Their weapons consisted of long spears, _pololu_; javelins, _ihe_; daggers, _pahoa_, and clubs made of hard wood. They never used the bow in war, but slings made of cocoanut fiber or human hair were extensively employed. They used no shields, but became wonderfully expert in catching or parrying spears thrown at them. Sometimes they engaged in sea fights, with large fleets of canoes on each side. In general no quarter was given to the vanquished, but there were certain sanctuaries called _puuhonuas_, which afforded an inviolable refuge in time of war. Cannibalism was regarded by them with horror and detestation. RELIGION. The religious system of the ancient Hawaiians was very similar to that of other Polynesians. It consisted in a great measure of nature worship. To their minds all the powers of nature, especially those that are mysterious and terrible, were conceived of as living and spiritual beings. Thus the volcano, the thunder, the whirlwind, the meteor and the shark were feared as being either the embodiment or the work of malevolent spirits (_akuas_). The four great gods, Kane, Kanaloa, Ku and Lono, who were worshiped throughout Polynesia, originally belonged to this class, as is shown by the cosmogony of the New Zealand Maoris. Among these four Kane held the primacy. The souls of great chiefs went to his abode after death. Pele, the dread goddess of volcanoes, and her numerous family, dwelt in the crater of Kilauea, but also caused the eruptions of Mauna Loa and Hualalai. In Hawaii she was feared more than any other deity. One large class of _akuas_ were supposed to be incarnated in certain species of animals, which were feared or believed to have a supernatural character, as the shark. Another class of deities, which included most of the professional gods, consisted of deified spirits of the dead. The _Aumakuas_ were tutelar deities, attached to particular families, who were often deified ancestors. Sickness and disease were generally caused by their displeasure. CEREMONIAL SYSTEM. There were two hereditary orders of priests, endowed with lands, who kept up the elaborate liturgy and ritual of the temples, and also preserved whatever knowledge of astronomy, history, medicine, etc., had been handed down to them. The tabu system covered the entire daily life of the people with a vast network of minute regulations and penalties. Thus, it was tabu for men and women to eat together, or even to have their food cooked in the same oven. Women were forbidden to eat pork, bananas, cocoanuts, or turtle and certain kinds of fish, on pain of death. There were certain tabu days when no canoe could be launched, no fire lighted, and when no sound could be made, on pain of death. Even dogs had to be muzzled and fowls shut up in calabashes for twenty-four hours at a time. The human sacrifice was the crowning act of the ancient worship, offered only on certain solemn occasions, and at the temples (_Heiaus_) of the highest class.