The word Hawaii always brings a sparkle to someoneís eyes.  To the malahini (tourist), it is a dream vacation, a honeymoon destination, or a place for relaxation.   To the kamaíaina (native), it is our home, our culture, and our history.  Hawaiiana is rich with legends and myths that are still respected and acknowledged by the people of Hawaii today.  Through the Hawaiian gourd mask, a small amount of Hawaii can be shared as its mystery and legacy was born in old Hawaii and its symbolism carries on.  There is great meaning behind the description, purpose, documented history, and legend of the Hawaiian gourd mask.
The Hawaiian gourd mask has very distinct features that are consistent with other headdresses worn by the chief or aliíi of old Hawaii.  A hollow gourd is the main piece of the mask.  The brown gourd covers a personís entire head similar to a protective helmet.  The front of the mask has an opening, allowing the person to see and breathe.  The opening is similar to the shape of a short dumbbell or a figure eight.  It consists of two symmetrical circles connected with a wide but short horizontal cut out.  This horizontal section is centered between the two circles.  It is wide and just long enough to expose the personís nose.  A circle is formed beginning from each end of the nose cut out.    The circle traces around the personís eyebrow, then circling around the cheek bone, then finally connecting at the bottom of the horizontal nose section without exposing the personís mouth.
The top of the gourd mask is decorated with ferns or feathers forming a shape similar to a Mohawk or the crest of a Trojanís helmet.   The decorative foliage starts at the top of the mask and continues down the back of the mask in a straight line.  This crest is long and full, glorifying the personís image.
The bottom edge of the mask is decorated with colored, narrow strips of cloth, possibly tapa cloth (paper cloth from the inner bark of trees).  The strips of cloth are long enough to brush against the personís collar bone.   The tapa cloth is spaced approximately two inches apart forming a beard-like appearance.
The Hawaiian gourd mask is very simple.  The mask has no engravings or carvings of expression, symbolism, or uniqueness.  It does not have the impressive royalty colors of yellow and red.  Instead it is of earthy, neutral colors of brown and tan.
The mask is similar to the aliíi headdress, specifically because of the crest.  Yet, the materials used to make the crest for the gourd mask is not the same of the aliíi.  The headdress for the aliíi is made from feathers of colorful rare native birds, instead of foliage.
The gourd mask also makes the person seem anonymous.  It creates a sense of uniform as it conceals the identity of a person, and loses the sense of individuality.  With this difference in coloring and concealing a personís face, it may be possible that the chiefís servants used the gourd mask.  It may also be safe to assume that the gourd mask was not used during warfare.  Although the gourd mask has a foliage crest and a helmet-like feature, it would be tempting to believe that the mask would be perfect for camouflage and protection.  But, the strength of a hollow gourd is questionable.  Also, the shape of the mask would hinder a warriorís peripheral vision, the eyes and nose would not be protected, and breathing would seem difficult during a battle.
But, according to Scott, the Hawaiian gourd mask has been worn for protection.  The headgear was actually used for protection from hurling stones during battle.  It helped deflect the stones, clubs, and koa (acacia tree) spears as they fought nearly naked in their malo (loincloth) (Scott 3).  Still the gourd provided minimal protection.  The majority of the Hawaiian warriors stood seven feet tall and weighing approximately three hundred fifty pounds.  They had a massive physique and were very skilled in combat (Scott 3).
In addition to using the gourd mask for protection, a combination of mythology and history supports another theory.
The Hawaiians honored four major gods.  They were Kane, the provider of sunlight, water, and nature; Ku, the god of war; Kanaloa, the god of the ocean; and Lono, the god of peace, agriculture and fertility, natural phenomena such as changes in weather, and the patron of the makahiki (sport tournaments) (Mitchell 72).  The makahiki season is during the winter months.  The sporting events would begin by honoring Lono with a banner made of white tapa cloth that was draped on a tall pole and cross bar.  At the top of the pole was a human-like head that would resemble Lono (Mitchell 73).  During the Makahiki season of 1778, Captain James Cook arrived in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii.  Captain Cookís sails and masts of his ship remarkably resembled the banner used to honor Lono.  This led the Hawaiian to believe that Cook was the incarnation of their god Lono (Kuykendall 56).  