Valuables and Possessions of the Ancient Hawaiians
"Unless one were a warrior in something more than name he would not succeed in capturing his prisoner nor in getting possession of the *ahu-ula* and feathered helmet of a…
From: 1903 C.E. To: 1903 C.E.
Location: Hawaii
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Hawaiian Antiquities by David Malo, 1903.
Chapter 22
The Valuables and Possessions of the Ancient Hawaiians
The feathers of birds were the most valued possessions of the ancient Hawaiians. The feathers of the mamo were more choice than those of the oo because of their superior magnificence when wrought into cloaks (ahu). The plumage of the i'iwi, apapane and amakihi were made into ahu-ula, cloaks and capes, and into malu-ole, helmets.
The ahu-ula was a possession most costly and precious (makamae), not obtainable by the common people, only by the alii. It was much worn by them as an insignia in time of war and when they went into battle. The ahu-ula was also conferred upon warriors, but only upon those who had distinguished themselves and had merit, and it was an object of plunder in every battle.
Unless one were a warrior in something more than name he would not succeed in capturing his prisoner nor in getting possession of the ahu-ula and feathered helmet of a warrior. These feathers had a notable use in the making of the royal battle-gods. They were also frequently used by the female chiefs in making or decorating a comb called huli-kua, which was used as an ornament in the hair.
The lands that produced feathers were heavily taxed at the Makahiki time, feathers being the most acceptable offering to the Makahiki-idol. If any land failed to furnish the full tale of feathers due for the tax, the landlord was turned off (hemo). So greedy were the alii after fathers that there was a standing order (palala) directing their collection.
An ahu-ula made only of mamo feathers was called an alaneo and was reserved exclusively for the king of a whole island, alii ai moku; it was his kapa wai-kaua or battle-cloak. Ahu-ulas were used as the regalia of great chiefs and those of high rank, also for warriors of distinction who had displayed great prowess. It was not to be obtained by chiefs of low rank, nor by warriors of small prowess.
The carved whale-tooth, or niho-palaoa, was a decoration worn by high chiefs who alone were allowed to possess this ornament. They were not common in the ancient times, and it is only since the reign of Kamehameha I that they have become somewhat more numerous. In battle or on occasions of ceremony and display (hookahakaha) an alii wore his niho-palaoa. The lei-palaoa (same as the niho-palaoa) was regarded as the exclusive property of the alii.
The kahili,—a fly-brush or plumed staff of state—was the emblem and embellishment of royalty. Where the king went there went his kahili-bearer (paa-kahili), and where he stopped there stopped also the kahili-bearer. When the king slept the kahili was waved over him as a fly-brush. The kahili was the possession solely of the alii.
The canoe with its furniture was considered a valuable possession, of service both to the people and to the chiefs. By means of it they could go on trading voyages to other lands, engage in fishing, and perform many other errands.
The canoe was used by the kings and chiefs as a means of ostentation and display. On a voyage the alii occupied the raised and sheltered platform in the waist of the canoe which was called the pola, while the paddle-men sat in the spaces fore and aft, their number showing the strength of the king's following.
Cordage and rope of all sorts (na kaula), were articles of great value, serviceable in all sorts of work. Of kaula there were many kinds. The bark of the hau tree was used for making lines or cables with which to haul canoes down from the mountains as well as for other purposes. Cord—aha—made from cocoanut fibre was used in sewing and binding together the parts of a canoe and in rigging it as well as for other purposes. Olona fibre was braided into (a four or six-strand cord called) lino, besides being made into many other things. There were many other kinds of rope (kaula).
Fishing nets (upena) and fishing lines (aho) were valued possessions. One kind was the papa-waha, which had a broad mouth; another was the aei (net with small meshes to take the opelu); the kawaa net (twenty to thirty fathoms long and four to eight deep, for deep sea fishing); the kuu net (a long net, operated by two canoes); and many other varieties.
Fish-lines, aho, were used in fishing for all sorts of fish, but especially for such fine large fish as the ahi and the kahala. The aho was also used in stitching together the sails (of matting) and for other similar purposes.
