The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-12
TRAITS OF HAWAIIANS
NATIVES ARE GENTLE AND NOT AD-
DIcTED To REAL VICES.
Their Home Life Described by an
American Woman Who Spent Seven
Years in the Sandwich Islands.
St. Louis Post-nisnatch


the natives Of the Sandwich islands: In
all that recently has crept into print con-
corning Hawaii, 1t is odd. to one who has
lived in that charming spot and among its
loVable, childlike natives that so little Of
aught but political and economic topics have
found place. The home life Of the native
Hawaiian, so distinctive from American
ideas, the poetic language, the poetical and
musical side of existence there-all which
really constitutes a charm so potent that
even in other climes and scenes it never
really departs; all the little primitiveness
and oddities-these, though sure to awaken
interest, have been absolutely ignored.
Tail, stalwart, of regular features, the
male is strikingly attractive, with his
sunny smile, white teeth and ever-ready
aloha" (Ah-low-ha.) This one word sig
mfying In Its most comprehensive sense
love and peace to all mankind" is the
real countersign of the islands, typical at
once Of the spirit and letter Of island life.
Strangers meeting in mountain passes, in
remote sugar plantations, everywhere save,
perhaps, the streets of busy Honolulu,
would be deemed discourteous did Aloha"
not at once rise to their lips.
The women attain physical maturity at
nine, beauty at twelve and easily show the
signs Of age at twenty-five. Marriage is a
universal institution; the only trouble is
lhey take no reckoning of the marital vow.
Yet the native is rather unmOral-that is,
his moral sense is, as a rule, dormant. He
does not sin because of sin, but rather be-
cause the leaves, the flowers, the stars, the
waves do as they pleasantly rot he?
The vice and immortality of which we hear
SO much mas: properly, no place with the
is true-among the half-whites or "haupa-
haOles," they who combine in irresitable
charm, beauty and sensuous languor the
traits of two races.
All gifted musicians. with rich, full voices;
all adopts at the guitar or its smaller breth-
ren, the taro-patch and ouchou-le-le; white
skin as Circassians-these know neither law
nor order and with them can be held the
high carnival so mucn spoken of by travel
ers
The national dance, the hula hula, is prac-
tically the DAM du ventre." In it's first
stage, the 'kiri,' it consists of mere Del
sartean movement of limbs and arms to the
accompaniment Of guitars and gourds
bursting with seeds). which are ratified in
unison. and the following chant:
''Auau hea noll oe
Eku wal hoha,
Later it includes the well-known abdominal
features
The natives love for water, for his own
beautiful Pacific, is shown in his superb
swimming, diving and seamanship also in
the fashion of naming favorite hooks in con-
nection with wal (as he terms it, 'why-e'O.
Thus we find Waikiki, the famous swimming
resort; Wailalua 1.-TWO waters), a famous
fall; Wainai Waimea. etc. In their rhythmic
songs every other line is sure to contain the
word.
NO ACTUAL HOME LIFE.
The home life of the Hawaiian is mere
phraseology. There is none; a purely COM
munial life has taken its place. This is most
strikingly illustrated with the children. Nine
times out of ten it is impossible to trace
parentage. The habit of adoption here
reaches unparalleled limits. The native care
and love for children is beautiful to the ex-
treme-but notice it is for children, not for
a child
An English lady teaching in one. of the
schools once said to d certain refractory
urchin: "Niihau, go home and get your
father wilSi-wiki (quick). You are too bad.
The youngster reached the door just as q
father.' volunteered the youth. Ten min
utes later the same incident with another
man was repeated. "Step-father," thought
with her usual bodyguard two other fine
bronze specimens were pointed out as Nil
A. made inquiries, to discover the child had
been adopted around in the four houses,
though which grass hut first hailed his ad-
vent could not be ascertained. And this is
talking of public schools, these are Wis
tied annually by government medical Off
in Hawaii is wretchedly insidious in char
acter. 1t can be in the system seven years
before developing itself, and twice seven
more ere 1t presents any aspect except sheer
callOusness of parts affected. So child after
child is called up and pin run in to its
head under the finger nails II the child
wnces it can take its place. If it stands
impervious to any feeling 1t Is pronounced
leper, and is at once relegated to Honolulu's
receiving 6 staten E thenes to MS9k ar vpca,
native feast-pOi. salt fish, roasted pigs and
chickens. baked sweet potatoes, salted kukin
(coo-coo-e) nuts, shrimps, palatable sea-
weed, roasted bananas, fresh pomegranates,
oranges, guaVas, etc.-the native has no
meal time. He sleeps and eats with utter
disregard for day and night. In a philoso-
ply which even the Stoics tried TO emulate
and failed he acts and reasons thus: You
haoles Sha-oi,eis) say It to is & ~ O'clock
must sleep My stomach knows no clock.
If 1 have much to eat l need no food. If 1
have nothing to eat need food even at in
like like it, IT, '''''9 as
At o'clock in the afternoon you may
walk into q native hut and find whole
family sound asleep They are nothing if
not improvident, and tear nerve special
why should I consider tomorrow? The
sea has fish, the mountains have fruit and
the ground the taro root for poi What
always in the mood to go to the wal or
the ''maunas'- (mountains), If Koloa's own
larder be empty he goes to his neghbor
1aIdu ), anu WIN litNiS NsaA II dilou uc
at home or abroad disposes of its contents.
Pahan, on returning, recks but little. He in
turn goes to his neighbOr's. and he to his
and so on. When the whole native settle
ment has been depleted (Which is the only
time one can secure a natives services) the
men all set to work for three days or
week at most.
THEIR LANGUAGE MUSICAL.
Their language is wonderfully soft and
musical. Five vowels and seven consonants
comprise the whole. They have no poetry
proper-their phraseology being so poetical
and of such romantic illusions no lack can
be felt They are all born musicians The
Royal Hawaiian Band, trained and organ
lied by Herr Beiger (who left the Berlin
court for reasons best known to himself
and the government, is considered of such
superior excellence that state fairs in Cali
fornia, Oregon, Washington and even Mex
leo send for and handsomely remunerate il.
Three years novitiate is demanded, and sew
eral rigorous examinations ere admittance
to the band can be obtained.
on the wharf. to welcome and bid God
speed 10 all Americans here, in the corri-
doris of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, at
ceptions and luans. or in the little squares
that adorn Honolulu proper, II has become
a familiar feature TO all 1t renders mag
nidcent renditiOns Of Haydn, LisZt and Bee
thoven, with the soft appealing native
melodies In the choruses of the latter in
struments are often discarded and the rich
baritone and pure tenor Of the members of
. HaEr NIL