The Hawaiians worshipped Cook as a god.  They visited his ship on two occasions in double hulled canoes bringing him offerings that included pigs.  The paddlers and passengers all wore the Hawaiian gourd masks as they brought offerings to Cookís vessel.  Artist James Webber accompanied Cook during his arrival and ceremonies (Forbes 14).  Webberís drawings are the only known documentation of the gourd mask being worn.  In March 1779, Cook provided the only written record of the gourd masks.  Cook documented, "We never saw these masks worn but twice, and both times by a number of people together in a canoe,...laughing and drolling, with an air of masquerading.  Whether they may not likewise be used as a defense for the head against stones, for which they seem best designed, or in some of their public games, or be merely intended for the purposes of mummery, we could never inform ourselves."  Cook had left the Big Island after receiving royalty gifts from King Kalaniopuu.  A week later Cook had returned to Kealakekua Bay with a broken sail.  Cook did not receive a warm welcome as he did before.  A serious quarrel had begun, and after a few attempted tactics by Cook to take control of the situation, Cook fell and let out a groan.  This human-like expression proved to the Hawaiians that Cook was not their god Lono.  The Hawaiians immediately attacked Cook, and killed him on the shore of the Big Island (Kuykendall 58).
It is obvious that Cook had a great impact on Hawaiian history.   His arrival helped document the meaning of gods such as Lono, and the Hawaiian gourd mask.  The legend behind Lono should be understood in greater detail.  All four major gods were able to change into many different forms on land and sea.  Lono could represent a pig or puaía on land.  His spirit was also found on the kukui (candlenut) tree since its leaves were in the shape of a pigís snout and ears.  Lono was also represented in the taro plantís leaves since it was also shaped like a pigís ear.   Another form of Lono is a gourd because its shape is round and full representing pregnancy.  In addition, the main staple of Hawaiian food is poi, and along with water, both kept in gourds, and all represented Lono (Valeri 178).  In the ocean, Lono took the form of the Hawaii state fish humuhumu-nukunuku-a-puaía.  These different forms were called kino lau (many bodies) of Lono (Mitchell 73).  With these kino lau in mind, it is safe to assume, that the gourd masked men offering pigs to Cook in the double hulled canoes drawn by Webber were the kahunas (priests) and attendants of Lono.
There is minimal amount of literature about the mask and only a few that survived.  By examining the scarce survivors, it is confirmed that the mask is made from the bottle gourd.  The foliage that forms a crest could be of the pala fern (marattia douglasii), another plant that represents Lono.  This crest and large mouth is known to represent a diety ? Lono.  The crest also symbolizes a rainbow.   It is through a rainbow that the aliíi is able to connect with gods between heaven and earth (Cox, Davenport 58).
The Hawaiian gourd mask is one of the few masks that exist in Hawaiian history.  With this possibility of being one of the few masks, amazingly there are only two documented drawings of its sightings.  Yet the symbolism of Lono is tremendous.  It is quite puzzling to find so little evidence of the gourd mask existence, and at the same time an abundant of information that supports the existence of its relation to Lono.  Furthermore, the arrival of Captain Cook in such a timely manner to resemble Lono, it gave Hawaiians the only documented existence of the mask, and the dedication the Hawaiians had for Lono and the makahiki.
Today, the Hawaiian gourd mask is used as a decorative piece and the makahiki continues to be celebrated.  Miniature versions can be found hanging on rear view mirrors on cars or drawings of a warrior wearing the helmet on silk-screened T-shirts.  The University of Hawaii had once used this masked warrior-like image as a mascot for sporting events.  The makahiki is still celebrated at district parks and in schools.  The popularity of the mask has grown over the past ten years.  Its figure represents and identifies Hawaiian history, culture, and the people.
 
 

Works Cited
Cook, James.  A Voyage of the Pacific Ocean, London: Printed by W. and A. Strahan: 1784.

Cox, J. Halley.  Hawaiian Sculpture,  University of Hawaii Press, 1988.

Forbes, David.  Encounters with Paradise: Views of Hawaii and its People, 1778-1941. University of Hawaii Press, 1992.

Kuykendall, Ralph. A History of Hawaii, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1926.

Mitchell, Daniel Kilolani.  Resource Units in Hawaiian Culture, The Kamehameha Schools Press, 1982.

Scott, Edward B.  Saga of the Sandwich Islands, Sierra-Tahoe Publishing, Lake Tahoe,      Nevada, 1968.

Valeri, Valerio.  Kinship and Sacrifice.