The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-10-22
FACTS ABOUT THE HAwAllANa.
How They Became Christians Their
Alphabet Poi, Aloha, and Leis.

Alphabet Poi, Aloha, and Leis.
Hawalians all become christians"
through the simple process Of an edict
-kapoo-of one of the sturdy old
Kamehamehas. That worthy King,
observing that 1t was easier to kill an
enemy with n rifle than with club,
and that the rifle was the invention Of
the Christians. took short cut through
the theological mazes of the mission
aries who were trying to convert his
subjects, and announced that all Ha-
waiians were from that moment Chris
tians. As he added that he would
knock In the head any who objected
the thing was done as fast as his eour-
iers could deliver his message to his
loving subjects.
All native women ride, full blood,
half-caste, and white, and everywhere
but In Honolulu ride mems saddles.
The low-caste ride native ponies In n
careless, slovenly manner, but the high
caste and whites, sitting astride an
American horse-the possession of
which Is almost mark of rank-ride
with dash and style that are fine to
see. On all the islands but Oahu, and
even on that outside of Honolulu,
where fashions from the States" pre-
vail, the women all dress In "A gown
falling straight from the shoulders, and
In this garment, called holoku, they
ride man-fashlon. the skirts being SO
very full they need not be divided.
Pol, the staff of life OF the native Ha-
waiians. Is made of an esculent root
called tara, much resembling big
sweet potato. The tara. raw, Is pound
ed into thick, stiff paste In wooden
troughs, packed In mating, and allow
ed to ferment. When II IL TO he served
this Is thlnned 10 any desired consls-
tency in calabash. and conveyed to
the mouth by the fingers. 1t Is pale
blue in color and slightly acid In taste.
but foreigners soon acquire liking for
1t, especially when tblnned with milk
so that 1t can be drunk.
There are but twelve letters In the
Hawaiian alphabet. These, with their
pronunclatlons, are: A tahl, ela), teel,
W az III hoit u Nool, u Ah"gft 'A"' >
| da), IN (mool, moo, p pay, and W
way. The missionaries added thlr-
tenth. I, but the natives won't have
1t, and continue 10 pronounce. for In
stance, the name of the root from which
poi Is made kara" although the mis-
sionaries have 1t tara" Every vowel
In Il word is distinctly sounded, except
that the vowels hi" are sounded Il. :"
as In English, waikiki, the beach
where our soldiers take an ocean
plunge daring their stay In Honolulu.
is properly pronounced "Nikeekee."
There is a great difference in the speech
Of the high and low caste natives. The
first call their island group "Ha-ya-ee-
ee," and the latter begin II all right
with "Ha." but conclude with a gut
tural grunt; and the word heard most,
Aloha" sounds soft and beautiful on
the lips OF the first, but Is a lazy. good
natured grunt as the latter speak IT,
Aloha IL, In their limited vocabulary,
at once greeting and farewell, a
formal expression of regard and Of
deep love. In the latter case II Is III
creased In warmth and depth OF mean
ing by modifying adjectives annexed
instead OF prehxed. as aloha nnl"
Aloha nui loa." or even aloha nui
loa kea and then It Is time to speak
/ to Papa.
Our soldiers. so say the reports from
I Honolulu. were greeted with "Alohas
and "leis." The latter are wreaths or
flowers made either TO nj around the
hat of a man or head Of woman, or
more generously To hang over the neck
aud shoulders. The native women dis
play much art In weaving the abund-
ant flowers into leis Of much beauty.
No matter how many men may leave
A ranch or planiation-h house, nor how
early It may be In the morning, the
mistress has been busy with her maids,
and every guest Is decked with lei. 4
popular man departmng on one of the
little lnter-island steamers Is babe fare
well by n hundred friends. who rub
noses with him until the gong sounds,
and then load him with leis so that he
can scarcely stagger up the gangplank.
New York World.