► Propitiating Pele

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Wednesday, December 2, 1959 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"

     If you would have Pele treat you nicely and put on a good show for you, be certain to make an offering when you make a trip to Kilauea.

     Tour drivers should ell Visitors about this. A driver does not need to worry about Hawaiians. They know.

     A driver does not need to risk contempt by saying: "You should take an offering. The driver can easily say,

     "Hawaiian old folks say you should take an offering to Pele in order to please her and keep her in a playful mood."

LOVES FLOWERS
     Flowers make the best offerings. She loves flowers and is pleased with a single blossom. When you present the flower by throwing it over the ledge of the pit you should say:

     "Here Pele is a flower for you."

     In the old days it was easy to find the Lehua, her favorite flower, growing along the road to the Volcano District. When picking the Lehua, select a large one, pick  it first and lay it on a rock or high place and say,

     "Here Pele is your flower, now may I pick some for myself?"

     A visitor does not need to say these things aloud. The address to Pele may be made in a whispering voice, if the visitor fears laughter from others in the party.

     Now that thousands are visiting the Volcano area, it would be wise to go prepared with an offering. Pele also likes fruit, chickens, fish and luau leaves.

     Hawaiians offer black pigs when there has been some great calamity. For instance, Hawaiians today say that Pele is mad because Waikiki beach is being built up with towering skyscrapers.

     In olden days, Hawaiians loved to eat the ohelo berry which grew luxuriously about the volcano area. Pele loves the ohelo and considers it her own particular fruit. Before the Hawaiian ate any, he first offered ohelos to Pele by throwing them in the pit.

     Hawaiians also noted that Pele stamped her foot before sending a flow down the mountain. Today's scientist confirm this by measuring the earth tremors which occur before an outbreak.

     Flames thrusting themselves through breaks in the lava crust are the fire-spears of Pele's household.

     The crackle of the fire-red lava is Pele's coarse voice. It is called "pu." When Hawaiians first heard the sound of a gun being fired, they likened the explosion to Pele's voice and called it "pu."

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