Evening star., 1903-07-13
WITCHCRAFTINHAWAII
THE KAHUNA STILL FINDS EN-
PLOYMENT AMONG NATIVES.
Sorcerers Work Their Spells Upon the
Superstitiovs Islanders-Driv-
ing Out Evil Spirits.

Honolulu Correspondence New York Sun.
There has been another outbreak of ka-
hunaism in Hawaii. with the result that one
of the sorcerers, or kahunas. is in prison at
Puma, Hawaii awaiting trial on charge
of manslaughter. AS briefly told in a pre-
vious dispatch. he is charged with having
cause the death Of an old native by beat
ing HIM the head with Bible in or
der drive the devils from his body.
This case is one of the most unique in the
annals of kahunaism in the islands. 1t ap-
pears from the story told at the trial in
district court that a native in the Puma dis
trict became i'll and the government physi-
clan, Dr. Holland was called in. He was
treating the man with some hope of curing
him. when the native called in a kahuna.
believing that the physician was not curing
him rapidly enough. The kahuna immedt-
ately threw away the remedies prescribed
by the physician and diagnosed the case for
himself. He found that the man was pos
sessed of red devils and after several in
carnations, in which the aid OF spirits was
invoked, decided that the only way to drive
out the devils was by liberal application OF
the Bible to the head Of the patient. The
sick man was compelled to sit upright in
his bed and was then beaten vigorously by
the kahuna with heavy volume of the
Scriptures. When the kahuna's tired
the mans wife was forced to continue the
treatment, until the man sank unconscious
in bed. A few days afterward the man was
beaten even more vigorously with the Bible
and he died.
Witchcraft and Manslaughter.
The kahuna was arrested. first the
charge of practicing witchcraft, but after
ward the charge was changed to man
slaughter. The man made no defense. He
said that he had done his best for his pa
tient, but the devils had conquered He
testified that the mans eyes were red, that
he was restless and that his hair stood on
end and that these were signs that he had
red devils. The only cure was by the appl-
cation of the Bible to the head, as the
Bible told
The kahuna was asked to point to the
chapter in the Scriptures which provided
for this method of getting rid of the devil,
but he became confused and refused to
do 50. Judge kamau then held the kahuna
for the grand jury the charge of man
slaughter. The wife of the admitted
that she had beaten her husband over the
head with the Bible but said that she could
not disobey the instructions of the kahuna,
in whom she trusted implicitly.
This has caused an investiga ton
to be made of the practice of kahunaism
in the islands. kahunaism is prohibited
by law. 1t is a relic of ancient Hawaii and
all the efforts of the missionaries from
the day of their arrival. have been In
sufficient to stamp 1t out. 1t is witchcraft.
pure and simple, but even some of the
educated people among the Hawaians
believe in 1t. There is something in 1t
akin to the faith cure.
Many Kahunas.
The younger element is growing up
without fear of it, but among the older
natives 1t is estimated that there Is one
kahuna to every fifty people, for kahu-
raism is a lucrative business. An attempt
was made at the last session of the legis-
lature to secure the repeal of the law pro-
hibting the practice of Witchcraft but it
failed TO get through the serate. though
all the natives voted for 1t. At the session
just closed another effort to legalize the
practice of the black art. though in a
roundabout way. was made. bill was
introduced to permit the practice Of medi-
cine without a license, which was meant
for the kahuna and no one else.
few months ago a woman witch doctor
in Lahaina. on Maui, was sent to prison
for causing the death of father and two
sons who. she said. had killed the pet cat
OF her favorite niece. All three of the
men became i'll and the kahuna was called
in to cure them. They died as a result OF
her treatment. She admitted that she
practiced kahunaism. She said that she
did her best to save the lives of her pa
tents. but their great sin in killing the
cat had made cure impossible
Descent From Devil
The kahuna has of late become somewhat
modernized, or perhaps 1t Is only that
fakirs have replaced the real thing Many
of them are blackmailsrs pure and simple.
They claim power to summon spirits at
will, and unless they receive everything
they want in the form of money or food
the creduious native is likely to suffer from
their wiles. The kahunas claim descent
from the devil, and the principal theory Of
nj al a III
of spirits which leave their bodies at night
and pester other people. also that spirits Of
deceased relatives always return to earth
to infiict their presence upon people they
have known in life The kahuna for a
small consideration kills these wondering
spirits and permits the native to go in
peace. Pigs and white chickens must be
sacrificed to obtain this The man who is
afflicted with the spirits must provide the
chickens and pigs-and the kahuna eats
them.
The kahuna also claims the power of
praying person to death. and 1t Is not in
frequent that cases are reported. too, where
these witches are employed for this pur-
pose. Some cases are reported too where
the kahuna has been successful for the
prayers so work upon the fears of the su-
persttious native that 1t is no wonder he
dies. In the stirring times of the revolution
kahunas We're employed to pray President
Dole to death and pigs We're sacrificed to
bring this about, but the head of the new
republic was too practical a man. and ate
the pigs himself. The game was found to
be rather expensive, and other means were
tried to encompass the death of Dole
The present law seems sufficient to curh
the kahuna but 1t is doubtful whether IT
can ever be strengthened until the white
man outnumbers the native In the terri
tory and can control the legislature
Cold Water as a Remedy.
From the Baltimore American.
ThiS is the time for all kinds Of 4d,.ico