Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-07-27
HAWAIIAN FOLKLORE.
WHENCE THE NATIVES CAME HAS
NEVER BEEN LEARNED.

Respects to Those of the Ancieuts-The
Tabu system Led to strange Results.
Now that the Hawaiian Islands are
part of our own country, said Profes
sor G. II. Toy of Harvard college in
recent lecture, it has become an i'm
portant duty to study this group,
which stands, and evidently always
stood, as isolated as it now is in the
waters and 1.-TWO thousand miles from
anywhere" There is similarity Of
conditions on most Of the islands Of
the group and some Of the chief char
acterstics are that there are few ami
mails and practically no fora, but
great variety and briliance inregard
to scenery and uncertain climate.
Whence the natives originally came
has never been learned and probably
always will be unknown. The tradi-
tions now existing point to an immi-
grafton from Samoa, but these tradi-
tiOns are too vague to be depended
upon. The isolation Of the people of
Hawaii has caused an individuality of
and customs, and in many respects
they are unlike any other people.
One striking instance of this was the
former recognition of the "Tabu,
and this practice was a distinct fea-
ture of the people of the Polynesian
islands. The system Of restriction
grew out Of the religious conditions
and pervaded the lives Of all inh0bi-
tants.
Often this strange practice led to
serious results. Certain food was set
aside for men, other food for women,
and yet a third for children. AS an
example OF this rule, women were
forbidden to eat bananas, and it is
known that one young woman was
put to death early in the present cen
tury for violating this edict. The
regulations pertaining to the "Tabu, "
or taboo practice, were enforced by
the kings and chiefs. The custom
also often interfered with the trade Of
fishing, which is the chief employ
ment Of the people.
The natives were forbidden to look
at their chiefs or at their priests, or TO
allow their animals to do so. This
caused great inconvenience at times
when the chief or priests walked up
on the streets, and particularly SO in
thickly inhabited section. The in
habitants at these times must bind
cloths over the eyes of their animals
as well as their own eyes. Another
peculiar feature of the strange taboo
custom when Il regulation by which
chief was entitled to lay personal
claim to any object or piece of property
upon which he might happen to set
his feet. As result of this there were
often great embarrassment and hard
ship, for a citizen was in danger at
any time Of losing his boat, his house
or his field.
In speaking of the strict way in
which the "rabu" system was car
ried out and enforced in every par
ticular, the lecturer said that many
persons who violated some edict, in
advertently or otherwise, had been
known to die from fear OF the i'm
pending penalty.
Professor Toy said that the "Tabu"
practice originated in the idea that it
was not lawful to touch certain things.
The idea may have started, he said,
with the story that a question was
raised regarding the Book of Ecclesi-
astes. The rabbis asked if it was de-
filed by touch of the hands and the
answer was received that it was This
resulted in the book being consid-
cred sacred. From this time the idea
that there was danger in touching
many things. Where the system is
found elaborated, rs it is in Hawaii,
it argues great antiquity of the peo-
pie, said the speaker.
The morals of the Hawaiians at the
time of their discovery by the Euro
peans in the eighteenth century were
bnot good, according to Professor Toy,
and there has been no Improvement
as a result of the contact with ciyili-
zation that has followed. This, he
remarked, was strong reflection on
the condition of our own moral sys-
TEN.
In Hawaii four days in the lunar
month have been tabooed, the people
during these times being forbidden
to make any fire or do any work
whatever, and the king spent these
days in meditation This same prac-
tice, he pointed out, prevailed in old
Babylon. 1t was unlawful there for
king even to take medicine on taboed
days.
Professor Toy said that Hawaii had
an elaborate system of worship, with
different grades of priests and ritual
many evidences pointing to the fact
that long time had been taken to
develop the system. The folklore of
the country, he said, had the ''Tabu"
system as its central idea, while the
folk-tales evidently had really grown
out of the religious ceremony, and the
meaning Of them had been forgotten.
They had been observed at one time
as atmatter OF absolute necessity, later
as aImatter of conscience, but finally
theylall had been swept away and the
spiriteupder which they had been fol
lowed bad vanished. The people give
their gAls an elaborate genealogy,
leading blck to ancient times.
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