Research source

The mourning customs of the people were peculiar

Date of account: Published 1888
Source: The Legends and Myths of Hawaii: The fables and folk-lore of a strange people
Reference: The Legends and Myths of Hawaii: The fables and folk-lore of a strange people · selected passage 8
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

The mourning customs of the people were peculiar. For days they wailed and feasted together over a dead relative or friend, frequently knocking out one or more teeth, shaving portions of their heads and beards, and tearing their flesh and clothes. But their wildest displays of grief were on the death of their kings and governing chiefs. During a royal mourning season, which sometimes continued for weeks, the people indulged in an unrestrained saturnalia of recklessness and license. Every law was openly violated, every conceivable crime committed. The excuse was--and the authorities were compelled to accept it--that grief had temporarily unseated the popular reason, and they were not responsible for their misdemeanors.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This material belongs to a folklore tradition. Story type, collector, community, transmission and literary editing matter when comparing it with other sources.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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