of the common people under you."

After this a new arrangement of the lands was made, and the country
had peace until the death of Kakuhihewa; Kalelealuaka also lived
peacefully until death took him.

X

STORIES OF THE MENEHUNES

HAWAII THE ORIGINAL HOME OF THE BROWNIES

_Thos. G. Thrum_

Students of Hawaiian folk-lore find much of coincident interest with
traditional or more historic beliefs of other and older lands. The
same applies, in a measure, to some of the ancient customs of the
people. This is difficult to account for, more especially since the
Hawaiians possessed no written language by which such knowledge could
be preserved or transmitted. Fornander and others discovered in the
legends of this people traces of the story of the Flood, the standing
still of the sun, and other narratives of Bible history, which some
savants accept as evidence of their Aryan origin. This claim we are not
disposed to dispute, but desire to present another line of tradition
that has been neglected hitherto, yet has promise of much interest.

It will doubtless interest some readers to learn that Hawaii is the
real home of the Brownies, or was; and that this adventurous nomadic
tribe were known to the Hawaiians long before Swift's satirical mind
conceived his Lilliputians.

It would be unreasonable to expect so great a range of nationalities
and peculiar characteristics among the pygmies of Hawaii as among
the Brownies of story. Tradition naturally represents them as of one
race, and all nimble workers; not a gentleman dude, or policeman
in the whole lot. Unlike the inquisitive and mischievous athletes
of present fame, the original and genuine Brownies, known as the
Menehunes, are referred to as an industrious race. In fact, it was
their alleged power to perform a marvellous amount of labor in a
short space of time that has fixed them in the minds of Hawaiians,
many of whom point to certain traces of their work in various parts of
the islands to substantiate the traditional claim of their existence.

Meeting thus with occasional references to this active race, but
mostly in a vague way, it has been a matter of interesting inquiry
among Hawaiians, some of whom were noted _kaao_, or legend-bearers,
for further knowledge on the subject. Very naturally their ideas
differ respecting the Menehunes. Some treat the subject with
gravity and respect, and express the belief that they were the
original inhabitants of these i