The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-04
STORIES OF
HAWAII NEI
Daring Of Skilled
Divers of the
Deep.

The New York Sun says: The shark
now, as he has always done, occupies
an unique position in the Hawaiian ISL
ands. There are numerous instances
in which he was treated as a god, and
it was supposed that if a mother were
to feed her infant to one, the child's
soul would enter the animals body and
the latter would ever after prove a
friend to the family. AS the Hawaiian
rarely cared in the oldeF1e times to be
bothered with raising their children,
this was a convenient and comforting
belief.
Although the waters surrounding the
islands are infested with sharks. it is
rarely that a native fisherman exhibits
any fear of them, and the fishermen
think nothing Of running the most des-
peEate chances in attacking. While the
native would not consider for a mo-
ment the capture of his own especial
god. he has no computations about taxi
ing come other mans.
The natives divide the sharks fire.
quenting Hawaiian waters into five spe-
cies, as follows: The Mano-kanaka
(man sharl). is the shark god of the
ancient Hawaiians, the Mano. large
white shark, and the Niuhi the largest
and fiercest of all. The last two are
rarely seen in Hawaiian waters The
Niuhi is said to be seen a long way off
at night by the bright greenish light of
it's eyeballs. 1t only is much feared by
the natives.
The hammer-headed and white-fin
sharks are captured in gill nets, seines
or bag nets with other fishes. The larg-
|er species are taken usually with hook
and line, as no net would be strong
enough to hold them. Shark hooks are
generally made of a piece of hardwood
carved to the proper shape, with a piece
of sharp pointed bone dashed to the end
to form the tip. Few of the hooks have
a barb
But frequently the fishermen take
sharks with spears. Diving to a favor
able spot in about five or six fathoms
of water, the fisherman places himself
in half-crouching posture against a
large coral rock and waits for the shark
to appear. When one comes he darts
the spear into vital spot, If possible.
Should he fail to kill the fish with the
completes the operation with his knife,
fearlessly engaging at close quarters.
Should the shark appear while he is
descending or ascending a battle royal
is on at once, with the chances largely
in favor of the shark, as the diver is
unable to use his spear and must trust
to his knife at close quarters. AS the
native is apparently as much at home
below the surface as above. it his Won
derful skill sometimes saves him.
Frequently the natives seeks the.
shark in coves and caves below the sur
face, after the fish has gorged itself
and sleeps with its head forced into the
sides of it's resting place. The diver
gently slips a moose about the tail and
the shark is then hauled up and de-
spatched. The slightest false movement
of the diver would startle and he would
probably regret having attacked. Yet
experts have been known to capture six
or eight sharks in a day in this man
ner.
In the olden times the catching of the
Niuhi was made a royal sport, but there
has been no regular Niuhi fishery for
nearly one hundred years. A large
quantity of the liyers of the common
shark would be obtained, and these,
with little of the flesh, would be
wrapped up in the leaves of the ii plant
and baked underground. At times, pig
meat would also be used. From fifty to
a hundred of the largest single and
double canoes would be loaded with the
baked meat and large quantities of the
pounded roots of the ava, mixed with
a little water and put in large gourds.
The fleet would sail many miles out to
sea in the direction from which the
Niuhi was known to appear, and, ar
irving at a comparatively shallow
place, anchor.
Then the baked liver and meat would
be thrown overheard, a few bundles at
a time, to attract the sharks. After a
few days the grease and scent of the
cooked meat would spread through the
water for many miles in every direc
ton. About the third or fourth day the
Niuhi would appear. Then bundles of
the baked meat would be thrown out as
fast as it could swallow them. After
a while the shark would get compare
lively tame, and would come up to one
or the other Of the canoes to be fed. |
Bundles of the liver with the pounded
ava would then be given to it, and 1t
would soon become not only satisfied, |
but also stupefied from the effects OF
the ava. That would be the end. A
moose being slipped over the sharks
head, the fleet would up anchor and set
sail for home, the shark following a
willing prisoner, being fed with, more /
If the meat and ava from time to time.
It would be led into shallow water and
here stranded and killed. Every part
If it's bones and skin vas supposed to
confer unfinching bravery on the pos
SCISSOR, while the actual captor, he VINO
slipped the moose over the animafs
lead, would also, ever after, be always
victorious.
Human flesh was also formerly used
IS bait. The victim was cut up and
eft to decompose for two or three days
N a barrel or tub. In olden times the
lse of this kind of bait was in great
vogue with the kings and chiefs. 1t
vas used because it was much cheaper
and more easily secured than pig or
shark liver, was equally acceptable to
the shark, and gave the king or chief
In opportunity to get rid of anyone who
was in his way or to whom he had TAX
IN a dislike. Kamehameha l, the Ma
ooleon of the group, was a great shark |
hunter and kept his victims penned up |
near the great heiau, or temple, Of Moo |
KIM. near Kawaihae, Hawaii, until he /,
was ready to use them.
Sharks teeth are greatly priced by
the natives, while the oil extracted is
Ina III Of q onnH nua1itV The