► The Stone Walks: Daddy Bray

The Saturday Star-Bulletin - Honolulu, T.H., January 10, 1959 - "Clarice B. Taylor's Tales about Hawaii"

     "After the funeral services for Uncle Kaniho, I went to his Punchbowl house and asked his wife for the stone-god."

     David K. Bray was telling the story of how he came into possession of the stone-god which has been the source of his spiritual power as a practicing Kahuna in the modern world.

     His widow refused to give the stone to me. She had a favorite nephew whom she wanted to inherit it and with it the kahuna powers of Uncle Kaniho.

     "I reminded her that she had been present when he promised the stone to me.

     "If Uncle Kaniho said these things to you, let the stone walk to your house,'" was her reply.

     "I went away and stayed away for more than three months and then the stone did walk to my house.

     "During the three months Kaniho's widow had tried to use the stone for her own personal gain. Instead of getting rich she brought disaster on her family.

     "The stone became an evil thing and brought about the deaths of three members of her family. It was Ku-ka-pihe (the death stone) again.

     "After the third death, Uncle's widow was warned by a kahuna friend that she must give up the stone. She sent it to me by her favorite nephew.

     "That was how the stone walked to my house. That was why I had to purify the stone to make it lose its Kukapihe nature.

 

► Chinese Lore for Chinese-Hawaiians - 20 : The Dragon

Honolulu Star Bulletin, Tuesday, February 26, 1957 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"

     An understanding of the dragon as a symbol of the soul of China is necessary to understand the mourning customs of China.

     The dragon is neither a heavenly creature nor an earthly creature - it is a symbol of thought devised by the ancient Chinese to portray the mysterious power of heaven, earth and sea.

     The Chinese convey the power of the dragon by likening it to a cyclone. It can draw air into the sky to form a cloud, it can come to the earth to remove or destroy a house, it can touch the ocean and dry up a river.

A SYMBOL
     Since no animal - not even a man - can control all three elements, the Chinese pictured a symbol, the dragon.

     There was one exceptional man who could control the elements; he was the Chinese emperor. As the son of heaven, the emperor could control all the elements. He, too, was symbolized as a dragon.

     Dragons were carved on the throne of the emperor. The pillars supporting the throne room and the walls of the room are carved with 99 dragons. When the emperor sat upon his throne, he made 100 dragons (the perfect number).

MANY DRAGONS
     China is inhabited by many of these symbolic dragons and the emperor controlled all. Each village has a dragon and every cemetery has its dragon.

     It was then that the emperor mounted the altar to heaven and atonement for all the people by crying to the gods,
  
     "I have sinned. My people are suffering."

ONCE IN A LIFETIME
     The Chinese were not called upon to make an atonement except once in their lives - at the death of a parent.

     The eldest son in sending out funeral announcements said,

     "I have sinned and as a consequence have lost my beloved parent."

     While the spirit of the dead lived about the house for seven days, the son turned his coat inside out, wore it unbuttoned and moved nothing.

NEXT: The Cemetery

He ninau: "What does (the perfect number) mean in the text?

► Chinese Lore for Chinese-Hawaiians -15: Bad Years

Honolulu Star Bulletin. Wednesday, February 20, 1957 - Tales about Hawaii, Clarice B. Taylor 

     Chinese Grandpa probably thought of each year as good or bad according to its name. For instance, he would have said that 1956, being the year of Monkey, was bad and that 1957, the year of Rooster, would be good.

     Chinese scholars say there is no such thing as a good or bad year - all depends upon whether the year will be good for the individual according to his birthdate.

     A good year for one person may not be a good year for another. 

     This is due to the fact that Chinese horoscopes are based upon a complicated system in which the yellow 60 year cycle revolves about the lunar system of months and days. The horoscope takes into account the hour, date and month in which the child is born.

     In revolving about the inner timetable, the omens of the 60-year cycle often "collide" with the omens of the inner circle and the result is bad for the individual.

     There is often a daily omen which reads "do not attend a funeral" or "avoid holding a funeral." That is a general omen that applies to everyone.

     If the omen says "do not attend a funeral," the Chinese will send flowers or go to the funeral parlor with a sympathetic message but will not enter the room where the corpse lies.

     Such omens are for all, but the individual will sometimes learn that the omens for the general public are not good for him.

     It is a general practice of Honolulu funeral parlors to post a notice on a screen in front of the room in which the corpse is lying.

     The notice will read "all those born in the year ___ enter this room at your own hazard."

     The reason for this is that the year "collides with the mourning date for the dead individual. Those born in that year should avoid looking at the corpse, otherwise something bad may happen.

     The funeral parlors post this notice because few in Honolulu know their own horoscopes or are aware of these omens.

Next: Creation