The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-06
QUEER KANAKA BELIEF.
Some Strange Superstitions of tho Ha
waijapS


QUEER KANAKA BELIEF.
Some Strange Superstitions of the Ha-
waiians.
But few who have read how the Ha-
waiian queen has lost her throne have
ever visited the Sandwich islands and
seen for themselves the life of native
Hawaiian as he lives it, or knows how
greatly his superstitions govern all his
actions, Notwithstanding the fact that
he has been in the hands of the mission
airy for the last fifty years. The natives
are superstitious from Queen Liliuoka-
lani to the humblest of her recent sub
jects. King kalakaua was in some
things as superstitious as the most is-
norant negro in central Africa, in spite
of his travels and the efforts of the
missionaries to wean him from his be-
liefs 1t is the general opinion of the
natives that he was prayed to death
by ''kahuDa" while on his last visit to
this city, and no Kanakas but will say
that they knew when the large red fish
appeared in the harbor that their king
was no more in the land of the living
This belief that within three days of
the death of some one connected with
the royal family a school Of bright scar
let fish comes into the harbor at Homo
lulu and stays until the death takes
place is one of the strongest Of the
kanakas' many superstitions, and that
in the last thirty years, at least,
has been strongly corroborated. The
deaths of Lunalilo, Likelike. Queen
Emma, Ruth, the champion fat
woman of the islands," Kalakaua and
John Dominis, the late husband of the
Tate" queen, have all been heralded a
day or two before their deaths by the
coming of school of kaia Uluulu," as
the red fish are called. In the case of
John Dominis,s the last person con-
nected with the royal family to die, he
was not supposed to be dangerously i'll,
and invitations for a state ball to be
held at the palace were out
On the day before the ball was to be
given a large school Of the red fish
were seen by several native fishermen
at the entrance to the harbor and word
of their appearance was at once taken
to the queen. The invitations were
withdrawn Immediately and notices to
that effect given to all the newspapers,
alth ough the prince consort was appar-
emily no worse than he had been for
weeks. That night he died. Could
anyone convince the average natives
that his death, like that of so many of
the royal family before him, had not
been foretold?
But the superstition that the kanaka
holds dearest is that concerning the
power of the llahuna, or native witch
doctor This power is almost linitless.
If a native in any way offends lsahu-
ma, he is in deadly fear that he will be
condemned TO die, and he Immediately
hunts up a kahuna higher in rank than
the one he has offended and asks to
have the curse offset and neutralized:
The rank of the kahuna is settled by
his age. The older one is, or claims to
be. which, as the kanakas very seldom
keep any record of births. usually
amounts to the same thing, the more
power he has over his fellow man.
This kahunaism is now forbidden by
the laws the Americans have made in
the islands, and if witch doctor is
caught in his practice he is given a
long term on the reef" as the Homo
lulu jail is called. But if a native
should complain to the police that he
was being prosecuted by kahuna. ne
would have every one of the witch doc
tors against him, and he would not live
q wear.
Their methods are peculiar. Less
than year ago native man had owned
for years a small piece of property on
the sea shore near Honolulu. Living
next to him was 4 kahuna of great age
and consequently high rank. These
two had always lived peacefully until
last summer, when the kahuna bought
some young pigs. There had never
been any fence between the two places,
and the young porkers raised havoc
with the natives garden. SO TO stop
this trouble he built fence between
his yard ana his neighbor's The l:a-
huna was away at the time, and when
ne returned he was SO enraged that he
told the native he must either ia Ike it
down or he would pray him to death
This praying 10 death Is pleasing lit
tie way the kahunas have of going to
their victims houses and for whole
night at time and very frequently
praying to some god of the ancient
Hawaiians. asking that their enemy be
killed. This has the effect Of so scar
ing the kanaka that almost inyaria biz
nc viii actually die from fright
This native. however had proba bly,
been told 10y some white missionary
that the kahBna> power WIS not 50
great ~ his people had for years be
lieyed, for he refused - remove the
fence. The kahUna siraiehtwaV began
MS lamentations. but the ie1ce-builder
held out for wee., wis.. uo show 81
weakening. Al me enc II that time
his old >uperstlIions g0t the better OF
AIS ney teachings, and he went ~ the
llabuna, telling nim that te WAS vii
ling To tear down the bono Of conten-
ton 4 he would remove his curse from
MIN The reyenEctu kahuna refused