Religion, Myth & Legend

(Winter 1998-1999) Eons before the missionaries introduced their concept of one God to Hawai'i in 1820, Polynesians had an intricate nature-oriented belief system. A host of deities called 'aumakua could be called...

(Fall 1998) In the beginning in Hawaiian mythology, Po was a vast, empty land, a dark abyss where only one life form dwelled. This was the spirit of Keawe. A...

 (Fall/Winter 1999-2000) Longtime kama'aina know that Hilo is much more than a friendly host to the world-renowned Merrie Monarch Festival. It is a town full of history and character.

(Spring/Summer 1996) Here is what happened and has been long forgotten:Fire and water must rule together.(Perhaps we thought it easier to remember only the power of fire, forgetting the sharp sting...

(Fall/Winter 2000-2001) Pele has survived as the best-known, most-revered goddess of ancient times, but in legends, she was anything but a kind and lovable being, and she had many competitors.

 (Winter 1999) Described as "She-Who-Shapes-The-Sacred-Land" in ancient Hawaiian chants, the volcano goddess, Pele, was passionate, volatile, and capricious. In modern times, Pele has become the most visible of all the old...

 (Fall 1998) At the end of October, perhaps early November, over the eastern horizon during the magical hour of sunset the Pleiades rise to greet the Hawaiian land. 

(July 1997) When the first Polynesians came to the Hawaiian islands they respected the forces of lava, sun, ocean and wind as the rules of invisible gods. 

 (August 1998) Isolated from the bustling activity elsewhere on the islands, in rugged silence perturbed only by unpredictable storms and heavy rains, North Kohala proudly sails the waves of struggle and...