The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-05-13
EVENT
ON GARDEN ISLE
Old Firebrand Throwing Custom
Revived With Some Extra
Elaborations.

Mrs. NAH Puulei, the wife Of the
genial police officer of the Hanalei
police force who keeps watchful guard
over Haena, had birthday on Friday
Of last week, and her husband gave a
celebration in honor of it which con-
sisted of one of the famous exhibitions
of firebrand throwing from the top Of
Mauna Makana, at Haena, on Saturday
evening.
Those exhibitions, explains the Gar
den Island, are seldom given, the peak
over 1000 feet high, with almost sheer
cliffs on all its four s'1es-being very
difficult of access, and it is hard TO
find men, often, who care to make the
perilous climb over the steep trail.
When they are found, however, the
display is worth going many miles to
see, especially when the weather con.
ditions are perfect, as they were last
Saturday. The ordinary trade wind
weather is the best to insure these con.
ditions.
This time the four carriers had tax.
en- to the top three or four hundred
of the dry "hau' tree sticks, nine
or ten feet long and two or three
inches in diameter, which gave a good
supply of ammunition when the day Of
celebration came. Eight clock was
the time set for the fire throwing to
begin, and by that time a large crowd
had assembled on the Haena fiat lying
below the peak, arriving by horseback,
carriages and automobiles. The fiat
here is nearly half mile across, and
where the spectators stood was among
the sand hills near the beach just op-
posite the two large "waterh caves
which are in the base of the peak.
Then the fire throwing commenced,
and beautiful display was seen. A
few of the burning brands failed to
be caught by the currents of air, and
fell onto the cliff or the fat below,
but a large number of them were borne
out and upwards by the strong
draughts which prevail here during the
trade wind season, and were carried
far out over the ocean, blazing bright
| ly where they could finally be seen
dropping down, beyond the breakers
and reefs, into the deep water.
An unlocked for diversion was soon
created by the brands which fell short,
for the whole side of the mountain here
was covered with dry bunch grass and
shrubbery which soon caught fire and in
short time the flames were roaring
over the whole of the seward slope.
This made a grand sight which had
not been bargained for by the specta-
tors, and they certainly appreciated the
addition to the already magnificent
spectacle.
The four men on the peak were kept
busy, throwing the burning sticks
down, until after half-past ten, by
which. time the supply was exhausted
and they wendell their perilous way
down to the fiat again.
The host and hostess were ready to
| greet the visitors before they return.
ed to their homes and a sumptuous
luau had been prepared at their resi-
dence on Haena Flat, for the hungry
| travellers, who soon crowded into the
yard, and by midnight the feast was
in full sway some of the guests
not getting back to their homes until
the dawn had begun to appear family
in the east.
This fire-throwing from the Haena
peak is an ancient and time honored
custom that takes place once in every
few years and it is always sure to
attract large numbers of people from
| all over the island who are eager to
witness the interesting spectacle. 1t
is said to have been originally an old
/ religious rite.