The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-06-20

In Popular Science News.
On Praying to Death at the Hawai-
ian Islands.

The Board of Health at Honolulu,
renders monthly, report of deaths,
with eausation, throughout the Ha-
waiian Islands. Seldom does this
report lack an item, quite common
place it would seem,-eight, ten or
more deaths unattended"
So it might seem and so it is COM
mon, and no one wonders at Homo
lulu, but everybody knows that GER
tain proportion, perhaps half, of these
people, unattended" by a regular
physician, are victims of the DEATH
sorcery or incarnation (pule anaana)1.
| Just so many persons, natives,
have been found "prayed to deash,"
somewhere in cave, or in his own
filthy hut, or fleeing terrified in his
boat or canoe (waal, vainly seeking
ASYLUM from an old woman'S prayer;
while missions, and the law, and mo-
dern clothes and medicines are I'M
availing, for the mind of native of
the Sandwich Islands is ''its own
place"
| l. The words pule and anaana are near
Iy synonymous; the ldiom seems form OF
| emphasis.
Lacking serpents,2 these fair ISL
ands, "where only man is vile," pro-
duce the kahuna-anaana,3 with rattle
| Cnakeke), hypnotic fascination, Sc
creted poison, and the power OF death.
, If we except the atrocious details of
child-murder, where n native father
has been known to break his Child's
back for the sake of annoying the
| mothers there is no darker outgrowth
of savagery than the anaana. This
power of praying any person to
death, even his chief or the king,5
gave to the kahuna- anaana an in
fiuence outlasting the force of arms
among all the tribes of Polynesia
Originating in part as q matter of
jealousy between priest and warrior
chief, there was usually collision
and priests and chiefs were united in
their control of the mass of the ma
tives. Vancouver and Cook found
the anaana to be an ancient establish
ment. When human victims were
needed for priestly sacrifice they were
selected from among the kings enc
mics, and then, one good turn would
deserve another.
2. No snakes are to be found on any
island Of the group. Some years since a
vessel loaded with dyewOOds, from Brazil,
and reported TO contain some OF these IN
desired visitors, was ordered out OF port by
an armed mob.
8. Kahuna-an2ana, a priest or doctor
practising sorcery. They were thorough
ly detested and the people feared them,
and DO to this day. There were, also, doc
tors of ghosts and spirits (sahuna uhane),
doctors OF winds (kahuna makani), doctors
ar tho ODDS toward the sick Kahn
ma hoonohonoho akual, doctors of diseases
of the old (kahuna aumakua) doctors,
priests OF the goddess Pele (kahuna Pele)''
-Remy.
T. The mother retorted by the same
mutilation of her other child, the fathers
favorite.-See Dibble's History.
5. Jarvis says: "Chiefs came often I'M
der the baneful influence Of anaana. Bis
tory Hawaii, p. IL
4 kahuna-anaana believed to be
capable of exerting this power could
have his services secured like hired
assassin) by gifts of white fowls,
brown hogs, woolly dogs, etc, 6.
Death was almost certain TO follow
the Vaccinations of q kahuna of APP
proved power, unless his dupe could |
promptly secure the intervention of |
kahuna of higher rank that is, one |
of greater age.
S See Birds - Hawaiian Archipelago
This exercise of murder as the right !
of the strongest is but an outcome of /
the mighty tabu, embodiment of self |
ish tyranny. Tabu, a forbidding, is /
of two sorts-what the king or chief |
forbids, and what the kahuna fOrbids. !
Kingly tabu it was, and punished by ;
death, to step in the shadow of king
or chief; to walk in the shadow of the
house of any chief, unless especially
or ii the native failed to fall /
PROSTATE at the name of his chief. !
PriestIy tabus: For noise during
prayer; or if a common native stayed
with his family on sacred (tabu) days,
etc, etc. A man must choose, for his
personal tabu-idol, some object, such
as a tree, a fish or a fruit To him
henceforth it was tabu death to
touch or partake of this his own tabu.
By chiefs and priests alike, for their
own benefit, certain paths, springs
and bathing places were, at intervals,
made tabu. A sudden tabu might, at
any time, be declared against affairs
not usually prohibited even an occu-
patton, privilege or habit, class of
animals, or a manner OF eating or
drinking might, without warning,
become tabu. To women, bananas,
and pork were always for
hidden by tabu Yellow was the tabu
color of royalty, red of the priest
mood; thus flowers and clothing OF
either color were forbidden the
lative.7
7 In :. Legends and Myths Of Hawaii"
Ialakaua, the late Hawaiian king. says
During a strict tabu every fire and every
light was eItinguished, no canoe was
hovesi rom the shore, no bathing was per /;
nitted, the pigs and fowls we're muzzied or :
dared under calabashes that they might .
liter no noise. the people converted in j
whispers. and the priests and their assist +,
nts alone were to be seen without their Z
ilsces Of abode 1t was season Of deathly {
Hence, and was thought to be especially
-raieiul to the gods"
Evidently selfishness was deter
mined to appropriate every coveted |.
biect, and tabu was the method.
The writer remembers, with return
ng appetite, tabu feast TO which he :
r