When the Pleiades rise at sunset (mid-October), the four-month Makahiki season begins. The akua loa (tall god image of Lono) is carried clockwise around each island, collecting tribute. Warfare ceases. The kapu system relaxes. Games, feasting, hula, and surfing competitions fill the season. Captain Cook arrived during Makahiki in 1779 and was initially received as Lono’s embodiment.