THROUGH HAWAII. 
167 
devastation which they expected would follow her 
decease. 
The inhabitants of several groups in the Pacific have 
mourning ceremonies somewhat resembling these. The 
Friendly islanders cut off a joint of one of their fingers 
at the death of a chief, and, like the Society islanders, 
cut their temples, face, and bosoms, with shark's teeth. 
The latter also, during their oto liaa, or mourning, 
commit almost as many depredations as the Sand¬ 
wich islanders. They have, however, one very delicate 
method of preserving the recollection of the dead, 
which the latter do not appear to employ ; that is, of 
having a small portion of the hair of the deceased 
passed through a perforation in one of their ears, in¬ 
geniously braided in the form of an ear-ring, and worn 
sometimes for life. 
But the Sandwich islanders have another custom, 
almost peculiar to themselves, viz. singing at the death 
of their chiefs, something in the manner of the ancient 
Peruvians. I have been peculiarly affected more than 
once on witnessing this ceremony. 
A day or two after the decease of Keeaumolcu, go¬ 
vernor of Maui, and the elder brother of Kuakini, 
governor of Hawaii, I was sitting with the surviving 
relatives, who were weeping around the couch on 
which the corpse was lying, when a middle-aged wo¬ 
man came in at the other end of the large house, and 
having proceeded about half way towards the spot 
where the body lay, began to sing, in a plaintive tone, 
accompanying her song with affecting gesticulations, 
such as wringing her hands, grasping her hair, and 
beating her breasts. Ī wrote down her monody as she 
repeated it. She described in a feeling manner the 
