The Hawaiian gazette., 1897-07-27
LAST MIGRATION
H0F The Pllyl5lialS TTaTGTSsi The
Pacific Ii Their Canoes
WARNING SIGNS INTERPRETED
Strange Tale Of People Of
Other Years.
History OF Events Handed Down in
Song From One Generation
70 Another.
WARNING SIGNS INTERPRETED
Especially written for the Advertise
by h P. Guppy, N 81

Especially written for the Advertiser
by 4 P. Guppy. N b
The stranger in these Islands may
look 81 things from two very dife7en;
stzndpoints. On The one hand he viii
admire the energy and enterprise with
which The white man is developing the
resources Of the group. On the other
hand. the student OF nature. anxious 70
keep the old world about him, viii Ia
meat The decay Of : brave and kind
hearted people. Whilst in the one case
he vii ind, in The gallant struggle Of
The young Republic 10 justify lis ex-
isIeaoe before the world, E repetition
Of The s,o-y o. Anglo-Ssxon pluck
over large part OF The globe, he viii
II The Other observe with keensst syn
patty The attitude OF E race standing
aloof and gazing sadly 81 the spectacle
Of change around il The naturalist, as
he climbs The mountain slopes and
looks down upon the Iowlan6s. is APT 70
he frequently II the blues. Re longs 70
So The people that once occupied the
villages and tovns. The sites OF which
are now only indicated BY the t-ace7y
Of Cunbling walls On The surface Of
The plains
The scene OF The following legend.
much Of which viii not be ineligible
without a reference 70 ny previous
articles Of Nay =th and June 10th. Is
laid somewhere between Tonga and
Fiji
From tine 10 time in the history OF
The Po,yresian race. The length and
breadth OF the Pacific have been TIA
ve1ss5 By fleets OF large canoes laden
with migrating peoples There Is raa>
sol for the belief that there has been
10 deliberate selection OF the routes.
n the course OF ages the fleets appear
10 have followed certain definite tracks
although the cause OF their doing so Is
not apparent Colonies were estab-
Ished a. intervals OF the line OF each
route. and they formed halIirg-places
for The several nig-atiols Genera
tons often separated one migration
from the next: but IN the colonies the
tradition was never lost. the date Of
The ias- migration being the commence
De11 o. z new sra. beyo-d which very
little was remembered n the arrange
nsnt Of al their plans and il The d.
rec-iol q al their aims. the coming
migration was the determining point
The spectacle OF successive uul-iru6es
OF men crossing The ocean along the
sane course. tnpslled By the same no
lives. and never returning 70 the land
o. their birth i more suggestive OF
that mysterious instinct exhibited II
the migration OF the lower animals
than Of that freedom Of action and de-
Ebe-zte purpose We are wont 70 At
tribute 70 the mind OF man
L was in ole OF these colonies that
I found myself OF the ere Of the last
migration Il was situated az the
mouth Of narrow strait, through
which ran E rapid current, never
changing in its direction The cliffs
OF either side OF the passage rose up
pe-pe16iculaTlE 70 E height OF several
hundred tee-. the leiges o. their dark
faces being white with the deposits OF
sea fowl that q certain periods COT
gregated there in uv-is6s To the peo-
pie OF the colony i was known as the
Pass o. the Thousand Canoes They
alleged that the water had 10 bottom.
and IS they believed that no nan who
entered Il came hack again. its interior
was unknown 70 then and 10 canoe
ever attempted 70 stan It's rapid cur
rent
Down this narrow strait sailed the
fleets OF The seTsrzl uigrations. and
tradition had preserved many details
OF curious interest relating % the last
great event The old men asserted that
each migration had been distinguished
BY the name o. some new plant brought
IN lis train The red Kavika tree, the
Ohia al OF The Hawaiian. the Malay
apple OF the eastern traveller, and the
Eugeaia malaccensis Of the bo-auist,
was as they alleged. the gift OF the last
migration Il first sprang Up On the
sacred ground where the dead Of the
---A--E -z- -AA4c--
fore their departure they cast the seeds
over the soil. and for every nan that
died z Kavika tree appeared Il was
even stated that the track OF the last
migration from the setting 70 the ris-
ing sun was indicated by the growth OF
the red Kavika trees
The principal events Of the several
nigra6ons were recorded in the poems
which were generally reciJed al the
great gatherings OF the people Of the
colony: and II this manner all we're f.
milizr with the warnings Of the arrival
OF the Polynesians from the west The
signs OF an abnormal season displayed
themselves in the UNUSUAL duration OF
the northwest winds, and this was fol-
loving By the blight OF the breadfruit
tres Birds strange 70 the locality
were found in numbers IN the groTes;
whilst the unfamiliar notes Of other
strange migrants were heard in the
woods around Flocks Of migratory
birds passed for days together down
the strait, and insects in dense cloud