Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-01

Apropos OF the electrical display o.
last, week. might be mentioned
the fact that lightning. especially Il
accompanied by thunder. AWAY
aroused the awe Of the ancient ia
watian, and II it happened to conc
contemporary with the death oil d
chief or chiefess the fact carried
great significance, being regarded as
p sign given by the gods that the
Spirit of the high-boTn dead would he
assured a place in the kingdom ol
ghosts.
To fully appreciate what his meant
TO the Hawaiian one must first unoe1,
stand that the spirits OF the oeao
were roughly divided into three class
es, which, according to W. D. Wester'
welt Of this city, an Acknowledged au'
ttiority on Hawaiian folklore. ana the
author of several wildly interesting
books on the myths and legends OF the
islands, were called AoKuewas-DeS
clate Ghosts; NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
less Ghosts, and Ao-o-Milus, which,
summed up in a word, might mean
blessed, or the Blessed Ghosts.
None Of these spirits had their
dwelling in the upper heavens Where
; Christians to this day believe the SOUS
of lust people 20 after death. In the
Hawaiian creed Pc meant the under
world, literally; the place OF departed
spirits, which might INCLUDE gooo anu
bad alike, as does the word hell IN
the Apostles Creed, which may De
called the place of departed spirits
But there was no heaven to which the
denarted spirit of the ancient Hawai-
an might ascend after having de-
scended into hell"
There was, however, according 10
Mr.. Westervet, a place In 70 SET
anart for the -Oo-o-Milu, the spirits OF
those who had perfected themselves IN
righteousness, in accordance with the
then prevailing standards OF rlgnt ane e
wrong. where they would be near tne
great Milu, god of the UNDERWORLD
and partakers of all the sports anu
measures devised by him Tor MS Id
Worries. -: 49,,
MANY Hawaiians still believe that
tba shirt of the dying works its way
upward and outward through the Dooy
anti il reaches a spot just back OIL
she pupil of the left eye, and that as
life leaves the body, the spirit comes
out Of the little. hole in the eye, ano
Immediately assumes, II 1t mas uo'
brought with 1t, the body OF an insect
or . tiny bird, OF some other small
animal. La this form 1t lowered
about the home of the body It once
animated until it was assured et a safe
passage to Pc. II the gods loved this
ghost II was permitted to take food,
and in the Old days to have offerings
made TO 1t on some altar which It's
sfarnily might erect to its name Some
times it remains on earth inuefiniteis
Ga q guardian ghost,
'sDesolate" ghosts were those WHO
had no one to love them, and nome.
less ghosts were those who had no
place where they might rest, hut we're
forced to wander always. A ghost
was often both desolate and homeless,
wandering eternally through the Isl.
ands. sometimes on the ground, some
times in the air, but always looking
for safe passage to Pc.
Several Exits 70 Pc :.
There we're several exits frorn earth
to Pc, one being Just back of the beau.
tiful Moanalua gardens, not far from
Honolulu, where ghosts used to as
semble on a decayed limb OF a bread
fruit tree and wait for the limb TO
break to let them down into the sea,
where Immediately the opening ap.
reared to them y Among old Hawaii
ans, however. the most renowned en-
trance into Pc was just off the Hama
kua coast, beneath one Of the precipi-
tous cliffs that run straight down from
the clouds to the bottom of the sea.
Here Milu. tire dread god Of the under.
world, passed from the land Of the
living to the place Of departed spirits.
Through this passage, long afterward,
runs the legend, went two ancestors OF
the late Queen Liliuokalani, Kewalu,
who had strangled herself when de.
serted by her brother-husband. Hiku
of-the. Forest and the ren1orseful Hiku
himself. still Ii ring, graciously permit.
ted by the gods TO 60 in search of the
ghost OF his beloved sister.wife. He
found her, brought her back to earth,
restored her to her body, and the two
5lf6Q udppAy. ever dIOSl. - ~
Another legend Of a spirits descend.,
ing into the underworld and being re-
turned to its earth body is told, and
always as a fact. Ola man OF Maui,
one Ka-ilio-hae, the Wild Dog, who,
having been i'll for many days, died
Mr.. Westervelt tells this story Remarks.
ably well, giving all the details, just
as the Hawaiians believe them, in his
Legends of Gods and Ghosts" The
story in brief is this:
Kailio-hae lay dying Soon he knew
he was dead. AS q spirit he had felt
himself creep out of the body, paas-
ing through the left eye to the outer
afr. where he buzzed like bee to a
corner Of. the house and looked down
on the body he had Just left. II was
like mountain to him, In which the
two eyes were great, mysterious
caves. Frightened, he buzzed through
the open door, and lighted on the root
OF the grass house. Here the waiting
OF the people annoyed him, so, grow.
ing larger and stronger, he flew to
cocospalm and perched, now q bird
in its branches. III.