198 



Ka Hana Kapa. 



cauoe vo3-ager as in later years the white steeples of the little churches that dotted the 

 shores of all the islands served for beacons ; these in turn have generalh* disappeared 

 and given place to the smoke stacks of the sugar mills or the irrigation pumps. 



A strip of white kapa tied around a tree indicated that the fruit was kapu ; the 

 same signal on a stick placed in a path indicated "no thoroughfare" ; a white flag, 

 hae keokco^ analogous to the bush of the vintner, advertised a place where poi^ the 

 native bread, was for sale. In general, torn pieces of kapa were used for signalling 

 as flags are at present. 



FIG. Ilg. VIEWS OF A HEIAU ON KAUAI SHOWING THE ANUV. COOK. 



At certain seasons of the j'ear, as at makahiki ( first dav of the vear) and at 

 some religious festivals, the images of the gods were dressed in fresh white or red 

 kapa with great ceremou}-, while the old kapa dress was burned, lest some sacrilegious 

 person might use it. 



Strips of kapa made excellent cord or twine, or, when twisted or braided, even 

 rope ; the latter had another use in quite a different line as slow-match, the charred 

 end readily catching the fire from the fire-sticks and, slowly consuming, held the fire 

 convenieuth- (Fig. 120). Smaller strips were the wicks for the stone lamps so common 

 on the group fift}' j-ears ago, the simple cups affording a read}- way of increasing 

 the light of a lamp by adding wick after wick around the rim. 



Many if not all the Pol3mesian tribes had kites ; their neighbors on the Gilbert 

 Islands had a very strong one ( B. M. No. 7124), worthy to be considered the father 

 of the monoplane ; but while this was made of pandanus leaf, the liipe of the Hawaiian 



