A Hawaiian folktale, retold by Clinton

King Kamehameha, ruler of Hawaii was building a temple and needed people to sacrifice as an offering to the gods.

It was believed that the more bodies sacrificed, the more powerful the temple would be. One day, as Kamehameha and his servants searched for bodies to sacrifice, they saw two lawai'i (fishermen) walking along a reef. Kamehameha thought that they would be easy to capture.

As Kamehameha approached the fishermen, they suddenly turned and ran away as fast as possible. While chasing the two fishermen, Kamehameha tripped and fell. One of the fishermen, quickly grabbed his wa'a paddle (canoe paddle) and whacked Kamehameha on the head causing the paddle to splinter. He could have easily killed Kamehameha if he wanted to. When asked by the other fisherman why he didn't kill his attacker, he answered, "Life is sacred."

Although dazed by the whack on the head, Kamehameha heard the conversation between the two fishermen and realized that they didn't know he was their chief and they could have very easily killed him. Kamehameha was so impressed with the fisherman's compassion that he ended the practice of using human sacrifices.

This law became known as the Law of the Splintered Paddle which assured the safety of all the Hawaiian people!