Pele and Hiiaka; a myth from Hawaii . of people cannot be taken climatic conditions about Kilauea are too harsh and untropi-cal to allow either the people or the food plants of Polynesia tofeel at home in it. The probability is that instead of being gath-ered about Kilauea, they made their homes in the fat lands oflower Puna or Hilo. Pele, on her human side at least, was dependent for supportand physical comfort upon the fruits of the earth and the climaticconditions that made up her environment. Yet with all this, inthe narrative that follows her relations to humanity are of tha
Pele and Hiiaka; a myth from Hawaii . of people cannot be taken climatic conditions about Kilauea are too harsh and untropi-cal to allow either the people or the food plants of Polynesia tofeel at home in it. The probability is that instead of being gath-ered about Kilauea, they made their homes in the fat lands oflower Puna or Hilo. Pele, on her human side at least, was dependent for supportand physical comfort upon the fruits of the earth and the climaticconditions that made up her environment. Yet with all this, inthe narrative that follows her relations to humanity are of thatexceptional character that straddle, as it were, that border linewhich separates the human from the superhuman, but for themost part occupy the region to the other side of that line, theregion into which if men and women of this work-a-day worldpass they find themselves uncertain whether the beings withwhom they converse are bodied like themselves or made up ofsome insubstantial essence and liable to dissolve and vanish atthe Pele and Hiiaka—A Myth 1 CHAPTER IPELE IN THE BOSOM OF HER FAMILY Once, when Pele was living in the pit of Kilauea, she rousedup from her couch on the rough hearth-plate and said to hefsisters, Let us make an excursion to the ocean and enjoy our-selves, open the opihi shells and sea-urchins, hunt for small squidand gather sea-moss. To this all joyfully assented, saying, Yes, let us go. The sisters formed quite a procession as they tramped the nar-row downhill path until they came to the hill Puu-Pahoehoe—aplace in the lower lands of Puna. Pele herself did not visiblyaccompany them on this journey; that was not according to hercustom: she had other ways and means of travel than to plodalong a dusty road. When, however, the party arrived at therendezvous, there, sure enough, they found Pele awaiting them,ready for the business in hand. In the midst of their pleasurings Pele caught sight of Hopoeand Haena as they were indulging in an al fresco da
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectlegends, bookyear1915
