vations while abroad. His text wa:
from IL Kings xvii: 80, 81. "They
the Samaritans) feared the Lord and
served their own gods
and unto this day they do after theil
former manners.n
''In my remarks this morning." he
said, 81 desire it distinctly under
stood that no reference is made to the
cultured and educated Hawaiians,
who differ as widely from the class
speak of as do the inhabitants of Fifth
avenue, New York, from the denizens
of the Five Points, or the Mandarin
class in China from their countrymen
in Chinatown, San Francisco.
"The possibility that our govern
ment may assume certain response
bilities in connection with the Sand
witch Islands gives a present interest
| to all that pertains to the Hawaiian
! people. In my recent visit to these
islands l found the opinion current
| that they were relapsing into the idol
| atrous worship from which, seventy
| years since, they had been emanci-
{ Lot hi
| glance at what that faith was. They
deitied the powers of nature. To
them, the earth, the air, the sea were
filled with innumerable beings
Akuas. The volcano, the thunder,
the whirlwind, the mysterious and
dreaded diseases were each either the
work or embodiment of q malicious
spirit. They had in common with
other Polynesians, four great gods,
which were believed to have existed
since primeval chaos or night, power
full, invisible beings dwelling above
the clouds, but also appearing on
earth in human form. Kane, the
most powerful of all these, was be-
lieved to be the father of men, the
founder of the world. Kaualoa asso-
ciated with him as his younger bro
ther was supposed to have created
springs of water, in many places, in
his tours through these islands, also
as introducing the banana and other
useful plants. Ku, dark and male
VIOLENT being. delighted in the suffer-
ings and immolation of human vic
Tins. Luno, specially invoked for
rain and on certain family occasions. |
Aumakuas were innumerable deities,
often spirits of departed ancestors at |
tached to particular families, and |
sickness or a failure to fulfill their |
vows caused their displeasure. Lulu |
pc, the name of the deity who assisted |
their chiefs after death to a heaven be- |
yond the clouds. These deities were |
worshipped under the form of stone or
wooden idols, which they were sup
posed to favor and to whom they |
offered sacrifices. They had also their
kahuna or medicine men, who were
their sorcerers, not unlike the witches
of the middle ages, believed in, hated
and feared.
Human sacrifices had ceased be-
fore 1920. So these people, as found
them, gentle, generous to fault and
so obliging, were said to be relapsing
into their old ways and idolatrous
practices, that attendance at public
worship was declining, that the mis-
sionary preachers had lost their inhu-
ence over them, that when sorrow
came or sickness laid its hand upon
them, or death stared them in the
face (all seasons which try mems
faith they employed the lamentations
Of their sooth-sayers or sought by the
sacrifice of fowl or pig to appease
the aumakua, whose wrath they had
incurred. So, seeking for reason for
the collapse of what for half century
has been heralded as the most notable
and decided triumph in modern times
Of the gospel at its missionary meet
ngs and in missionary publications
in fact these islanders were repre-
.ented as "a nation born in a day. and |
he OutpOuring of the spirit upon
hem likened unto that on the day of
oentecost-the following were some of
he conflicting replies received:
First = The withdrawal by the
American Missionary Board twenty
i've years since of their missionaries,
md placing the congregations under
he charge of native pastors.
"Second = This from a Hawaiian
oil W LLIC AdSb lAAeib
he missionaries and their children
lad become possessors of the lands
which they, not knowing their value, |.
lad disposed of for mere song, and
eft them (the natives) poor whilst !.
hey had become rich, and that these
descendants of their former teachers :
we're now seeking to deprive them of =
he right to vote. :
"Third-A great lack of judgment !
lad been shown by translating the J
ntire bible into their vernacular, :
making it difficult, if not impossible, !
or the heather mind to discriminate
'etween the morality of the earlier :
nd later dispensations. My inform
mt reminded me that one of the most !
devoted missionaries in South Africa
0und 1t to be q serious hindrance to
lis work amongst the Zulus who
ould not understand why, for in
lance, polygamy, etc., should have