TuTu Pele: The Living Goddess of Hawai'i's Volcanoes

1Tūtū Pele: The Living Goddess of Hawai’i’s Volcanoes By Patricia ‘Iolana “Mai Kahiki ka Wahine ‘o Pele The Woman Pele came from Tahiti Mai ka ‘āina i Polapola From the land of Borabora Mai ka pūnohu ‘ula a Kāne From the red rainbow of Kāne Mai ke ao lalapa i ka lani From the blazing clouds in the sky Mai ka ‘ōpua lapa i Kahiki From the clouds of Tahiti Lapakū i Hawai’i ka Wahine ‘o Pele The Woman Pele is most active in Hawai’i” 1 Pele is known to virtually all who call the island of Hawai’i home, be they native Hawaiians or from foreign shores. Hawaiians recognize a vast polytheistic hierarchy similar to the ancient Greeks. Born of Haumea, Pele is one of 14 children. “The major gods represented the universal forces of nature....The lesser gods were usually associated with particular activities or places. Of these, the most famous is Pele, the volcano goddess.”2 When one speaks of Pele in contemporary Hawai’i, her name is oftentimes spoken with reverence and usually accompanied by the respectful title “Madame” or “Tūtū.”3 Unlike many of the Greek deities, however, Tūtū Pele has a variety of names and can transform her appearance: “She is Pele-honua-mea, Pele of the sacred land. She is Pele-‘ai-honua, Pele the eater of the land, when she devours the land with her flames....Her sacred name as a spirit is Ka-‘ula-o-ke-ahi, the redness of fire.”4 As such, Tūtū Pele can and, according to contemporary eye witnesses,5 does take many physical forms. Hawaiian historian Herb Kane states that “in folklore she may appear as a tall, beautiful young woman, or as an old woman, wrinkled and bent with age, sometimes accompanied by a white dog. When enraged she may appear as a woman all aflame or as pure flame.... To know Pele is to know the awe that the first Hawaiians must have felt when they came upon this huge island crowned with fiery volcanoes and trembling earthquakes.” The first Hawaiian people arrived by canoe from Tahiti during the 5th century, and, by then, Pele had already claimed Hawai’i as her home. Legend has it that, similar to her people, Pele came to Hawai’i by canoe from Tahiti. Some legends say that Pele longed to travel, while others cite an argument with one of her sisters, Na-maka-o-Kaha’i, goddess of the sea and water.6 Regardless of the impetus, Pele left Tahiti with several of her brothers and sisters in search of a new home. She first reached the northern most islands in the Hawaiian chain: Ni’ihau and Kaui’i. Kane states that “she had been followed from Tahiti by her angry sister...and whenever Pele excavated a crater with her digging stick her sister deluged it with water.”7 Pele moved from island to island searching for a place to bury her sacred fire that would be protected from her sister’s wrath. She finally found Kīlauea, and dug her home deep within the Halema’uma’u crater deposing the existing god of the volcano ‘Ailā’au in a battle of fire.8 Kane notes the Tūtū Pele 2 of 6 corroborating scientific evidence: “The myth coincides with the modern geological theory of shifting plates, in which these islands were built in an assembly line as the ocean floor slid northwest over a ‘hot spot’ in the underlying layer of the earth’s crust.” As with many indigenous people, Hawaiian culture is based on oral tradition. According to Pualani Kanahele, “We have inherited a rich tradition of hula (dances) and mele oli (chants), full of stories of gods, goddesses, ceremonies, prayers, protocol, imagery, wisdom, and intelligence.”9 The legends of Pele and her actions both as a mortal and a goddess are varied and numerous. The surviving mele oli are all that remain of fourteen hundred years of Hawaiian history. Kanahele, “a Native Hawaiian, a believer in native Hawaiian values, a supporter of native Hawaiian culture, a teacher of native Hawaiian concepts and a cultural descendent of the Pele clan”10 admits that there is a limit to what has been passed down: “Pele and Hi’iaka are sisters that we...do not know much about,”11 and any written history of Hawai’i was not evident until after the influences of the first missionaries in the early 19th century. Prior to the arrival of the missionaries, the Hawaiians were a people whose polytheistic deities and beliefs were carried with them from Tahiti. Based on these beliefs, the Hawaiian Kapu12 System of law was used to rule the land. Breaking a Kapu held only one punishment-- death. The Kapu System encountered its initial challenge in 1778 with the arrival of the first foreign visitor, Captain James Cook. Unknowingly, the men on Cook’s ship, the HMS Resolution, broke a number of Kapus, yet they were not punished by the Hawaiian deities. This significant moment was the beginning of the end of the old Hawaiian ways. As word spread across the kingdom, it