The ko'i, or stone ax, was a possession of value. It was used in hewing and hollowing canoes, shaping house-timbers and in fashioning the agriculture spade, the oo, and it had many other uses.
The house was esteemed a possession of great value. It was the place where husband and wife slept, where their children and friends met, where the household goods of all sorts were stored.
There were many kinds of houses: the mua for men alone, the noa, where men and women met, the halau for the shelter of long things, like canoes, fishing poles, etc., and there were houses for many other purposes.
Tapa was a thing of value. It was used to clothe the body, or to protect the body from cold during sleep at night. The malo also was a thing of great service, girded about the loins and knotted behind, like a cord, it was used by the men as a covering for the immodest parts.
Another article of value was the pau; wrapped about the loins and reaching nearly to the knees it shielded the modesty of the women.
Pigs, dogs and fowls were sources of wealth. They were in great demand as food both for chiefs and common people, and those who raised them made a good profit.
Anyone who was active as a farmer or fisherman was deemed a man of great wealth. If one but engaged in any industry he was looked upon as well off.
The man who was skilled in the art of making fish-hooks (ka-makau) was regarded as fore-handed. The fish-hooks of the Hawaiians were made of human bones, tortoise shell and the bones of pigs and dogs.
The names of the different kinds of hooks used in the ancient times would make a long list. The hoonoho was an arrangement of hooks made by lashing two bone hooks to one shank (they were sometimes placed facing each other and then again back to back).
The kikii (in which the bend of the hook followed a spiral; the lua-loa (sometimes used for catching the aku); the nuku (also called the kakaka. It consisted of a series of hooks attached to one line), the keaa-wai-leia (for ulua. The bait was strewn in the water and the naked hook was moved about on the surface); the au-ku'u (a troll-hook, having two barbs, used to take the ulua); the maka-puhi (about the same as the au-ku'u, but with only one barb); the kai-anoa (used in the deep sea—composed of two small hooks, without barbs); the omau (about the same as the kea'a-wai-leia but more open, with no barb, for the deep sea); the mana (a hook for the eel); the kohe-lua (also called kohe-lua-a-pa'a, a hook with two barbs); the hulu (having a barb on the outside); the kue (a very much incurved hook, used to take the oio, etc.); the hui-kala (a large hook with two barbs, one without and one within); the hio-hio (a minute hook of mother o' pearl, for the opelu); the lawa which was used for sharks.
Such were the names of the fish-hooks of the ancients, whether made of bone or of tortoise shell (ea). In helping to shape them the hard wood of the pua and the rough pahoehoe lava rock were used as rasps.
The oo (shaped like a whale-spade) was an instrument useful in husbandry. It was made of the wood of the ulei, mamane, omolemole, lapalapa (and numerous other woods including the alahe'e).
Dishes, ipu, to hold articles of food, formed part of the wealth, made of wood and of the gourd; umeke to receive poi and vegetable food; ipu-kai, bowls or soup-dishes, to hold meats and fish, cooked or raw, with gravies and sauces; pa-laau—platters or deep plates for meats, fish, or other kinds of food; hue-waii—bottle-gourds, used to hold water for drinking. Salt was reckoned an article of value.
A high value was set upon the cowry shell, leho, and the mother o' pearl, pa, by the fishermen, because through the fascination exercised by these articles the octopus and the bonito were captured.
Mats, mocna, constituted articles of wealth, being used to bedeck the floors of the houses and to give comfort to the bed.
A great variety of articles were manufactured by different persons which were esteemed wealth.
At the present time many new things have been imported from foreign countries which are of great value and constitute wealth, such as meat cattle, horses, the mule, the donkey, the goat, sheep, swine, dogs, and fowls.
New species of birds have been introduced, also new kinds of cloth, so that the former tapa-cloth has almost entirely gone out of use. There are also new tools, books, and laws, many new things.
But the book that contains the word of Jehovah is of a value above every other treasure because it contains salvation for the soul.
Malo, David. Hawaiian Antiquities. Hawaiian Gazette, 1903.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
