The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-05-19
CANOE VOYAGES.
Lecture by DR.. N. B. Emerson Be-
fore the Historical Society.

Vice President Jos. S. Emerson
presided at the Hawaiian Historical
Society at Y. NJ. g. A. hall last
night. There was slim attend
ance for society with roll that in
cludes mostly everybody of any lit
erary capacity, for either production
or absorption, in Honolulu. DR.. |
Hyde, secretary, Dr. Rodgers, lib
rarian, DR.. n. B. Emerson, lecturer
of the evening, DR.. Beckwith, Prof. |
Alexander, Justice Frear, Rev. o. p. |
Emerson, Mr.. G. M. Cooke, Mr. j.
Nj. Davidson, few ladies and half a |
dozen others composed the meeting.
President Dole of the Provisional
Government and Mr.. w. II. Cas-
tie were elected Vice-Presidents
to make up the quota depleted by
departures from the country. Mr..
Henry G. Carter of New York was
elected corresponding member,
and three active and three life mem
bers were added to the roll. After
the transaction of business the
chairman introduced DIR. n. B.
Emerson, to lecture on the subject,
"The Long Voyages of the Ancient
Hawaiians." The doctor read an in
tensely interesting paper, filled with
stirring adventure and lively Incl
dent. 1t will prove one of the most
entertaining as well as instructive
of the society's permanent records.
The lecturer said the title might
as well have been, "The Period of
Communication between Northern
Polynesia and Southern Polynesia"
Between the 18th and 18th centuries
some strong motive was stirring up
the people of Polynesia to move
ments of enterprise and adventure.
Some of the voyagers performed ex-
| ploits that were not less remarkable
in some respects than the voyages of
Columbus, whose four hundredth
anniversary we were now seeing
celebrated. The lecturer told stories
the scenes of which we're connected
with the migrations that settled
many parts of the South Pacific
There was one scamp of chief
whose hands were affected periodi-
cally with an itching that could only
be allayed by the slaughter of hui
man beings. 1t was hard to place
the names Of those great canoe navi-
gators who led in the earlier inter
course between Hawaii and islands
in the South Pacific. In this con-
nection he told the STORY of Paao,"
beginning with an episode of chiefsh
tyranny in Samoa which led to
great voyage in grand canoes. A
feather god was in the outfit which
afterward figured in the household
equipment of Kamehameha |. On
the passage was met school of the
opu fish, that ever since has been
held in reverence by Hawaiians, as a
sort of cross between mascot and
a guardian angel. The voyager
made in at Hamakua and Kohala,
where he built temples or heiaus of
which remains are found at this day.
This story Yves, in spite of whatever
in it was mythical or exaggerated,
valuable for the light it shed on the
institutions and practices of those
days. 1t appeared that the visitors
from the South had introduced ag-
gravated forms of the tabu. Paao's
craft wherein the voyage Of 300
miles was made would seem to have
been a large double canoe. Names
of other notable men of that olden
time preserved by tradition were
given by the lecturer, who said the
descriptions Of strangers that APP
peared in Hawaii five centuries ago
} did not indicate natives of America
or Spain. However crude the astro-
nomical knowledge of those ancient
Polynesian voyagers might be deem
ed, it remained as wonderful how
they navigated hundreds of miles OF
: trackless ocean by the guidance OF
the heavenly bodies. The lecturer
related many legends of the arriva
OF adventurous strangers from other
groups, to the increase of Hawaii's
population and the variation OF
, types among her inhabitants. He
remarked on the tables of genealogy
= brought from the southern group.
and committed to the keeping o.
= the experts in those matters of the
, Hawaiian Islands. In closing DR.
Z Emerson recited a native poem o
:, the 18th century, relating tn,
> beauties of the land of "Kahiki"
. Hearty applause was accorded tt
the lecturer at the conclusion. On
motion of DIR. Hyde the paper wa
ordered published in the regula
series Of the Association.
DIR. Emerson expressed the opinion
: that discussion ought to follow tn,
reading of papers. More light woul,
=, probably thus be directed on tn,
! subject.
,, DR.. Rodgers asked a question a
u to the causes of the early intercourse
y between groups, to which DR.. Emer
. son replied that the first movemen
= was from the south hither, for whicl
:, return visits were paid.
q Prof. Alexander gave some view
: OF the oldtime intercourse betwee
:, Pacific groups, which were support
- ed by data ascertained by Mr.. Smit
Il OF the Polynesian Society.