This was taken at Honaunau, on the Island of Hawaii, around 1910, by Lonzo Gartly. (Bishop Museum Archives) Notice the calabash bowls down the center of the table.

Feasts of early Hawai'i were a way of communicating between the Hawaiians and their gods. The feasts were more than a ritualistic offering of food to the spirits. It was believed the gods were present throughout the meal, creating a closer relationship between man and the gods.

When the Englishman, Captain James Cook, "discovered" the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, the native people were already having lu'au. At the first feast Captain Cook went to, they had kalua pork, breadfruit, coconut, vegetables, and poi. They sat on woven mats and ate from large wooden calabash bowls. The Hawaiian priests even offered to chew the meat for the visitors first!

For a long time, there was a kapu, or law against women eating with men. If you broke the kapu, you could be killed. Then, in 1819, King Kamehameha II and Princess Kaahumanu ate together and broke the kapu. They abolished the law so everyone could eat together.