The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-03-27
MYTHS and LEGENDS.
How the Hawaiians Came to
Hawai-.
LEAVES FROM OLD RECORDS.
The Natives Idea of the Creation.
A Divided Gourd Makes Two
Hemispheres-But One Continent.

The Origin of the Hawaiian Islands
was the subject selected by j. M. Poepoe
editor of the Kuokoa, for q very inter.
esting lecture at the Young Hawaiian
Institute last night.
After the lecturer had described the
geographical position occupied by the
Hawaiian Islands in the North Pacific
and their distance from North Amer
lea and from Asia, as well as from
Tahiti and Australia, he pointed out
the reason why the Hawaiian Islands
are designated by the natives as "Pae
Alma"
1T is on account" said the speaker.
of their standing in row, from south
east to northwest. The old Hawaiians
knew this position, and the bard of
the ancients, Kamahualele, more es-
pecially, made it the subject of a mele.
The lecturer did not claim
to bring out the geological researches
concerning these islands, or to advance
any fixed theory as to how they came
into existence; whether they are the
result of an upheavel from the bottom
of the sea by volcanic action or that
they are remnants of an old continent
once occupied in the Pacific, portions
of which are subsidized into the deep;
but he simply gave what is known as
the belief of the ancient Hawaiians as
to the origin of the islands as recorded
in their old meles. together with GER
tain theories advanced by some modern
biologists, among whom are Agassiz
and Dana, and adopted by the late
King Kalakaua as pertaining to the
islands of the Pacific.
Mr.. Poepoe sub-divided his subject
into three separate divisions:
First-The old Hawaiian point of
view as relating to the creation, but
more especially of the heavens and
earth
Second-The origin of the Hawaiian
Islands according to the Hawaiian ira
dition.
Third-The theories advanced by
some of the modern biologists, includ-
ing Agassiz and Dana, concerning these
islands.
Under the first division he pointed
out that the old Hawaiians had three
different opinions as to how the heav-
ems and earth were created, none of
them fixed or Interchangeable. One was
that the heavens and earth came into
existence by volcanic action. Another
hat they had natural birth, and still
another that they were created by three
gods who were supreme beings.
In support of the first of the three
divisions, the lecturer quoted part of
IN old mele known as "Mele Koiho-
lua," entitled "Ka Holoua ka Papa
Apuapo Lono Ike Kapularie," and some
# the lines from the mele of Kumulipo,
which showed that the heavens and
'arth were made by volcanic action.
Following this came several of the
I'D traditions showing the natural
firth of these islands:
In the geneology of Puanuue it is
aid that one Paialani (K) was the hus-
and and Kumukaianikekaa CW) the
wife, came forth the four quarters
the earth and the foundations of the
eavens. And in the genealogy of Ku-
1uhonua, the man, and Kamaieli, the
roman, came forth the foundation of
he earth. And that in the genealogy of ,
ace, as some supposed, his wife, Papa,
ave birth to a gourd or ''umeke." Wa
ca is said to have taken the cover from 1:
ne umeke and thrown it high above a
i'm. The result was the sky and the :,
anopy of heaven. u
When this had been accomplished II
Vakea took the pulp from the gourd
nd threw it up into the heavens. The =
ulp turned into bright light, which @,
'day is the sun, and the seeds turned
ito stars. The white, watery substance
| the pulp and on the rim of the umeke
lrned into clouds, and the watery SUBJ 2.
ance from the gourd itself was thrown
ito the clouds and became rain.
Then Wakea cut the body of the l
meke into two parts; one part was the
nd and the other the ocean. :,
Mr.. Poepoe could not recommend this ,v
count as showing the old Hawaiian
lperstition as to the creation, but it %
ay be drawn from this that the earth OIL
as believed by them to be a round lie
,dy, fattened on two sides-meaning v.
lie two poles Of the earth, as repre-
nted by the two fiattened or depressed
des of an "uEaeke" flu
Not only that, but they believe also I'll
at there were two hemispheres at the .,
,ginning of the creation, one of land
Id one of ocean, which corresponds
it'll the account given in Genesis, l.,
10. The lecturer quoted S. M. Kama p,
au, a celebrated local historian, who
SISTED A. Fernandez in his Polyne-
an researches, as giving the opinion -
lat there are many old accounts to
owe that the heavens and earth we're
Gated by three gods known as Kane,
u and Lono.
Ku was also called Ku ka Pao, the =
chitect, he being the second person Z
Id seemed to be the creator Lono
as honored sitting or living upon the