Hawaiian Perspectives: Geology Through a Cultural Lens

1
Hawaiian PerspectivesGeology Through a Cultural
Lens

• Presented by
• Kapomaikai Stone, Iasona Ellinwood, Lindsey
  Spencer
• Kahua A?o A Learning Foundation

2
Ka Mo?olelo O Hi?iakaikapoliopele

• The Epic Tale of Hi?iakaikapoliopele
• The story of Pele and her family as they travel
  down the Hawaiian chain
• Associated with rejuvenation stage volcanism
• Various sites scattered throughout the islands
• Particularly Ni?ihau, Kaua?i, and O?ahu

3
Ka Moolelo o Hiiakaikapoliopele, by
Hooulumahiehie, pg. 2-3 From Ka Na'i Aupuni, 2
June and 4 June, 1906.
I ka haalele ana aku o Pele a me kona poe a
pau ia Tahiti, ua hoea maila lakou i ka mokupuni
o Kaula...Haalele ihola o Pele ma ia Kaula,
nee maila i Niihau, a no ka loaa ole o kahi
kupono o nei mokupuni e hiki ai i ua moi wahine
nei o ke ahi a me kona ohana ke noho iho, ua pae
loa maila lakou no ka mokupuni o KauaiI ka
hiki ana o Pele ma i Kauai, ua lehulehu loa na
wahi a Pele i hoao ai e eli i wahi nona a me
kona poe e noho ai ma ia mokupuni, a o Kilauea
kahi hope loa ana i ka ai, a no ka papau,
haalele no o ia a me kona poe i ia mokupuni, a
au maila i ke kai o Kaieiewaho, a hoea ana i
Oahu nei... hele kaapuni aela ma na wahi
lehulehu o ka mokupuni o Oahu nei e imi ai i
wahi no lakou e noho ai, eia nae, aohe loaa.
When Pele and all of her people left Tahiti, they
came to the island of Kaula...Pele and company
departed Kaula, moving on to Niihau, but
because no appropriate place could be found where
the queen of fire and her family could reside,
they went on to land on the island of KauaiWhen
Pele and company arrived on Kauai, she attempted
in many places to carve out an area for her and
her people to dwell on that island, Kilauea being
the last place that she tried. Because it was
shallow there, she and her followers left that
island and sailed through the Kaieiewaho
Channel until reaching OahuShe journeyed all
around Oahu, visiting many places in search of a
site for their home, but nothing could be found.
4
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Rejuvenation Stage Volcanism Aliapa?akai
• Peles first stop on the island of O?ahu
• Arrived from Kaua?i with her sister, Hi?iaka
• Brought salt and red dirt with them
• Both dug in the ground to make a new home
• Discovered that it was too shallow, and
  encountered sea water

5
Ka Moolelo o Hiiakaikapoliopele, by
Hooulumahiehie, pg. 2-3 From Ka Na'i Aupuni, 2
June and 4 June, 1906.
Ua eli o Pele ia Aliapaakai ma Moanalua ae
nei, a loaa e no ke kai, haalele i ia wahi.
Pela no ia luna o Puowaina, Laeahi, a me kekahi
mau wahi e ae o Oahu nei a no ka papau o ia
mau wahi, loaa e no ke kai, no laila, haalele
lakou ia Oahu nei, a nee akula i Molokai mai
laila aku, hoea i Kahoolawe.
Pele dug the crater of Aliapaakai at Moanalua,
but soon reached sea water and left there. She
also dug atop Puowaina, Laeahi, and some other
sites here on Oahu, and because the earth was
shallow in those places, sea water was again soon
encountered, so they departed from Oahu and
proceeded on to Molokai. From there they moved
on, arriving at Kahoolawe.
6
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Rejuvenation Stage Volcanism Aliapa?akai

(ArcGIS Online)
7
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Rejuvenation Stage Volcanism Le?ahi (Diamond
  Head)
• Pele resided here for a short time with her
  sister, Hi?iaka
• The brow of the ahi
• Dug again in search of fire
• Encountered water once again, and her fire was
  drowned by the water below

8
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Rejuvenation Stage Volcanism Le?ahi (Diamond
  Head)