became harder and harder for the monarchy to impose the Kapu System, and in 1819, King Kamehameha II declared an end to the Kapu System, destroying a vast majority of the sacred temples (heiaus), and leaving the people of Hawai’i open to new spiritual influences. The New England missionaries began arriving in 1820. They developed a written alphabet for the Hawaiian language, translated the Bible, and within twenty years had established a school system that was steeped in western ideologies and puritan protestant beliefs. From a historical perspective, Hawai’i’s written history is young, spanning less than two hundred years, yet those two centuries have seen tremendous change in Hawai’i. John Papa Ii, born 1800, was trained for a life of service to the high chiefs of Hawai’i. He became a companion and personal attendant to Liholiho (known as King Kamehameha II when he ascended to the throne) and continued to serve the rulers of Hawaii through his final appointment as associate chief justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. He retired in 1865 and wrote a number of articles for the Hawaiian language newspaper Kuakoa between 1866 and his death in 1870. As a primary historical source, his articles are considered a “unique and invaluable record”13 of the last remaining years of both Hawai’i’s monarchy and polytheistic pagan spirituality. It is interesting to note, however, that Ii never mentions Pele in any of his historical recollections.14 Converted to Christianity early in his relationship with Reverend Hiram Bingham, Ii only mentions Kīlauea briefly when he relates of his stay with another early missionary Reverend Titus Coan with whom he visited Kīlauea: “when they went down into the hollows of the pit and came to the crater proper, which was active...the lava seemed to be dancing.”15 While Ii denounced his pagan roots and ideals in the articles collected into Fragments of Hawaiian History, even he couldn’t resist commenting on the overwhelming Tūtū Pele 3 of 6 phenomenon at the home of Tūtū Pele. Ii wasn’t the only Christian to comment on the majesty and awe inspiring nature of Kīlauea. “The first known white men to visit Pele’s domain were a party of four missionaries...The group, headed by Reverend Williams Ellis...descended into the caldera toward the edge of Halemaumau fire pit.”16 Ellis writes in his own journal: “We stopped and trembled – Astonishment and awe for some moments rendered us mute.”17 Even Mark Twain commented on his visit to the Kīlauea volcano in two of 25 letters published as a roving reporter for the Sacramento Union in 1886. Letter 25, written June 3, 1866, relates Twain’s visit to the “great volcano of Kīlauea.” “I thought it just possible that its like had not been seen since the children of Israel wandered on their long march through the desert...over a path illuminated by the mysterious ‘pillar of fire.’ And I was sure that I now had a vivid conception of what the majestic ‘pillar of fire’ was like, which almost amounted to a revelation.”18 Twain credits and faults Bishop Staley for “reviving those customs ...at a time... when one more generation of faithful adherence to the teachings of the American missionaries would have buried them forever.”19 Despite the banishment of the Kapu System, the destruction of sacred temples, and the wide-spread introduction of Christianity, the chants, the mythology, and Tūtū Pele survived. Kanahele explains: “The religious connection to these Deities...does not require a particular level of priesthood to maintain this belief system. Therefore, levels of understanding and respect in the form of offerings, songs and chants, stories, apparitions, visitations, and hula are means by which this belief system and saga lives today.”20 Reviewing the recorded history and mythology of Tūtū Pele, one thing becomes quite evident: Pele’s popularity and following continues to increase in contemporary times. Perhaps the largest factor in the perpetuation of Tūtū Pele’s status as goddess of Hawai’i’s volcanoes is her persistent public appearances. Contemporary eye-witness reports21 are numerous and similar. Typically, a driver on a deserted stretch of road will pick up an old Hawaiian woman in need of a ride. When the driver looks to start a conversation with their new passenger, the seat is empty. Other times, she is seen either as an old woman dressed in a floor length white gown (mu’umu’u) usually walking her white dog, or else as a beautiful young Hawaiian maiden walking in the lava. Recorded evidence appears to have two things in common: the woman disappears unexpectedly, and sightings of Pele forewarn increased volcanic activity. Typically, Pele will visit or test those who are still unfamiliar to her. She does not limit her wanderings to the Big Island either. Both