TIic Aiiavw or Bearing S/i'ck. 



135 



on Kauai, two natives are seen carrying a live pig slung on a straight pole resting on 

 their shoulders, and in the old songs there are references to this bearing stick genera- 

 tions before Cook's visit. The section of an auanio was generall}-, if not always, cir- 

 cular, and not well fitted to rest easily on the bare shoulder; hence a porter was known 

 by the callus formed at the point of contact/" These bearing sticks were also known 

 as aiimaka or nianiaka. The Hawaiian sometimes used a straight round pole pointed 



at both ends for one especial 

 purpose, — to meet the de- 

 mands of foreigners for ha}^, 

 an article not imported in the 

 period previoiis to 1865. The 

 native ha}' dealer skilfully 

 packed two long bundles of 

 grass in such a way as to 

 seem of considerable bulk, 

 but often containing but little 

 grass. These he transfixed 

 with his pointed pole and 

 brought into market as shown 

 in Fig. 112. Probably none 

 of the present generation of 

 Hawaiians ever saw these 

 bundles, but I think I remem- 

 ber one native who brought 

 me grass for my horse in 

 Honolulu, using a genuine 

 China stick. 



Of course a well-to-do man 

 or a chief did not use auamo, 

 but he had to provide them for his servants, and the specimens existing in this 

 Museum show that more care was expended upon these implements than would be 

 expec^ted of mere porters. Fig. 113 shows the ends of some of these auamo, and the 

 following list gives their material and length: — 



™The bearing stick of the Chinese is much better suited for the purpose having a broail, almost flat surface 

 where it rests upon the shoulder and is without notches, although sometimes one or two pins were inserted to answer 

 the same purpose as notches. It is easy enough to keep the suspended baskets from slipping off in the flat country 

 of China, or of most Chinese towns, but the Hawaiian had to climb most difficult paths in his native islands, and it 

 would often be impossible to keep the pole perfectly horizontal. The Chinese poles were early introduced (before 

 Vancouver) but were not copied by the Hawaiian. A good "China stick" is six feet long ; two inches wide at each 

 end and at the middle, tapering between these points; is one and a quarter inches thick at the middle and weighs 

 only three pounds. I '^ IQ I 



FIG. III. BEARING THE POI OF AN ALII. 



