Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-07
HAWAII HONORS FOUNDER
OF VANISHED DYNASTY
Once More Sings "Aloha Oe,'' the Fare
well of a Race That Could Sing
But Could Not Rule.

{, his mother dreamed that he devoured
the eyes of high chiefs. At birth he
was saved from enemies who desired
his destruction by being hidden under
a heap of olona net, the fine fiber that
is webbed to form the. foundation OF
| the feathered mantle OF kings. SYM
bolicallv enough, KSnehameha upon
maturity managed to place about his
shoulders the cloak of sovereignty.
For finally he wore the golden, SHIN
mering cape of 90 feathers-the tiny
plumes of which had been boarded for
centuries, since each bird yielded but
a single feather that was plucked from
under one wing.
Warriors Found Dead.
Luck, which had protected his arrival
into the world, continued to direct the
destiny of Kamehameha. Early in his
career, when he was occupied with the
subjugation of the Big Island, force
of 5000 men marched to oppose his
small army. The enemy camped Tor
the night on the slopes Of Kilauea-
and with the gray dawn the figures
were seen to be inimobile, lifeless. Pele,
the Fire Goddess of the volcano, had
sent forth a cloud of sulphurous smoke
and stricken the warriors with death.
After this signal favor of the goddess
It was no wonder that Kamehameha
was regarded as a leader favored by
heaven. Pele was always looked upon
as the protectress Of the dynasty, q
deity amenable to the supplications and
| the whims of the family. On one occa-
sion Kamehameha cut of a lock OF hair
| to place 1t in lavaStream so that her
wrath might be appeased and village
saved from humiliation. The charm
still seemed efficacious in more mod
ern era, for one of Kamehameha's last
descendants, the obese and petulant
Princess Ruth, chartered steamer In
1881 when the volcano was in eruption,
sacrificed a lock Of her abundant
tresses and-so the Hawaiians aver
saved the city Of Hilo from destruction.
Captive Organized Army.
Again fortuitous circumstances worked
in favor of Kamehameha when boat
swain from a British ship rowed ashore
end was captured by the islanders.
This was a certain John Young,
Worcestershire man. Gaining the con-
fidence Of the King. his status OF
prisoner gradually changed to that OF
counselor. He organized the army OF
Kamehameha on sound basis, drilled
the men, taught them the use of fire
arms-the flintlocks for which he had
bartered sandalwood-and few brass
cannon. Supported by Young, Kane
| hameha was enabled to lead his Meet
| Of red-sailed war canoes from lslano
to island to subdue rival chieftains and
| add to his compassionate finally all
the eight islands were for the frst
| time in history dominated by one ruler.
Kamehameha's supreme moment was
the battle that gained Oahu-the
island on which Honolulu is situated.
The King landed his men on Waikiki
Beach All day they fought, driving
| the defenders of Oahu up the jungle
trails of tangled verdure. The Oahuans
we're brave, but their spears and Jave-
| Inns were useless before the cannon
fire of Kamehameha's white man. Up
made their way. retreating along the
| Nuuanu path They made their last
stand at cleft where, between two
peaks, the trade wind rushed with the
| force of a gale Below lay Oahu. like
| a contour map nodded in suave green
spread there beyond the precipice that
dropped sheer thousand feet. There
at the Pail, the Oahuans still strug-
gled-until Kamehameha's fighting
men flung them one by one over the
cliff. And Kamehamehs. at the brink
of the Pail, stood in his flaming feather
cloak-King of all island Kings.
This was the man who founded the
T., happy line of Hawaiian sovereigns, the
| man whose name Is commemorated in
dance and song.
| Musically. the history Of Hawaii may
be traced through the succeeding cen"
fury with surprising accuracy. Each
phase of the islands development is
marked by a new rhythm.
LihoIiho, FOppish King.
Kamehameha's successor, Liholiho,
was the foppish King who ordered the
missionary ladies to tailor him tucked
and ruff1ed linen shirts and coats Of
bright blue broadcloth. In his time
the ancient mele, the four-toned chant
| which recounted the genealogies OF
chiefs and great deeds of proves, was
era dually supplanted. The missionaries
| introduced new notes to the Hawaiian
ear; they taught their converts slow,
solemn hymns. So the native songs
of this period are lifting, curiously
reminiscent versions of New England
hymn tunes. Often the softly voweled
words are Jolly ana rather. broad in
their implications; the rhythm is
twisted to the swinging hips of hula
dancers; the grim Puritan measures
become attenuated to plaintive
sweetness. But fundamentally there
remains a trace Of the stern praise
that issued from pious missionary
Threats.
A little later Portuguese sailors in
PRODUCED the guitar to the islands. The
instrument under Hawaiian hands was
initiated and simplified and became
transformed into the ukulele, capable
of evoking such wistful minors. Old
folksongs of Europe became known. A
melodic phrase here and there was
added to the island repertoire.
At this time, under the third and
fourth Kamehamehas. the Hawaiiahs
attained their fullest expression in
song. What they gained in music,
however, was acquired at desperately
high price. Ancient taboos had been
abruptly demolished and the people
had only casually acsimilated new
tenets of faith and strange customs.
The former paternal attitude Of the
sovereigns was relaxed and resulted in
lethargic neglect.
White Men Obtain Land.
The feudal system under which the
King retained title to all land was
abolished-and this land was rapidly
obtained by rapacious white men.
Money for the first time became a
potent factor in life. In order to Sc
cure this currency which purchased
the new flimsy luxuries introduced by
the white traders. chiefs went off to
CIle SOlu lISIQS Oh NdlllOI Ilid-CO pei 1911
in the Geld attitudes unable to endure
the hardships suffered by the forty
miners. Smallpox and measles, con-
veyed in the charitable barrels of APP
parel sent out to clothe the heather,
thinned the ranks of the islanders.
For the first time disease and poverty
were poignantly experienced.
Yet in Hawaii the nights were made
memorable by melody. Constantly there
were heard the chords of the ukulele;
the harmonies of mems voices. the
alluring minors of the women's songs.
The Hawaiians rode in great COM
panies to each others ranch houses
simply to feast and to sing. The men,
steel-spurred, urging their swift mounts,