The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-06
QUAINT BURIAL OF A QUEEN.
Last Rites Over the Last Queen of
HaNvaii-The Peoples Mourning.


From the New York Evening Post.
Honolulu, July 12.-The last queen of the
native races has passed away. The funeral
of Kapiolan the Queen Dowager Of Ha
wall, he'd on July ,, was one of the most
impressive ceremonies ever known among
the people of these Islands. In the days
that interviewed between her deaih on June
"a and her burial was typ.fed the passing
of the Hawaiian people as a separate ma
ton Like a requiem for a dying race was
the imposing state funeral; for, although
the ex-Queen Liluokalani still survives,
she was at best only an elective sovereign,
and has never taid deep hold on the sym
pathies of The people over whom she once
ruled.
Kapiolani was direct descendant of the
only monarch whom the great Kamehame-
ha was unable TO subdue, In addition to be-
ing the last of the race of crowned heads
who ruled by divine right of kings" she
had endeared herself to all Hawaiian PEG
pie by her chara ter, her generous aid 70
unfortunate lepers, and her long life of
constant effort for the upifting OF the wo-
men of her race. Her death, therefore was
the occa sion of Il spontaneous outburSt OF
grief among the natives throughout the IS
lands. They gathered from the remotest
villages as the news spread, and almost
literally lived near the dead Queen until
the last opportunity for loving tribute was
past The men eagerly bid for the honor
of waving The ''kahI.," their unique badge
of roy atty over the royal bier night and
day The women toiled labori0usly putting
the "kahiis' together. These emb.ems are
made of costly feathers taken from rare
birds now extinct. and only are brought
out when there is service 10 be performed
IL. IL. I Zoo fr.V -sNlwr
are found On each bird, and as for the ceie-
mony there is a solid cylindrical mass of
them tied TO a pole, one can easily realize
the expense and sacrifice involved in their
preservation and preparation Some Of the
poles are made Of human bones tied to-
gether-bones of long conquered enemies.
The Queen lay in state first in her hum
Bile home. then in the historic native
church built of white coral, a marvelously
artistic bit of architecture The floral
gifts at both places were as abundant and
beautiful as a hower-loving people in
land of flowers could devise. The royal
insignia of crown and 'kahilis,' of purple
arches and feathered robes above the bier,
and the gorgeous attire of officers in at
tendance. were in strange and pathetic
contrast with the simple press of the sim
pie subjects who wept at the departure of
their beloved Queen. The constant waving
of the imperial plume over the coffin added
weirdness 10 the dirges of the band and
TO the piteous wailng of the natives as
they chung to each other or stood up in the
crowded church to give their last iesti-
mony of grief.
Five hundred chosen natives drew the
catafaloue to the royal mosque, and the
slow-noving car was surrounded by sixty
''kalilis" borne aloft amid the despairing
lamentations of a dying people. Six hun
dred women in black 'holokus" Qamiliar
To American women as Mother Hub
bards'O. some of them barefooted, and all
expressing the deepest sorrow, marched in
solemn procession behind the servants and
retainers of the Queens household.
II is vouched for by the oracles of the
natives that the shores of the sea abound
with peculiar red fish whenever there is
an III omen to the Hawaiian people-as
at the time of the revolution and at the
death of the Princess Kaiulani, when the
shores were bloody-red with the myriads
Of these fnny creatures. 1t would be in
t4resting to know how Jared the red fish
AT this last great display of Hawaiian Gus
tous and national feeling. When the pro
cassion had turned from the tomb, when
The imperial "kaliiis' were carried reVer-
entlv 10 their places of safe-keeping, when
the feathered robes were laid away, and
the stirring strains Of THE Star Spangied
Banner pealed boldly forth, did the sum
mons of a new rule and a new civilization
send them scurrying into the depths OF
tba oceau2