ancient and contemporary sightings have been documented on every island in the chain.22 She has been known to ask for food, water, or a ride. Refusing Tūtū Pele can, and has, lead to the fiery destruction of the offender’s home or property. However, appeasing her with offerings has proven to be beneficial. In the 1990 lava flow that destroyed the town of Kalapana, several homes were inconceivably spared. The lava mysteriously circumvented each house sparing it from the destructive fires. After the lava had cooled, offerings to Pele were found on the property that had been saved. Of course, the house had been spared, but the town and its infrastructure had been covered in Pele’s lava blanket 15 to 25 meters thick. The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park23 does its part to perpetuate the legend of Pele on a number of levels. A search for Pele on the park’s website24 will list 35 different pages that Tūtū Pele 4 of 6 pertain to Tūtū Pele including cultural history, the NPS25 Ethnography and Archeology programs. The ‘ohelo plant, which is one of many plants sacred to Pele, is illegal to pick anywhere within the 333,000 acre park.26 Pele’s legends even appear in the park’s Junior Ranger Handbook,27 and images of Pele are apparent throughout the park’s visitor’s center, art gallery, and current NPS movie “Born of Fire...Born of Sea.” Pele is mentioned in scientific studies,28 is the subject of a number of children’s books, numerous works of art, and has carved out a place in permanent Hawaiian history and legend. While Pele is seen as the volcanic force for destruction, she is also known for creation. In balancing the destruction of towns like Kalapana, Pele’s ongoing volcanic activity has added almost 500 acres of new land to the Big Island, and is creating an entirely new volcanic island, Loihi, just south of the island. Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike have a deep respect for the goddess of Hawai’i’s volcanoes. According to the park staff, offerings are left for Tūtū Pele at the edge of Halema’uma’u crater on a daily basis. “That Pele is still worshiped today as a goddess is common knowledge. Offerings of fruit, flowers, forest plants, berries, and vegetables are left to her on a daily basis....Rangers... frequently report seeing worshipers performing rites to Pele at the crater, usually at night or when others aren’t around.”29 Hula dancers routinely make offerings to Pele prior to hula competitions. The scarlet lehua blossom of the ohia tree is sacred to Pele, and hula dancers will almost always include a lehua blossom somewhere in their adornment to honor Tūtū Pele. Even local geologists do not discount Pele. Herb Kane states that “I have yet to hear a Hawaiian – or geologist – suggest that it is time to cast Pele into the dustbin of superstitious nonsense...So long as the earth is alive with quakes and eruptions Pele will live in the Hawaiian hearts and minds as the personification of the natural phenomena of volcanic activity.” Joe Mullins echoes Kane’s sentiment: “Pele is an aspect of the Hawai’i of old that is constantly alive.” Kīlauea volcano is, for the most part, a temperate and accessible active volcano, and the current prolonged low-volume eruption has just reached its 23rd anniversary.30 Tūtū Pele’s name and story will remain forever ingrained in the Hawaiian culture. Each year, more and more visitor’s come to Hawai’i and learn, usually the hard way by taking volcanic rocks home only to return them when they feel “cursed,” Tūtū Pele is very real. Scott Cunningham notes “she is known today around the world, when many of the other deities are only recognized in Hawai’i itself....Pele is still visibly present on Hawai’i.” To those who live in Hawai’i, Tūtū Pele is very much alive, and she has evolved from a native deity, earning her rightful place in Hawaiian history, culture, spirituality, and mythology, and, ultimately, American religious mythology as well. “If Pele had never come to the islands of Hawai’i, Hawai’i would still be an enchanting place… But come she did, leaving such an imprint upon these islands that one cannot imagine Hawai’i without Pele.”3132 Endnotes: 1 Kanahele, Pualani Kanaka’ole. Ku’ulei Higashi Trans. “Mai Kahiki ka Wahine ‘o Pele.” Holo Mai Pele. Ed. Mahealani Dudoit. Honolulu: Pacific Islanders in Communications, Hilo: Edith Kanaka’ole Foundation. 2001. xvii. 2 Mullins, Joseph G. The Goddess Pele. Honolulu: Aloha Graphics and Sales. 1977. 4. 3 Tūtū is an affectionate term for grandparent. 4 Kane, Herb Kawainui. PELE: Goddess of Hawai’i’s Volcanoes. Captain Cook, HI: The Kawainui Press. 1987. 5. 5 Carroll, Rick. Madame PELE: True Encounters with Hawai’i’s Fire Goddess. Honolulu: Bess Press. 