The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-05-16
BURIAL OF KAIULANI.
SEVEN DAYS OF WEIRD MOURNING
OVER HAWAIrS PRINCESS.

OVER HAWAlPS PRINCESS.
Old Customs Revived - \ Waving of
Plumes and Chanting of Lamentations
Over the Casket-Midnight Removal Of
the Body-Hearse Drawn by Natives.
The remains Of Princess Kaiulani
now rest in the tomb in Hawaii, where
lie the bodies of all the Kamehame-
has, except the great Aamelamela,
who was buried, like Moses, no man
knows where. The funeral took place
on Sunday and fully 25, 600 people at
tended it. 1t is Hawaii's superstl-
tion that the death Of a member OF the
royal family is accompanied by the
severest rainfall OF the year. The con-
ditions attending the death and burial
o. + kaiuIani bore out the superstition.
The rain began falling in torrents
ter she died and continued until
alter she was buried. The hours of
the funeral, however, were bright and
clear.
All that the military and civic pomp
Of civilization could add to the strange
old Hawaiian funeral customs went to
make the ceremony one not easily
forgotten. For nearly seven days
there was not an instant when some
ceremony was not in progress. Soon
alter her death kah;li bearers began
waving royal kahilis or feather plume5
over her body. Every bearer, whether
A man or a woman. wore the yellow
feather cape, which was a sign Of
Hawaiian royalty. The bearers stood
rigidly erect and the waving of the
plumes was done according to for
mula from which it was a point of
honor not to vary. At the beginning
each bearer held his kahili in the
"Carry arms" position. At a signal
the kahiiis were extended in hori-
zontal position till they touched tips
with those on the opposite side Of the
casket. Each bearer then waved his
kahili to the right, then to the left,
repeating each motion, and then hold
ing the plumes aloft. finally returning
to the first position again. During
the week several kahili bearers tainted
from sheer exhaustion.
The body lay in state at Alnahan
until the Friday preceding the funeral
and was then removed TO the Hawai-
alias church. The ceremony of re-
moval was weird. It took place in
the middle Of the night The sky was
heavily overcast and threatened rain.
Kahilj bearers walked beside the
hearse, waving aloft torches made Of
oily kukui nuts, spitted on bamboo
poles. Following the hearse came
members of the royal family in car
riages, then friends, old servants and
retainers. Among the last were many
Mete women, who hand dowr from,
generation to generation the histori-
cal chants reciting the valor, great
deeds and history of the Hawaiian
people They walled and chanted
throughout the journey to the church.
Others walled in cadence, while some
OF the old servants broke out in la
mentations and expressions o. per-
sonal grief. The darkness. the weird
light of torches, the absence of the
constraining presence ofthe white man
and the white man s customs, revived
in-many of the old Hawaiians thoughts
and feelings of earlier days, and they
broke into hula hula songs and dances
according to the ancient custom, which
has latterly fallen into disuse since
the hula has become discsedited
At the church, a short service was
held and finished ct , o'clock i'll the
morning. The church decorations
were in sympathy with the customs
on such occasions.
Throughout Saturday rain fell in tor
rents, but the remains were viewed
by thousands. After the funeral the
quiet of the scene was broken by
chants or by wailing and lamentations
OF old servants OF the princess, who
recited incidents Of her life. Their
words were extemporaneous, spoken
in chanting, melodious way, some
times accompanied by swaying OF
the body, which was kept up until
the speakers dropped from sheer ply
sical exhaustion.
The services on Sunday were those
of the Anglican church. The funeral
procession was lei by the marshal Of
the republic, A. H. Brown, his depu
ties and a company of mounted 20
lice. Then followed members Of the
royal family, civil officials, foreign
consuls, representatives of societies
and the clergy. Including the Catholic
bishop. The haarse was drawn by
230 natives, uniformed in white trous-
ers, blue sweaters, white hats and
blue and yellow cloth capes. From
the church to the tomb is two miles,
but the entire distance was lined with
spectators. The services at the tomb
were very simple. The coffin was
placed next to that containing the
body OF Princess Likelike, Kaiu-
lani's mother, and near that OF kala-
Go,o