POI POUNDERS. 



43 



I have wondered whether the Hawaiian priesthood was enongh like other priest- 

 hoods to cling tenaciously to the use of ancient implements as well as forms. I have 



no information at first hand on the matter, for the 

 priests had ceased to perform their fundlions, at 

 least in public, before my day, but in the ruins of 

 a temple on the slopes of the Kaala range on Oahu, 

 were found by Messrs. Bryan and Scale of the 

 Museum staff, several pounders of antic^ue form 

 two of which are shown in Fig. 41. No. 10,031 is 

 made of a lava closelv resembling stratified sand- 

 stone, and is considerably flattened. No. 10,032 

 is of a curiously shortened form. Both bear 

 marks of long use. The Alii or Chiefs were par- 

 ticular about their poi pounders, carrying their 

 own on journeys, and some of the Moi or Kings 

 placed a kapu on their private pounders. In the 

 Bishop Museum is the "sacred" pounder of the 

 great Kamehameha, a small form easily carried 

 on a journey or war-like expedition. It escaped 



FIG. 38. 



ANCIENT HAWAIIAN POI 

 POUNDER. 



being photograph- 

 ed as it was in the 

 case with relics 

 and not with the 

 other more ple- 

 beian pounders. 

 Under the circum- 

 stances the priests, 

 who by this same 

 kapu ruled the 

 Kings, probabl}' 

 were equally par- 

 ticular about their 

 own pounders. 



Another native 

 custom had its in- 

 fluence on the size 

 if not the form of 

 some pounders. The )i/aka aiuaiia or people, as distinguished from the chiefs and 



clergy, had neither an}- property nor any rights that their rulers were bound to respect. 



[375] 



I'di !■( irxiii:KS. 



