Old Hazvaiian Carvings found in igo^ secreted in a cave on Hawaii. 

 Figured and described by William T. Brigham, Sc.D. (Columbia), DireBor of the 

 Bishop A'Inscuni. 



IN a cave on tlie western portion of Hawaii, of which the main opening was not 

 concealed, a number of human remains were deposited, some of great antiquity, 

 others certainlj' after the advent of the white men. So far there was nothing to 

 distinguish this from scores of other burial caves, some abandoned, others still in use 

 in the rural districts : all are bubbles or channels in ancient lava streams, — streams 

 which have gradually built up the islands and are still occasionally poured forth from 

 the adlive volcanoes of Hawaii. In recent years streams have flowed the same way as 

 the ancient lava torrents which were used as burial caves, and the Bishop Museum 

 contains articles snatched from these caves before the advancing flow. 



To one familiar with these caves the vestibule, as it ma}' be called, is the least 

 interesting portion ; it is a tunnel of varj'iug size and irregular seAion, often shrink- 

 ing to a passage hardly large enough to admit a man's bod}', then expanding into a 

 hall of considerable height, and with numerous ramifications, some small as rat holes, 

 others of a size to admit a horse. In the old and important caves these side passages 

 are generally walled up, and originally this was done so effeAually as to conceal the 

 entrance, but earthquakes and time have loosened the dry stone wall, and it is now 

 possible to detect it, unless the deposited and decaying bones cover it, and these 

 one hesitates to disturb unnecessarily. Behind these walls lie the interests of the 

 cave. One may pull down with great labor in the dark and ill ventilated cave the 

 carefully placed wall and find in the chamber behind it perhaps nothing, perhaps a 

 few crumbling bones or a decayed calabash. 



Of three explorers of the cave around which centres the interest of this account, 

 one had often explored such caves in search of water, and coming from a side chamber 

 where was a corpse in a canoe raised on a stand with choice mats and kapa, he noticed 

 a wall not far from the entrance to this burial chamber (Fig. i). After much hard work 

 a small opening was made and the recess entered. There were fragmentary human 

 remains, but on one side of the chamber were the articles which are the subject of this 

 paper wrapped carefully in kapa. What connedlion they have, if any, with the bones 

 in the main cave, or those in the branch chamber I cannot say: perhaps they were 



simply hidden here as the safest place of deposit known, — in the guardianship of the 



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