Volcano—Where Gods Walk – 2
Author: Marie Alohalani Brown, Ph.D.
Pele is said to have carried this Hiʻiaka in the crook of her arm as they traveled from Borabora to Hawaiʻi, and hence her name: Hiʻiaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele (Hiʻiaka in the bosom of Pele). But, this name has a deeper significance, as does their birth order and relationship. Hiʻiaka is the deity associated with regeneration of the land after Pele’s lava flows. From the large and small cracks in the lava—the bosum of Pele—emerge the newly sprouted ʻōhiʻa lehua trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) and native ferns that will bring life to the land that Pele both devastes and creates. Lava (Pele) precedes revegetation (Hiʻiaka). Together Pele and Hiʻiaka are the catalyst for this natural cycle of destruction, creation, and regeneration that characterizes the Hawaiian Islands.
Pele and her clan are not the only gods who dwell in Volcano. The majestic rainforest that surrounds Kīlauea is also home to the fierce reptilian water deities known as moʻo (lizard or reptile). The kinship and antagonism between these two clans is legendary, and their long-standing animosity is perpetual source of conflict. Each clan tangibly expresses the life-giving and death-dealing characteristics of the opposing elements with which they are associated.
Moʻo generally either live in or near bodies of fresh water, but also in areas where heavy rainfall is common like rainforests, or in similarly damp places such as caves, which are often lava tubes or their remnants. Occasionally, a given moʻo might live here the coastline in drier areas. As a collective, moʻo guard and embody the different freshwater phenomena of the Islands—from raging rivers and piercing rain that stings the skin to tranquil pools and fishponds that provide sustenance. These reptilian deities vary greatly in size—as huge as a mountain or as tiny as a house gecko. Some moʻo have alternate forms. Predominately female, those moʻo who appear as female humans are often described as stunningly beautiful.
Tradition holds that if you come across a body of freshwater in a secluded area, and everything is eerily still, you should not linger because you have stumbled across the home of a moʻo. And if the plants of that place are yellowed and the water is covered with a greenish-yellow froth, then you know the moʻo is at home. If that is the case, you should leave quickly lest the moʻo make itself known to you to your detriment. It might eat you or it might take you as a lover. Either way, you are doomed because the moʻo will consume you—completely.
Where Gods Walk – 1 | Where Gods Walk – 3