January 27, 2004

A Tale of Two Sisters

In the dark time before man knew of Hawaii, or even Kahiki (Tahiti) or the islands of the east, the gods lived on the earth and like any family they quarreled among themselves. The eldest and wisest of Ku, the great god of war's daughters, was Poliahu, the White One, goddess of snow, ice and rain. She built a great voyaging canoe, called the "Ho'okena" and was going to set off on a great journey to the north east, following the Hokulia, the star of gladness, which as all navigators know is a fixed star that Akua, Creator God gave us to go by. Poliahu was desirous of setting up her own home and wanted to get away from her pesky and tempestuous younger sister, Pele the goddess of fire. They were always at odds and Poliahu felt it would be for the best if she left.

The days were accomplished and the canoe was completed and Poliahu sailed off like a great white sea bird in search of her nest.

Not to be outdone, Pele had crafted her own canoe, paddled by her servants from the underworld. She in her jealousy wanted to best her sister in everyway, so she was going to follow her and out do her in everything that she could. Ku', her father had spoiled the bratty beauty and when she didn't get her way she would throw a trantrum that would result in a fiery eruption of smoke and ash, and hot lava would rain down from her chosen abode.

Pele followed Poliahu from one place to another. First they settled on a beautiful round island that shown green in the eastern sunrise. They struggled for a place there, building up a huge mountain with Pele's lava fits and Poliahu's snow and rain, Wai ale ale mountain formed in the center of the island... Filled with flowing waters from the rains and snow melt. Poliahu knew there would be no peace for her on Kauaii ever, so she left and sailed south

The Ho'okena voyaging canoe landed in a beautiful bay that shined like a pearl shell in the sun. Pele followed and as much as Poliahu loved the high Makaha, and Koo'olau of Oahu, she could not stay.

The same struggle happened on the next Island. The sisters stayed a long time on what would one day be called Maui. Poliahu called the god of the sun to come and intervene and he did come and ruled that neither sister could have Maui. He would claim it as his own and so does to this day and his home is high upon the mountain that the warring sisters created and called it Hale'akala, the House of the Sun. Poliahu was welcome to visit and does every winter when she leaves a layer of fine dry snow on the surface of the mountain.

The ruling was clear. The sisters were to go to the next bit of land to the south. They were to divide the land. They were to live in peace and respect the ways that the Great God had made them different, and to not fight. But the struggle continues to this day. Poliahu appears every year at the time of the solstice and covers the mountains with snow and ice and brings the great rains to the Islands. Pele in her anger and jealousy, cries out in anger and the earth trembles and lighting and thunder rolls in the sky. The lava boils in the earth and rolls out into the seas.

I like this story, a loose retelling shortened and simplified for the blogging world, and my rudimetary Hawaiian. It is interesting as it is also an accurate tale of plate tectonics and the full tale documents well the birth of the Hawaiian Islands in the midst of the Pacific. They were good observers of nature and human nature as well

We are living through this "sibling rivalry" as I sit and type yet another band of heavy storm has pulled in. I am thankful to not be in the East with all of you in the subzero... and our hearts go out to those that have perhaps lost loved ones or livelihood in these days of horrendous weather.

Thanks to all of you for your comments.. Aloha