The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11
W~TrcncnAFr IN HAWAII.
Kahunas who VIII Undertake to Pray Men
to Death Chenply and Quickly.

gMANAA- W HN NNMhA
to Death Chenply and Quickly.
San FaANo1sco. Sept. 9.-when the Stars
and Stripes were raised over the hawaiian ISL
ands Uncle Sam took under his care som pc
oullar people. The Kanakas are q queer
mixture Of barbarism and civilization. They
never have worked and never will, but in
their ideal island home physical labor Is not a
requisite OF obtaining sustenance. Fruits and
FISH are the food Of the people, and they can De
obtained with little or no exertion. clothes
are not necessary except for purposes Oh
adornment. The thermometer is seldom less
than 700 or moro than 800. Cocoanuts and ba-
nanas are always ripe. To o large extent they
are public property.
Imagination is the most highly developed
faculty OF the Kanaka. dnomes and fairies
are more real to him than the boyle man and
Santa Claus to the child OF civilization.
When n Kanaka has an enemy he takes a curl
GUS but often successful way OF getting rid OF
him. In Honolulu and the villages are q large
class of persons known as kahunas. The
Hawaiian who has had q dispute with his
neiGhbor hires one Of these kahunas to visit
the offender and pray him to death. The only
means OF escaping is for the prosecuted per-
son TO hire another kahuna who is equally
powerful. Some Of the recommendations
shown by these fakirs are curious.in the ex-
treme. TIL documents often set forth that
the possessor has caused the death OF q GER
tain person within a few days, and with but
little expense and trouble to his client. The
manner in which the kahunas go about the
work would be ludicrous II the results were
less serious. Shortly after he has been en-
ployed the kahuna calls on his victim. he
gravely says that the victim has displeased
the goddess Pele by unseemly conduct In as
saulting or reviling his client. and then an
pn,,nnn that ha mill 1aIst,ar nonu faNHrnnf
petitions to have him punished. Then he ex-
patiates upon his known standing with the
goddess. and asserts that his prayers are sure
to be answered. During all this time the VIC
tim has been listening patiently. for there is no
greater offence in the category OF sins than to
assault a kahuna of good repute.,.
Two days after his first visit the kahuna
island. or he may have hidden in some Of the
the time which has elapsed since the first no.
t~iication that he was to, be prayed to death the
fallen him.to the bad influence of the powerful
kahuna his enemy has employed; This time.
jastmeh nter of Z the en- d imsniatsse t ihSSffi aS1nss sn-
nounces that he will not leave him. until he
dies. Quite often the kahuna on his SECOND
visit is met by another kahuna who has been
employed by the prosecuted one. In such
cases the kahunas retire to, some secluded
spot and consult. Their conduct toward each
ners are as careful as those of the medical pro-
The first thing which the kahunas discuss is
whether or not, 1t will be to their financial
benefit to end the affair or carry it on to the
are. paid by both. parties to the contest. Gen
orally it is more profitable to have the CON
back to the place where they have left the un-
fortunate man. The aggressive kahuna an
and that the great Pele will shortly afiict
him with q raging FEVER, he then falls TO his
l h@ess 1 TSs e oiEEar ka a ssTles OF dfT lSSd tb lsm mn1tT.
olent influences, prays that his client may :be
allowed to continue in good health; but II he
bb esins to any pray syn PeTg ie &l tstfF 9 tBSSt his ciie mt
may be ahHicted with a chill. hoping in this way
able his employer to preserve his normal tenn
perature., If the victim is a very wealthy man
he often hires two kahunas. in which Instance.
unless they are very poor ones, his life is COM
paratiyely safe. although 1t has happened that
some kahuna who was not looked upon as be-
the death of an individual who was protected
by a number of the best kahunas to be found.
tim will hire q kahuna to go to the person who
first started the trouble and pray hin to death.
augurating a proceeding of this kind is often
fraught with peril to both persons. Deaths
have been known to result from the efforts Of
and the. thought OF, being in such danger
causes then, to br9od over -, e matter until
akin akin t to the IN ma la " for ' which tie VAN" kahun "a
prayed. This is a triumph which no kahuna
will allow to go unnoticed. The person who
caused the kahuna to pray the other man to
death must pay for the funeral. which is usu-
ally an elaborate one.
The process of settling disputes in this man.
ner is most common in.inland communities.
although it is somewhat In vogue in Homo
ulu. It has been tried on white men many
| times, and in one or two instances has re-
suited in the kahuna's being elected in a most
unceremonious manner. The Kanakas have
come to the, conclusion that:a white mar, is not
subject to the goddess Pele and that she will
enacted from time to time to put a stop to the
practice. but the late King Kalakaua was in
duced to repeal them. having as the ~alterna-
tive the danger OF being the subject OF all the
prayers OF the most powerful kahunas on the
islands.