THROUGH HAWAII. 
237 
the sea had since been overflowed, on which occasions 
they supposed P616 went by a road under ground from 
her house in the crater to the shore. 
These few facts were gathered from their accounts ol 
its origin and operation ; but they were so incorporated 
with their traditions of its supernatural inhabitants, and 
fabulous stories of their romantic adventures, that we 
found no small difficulty in distinguishing fiction from 
fact. Among other things, we were told, that though, 
according to the traditions preserved in their songs, 
Kirauea had been burning ever since the island emerged 
from night, it was not inhabited till after the Tai-a- 
kahina'rii, sea of Kahina’rii, or deluge of the Sandwich 
Islands. Shortly after that event, they say, the present 
volcanic family came from Tahiti, a foreign country, to 
Hawaii. 
The names of the principal individuals were: Kamo - 
ho-arii, the king Moho ; moho sometimes means a va¬ 
pour, hence the name might be the king of steam or 
vapour— Ta-poha-i-tahi-ora, the explosion in the place 
of life— Te-ua-a-te-po , the rain of night— Tane-hetiri , 
husband of thunder, or thundering tane*—and Te-o- 
ahi-iama-taua, fire-thrusting child of war; these were 
all brothers, and two of them, Vulcan-like, were de¬ 
formed, having hump backs— Pele, principal goddess 
—Makore - wawahi - waa, fiery- eyed canoe - breaker— 
Hiata - wawalii - lani , heav en - rending clou d-holder— 
Hiata - noholani, heaven-dwelling cloud-holder — 
Hiata-taarava-mata, quick glancing eyed cloud-holder, 
or the cloud-holder whose eyes turn quickly and look 
* Tane is the name of one of their gods, as well as the name 
of the principal god formerly worshipped by the Society islanders; 
in both languages the word also means a husband. 
