<'>S2 I'oniaiulcr t'oUcclioii of IIuK'aiian Folh-lorc. 



people of old, the bulb would become poor and slender instead of being- full and 

 rounded. But, if the planter regularly and daily separates the decaying leaf-stalk and 

 presses the soil around the taro plants until it nearly matures, whereby, they say, the 

 taro is extra large, they are full and round, not long and slim. 



When the taro is matured, the fainting spirit of hunger passes away from the 

 [jlanter. The wife and children, accustomed to pulling the taro for food, take the ma- 

 tured ones and sufficient young ones (olia), leaving the rest of young ohas in the hole. 

 The remaining young ones are called by them the aac;' which means a field or patch of 

 _\'oung taro. When the first taro is taken out then the invoking of the god is indulged 

 in, thus : 



"That large black cloud" in the path of the rain-cloud below, cast a shadow. 

 Shadow, watch! watch this our field. Say, large cloud, cast your shadow from that 

 corner to this corner ; cast your shadow from that side to this side ; do not cast your 

 shadow on the field of others, you will be censured for obscuring the sun; the owner 

 of the field might be chilled. Say, large cloud! Cast your shadow on this our field; 

 shade the holes, shade the leaves of our food to give it growth, that the hole be filled 

 with taro. Say, large cloud, shade our field from mountainward to seaward, from the 

 ui)land to the lowland." 



At the conclusion of this prayer the man returns with the food to the house, cuts 

 his wood, cooks his pig with a few of the new fresh taro; when cooked the planter 

 again makes another supplication, a short prayer,' as follows: 



"O Keukulia, the food is cooked; a fresh taro, the pig is cooked; here is the food; 

 here is the fish; return and partake of my ftx)d, the great farmer, saved by me and my 

 family. Amen, it is done." All then partake of the food of the farmer. This ends 

 the account concerning dry-land farming. 



Now let us take up the second division of this subject and consider it at this 

 time, which is : the planting of wet-land taro. It is dififerent both in the method of 

 its cultivation and its treatment. 



This was the way they cultivated wet-land taro in the olden time. The first 

 duty of the farmer to perform was to clear the weeds; when that is done, then the 

 banks must be made solid to prevent leakage. When a taro patch is dried, then the 

 farmer digs the patch in blocks ( cka ) and turns it over, places the blocks against or 

 along the banks, and the remaining dirt, or earth for the patch; because if stones only 

 were placed along the banks the water would all flow through it. Therefore, the earth 

 will help it. After the patch is all dug and in good order, nothing lacking, then the 

 farmer waits a few days, allowing time to soften the earth; when he knows that the 

 time for planting is at hand, he procures the bundle of taro tops and carries them to 

 the patch. The planter then begins to make large*" mounds of earth and five men can- 

 not encircle with their hands. After this is done, the taro-tops are then planted. Here 

 are are the names of those of the olden time: Apuwai, apowale, aweu, awapuhi, ipu- 



"Aae and oha are synonymous terms for young taro 'Saying grace at one's meal, 



snoots. "These mounds varied in size sufficient for from say 



'Keaouli, or ao iiiii clcclc, the large hlack cloud, sup- six or eight to maybe as many dozen taros each, 



posed to endiody a watchful deity to wluini the farmer 

 appealed for protection and success. 



