The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-02-02
BURIAL OF THE
tiAWA. IAN KING
5ones Were Carried BY Chiefs To a
Subterranean Cavern.

The discovery of rare relics of old
Hawaii In burial cave in Waipio
Gulch, Hawaii, recalls TO Hawaiians
advanced in, years many of the tradi-
tons concerning burials in ancient
times, says the Honolulu Commercial
Advertiser. "One story which was
handed down through q family Is, to
the effect that long before the mis-
sionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Is
lands two native farmers went near
Waipio Guicb at the close of a day to
look after their potatoes. Darkness
! came ON while they were still work.
| ing.
} Suddenly light appeared on the
summit of the hill. 1t was q kukui
| torch. I hen another same into view
| until finally the summit and the slope
we're a bobbing mass of lights. The
natives knew that burial was about
to take place. II discovered, they, ac-
! cording to law of the times, would ne
killed. They threw themselves down
| in the weeds and renamed quiet. The
| procession came close to them and
stopped.
! In litter carried by seve~al men
was young girl apparently in the last
| throes of death. WallIng and the
chanting of meles was heard and then
the girl apparently died. Rctaincrs
| left the main body and went toward
| the stream, which they damned up,
/ thereby diverting the stream. In the
old bed Of the stream the retainers
worked until they uncovered the
mouth of a cave The body of the
girl, together with many caJabasnes,
| tapas, etc, was carried in, the cave
was sealed up again, and the stream
was once more allowed to run its usual
| course.
| AS to Kamehameha the Great, whose
remains. according to rumor may have
! been discovered by Mr. Forbes In Wal
| pio Gulch, his body was taken by
| Prince Hoapili and his half-brothar,
the high chief Ho'olulu, and hidden
| in a submarine cave, the secret of the
! location perishing at the death OF
! Ho'olulu. K9merameha's body lay in
state at Kamakahonu, Kailua, Kona,
Hawaii. His temporary grave there
was named Ahuena and the spot is
known at the present day as Kamaka-
| honu-i-Ahuena.
! HOapili and Ho-olulu watched the
! grave, waiting for time when the
! high chiefs, who were waving kahlis
and the groups of natives would fall
asleep. When the time was opportune
| the two high chiefs snatched up the
bundle of Kamehameha the Greats
bones, which had been woven into a
net and enveloped in an Ahu'ula cloak
! yellow feather cloak.
| Prince Hoapili had given his brother
a pistol, once the property of John
Young, and commanded him to shoot
down any person whom they met. They
ran along the sea coast with their roy
| al bun den until half way between Ke-
haha and Waimen. There they met a
youth.
When Prince Hoapili saw him he
| stood perfectly still so as not to at
tract the youths attention. Ho-oIulu
/
| fearing the report of the pistol if dis
| charged would alarm others he gave
the man blow with the butt end, in
tending to kill him. 7 he chiefs re-
| sumed their flight until they reached
a place on the shore where a canoa
was drawn up. They sailed along the
| coast, it is said, untiE they came to
! a place which natives assert was KAN
ehamoha's last resting place. Ho-oIulu
dived into the water and swan
through an entrance into large cave
| and there reposited the royal remains.
This must have been about May II,
I 1919, for according to tradition the
oldtime Hawalians removed human
/ flesh from the bones of their dead on
i the third or fourth day after death.
/ According to the Kehaweaumoku
| who resided at Laie, in 1870, the two
| high chiefs did enter canoe with the
remains of Kamehameha, for he
claims that it was his father whom
Ho-olulu knocked down on the beach.
After the assaulted man realized what
was taking place he followed the
! chiefs stealthily until he saw them get
| into the canoe at Kekaha
If the submarine cave has long
tunnel, as many lava caves have on
Hawaii, the cave in Paipio Gulch may
have been the land end