ss his shadow or that of his house. If a
common man entered the dread presence of the sovereign, he must crawl
prone on the ground, _kolokolo_, and leave in the same manner.

The head chief of an island was styled the _Moi_, and his dignity was
generally hereditary. There were usually at least four independent
kinglets in the group, and sometimes the single Island of Hawaii was
divided between several independent chiefs.

LAND TENURE.

As a rule, the chiefs were the only proprietors of the soil. They were
supposed to own not only the soil and all that grew upon it, not only
the fish of the sea, but also the time and labor of their people.

The accepted theory was that all the lands belonged to the king, of whom
they were held by the high chiefs in fief; _i. e._, on condition of
rendering him tribute and military service. Each of these district
chieftains divided up his territory among an inferior order of petty
chiefs, who owed to him the same service and obedience that he owed to
the king.

In this way the land was subdivided again and again, while at the bottom
of the scale were the miserable serfs who tilled the soil. These last
were simply tenants at will, liable to be dispossessed of their little
holdings at any time, or to be stripped of their personal property at
the requisition of the chief.

WAR.

Wars were frequent and cruel. There were numerous wars to settle the
succession to the sovereignty of an Island, as well as contests between
the head chiefs of the principal Islands. For example, the chiefs of
Oahu often contended with those of Maui for the possession of Molokai,
and there were frequent wars between the chiefs of Hawaii and those of
Maui for the district of Hana.

Their weapons consisted of long spears, _pololu_; javelins, _ihe_;
daggers, _pahoa_, and clubs made of hard wood. They never used the bow
in war, but slings made of cocoanut fiber or human hair were extensively
employed. They used no shields, but became wonderfully expert in
catching or parrying spears thrown at them.

Sometimes they engaged in sea fights, with large fleets of canoes
on each side. In general no quarter was given to the vanquished, but
there were certain sanctuaries called _puuhonuas_, which afforded an
inviolable refuge in time of war. Cannibalism was regarded by them with
horror and detestation.

RELIGION.

The religious system of the ancient Hawaiians was very similar to that
of other Polynesians. It c