. Hawaii and its people; the land of rainbow and palm. agination, it becomes firmly established as a religiousbelief. In this case, the marvelous phenomena ofearthquakes and frequent eruptions were believed tobe the visible evidences of the power and malignityof Pele and her tribe. There have been many outbreaks of hot lava, issuingfrom subterranean caverns and flowing down the sidesof Mauna Loa, within the present century. They havebeen witnessed by reliable white men, and records havebeen kept of their appearance. Scientific observationshave determined their movements and the size of thestre
. Hawaii and its people; the land of rainbow and palm. agination, it becomes firmly established as a religiousbelief. In this case, the marvelous phenomena ofearthquakes and frequent eruptions were believed tobe the visible evidences of the power and malignityof Pele and her tribe. There have been many outbreaks of hot lava, issuingfrom subterranean caverns and flowing down the sidesof Mauna Loa, within the present century. They havebeen witnessed by reliable white men, and records havebeen kept of their appearance. Scientific observationshave determined their movements and the size of thestreams. One of those v/ho visited the scene of the flow of1880 has described his first glimpse of a canopy offlaming light, overhanging the summit of the mountain,and of torrents of fire, of intense brightness, streaming 68 HAWAII AND ITS PEOPLE. down its slopes. A brilliant flame head was seenagainst the starlit heavens, and the stream of liquidlava, three-fourths of a mile in width, rolled along, atwhite heat, for thirty miles, accompanied by flashing. LAVA FLOW OF gleams and detonations like the heavy reports of a hun-dred cannon. Before we leave Madam Pele, as she is sometimescalled by people who do not believe in her existence PELE, THE GODDESS OF THE VOLCANO. 69 or power, another myth, illustrating her vengeance, isworth our notice. It is a fanciful story, connected withone of the many eruptions which, at intervals, havepoured their desolating streams of fire over the regionwhere Pele is supposed to have taken up her abode. The tradition tells us that the events about to bedescribed occurred between the year 1340 and the year1380, during the reign of a great king of Hawaii. Thechief of one of the districts under this king was famousfor strength, courage and manly traits. His name,which is given because it has a pleasant sound, wasKahawari. It is one of the few Hawaiian names thatcan be easily pronounced and remembered.^ It was the time of the festival of the god wa
Size: 1590px × 1572px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookc, bookdecade1890, bookidhawaiiitspeoplel00twom, bookyear1899
