Veiled by the fogs of imagination are many interesting facts concerning kings and chiefs which have been passed over untouched—such as the voyages of the vikings of the Pacific, who left names and legends around the islands. For instance, Hilo, in the island of Hawaii, is named after Whiro, a noted viking who sailed through many island groups with his brother, Punga, after whom the district of Puna is named. Ka-kuhi-hewa, ruler of Oahu, was the King Arthur of the Hawaiians, with a band of noted chiefs around his poi-bowl. Umi was a remarkable king of the island Hawaii. Many individual incidents of these persons are yet to be related.
The Hawaiian language papers since 1835, Fornander’s Polynesian Researches, and many of the old Hawaiians have been of great assistance in searching for these “fragments of Hawaiian history,” now set forth in this book.
W. D. W. [[8]]
PRONUNCIATION
In reading Hawaiian words do not end a syllable with a consonant, and pronounce all vowels as if they were Italian or French.
| a = | a in father. |
| e = | e in they. |
| i = | i in pin. |
| o = | o in hold. |
| u = | oo in spoon. |
This is a fairly good rule for the pronunciation of all Polynesian words. [[9]]