T44 Fornander Collection of Hazvaiian Folk-lore. 



BEGINNING OF CANOE HEWING. 



A canoe-hewing priest should first instruct a person who desired to learn canoe 

 hewing, also teaching him other things which were edifying, by acknowledging the deity, 

 and instructing him also in the auguries relating to the vocation of canoe hewing. 



LEARNING OF THE CANOE-HEWING PRIEST. 



When the canoe-hewing priest reached the koa tree which he had chosen to hew in- 

 to a canoe, he must first look up to the branches of the tree so selected, and when he 

 had noted the traveler's branch,"" he would cut at the base and at the side of the tree 

 Ijcaring said traveler's branch. 



OF THE traveler's BRANCH. 



This was the branch of the tree which the canoe hewers and timbers cutters took 

 ])articular observation of because, on the side of that branch the tree would fall when 

 cut, and that was why it was called by canoe-hewing priests "a traveler's branch." 



MARKS OF A GOOU OR A DEFECTIVE CANOE. 



\\'hen the koa tree intended for a canoe fell and the top was cut off, then the ca- 

 noe-hewing priest watched for the coming of the clcpaio bird, which augured its perfect- 

 ness for a canoe, or its defect. When the clcpaio bird darted down from the sky 

 and landed on the trunk of the tree intended for a canoe, the canoe-hewing ])riest 

 watched its conduct. 



BEHAVIOR OF THE ELEPAIO BIRD RELATING TO THE DEFECT OF THE CANOE. 



If the bird darted down and perched on the trunk of the tree and then ran along the 

 trunk to the other end, the canoe-hewing priest would remark: "The canoe is |)erfect." 

 The conduct of the bird in running direct from the base to the end was the sign which 

 enabled the priest to pronounce it perfect. Where the bird traversed was the to]) o])en- 

 ing of the canoe. Supposing that the opening of the canoe which the bird apparently 

 intended was underneath, the bird would fly to a certain height, then circle over the tree, 

 the priest would understand that it was urging the turning of the tree. But if the open- 

 ing that the clcpaio intended to be was on the side, it would fly in that direction. On the 

 other hand, if the bird came and stood on the trunk of the tree intended for a canoe, if it 

 continued to remain there for some time, the canoe-hewing priest knew that a defect 

 was at that point. If the bird again ran from the trunk and stood in another place, 

 then another defect was at that locality, and thus the bird would indicate all the defects 

 in the canoe, whether it l)e rottenness, hollow-cored, or knotted. In this way the canoe- 

 hewing priest was made aware of the defects of the [tree for a| canoe. 



"■'The "traveler's branch" must have reference to the most prominent or farthest reacliing branch on any side, as 

 indicating the disposition of the tree to fall. 



