56 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAAVAII. 



and absolute feudalism. Tlie kiny made his head chiefs his principal bene- 

 ficiaries. They, in turn, established a jirade of lesser chiefs or landlords, who 

 gathered under them the connnon people as tenants at will. The lands beini]: 

 divided, those who held the land owed every service and obedience to the chief- 

 tain landlords. On these landlords the king relied for men. lab(n\ nnmitions 

 and materials to carry out his plans and fight his battles. 



Taxes. 



This system was so offensive that it is said that the laborer did not receive 

 one-third the returns due him for his toil; the lion's share of everything, even 

 in this simple system, went to the over-lords, in the form of a tax. There was 

 first, the royal tax that was collected by each grade paying to its superiors until 

 the whole tax. which consisted of such articles as hogs, dogs, fish, fowl, potatoes, 

 yams, taro, olona. feathers, and such articles of manufacture as calabashes, 

 nets, mats, tapas and canoes, was collected. In addition to the foregoing, the 

 people were subject to special taxes at any time, and labor taxes at all times, 

 when they were called upon to build walls, repair fisli ponds, cultivate the chief's 

 taro ponds, or construct or repair the temples. 



Besides all these, and other means of taxing the people, there were customs 

 which made it necessary to make extraordinary presents to the king, especially 

 when that dignitary Avas traveling, with the penalty that if enough presents 

 were not brought, plunder and rapine was the consequence. AVith this hasty 

 review of some of the more general and especially interesting or striking pecu- 

 liarities of the Hawaiian people, as a branch of the Polynesian race, that are of 

 importance as salient characteristics when we wish to compare them and their 

 natural human history with that of other races of mankind, we can now pass to a 

 brief review of their arts, occupations, ornaments, weapons, tools and kindred 

 subjects in which they made use of the materials with which nature surrounded 

 them. 



CHAPTER Y. 



THE HAWAIIAN HOUSE: ITS FURNISHINGS AND HOUSEHOLD 



UTENSILS. 



The houses of the common people were little more thnn single-room straw- 

 thatched hovels, supported upon a crude frame-work of poles, the structure 

 in many instances being scarcely suffici(Mit to shelter the family. On the other 



(Description of Plate Continued from Opposite Page.) 

 woven over a wooden umeke or a gourd-calabash, a fine Niihau [makaloa] mat, a sled [papa 

 holiia] for coasting on the grass on steep hills and two spears; in 2 are a number of small 

 objects including gourd water bottle [huewai], small idol, canoe model, bowling stones [ulu- 

 maika]. Hawaiian brick shaped pillows [uluna], gourd hula drum [palm hula], three large 

 and several small umekes, fans, a feather malo or waistband and a large and small kahili; in 

 3 the old Hawaiian keeper [kahu] is surrounded by numerous objects of native manufacture, 

 including poi pounders [pohaku kni poi], kukui nut and feather leis. the famous skirt [pa-u] 

 of 0-0 feathers (made for the sister of Kamehanudia III. and last useil over the coffin of 

 Kalakaua) and two large and two small kahilis; in 4 are three large umekes in nets [koko], 

 a carrying stick [auamo], a gourd fish line container [poho aho], several choice umekes, rare 

 tapas, kukui nut leis and a small kahili. 



