Pele's Journey…
on to O`ahu
Pele's Journey…
on to O`ahu
Pele arrived on the island of O`ahu and began to search longingly for a home to settle in with her family. Close to the hill Kapolei she began digging for a fire pit. Before long she struck water. Discouragement filled her heart for how could she start her fire pit in a place full of water?
Pele continued walking through some wiliwili trees. Then she took her sister-like egg, Hi`iaka, from her pau (dress) and placed it on the ground while she went back to the sea for the juice of the limu (seaweed). Because Pele was so tired from searching for a home she decided to spend the night there. She decided to call the flowers that grew there "the pau of Hi`iaka" and she crowned her fair head with a lei of them. She went to sleep and early in the morning she hurried on her way.
On the heights of Moanalua, near Honolulu, Pele tried once more to find a home. She dug and dug. But again she struck salt water. She called this place "Aliapa`akai", the Salt Lake. Pele also tried digging at Le`ahi which is now known as Diamond Head, at Puowaina or Punchbowl, at Hanauma which is now a popular bay, and at Makapu`u.
But everywhere Pele dug, her sister Namaka always put out the fire with water. Pele realized that O`ahu wasn't the place to stay, so she boarded her canoe with her family and sailed on to Moloka`i in search of a home.