2003. According to Carroll, this collection of tales features “Contributing authors includ[ing] scientists, a university professor, a retired judge, journalists, local Hawaiians, Kama-‘aina [lit. land child, more popularly used in place of resident] and visitors alike, all with one thing in common: an unforgettable Pele encounter.” 6 Emerson, Nathaniel, B. Pele and Hi’iaka: A Myth from Hawaii. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company. 1978. 1st edition 1915. NOTE: Emerson notes that “Like the gods of ancient Greece, the Hawaiian gods, who belonged to the general Polynesian family of gods, experience the same emotions as mortal men and women. [They] can feel anger, impatience, hate, jealousy, love and longing, and…[these emotions] are essential to the drama” (xii). In many of the tales of Pele, she fell in love with her sister’s mortal lover. According to this myth, the jealous argument that ensued over this love triangle is what drove Pele from Tahiti. 7 Kane, Herb Kawainui. PELE: Goddess of Hawai’i’s Volcanoes. Captain Cook, HI: The Kawainui Press. 1987. 13. 8 Varez, Dietrich and Pua Kanaka’ole Kanahele. Pele: The Fire Goddess. Dietrich Varez Illus. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press. 1991. 9 Kanahele, Pualani Kanaka’ole. Ku’ulei Higashi Trans. “Mai Kahiki ka Wahine ‘o Pele.” Holo Mai Pele. Ed Mahealani Dudoit. Honolulu: Pacific Islanders in Communications, Hilo: Edith Kanaka’ole Foundation. 2001. x. 10 Kanahele, Pualani Kanaka’ole and Duke Kalani Wise. KA HONUA OLA (The Living Earth): An Introduction to Pele and Hi’iaka with annotated bibliography. Honolulu: The Center of Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 1992. i. 11 Kanahele, Pualani Kanaka’ole and Duke Kalani Wise. KA HONUA OLA (The Living Earth): An Introduction to Pele and Hi’iaka with annotated bibliography. Honolulu: The Center of Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 1992. i. 12 taboo, prohibited or forbidden 13 Emory, Kenneth P. “Foreword.” Fragments of Hawaiian History. Trans. Mary Kawena Pukui. Ed. Dorothy B. Barrère. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press. 1959. xi. 14 While John Papa Ii makes little mention of Pele, Hawaiian historian Nathaniel Emerson penned the mythology of Pele and Hi’iaka in 1915 and dedicated the text to Queen Lili’uokalani, Hawai’i’s last reigning monarch. See Note No. 6. 15 Ii, John Papa. Trans. Mary Kawena Pukui. Fragments of Hawaiian History. Ed. Dorothy B. Barr re. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press. 1959. 16 Mullins, Joseph G. The Goddess Pele. Honolulu: Aloha Graphics and Sales. 1977. 13. 17 Mullins, Joseph G. The Goddess Pele. Honolulu: Aloha Graphics and Sales. 1977. 13. 18 Day, A. Grove, Ed. Mark Twain’s Letters from Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 1975. Letter 25. 298. 19 Twain, Mark. Mark Twain’s Letters from Hawaii. A Grove Day, Ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 1975. Letter 16. 169. 20 Kanahele, Pualani Kanaka’ole and Duke Kalani Wise. KA HONUA OLA (The Living Earth): An Introduction to Pele and Hi’iaka with annotated bibliography. Honolulu: The Center of Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 1992. ii. 21 See Note 5. 22 Allegedly, Pele was rumored to be linked to the eruption of Mount St. Helen’s in 1980. 23 Hawai’i National Park was first established by an act of Congress on August 1, 1916 to protect Hawai’i’s three main volcanoes: Kīlauea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawai’i and Haleakalā on the island of Maui. In 1961, the park was divided into Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalā National Park. 24 http://www.nps.gov/havo 25 National Park Service 26 According to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s webpage dedicated to “History and Culture:” “To the Hawaiian eye the ‘ohelo is no mere plant. It is Pele’s sister, Ka’ohelo, out of whose bones sprang the red-berried bush. Embodied in earthly and heavenly phenomena, Pele’s ‘ohana (family) is ever present in the volcano region.” 27 Junior Ranger Handbook: A guide to Discovery and Exploration. Published by the National Park Service for use at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park for ages 7 and up. 28 Macdonald, Gordon A. and Douglass H. Hubbard. Volcanoes of the National Parks in Hawaii. 11th Ed. 2001. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI: Hawai’i Natural History Association, National Park Service. The chapter on Kīlauea is aptly titled “Kīlauea: Home of Pele, Goddess of Volcanoes.” 32-51. 29 Cunningham, Scott. Hawaiian Religion & Magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications. 1995. 46. 30 The current eruption began January 3, 1983 and continues as of this writing. 31 Ching, Linda. Hawaiian Goddesses: ‘Alua, Second Generation. Honolulu: Hawaiian Goddesses Publishing Co. 2001. Preface. 32