“Aye, but the time of the tabus has passed. Then, too, in a sense having been initiated into hula matters, there can be no impropriety in my dealing with them in a kindly spirit.” “No harm, of course, will come to you, a _haole_ (foreigner). The question is how it will affect us.” “Tell me, were there two different classes of worshipers, one class devoted to the worship of Laka and another class devoted to the worship of Kapo?” “No,” she answered, “Kapo and Laka were one in spirit, though their names were two.” “Haumea was the mother of Kapo. Who was her father?” “Yes, Haumea was the mother, and Kua-ha-ilo [86] was the father:” “How about Laka?” [Footnote 86: _Kua-ha-ilo._ A god of the _kahuna anaana;_ meaning literally to breed maggots in the back.] [Page 48] “Laka was the daughter of Kapo. Yet as a patron, of the hula Laka stands first; she was worshiped at an earlier date than Kapo; but they are really one.” Further questioning brought out the explanation that Laka was not begotten in ordinary generation; she was a sort of emanation from Kapo. It was as if the goddess should sneeze and a deity should issue with the breath from her nostrils; or should wink, and thereby beget spiritual offspring from the eye, or as if a spirit should issue forth at some movement of the ear or mouth. When the old woman’s scruples had been laid to rest, she repeated slowly for the author’s benefit the pule given on pages 45 and 46, “Now, Kane, approach,” * * * of which the first eight lines and much of the last part, to him, were new. [Page 49] VIII.—COSTUME OF THE HULA DANCER The costume of the hula dancer was much the same for both sexes, its chief article a simple short skirt about the waist, the pa-ú. (PL I.) When the time has come for a dance, the halau becomes one common dressing room. At a signal from the kumu the work begins. The putting on of each article of costume is accompanied by a special song. First come the _ku-pe’e_, anklets of whale teeth, bone, shell-work, dog-teeth, fiber-stuffs, and what not. While all stoop in unison they chant the song of the anklet: _Mele Ku-pe’e_ Aala kupukupu[87] ka uka o Kane-hoa.[88] E ho-a![89] Hoa na lima o ka makani, he Wai-kaloa.[90] He Wai-kaloa ka makani anu Lihue. 5 Alina[91] lehua i kau ka opua— Ku’u pua, Ku’u pua i’ini e ku-i a lei. Ina ia oe ke lei ’a mai la.