9
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Kohelepelepe (Koko Crater)
• traveling vagina
• A rejuvenation vent, but more well-known for
  another Pele story
• Goddess Kapo exposed herself to save her sister,
  Pele
• Kamapua?a was in pursuit of Pele while on O?ahu
• Kapos diversion worked
• Pele successfully escaped

10
Sites Stories of O?ahu
11
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Peles Chair
• Sometimes referred to as Peles Throne
• Associated as the last place that Pele resided on
  O?ahu
• After western contact
• Considered by missionaries to be a pagan symbol

12
Sites Stories of O?ahu

• Peles Chair

13
Does the story fit?

• Honolulu Volcanic Series

(Drawing by S. Rowland, adapted from Macdonald et
al., 1983)
14
Does the story fit?

• Honolulu Volcanic Series
• Ages of vents from our story (right)
• Also
• Every place that Pele dug, she encountered water
• Hydromagmatic eruptions

15
Does the story fit?

• YES!

16
Research Connections

• Donald Swanson (HVO)
• Hawaiian oral tradition describes 400 years of
  volcanic activity at Kilauea (2008)

17
The Hawaiian Perspective

• This traditional history presented the world in
  such a way that values, meaning, and morality
  were of greater importance than, or at least
  equal to, the physical events being
  chronicled.- Van James (Ancient Sites of O?ahu)

18
Nupepa ?Olelo Hawai?i

• Hawaiian Language Newspapers
• Printed during 1834 1948
• 100 different newspapers
• 125,000 pages printed
• Articles were reader-submitted
• Today
• 75,000 searchable online
• Available at nupepa.org and papakilodatabase.com

19
Rise of Literacy in Hawai?i

• 1820 Arrival of American missionaries
• 1822 First printing in Hawaiian
• 1825 King Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III declares,
  ?O ko?u aupuni, he aupuni palapala ko?u
• 1834 First Hawaiian language newspaper
• 1839 Hawaiian Bible published

20
Literacy Rate in 1861

• From the writings of missionary Laura Fish Judd
  The proportion is estimated as greater than in
  any other country in the world, except Scotland
  and New England

21
Missionary Press
22
Independent Press
23
Current Research Awareness

• Papaku Makawalu
• Describes the Hawaiian worldview of the
  foundations of life
• Categorizes all systems of life within the
  universe
• 3 houses of knowledge
• Papahulilani the heavens
• Papahulihonua the earth
• Papahanaumoku everything that gives life

24
Current Research Awareness

• Kahua A?o A Learning Foundation
• Using Hawaiian Language Newspaper Articles for
  Place and Culture-based Geoscience Teacher
  Education and Curriculum Development
• Website manoa.hawaii.edu/kahuaao
• Lessons that discuss Rejuvenation Stage Volcanism
• Hawaiian Volcanoes and Rejuvenation Stage
  Volcanism No Na Lua Pele
• Geology and Meteorology of Hanauma Bay He
  Huaka?i I Hanauma

25
References

• (2013). Geology. Kahua A?o A Learning
  Foundation. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from
  http//manoa.hawaii.edu/kahuaao/geology.html.
• (2013). Papaku Makawalu. Edith Kanaka?ole
  Foundation. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from
  http//www.edithkanakaolefoundation.org/current-pr
  ojects/papaku-makawalu/.
• Becket, J. Singer, J. (1999). Pana O?ahu.
  Honolulu, Hawai?i University of Hawai?i Press.
• James, V. (1991). Ancient Sites of O?ahu.
  Honolulu, Hawai?i Bishop Museum Press.
• Ka Mo?olelo O Hi?iakaikapoliopele. Awaiaulu.
  Retrieved November 25, 2013.
• Ozawa et al. (2005) Unspiked KAr dating of the
  Honolulu rejuvenated and Ko?olau shield volcanism
  on O?ahu, Hawai?i. Earth and Planetary Science
  Letters, 232, pp. 1-11.
• Place Names Map. Place Names of Hanauma.
  Retrieved November 25, 2013.
• Sterling, E. P. and Summers, C. C. (2008). Sites
  of Oahu. Honolulu, Hawai?i Bishop Museum Press.

26
Questions?