Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-07-29
"a the editor Of T'he Amerioan:

TO THE AMERICAN va hts mp ~ thc HAWAIIAN
islands,
To the Editor of The American:
Monday, April 10, 1908
We are visiting curio stores to- day TO
see what we can fad that viii tell us
.something of the early history OF the
Islands and islanders through the Inn
plements they used and the things they
made.
In one OF these stores, or shops, my at
,eption Is called to caiabashes. Here
they are OF all sizes from the wee little
hits OF things for children, to sizes with
.ospacity for several gallons. Those, big
ones are used to mix the poi for large
families, while the smaller sizes may be
used for various purposes in the culinary
art with the natives, which was, in the
earlier days, very simple, as one can
Mainly see when he learns that poi made
from taro or colocasia RntIquorum,
water plant, was their principal article of
food. These csIabashes are made OF
woods, the kan, koe and monkey. pod
principally. These wood stake on very
fine polish, and the kan has become very
scarce and expensive.
The natives, as is explained to us by the
shopkeeper, in those early times, dug out
and shaped these Gala bashes with a rude
stone ADJ. To see this tool you would
think 1t would take long time to make
beautiful and useful dish with only such
an instrument. They not only cut but
scraped and sandpapered them smooth
with the adj.
OF course, necessity drove them to this
work, but patience must have been a great
virtue with them.
Most OF the old caiabashes have been
gathered up by the relic hunter, 50 now
they are hard to find and very expensive,
some running up % 1900 aud more.
They are bringing In from every old
native grass house and other pieces ali
the old cracked, split-open and discolored
things that they can fiud. You would
be astouished to see how they are tied
together with keys made of different
kinds OF wood and made whole again and
more besutifui. They have way
OF sewing them with a kind of wood fore
that gives very pretty effect. running
up and down on the sides herring boue
style.
After the shop keeper has given us a
great deal of in Information, we kindly in
form him that we are just look ing
around; that we are tenderfeet just ar
rived, and shall most likely buy some
curios to take home to our friends when
we return. Thus we switch him from
caabashes to other articles OF his mer-
chandise.
Our attention is called to a kind OF
quilt, table-cloth or wall decoration
which the natives make of fore, and
ornament with ink, or paint made
from the juice of some plant, should
judge. There was n time when these
could have been bought cheap, but they
are getting scarce. The old men who
make them are dying off, and Kanskss
grow old no more, coming in contact
as they do with civilization.
There is wonderful mixture OF
Dationalities here, but l am surprised at
the comparatively small number OF ma
tives / see walking these streets.
Having quite thoroughly inspected the
contents of several curio shops and pur-
chased nothing, we next visit some of the
stores OF the Jsps and Chinese. We find
goods OF their kinds little, II any, cheaper
than in San Francisco or Los Angeles
where great stocks are kept. In fact,
merchandise of almost all kinds are as
high here as on our American mainland,
and In many cases higher.
II costs good bit of money to live here
fyou wish to have more variety and lux
ury than natives or OrieDtsls.
We go to steamship compaDy's Office
that Will furnish US wit h tickets for Hilo,
on the island OF Hawaii, where we snail
goto connect with railroad aud stage for
the Volcanic house. We are not going
back home without paying KiIanes crater
visit, although we are told that we will
probably have very rough passage up
the coast, and there is often encountered
stormy wind and heavy sea crossing the
channels.
We hope to live through it all, and de-
sire to be able TO tell your readers some
thing of our own experience on the trip.
IL is now near noon, aud we must get
S' W u'hhcr Ut Else lose IT, we uope
TO get to Haalelea lawn so as to have
moment before lunch to read our letters
ana papers from home, which we have
Just received.
sitting in our rockers on the veranda,
we listen with our eyes to what the folks
at home have to say.
Later, this afternoon we get aboard an
electric car and ride into the country
Few miles, and we see an abundance OF
Dight-biooming cereus covering walls
built of lava rock.
IL is little early in the season yet for
.ne glorious beauty Of this plant In bloom.
mhen 1t gets ready it will open thousands
VI It's flowers in single night. AT the
oahu college grounds, stonewaIls are
covered with this cactus In growth
iuxuriant. l am informed that at the
towering season the air hecomaa very