Natural History of Hawaii. 



SECTION TWO 



GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY AM) TOPOGRAPHY OF THE IIAWAIIAX 



ISLANDS. 



CHAPTER VTIT. 



COMING OF PELE AND AN ACCOUNT OF THE LOW ISLANDS OF 



THE GROUP. 



Pele's Journey to Hawaii. 



There is perhaps no better way to begin an account of tlic natnivil history 

 of the Hawaiian Islands than ])y recounting an Hawaiian legend that tells of 

 the coming of Pele, that powerful mytliieal deity of fii'c and Hood, fctircd aii.l 

 respected by all the ancient inhabitants of the grouj) as the source, as well as 

 the end, of all the wonderful volcanic phenomena with which they were familiar. 



In the beginning, so one version of the legend runs, long, long ago, before 

 ^^hings were as they now are, there was born a most wonderful child called Pele. 

 Hapakuela was the land of her birth, a far distant land out on the edge of the 

 sky — away, ever so far away to the southwest. There she lived with her parents 

 and her brothers and .sisters, as a happy chih!. until she had gi-owii to woman- 

 hood, wlien she fell in love and was married. But ere long licr husband grew 

 neglectful of her and her charms, and at length was (Miticcd away from her 

 and from their island home. After a dreary ]ieriod of louiiini:- and waitim: for 

 her lover, Pele determined to set out on the ])(M'ih)Us and nncci'tnin jo\n-iii'y in 

 quest of him. 



When the time came foi- tlie journey lier ])arents. who must have been very 

 remarkable people indeed, made her a gift of the sea to bear her canoes upon. We 

 are told that among other wonderful gifts Pele had ]iower to pour foiMh tlie 

 sea from her forehead as she went. So. when all was in renditiess. sh.e and 

 her ])rothers set forth together, singing, making soniis. jind sailing -on. (tn, on 

 over the new-made sea — out over the great unknown in the dii'ectioii of what 

 we noAv know as the Hawaiian Islands. 



P>ut in the time of which the legend tells the islands n\' Hawaii were not 

 islands at all, hut were a grouj) of vast nnwatered iiKMintains standing on a 

 great plain that has since be'onie the ocean ".^ tloor. Tiiei-e was not even I'resh 

 water on these ni'nintains until Pele bi-oULiht it. lint as she journeyed in 

 search of her hushand, the waters of the sea preceded her. coNcring over the 

 bed of the ocean. It I'ose before her until onl\- tlie tops of the hiiihesi inoun- 



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