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The
Settlement of Hawai'i Hawai'i, which contains the largest islands in Polynesia outside of Aotearoa, must have appeared particularly rich in land and resources to its discoverers. The tradition of Hawai'iloa records the event as follows: "[The voyagers] went ashore and found the land fertile and pleasant, filled with 'awa, coconut trees, and so on, and Hawai'iloa, the chief, gave that land his name. Here they dwelt a long time and when their canoe was filled with vegetable food and fish, they returned to their native country with the intention of returning to Hawai'i-nei, which they preferred to their own country." (Fornander, Vol. 6, 278; other traditions suggest that 'awa and coconut were brought by those who settle Hawai'i.) Scholars believe that early settlers of Hawai'i came predominantly from Hiva (Marquesas). The argument for a Hivan homeland is based in part on linguistic and biological evidence: "Indeed, the close relationship between the Hawaiian and Marquesan languages as well as between the physical populations constitutes strong and mutually corroborative evidence that the early Hawaiians came from the Marquesas" (Kirch 64). The Marquesan language has been grouped under the category Proto Central Eastern Polynesian, along with Hawaiian, Tahitian, Tuamotuan, Rarotongan, and Maori. Vocabulary comparisons seem to indicate that the dialect of the Southern Marquesan Islands (Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva), is the closest relative of Hawaiian language (Green 1966).
TALES
OF PELE Aia La O Pele No Kahiki mai ka wahine o Pele, The woman Pele comes from Kahiki, Mai ka aina mai o Polapola, From the land of Polapola, Mai ka punohu a Kane, From the rising mist of Kane, Mai ke ao lapa I ka lani. From the clouds that move in the sky. According to early Hawaiian traditions, there was a time in the mysterious past when the air was surrounded with spiritual beings, and a thin veil divided the living from the dead, the natural from the supernatural. During that time Pele, goddess of the volcano, came to Hawai'i. Having traveled for many miles in search of a suitable home for her fire and family, Pele settled in the crater of Halema'uma'u at the summit of Kilauea. Pele is volcanism in all its forms. Her poetic name is Ka wahine 'ai honua, the woman who devours the land. When her molten body moves, the land trembles and the sky is afire with a crimson glow. Those present whisper in awe, "Ae aia la o Pele, there is Pele". In her presence, our senses are awakened. We smell the sulfur. We feel the heat where the steam dances above the earthcracks at Wahine Kapu. Pele's tears hide in the cinder outfall at Pu'u Pua'i, her golden hair sparkles between the rope folds of pahoehoe lava. A play of sunlight on her ebony rock reveals a shimmering rainbow of color. Hawaii's native plants and animals, and prehistoric cultural relics add to the mystical feeling of her extraordinary lava landscape. Kupuna, respected Hawaiian elders, teach malama o ka'ina, care for the land and the land will care for you. Today we can protect the integrity of the park and the culture of Hawaii's indigenous people by leaving everything in its rightful place. At Kilauea, where the very ground is sacred to the Hawaiian people, remember to E nihi ka hele, walk softly!
Pele
and Kamapua'a Many Hawaiian legends speak of the relationships between Pele and other gods and human. One story tells why Pele's home in Kilauea's summit caldera is called Halema'uma'u. The hog-man, demi-god Kamapua'a of human, animal, fish and fern forms came to Kilauea to woo Pele She rejected his love and cried out at him, "A'ohe 'oe kanaka he pua'a, you are not a man, you are a pig." He was insulted. And a furious battle ensued between them. Pele hurled fire and molten lava. Kamapua'a retaliated with storms of rain. The battle raged and the two weakened as fire won, then rain, the fire. Desperate to escape, Kamapua'a turned himself into the "ama'u fern and surrounded the summit caldera." Thus the name Halema'uma'u house surrounded by the 'ama'u fern. To the Hawaiian eye the ohelo is no mere plant. It is Pele's sister, Ka'ohelo, out of who bones spring the red-berried bush. Embodied in earthly and heavenly phenomena, Pele's 'ohana (family) is ever present in the volcano region. Another sister, Hi'iaka-i-ka-pua'ena'ena, is the rosy glow of dawn on clouds and mountains. Pele's brothers, Ka-moho-ali'i, Kane-hekili, and Ke-ua-ake-po are steam, thunder and rain of fire.
'Aumakua To some Hawaiian families, 'io, the Hawaiian hawk, is a sacred 'aumakua or ancestral spirit. What was human in life became upon death a guardian god possessing awesome power and loving concern. Ka 'io nui maka lana au moku, the great hawk with eyes that see everywhere on the land. As both godly ancestors and spiritual parents, 'aumakua assumed myriad kino lau (body forms) of plant, animal or mineral. They brought warnings of coming misfortune and deliverance from immediate danger through dreams, visions and physical manifestations. When pueo (owl) cried in a strange way, 'eu'eu, it was a sign to get away. When a canoe capsized in a storm, mano (shark) appeared and men rode to safety on its back. At one with nature, Hawaiians were at home in a world alive with spirit forces. Mauna Kea ("White Mountain"), inactive volcano, Hawaii, northern Hawaii Island. Mauna Kea is the highest peak in the state and its slopes are generally snow-covered in winter. The volcano rises about 5600 m (about 18,000 ft) from the ocean floor to the surface and continues up to a height of 4205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level, making its overall height from its base on the ocean floor to its summit 9,800 m (32,000 ft), higher than any other mountain in the world. Located here are some of the largest observatories on the planet: the KECK, GEMINI, SUBARU, and 13 others. Click here for more information about the observatories on Mauna Kea. These pages are continously updated. Please check back for more information about Hawaii. |
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