► Pele, The Fashionable

 The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Friday, December 4, 1959 - Clarice B. Taylor's "Tales about Hawaii"

     Today, Pele is called "the woman in red"  and she is pictured in an flaming red holoku.

     It is not always so. Pele keeps up with fashion.

     In very ancient days, she was thought of as a beautiful young woman clothed in a cloud of steam or just a fluffy white cloud.

     In the books of Pele legends published during the last century, Pele was often pictured as a young woman in a split ti-leaf skirt. At the same time, the text of the legends said Pele was dressed in Kapa (kapa is the old beaten bark skirt).

DONS HOLOKU 
     After the missionaries dressed the Hawaiians in holokus, Pele began wearing a red silk holoku and smoked cigarettes. During that early period, Pele often asked for cigarettes.

     Another change cam over Pele at the same time. In old Hawaii, Pele was given awa as a drink offering. Awa was the drink of the gods and therefore correct for her.

     During the twentieth century, Hawaiians gave up making awa because the church taught that awa was evil. so, folks began throwing bottles of gin into the pit. Nowadays they throw any kind of liquor as an offering.

     Pele keeps up with the times. Today she rides in automobiles and on street cars.

     She likes tailored cigarettes and no longer rolls her own or smokes a small ivory pipe.

     The modern Pele has problems the old Pele never knew. Each time she makes an appearance to let people know that she plans letting loose her lava flow, moderns makes new legends.

     For instance, moderns have the impression that Pele's appearance to a particular person means death to that person. Such folklore has grown out of old legends which tell of the destruction of those who refuse food or  tobacco.

     Pele often find modern visitors are a curse.  She particularly dislikes those who clutter her domain with filthy wrapping papers and old sacks.

BELCH FUMES
     Her only defense is to kick up her heels and spray such people with drops of hot lava or belch strong fumes.

     She has a more successful way of dealing with those who take rocks and cooled lava from her without permission of saying "thank you." During the Puna flow, she was pestered with visitors who tore chunks of cooled lava from her and took the pahoehoe home.

     Pele's revenge is to strike the individual, or someone close, with a crippling illness.

     If you would to escape injury, speak to Pele under your breath and tell her that you want some of her hair or her cooled lava. Be sure to thank her for it.

NEXT: Pele's boy friends

► 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."

NEXT: Fight with snow maiden

Lā Mana'o: Kilauea Volcano Lava Flow...

Where FIRE (ke ahi) meets SEA (ke kai)...

new EARTH ('aina) is born!

Hawaii Tales Retold Mo'olelo (stories) about Pele will begin tomorrow...