Posted on: Sunday, July 3, 2005
OUR HONOLULU
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By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist
Here's a gem of history that I would like to dedicate to the large and thriving Queen Emma fan club at Iolani School, St. Andrew's Priory, Queen Emma Summer Palace and The Queen's Medical Center. This is a glimpse into how her subjects entertained the popular monarch. Call it a 15-day lu'au. At 37, the queen was young enough to enjoy it.
On Oct. 10, 1875, prominent Waimanalo sugar planter John A. Cummins received a royal summons from the former queen saying that she wished him to arrange a tour around O'ahu. What follows is Cummins' report on the trip as it appeared in The Advertiser in 1904.
He placed notices in the papers to announce that a cavalcade would start on Guy Fawkes' Day, on Nov. 5. Posters went to different parts of the island fixing dates of arrival so that local folks would be ready with food, entertainment and accommodations.
On the great day, Cummins rode over from Waimanalo on horseback. At 6:30 a.m. he saw a throng of people marching in Nu'uanu Valley to the queen's home. They carried lei of ilima, marigolds, lehua and 'ahihi. After breakfast, 140 women dressed in brightly colored pa'u costumes swept through the streets of
Honolulu on horseback. The queen and Cummins led the procession followed by her mother and chiefs.
The party rode out past Wai'alae for lunch at Kuli'ou'ou hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Pico. There was plenty of food for everybody. At the Makapu'u Pali, six mounted knights in red visors, carrying torches, presented arms to the queen, who arrived at Waimanalo at 5:30 p.m. Cummins had built two large, thatched lanais that seated 200 people. The lu'au and hula performances began at 8:30 p.m. followed by fireworks and rockets fired from the mountain precipices.
Breakfast was set for 200 guests the next morning with servings of poi and fish, also coffee, tea and chocolate cake. After breakfast, everybody went sea bathing or into the mountains to gather maile, 'awapuhi, 'ohawai and palapalai for lei. Fishermen caught honu (turtle), 'opihi, 'okala, uhu, palani, he'e, lole, 'ohua, manini and kumu.
The big event of the day was the breaking of a dam built on the Puha River that had been stopped up especially for the occasion. Spectators watched a high torrent of water rush down the river. "Only two men and two women dared to play in the water surf called Pue-wai," Cummins reported. The queen presented each of them with $100 and a pair of red blankets.
That night, the royal party sat down to a feast of 10 hogs, a whole bullock, ducks, turkeys and fish. Bonfires on the mountains were kept up all night. Cummins admitted that the second day's breakfast was not so well attended because of overindulgence the night before.
During the stay at Waimanalo, people from all over Ko'olau kept arriving with gifts. New hula dancers came to perform. There was so much food that Cummins had to send some of it on to Judge's Pi'i's house at Kane'ohe.
The cavalcade started on after a great breakfast. Six mounted knights in red with torches led the procession. At Wailea, Cummins had a huge bonfire going with a hoop of fire 15 feet high through which everybody had to ride.
At Kane'ohe, the party stayed overnight at Judge Pi'i's place, and rode on to Waikane the next day. Cummins drove the queen behind his black span and her mother followed in a carry-all. At Waikane they went to Mr. Kamealoha's place where they found preparations to entertain 1,000 people.
There was so much food that Cummins sent nine live hogs, eight bundles of dried mullet, six barrels of poi and two dozen fowls in the schooner Rob Roy to the queen's residence in Honolulu.
A Chinese man, Apakana, and his Hawaiian wife hosted the queen at Kahana. Apakana spread a feast with enough food for 500 people for four days. More people joined the party on the way to Punalu'u and the provisions multiplied. Cummins sent back 10 bags of rice, 10 barrels of poi, 10 bags of sweet potatoes, 10 hogs and two dozen fowls in the schooner.
Punalu'u proved to be the noisiest place on the tour. The hula and speech-making kept on continuously while Chinese popped firecrackers.
Beyond Punalu'u, a big, handsome Hawaiian named Keaunui invited the queen to take a surf ride in his canoe. She left her shoes and stockings on the beach. Cummins wore a malo and a straw hat. By the time they landed her at Keanunui's place, Emma was wet clear through. Eight strapping kanaka lifted the canoe from the water and carried it to the house.
Mr. Lane at Hau'ula was very much annoyed because the canoe ride made the party late at his house, like 10 p.m. Everybody was tired but Cummins stirred up the hula dancers. In the morning, it was on to La'ie where they were greeted by Kapuaokahala, the greatest hula master in Hawai'i Nei, and his two daughters.
The travelers had a grand time for two nights, then continued on to Kahuku. Cummins took the queen and her mother in a carriage, the others rode horseback. He kept the torches burning all night at Kahuku, By the time they reached Waialua for a four-day stay, the party was slimmed down to 400.
Oxcarts loaded with ho'okupu (gifts) arrived from the countryside. Cummins explained that his torch bearers renewed their stock of kerosene at every Chinese store on the route. He wrote that Waialua had never seen a procession of 400 women on horseback in bright-colored costumes wearing lei and maile, every face wreathed in smiles.
The next day, parties from Honolulu joined the group for a grand lu'au hosted by Princess Ke'elikelani at Moanalua. Rain drenched everybody when they sat down to eat but nobody cared.
The queen's horse was covered with lei of pikake and lehua for the return to Honolulu. Seven or eight hundred horses were similarly bedecked by their riders. The cavalcade rode along Beretania to the queen's house, then everybody went home.
Cummins wrote, "It is unlikely that such a Hawaiian holiday could ever be repeated." It lasted 15 days.
