The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-11-21

Centuries ago when Europeans ana
ksiaus fixed the Pillars Of Hercules as
the most distant points Of the great
Middle Sea toward which nayigators
dared cruise in their galley-oared ships,
the great Pacific was sailed by fleets OF
log hewn vessels of diminutive proper
tiops. craft shaped from single trees
felled in the forests of koa and kou
upon the slopes of the burning noun
tains of Mauna Loa, of Mauna kea,
and of the extinct Crater of the sun.
The navigators of the tiny crafts
were guided from island to island by
the stars. Across the wind swept chan
neIs of the Hawaiian archipelago these
craft. with sails Of braided lauhala,
sped Is night, the steersmen s eyes IN
tent upon the stars and planets, seek
in first the north star and the Little
Idpper, then the evening star, and,
when the light of the latter waned or
the planet disappeared, the morning
star was fixed upon as the next point
of this vast heavenly compass. AND
so the journey began and ended, the
course being held almost as true as
though lard by the steady needle OF the
magnetic compass.
In the dimlv understood past CEN
turies of Hawaii 5 history, the koa out
rigeer canoe played a great part IN
uniting the people of the islands into
a common people and linking the people
of all the Hawaiian group with those
upon the islands of the far South Seas.
Great fleets Of canoes cruised the Ha-
waiian waters, and, with'their aid came
the conquest of the group by Kameha-
meha. the Napoleon of the Pacific, and
the earliest development Of Honolulu
as a commercial center.
Canoes and Gods.
The hewing and launching of the
canoe was associated closely with the
worship of the gods of ancient Hawaii.
The navigator who desired craft of
his own went up into the koa forest
and selected a tree, marked the place,
blazed a trail and returned to the sea
shore village, where he sought the
builder of canoes. The builder, with
great sOlemnity. went to the heiau
(temple) and told the priest that a
man of the sea had selected a canoe
tree. The priest lay down to sleep,
hoping that dream might come to him
which would tell him whether the Sc
Ieeted tree was good or bad. Should
he dream of man or a woman stand
ing unclothed, his Interpretation was
that the tree was defective and the
builder should not venture after it into
the forest depths. In that case the
navigator would tramp the forest again
select new tree, and the priest would
again pray for a dream. If the priest
on the other hand, saw in his dream q
man or a woman standing clothed in
maio or pau, then the tree would be
declared proper for a canoe.
Felled With Proper Rites.
The navigator, builder and friends
would then made preparations for thei
journey into the forest, carrying will
them hog, cocoanuts, red fish anC
some ava. On arriving at the selected
tree, all would sleep after offering
sacrifices to The gods. On the follow
ing morning the hog was cooked in al
imu at the foot of the tree and eater
for breakfast. Then came furthe
elaborate ceremonies. Members of tn
party would climb the tree to wher
the first branches forked, and Their
mark the farther end of the cano
to be.
The priest, taking up stone adj
then offered it as sacrifice to man.
gods, chanting to one of the femal
gods: "Oh, Lea, Kapuaowalakai, hea