Our Little Hawaiian CousinWade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard
General
Our Little Hawaiian Cousin
Wade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard
Children -- Hawaii --Juvenile literature; Hawaii -- Social life and customs -- Juvenile literature
Some people believe the Hawaiians of that time were cannibals and ate
his dead body. But this is not true. Auwae would feel very badly if she
thought her American brothers and sisters could believe this. Captain
Cook was a very great and brave man in the opinion of the brown child,
as well as in yours. But he ought not to have let the people believe he
was anything else than himself,--a white traveller from other lands.
There is a monument to his memory on the island, and when you visit
Auwae she will take you to see it.
After Captain Cook's death other white men came and taught the Hawaiians
many things. They helped the rulers in governing wisely; and at last the
people saw it was best to put themselves under the care of their white
brothers.
Auwae likes to read about the old days, however. She delights in
hearing her grandmother tell of her own youth; of the visit the king
once made to her village; and of the grand celebration in his honour.
The days were given up to feasting and entertainments. Men practised
boxing and wrestling for a long time beforehand; there were wonderful
feats on horseback, in which Auwae's grandfather took part.
As he rode at full gallop through the village, he surpassed all others
in leaning from his horse and picking small coins from the ground. Best
of all, the old woman said, as he rode along he wrung off the necks of
fowls whose bodies were buried in the ground. And this he did without
checking his horse's pace at all.
But the most joyful part of the day was when the king, fairly covered
with wreaths of flowers, took his place under a beautiful pandanus-tree;
then his subjects, one by one, came up before him, and, cheering and
bowing, gave him offerings. It was always the best which the people
offered their lord. There were presents of live fowls, hogs, clusters of
bananas, cakes of seaweed, eggs, cocoanuts, nets of sweet potatoes,
taro; everything which the king could desire.
"What joy and good-will those days brought!" says Auwae's grandmother.
"It was the happiest time of my life."
The old woman takes a great deal of interest in everything her little
granddaughter does. She is very proud of Auwae's collection of
land-shells. She thinks it must be the finest one any child possesses in
the whole island. She, herself, gave Auwae at least half of the
different varieties. She had kept them from the time of her own
childhood.
Did you ever hear of land-shells? They are found on the low,
overhanging branches of trees, and the little creatures who make their
homes in them would die if you were to put them into the salt water.
They are very tiny, and are of many different tints. Auwae has beautiful
blue ones, as well as rosy pink, pale yellow, green, violet, and I don't
know how many other colours. In little basket trays, side by side, they
look very pretty. Each variety has a tray of its own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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