The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28
I%TLIUOKALANrS HoOKUPU.
rITITEs BEAR GIFTS TO HARAKPs
FoRzEER QUEEN

me FunetiOn Was In Celebrates OF Her
Return to the IsIand-Ths Guests Kills.
Her Hand and Treat Her as ~ she
We're still 0usen-she Makes = Speech.
HoSoLuLu. Aug. TIN a few years. when
Hawaii shall have been thoroughly American
lied and civilized. the hookupu and the luau
and the hula will hnvo entirely disappeared.
Men will no more dream Of wearing leis around
their hats and throats than we would think Of
decorating ourselves with feathers OF human
teeth. and with the passing OF these thinga
tbree-fourths Of the interest md the charm Of
The islands will be gone.
Strange as IL may seem. there IL . perfect
mania TO hurry along tnis unhappy condition
NJ things. America-mania Is epidemic In hi
place. Tho missionaries benttheir efforts once
upon a time to break upthe practice OF wearing
leis. considering IL a sign OF . light mint To
the Missionaries also. II Is said. We are indebted
for tho hldeous holoku. Ipresume the holoku
was invented by the good ladies OF the mission
rry Dorcas societies because IL was easy to
fashion and utterly disguised the gracefully
turned native girls. whose pretty arms and
ankles we're an ~abominatlon TO New England
ewes. The abominable holoku took root. but
the graceful lois remained by way Of divine
compensation, for leis Is the freshest and most
charming decoration ever devised in q land OF
flowers. 1t indicates a light heart IL not q light
mind.
The poi calabush Is fast disappearing from
native tables, garnered into museums and pri-
yate collections. The grass house Is seen no
more In Honolulu save as q curiosity ct the
country places OF one or two rich men. Hulas
arr against the NV. and 80 Is the drinking Of
ava. and most OF the distinctive customs are
being frightened away into ferny haunts IN re-
mote valleys. As soon as the whites are able
to build roads to the valleys. these, too. will be
rooted up and stamped out-frowned and
laughed out of existence.
II any one prefers a heIau or native temple.
with stones arranged as at Stonehedge. to \
click. snug, varnished-within-and-wtthout
church. with a New England air about 1t, and a
wooden belfry perched on top. he IL regarded
as a person inimical to progress.
Out OF devotion 60 the old. which passes and
can never be replaced. The writer went to the
native hookupu given By the loyal subjects OF
Itlhioi aiani N celebrate her return to tba
Islands. The hookupu is an ancient Hawiian
ceremony-a sitt-bearing to the sovereign. 1t
Is a relative of our surprise and birthday party,
and used to be given whenever tho King left
his capital to visit the other islands. The ma
tiyes are too poor nov; TO give many or rich
gifts. but they are generous and op~en-handed.
and whatever they have they bring to the mon
arch. To the Hawaiian the quality of miserli-
ness is unknown.
The interesting thing about this novel recep-
ton was not the poor rags OF royalty drawn
over u dead dynasty. not the circumstance that
everybody except u few stiT-neeked Americans
kissed the soft. dark land Of the Queen. but
the fact that not one in all that assemblage had
gone there in search Of anything there was
not an oficeseeker or q placehunteR among
them all. There was nothing to gain. no re-
-on 81 r-tn n-l 90 Al - -a--I- A.
the place by the hundreds. and their brown
faces shone with pleasure AS they have not for
many a day. 1t was not only love for Liliuo-
kalani that brought them. for the Queen Is not
Is popular personally as were others of her
house, but it was a sentiment of respect and
reverence for what used to he in Hawaii-nei-a
love for the chief and all that he stands for.
The news OF the hookupu had spread by sons
mysterious magic. No paper had published It.
no invitations had been sent out. no watchfres
had blazoned it from hilltops. and yet every
native on the leeward and w%indward sides Of the
island Of Oahu knew of it. and from miles
around they gathered to contribute to the
pleasure and show their loyalty to the Queen.
1t was early when they went Gathering through
tine town. for the hookupu was to commences at
0ociock. and one does not keep q queen wait
ING. From the country regions in which Homo
lulu is nestled. from the valleys just back Of the
town. such q little way that it almost seems a.
though one could put out ones hand and touch
them. from all those places where Il shower
and shines every hour, where rainboWs in pairs
and by dozens lie lovingly against the hills. the
brown men and women iourneyed on foot and
en- horseback to do homage to the Queen.
What did it matter to them that she was no
longer the Queenf Technically they were
Americans owing allegiance to . man In q
froek coat ct Washington. but the law cannot
say to o heart Go" and make 1t obey the COM
mand. Laws and hearts have ever been in no
torious divorce.
And 50. Xix love laughing at loeksmiths. the
Hawaiians came to the city with their Offer
ngS. and Q line OF pedestrians might have been
seen BY early risers stretchinG all the way
from the ferny DEPTHS OF Nuuanu and Nanoa
from Tahiti, with iS country lanes and ole
ander hedges. even from the far Pah-evory
place where the native lives and enltivatos his
little CROP Of taro. What queer bundles they
al hadl It was like . donation party &C Q New
ENGLAND parsonage. only instead Of being rich
and p~arsimonious farmers giving frost-5ittan
potatoes or damaged grain. or any imperfect
these natives were bringing the last chicken
sg INC they and their families mqstgo Without.
% poor that they could III aford to give any
tthhlne rom their slender hoard. and because OF
Lnelr gltts they probably went OuppeFlOaS 70
S SsG; 9St sasir poverty In no wal, dimmed the
would have made them sad would have been 20
prevent them from giving.
IN; The zee was held at the private residence Of
Lliuokalanl. Washington Place, as It has al
n HayS peen called was, the residence Of the
RtomlnlS family. LiliuokAlani married q son OF
ise family and Inherited the place frQmh him. Il
HHonolulM- across the street from the Central
H nn Snnrch. the gathering place of all the
msi yIs families. The house y uilt In the
AYE OF plantation houses in the southern
Ai.S states. and with q double Veranda
Will Whlte pillars and great square roomR with
bAws ide haii down the centre from front door TO
SSTVfbnusntial houses, where, on being admitted
~, ,roht uoor, or even before Admission, while
nv stahH on the porch. you have q glimpse
msS tne intriqaeies Of the Kitchen. It has some
Erand as the line old carved tables Which be-
E0IEed N lolant Palace, and now stand In ths
b s ot the Executive building. as the palace |
ma mas % been called since fhe overthrow q the
faahiifIs uiy n In the hall are gEeat. feather
and Su1 5aGu moth-eaten and the stands massive