EMERSON] 



UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OP HAWAII 



149 



The author is again indebted to Miss Eisner for the following com- 

 ments on the iikeke : 



The strings of this ulvelce, the Hawaiian fiddle, are tuned to e, to b and to d. 

 These three strings are struck nearly simultaneously, but the sound being very 

 feeble, it is only the first which, receiving the sharp impact of the blow, gives 

 out enough volume to make a decided impression. 



Ill — The Ukeke (as played by Keaonaloa) 



Arranged by Jennie Elsner 



=^iliq=zqz=:qz=:q^3=qz=q^=qr.zzrribii^q=3=q=': 



-0-i-0 0-0-^-0 0-0-0 0-0~*-0 g-0 



The early visitors to these islands, as a rule, either held the music 

 of the savages in contempt or they were unqualified to report on its 

 character and to make record of it. 



We know that in ancient times the voices of the men as well as of 

 the women were heard at the same time in the songs of the hula. One 

 of the first questions that naturally arises is, Did the men and the 

 women sing in parts or merely in unison? 



It is highly gratifying to find clear historical testimony on this 

 point from a competent authority. The quotation that follows is 

 from the pen of Capt. James King, who was with Capt, James Cook 

 on the latter's last voyage, in which he discovered the Hawaiian 

 islands (January 18, 17T8), The words were evidently penned after 

 the death of Captain Cook, when the writer of them, it is inferred, 

 must have succeeded to the command of the expedition. The fact 

 that Captain King weighs his words, as evidenced in the footnote, 

 and that he appreciates the bearing and significance of his testimony, 

 added to the fact that he was a man of distinguished learning, gives 

 unusual weight to his statements. The subject is one of so great in- 

 terest and importance, that the whole passage is here quoted.* It 

 adds not a little to its value that the writer thereof did not confine 

 his remarks to the music, but enters into a general description of the 

 hula. The only regret is that he did not go still further into details. 



Their dances have a much nearer resemblance to those of the New Zealanders 

 than of the Otaheitians or Friendly Islanders. They are prefaced with a 

 slow, solemn song, in which all the party join, moving their legs, and gently 

 striking their breasts in a manner and with attitudes that are perfectly easy 

 and graceful ; and so far they are the same with the dances of the Society 

 Islands. When this has lasted about ten minutes, both the tune and the motions 

 gradually quicken, and end only by their inability to support the fatigue, which 



" Italics used are those of the present author. 



