The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-07-04

mas always DGCu dLteuueu
Il" by more or less ceremony,
writes Honolulu correspon-
dent of the New York Evening Post.
The wedding festivities of high-born
maiden on the island of Hawaii last
summer continued without pause for
four days and nights. Nearly all the
native population of the big island en-
joyed, in one way or another, this
great feast with its outdoor sports and
games, but I doubt whether-in spite
of the modern education and elegance
Of the lovely bride, in spite of the
wealth and magnificence of her family
this wedding equaled, to the Ha.
waiian mind, marriage of the high
born in the olden days.
Before the coming of the haole
(whte MANI to these sun blest isles.
when high chief wished to take unto
himself wife he would have gathered
together from among his people a
group of the most attractive maidens.
Smooth and straight of limb were
these maidens, glossy haired, with the
gold of the tropical sun glistening in
the ruddy bronze of their satiny skins.
None among them was there who was
not desirable, But the young chief
must not choose too hastily, for upon
his wahine (woman) depended in a
large measure the future fate of his
people. the line of royalty in Hawaii
descending then as now, through the
maternal side of the house. There
fore. the young chief must look we'll
to his choice.
Sometimes, in his perplexity, he
would call to his assistance d kahuna
(me0lcine mani, who would invoke the
aid OF the gods in the momentous Sc
lection to be made. Then were things
simpiIicd for him. He no longer had
any viii? in the matter, but became the
instrument of the gods themselves.
Taking Charge of the Affair.
Upon the kahuna fell the duty of
taking temporal charge OF the affair.
At signal from him the virgins. each
with her hula gourd in which were
pebbles male and female, would squat
in line before the young chief. With
right arm holding the hula gourd ex-
tended obey begin, with low moaning,
to chan, the life story OF him who
comes to seek q bride.
Louder and stronger swells the
chant rs :hc singers go on to tell of
the young chiefs beauty as a child, Of
how his mother loved him, Of his
speed in running, and his strength and
grace in swimming. in throwing the
discus and in riding the bounding
surf board. until. with a grand Gre
scendo it reaches the climax Of his
triumph over the great shark, or the
pois0rous eel With this the singers
spring to their feet and the hula dance
is on.
Now the chant becomes a refrain
swelling and sinking. falling and ris-
ing. accompanied always by the rat
Ting Of the pebbles, male and female
in the hula gOurds In perfect, un-
broken rhythm the virgins dance now
twirling the rafting gourds over their
heads, now striking their palms to-
gether four times. or kneeling to
,humr four times on the mat at their
feet
At last through the kahupa, the
gods intcrpose At signal from the
kahuna the dancers recede and form
a circle within a circle. Round and
round they dance. breaking and re-
forming the circles, changing and in.
terchanging. Now. for the young chief
the gods will choose his bride. The
kahuna lifts his hand. the young chief
takes 2 backward step, closes his eyes
and lets fly an arrow from his bow.
The Arrow Of Chance.
With swift, unerring instinct the ar
row wings its way among the dancers
to fall III the feet of the most beautiful