The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-06-20

the most desirable OF the virgins. The
gods have chosen-but as yet the chief
does not know their choice.
The dancing and the chanting have
ceased with the fall of the arrow. The
young chief opens his eyes, but he
cannot see the arrow.
''Pua Ne! Pua Ne!" he calls, and
straightway the hiding arrow, from its
place at the virgins feet, answers, in
a clear voice:
NE! Me-"
With this, the other maidens step
back and-her young beauty all SHIN
mering in the sun-the heaven chosen
stands revealed to him who has come
seeking his bride.
speaks OF the glories of the chosen
one. Another takes up the theme and
from lip to lip the song is carried till
all the voices blend in one sweet ca
dence that swings softly up and down,
! up and down, with the softly swaying
! bodies of the chanters. OF her beauty
they sing, of her grace in dancing the
lomilomi (massaging) Presently. keep
! ing time to the rattle of her own hula
gourd, the bride-to-be begins to dance.
With slim, brown body lightly poised
and dainty feet quiescent, she dances
the marriage dance, the muscles under
her glowing skin ripping like tiny
! waves in a sunlit. pool. That is the
of
Thou art mine. 0 beloved; thence
forth thou shalt dance for me alone
in my hut-for me and none Other!'
he SEXES the maiden in his arms and
bears her away with him through the
! forest
Then begin the preparations for the
; wedding A great luau, or feast, must
be made-called the luau or ohaaina
male (wedding feast. Some 60 to
sea to bring back fish that are OF tine
flavor and good omen. Others bring
fatted pigs, fatted pups, kalo already
made into the delicious poi, and sugar
cane Ava, too. must be procured,
and we'll born men and maidens with
clean, strong teeth must be found, for
/
be chewed in the mouth until it is soft
and pulplike, placed then in kao
bowl water poured over it, and then
strained, to make the liquor for the
Ohaaina-male.
Then the drum man with his two
drums appears The drums, a small
one and larger one, are made OF the
l.
with the followed end covered with
shark skin drawn taut and fastened
with thongs. With drum on either
side of him. the drummer beats with
his fingers, so that those hearing him
catch the drummed-out words: "HOaO
ma lii e! (The chiefs are MARKEDLY"
With a shout the words are taken up
by all who are near, and in from their
sports-surfboard riding, racing, arrow
shooting dancing, swimming, discus
throwing, westinghouse the we'd
ding guests, and out from his hut
comes the young chief, with his slim
brown wahine. The bridegroom and
his lady touch noses. All the high
chiefs among the guests touch noses.
Then an old chief. bearing wonderful
piece of tapa cloth. comes forward.
The wedding pair face each other, and
the old chief throws the tapa over
them both.
Four times four prayers the kahuna
utters-being four to the gods of the
air, four to the gods Of the sea, four to
the gods Of marriage and four to the
gods of birth All the high chiefs and
the people again join noses. From
every throat present swells forth four
times, in triumphant chant: "Hoao
ma Iii e, Hoao ma Iii e! Hoao ma Iii
G! Hoao ma Iii e."
The chiefs are married." and the
guests sit down with them to the
wedding feast.