Na Kua`aina

CHAPTER Four. Puna: A Wahi Pana Sacred to Pelehonuamea

143 Puna is the land section that inspires hula creation because of the natural movements of wave, wind and trees. Puna is the source of regenerative power. Some examples are the rising of the sun, volcanic creation of new land and the growth of new vegetation on this new formed land. —pualani kanaka‘ole kanahele, Ka Honua Ola: The Living Earth, 1992 T he interplay of many dynamic primal natural elements in Puna make it one of the most sacred areas in all of Hawai‘i. The regenerative power inherent in the lands and atmosphere of Puna are also reflected in the role and contributions of the kua‘äina of Puna to the perpetuation of Native Hawaiian culture through the twenty-first century. “Puna, mai ‘Oki‘okiaho a Mäwae” (Puna from ‘Oki‘okiaho to Mäwae): as this ‘ölelo no‘eau says, the Puna district spans from Mäwae on the northern boundary with Hilo south to ‘Oki‘okiaho on the southern boundary with Ka‘ü.1 Comprising 311,754 acres, the island of Kaua‘i (354,112 acres) could almost fit within the district. Puna is located in the easternmost part of the easternmost island of the Hawaiian chain, so all of Hawai‘i’s days begin there. The ‘ölelo no‘eau that reminds us of this daily phenomenon goes: “Mai ka hikina a ka lä i Kumukahi a ka welona a ka lä i Lehua” (From the rising of the sun at Kumkahi to the fading of the sunlight at Lehua).2 The northeast tradewinds, with their rain-infused cloud formations and rainfall, first reach Hawai‘i in Puna. A Hawaiian proverb, “Ka makani hali ‘ala o Puna” (The fragrance-bearing wind of Puna), speaks of how these winds grow fragrant as they travel over Puna, luxuriant with maile, lehua, and hala.3 The name Puna means wellspring and derives from observations by Native Hawaiian ancestors of how the forests of Puna attract the clouds to drench the district with its many rains, such as “ka ua moaniani lehua o Puna” (the rain that brings the fragrance of the lehua of Puna).4 The rains refresh and  four  Puna: A Wahi Pana Sacred to Pelehonuamea chapter four enrich the Puna water table and sustain the life cycle of all living things in Puna and the entire island of Hawai‘i. The waters of Puna are believed to originate with Käne, the Hawaiian God of freshwater sources. His domain is traditionally in the east, where the sun rises. Käne is a guardian of the Pelehonuamea fire clan, the family of deities who migrated from the south to Hawai‘i and are manifest in the Puna district ’s volcanic activity. Käne protects the subsurface waters, the main source of the volcanic steam that forms the bloodstream of the volcano deity, Pelehonuamea . The steam is believed to be the mana, the life force and energy of Pelehonuamea . When Pelehonuamea does not actively erupt, the steam is the main form in which she manifests herself. When there is steam in the forest, Pelehonuamea is thought to be there. That is her identity, her imagery, and her manifestation. Throughout the district of Puna, traditional chants tell of warm pools in caves and under ground, such as Kaukala and Punahakeone. These 144 Figure 22 Pelehonuamea is the dynamic creative energy that shapes the lives and livelihoods of the kua‘âina of Puna. K. Maehara, Bishop Museum. puna: a WAHI PANA sacred to pelehonuamea are the sacred bathing places of Pelehonuamea. Pelehonuamea practitioners believe that the waters of the Puna district are sacred to Käne and that the steam generated by the heat of Pelehonuamea is sacred to her. Puna is where new land is created and new growth and new life sprout. The new land is sacred, fresh, clean, and untouched. After vegetation begins again to grow upon it, it is ready for human use.5 Puna is also the center of the ongoing creation of new land through volcanic activity. It is where new vegetation comes to life on the newly formed land, repeating a sequence of evolution that is millions of years old. A chant translated by Pualani Kanahele describes the primal elements and features of Puna that Hawaiians celebrate and honor in legend, chant, and hula.6 Ke Ha‘a La Puna I Ka Makani Ke ha‘a la Puna i ka makani Puna...