This image is a representation of the most prevalent examples of physical manifestations (kinolau) of Pele as described in moʻolelo, both ancient and contemporary.
Located centrally is the kinolau of Pele as a young, beautiful woman wearing an alluring smile paired with a slightly skeptical and mischievous look in her eyes. This kinolau of Pele is seen in many kaʻao, most famously in the epic of Pele and Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. Pele appears to her lover, Lohiʻau, in her spirit form as a young, beautiful woman in Kauaʻi while her physical body sleeps in Hawaiʻi island.
To the right of Pele’s young kinolau is a representation of her kinolau as kupuna forming in the volcanic clouds emanating from the eruption. This physical manifestation of Pele has been seen in moʻolelo such as the legend of Kahawali, in which Pele appears to an arrogant Kahawali as an old woman to challenge him to a holua (sled) race. He pays for his haughtiness with a harrowing chase and escape from Pele’s fiery pursuit.
To the lower left is the Pele’s white dog, seen up to this day as a harbinger of imminent eruptions and, perhaps, a kinolau of Pele, herself.
Seen throughout the image are kinolau of Pele in volcanic phenomena – eruptions, lava, fire, and fiery volcanic clouds of smoke – of which Pele is provider and controller. The tall fountain of lava in the center of the image has a tall, straight central column representative of Pele’s Oʻo, used in her journey throughout the islands to dig pits into the earth in an effort to create a suitable home for her and her family. From her origin in Polapola, Pele ultimately finds rest in her current home in Halemaʻumaʻu, Hawai’i.
Hauʻoli Art
FOR THE MANA
Culture is a living entity. It changes and moves with the times and lives within the hearts and minds of the people who carry it. I live today as a modern Hawaiian, yet still I draw great inspiration from my culture’s roots in its ancient past. I present to you a collection of designs based on the my love for my Hawaiian culture. My intention is to take these images, stories and concepts out of the museums and exhibits and into daily life. Through the people, history and culture can be shared and kept alive within these changing times and, most importantly, within ourselves. Hold these with pride and as a reminder of the mana that remains at the heart of the Hawaiian culture. It is up to us to continue the legacy left to us by the greatness of our past and to create a solid foundation for the future – for the mana.
– Alika Spahn Naihe