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"KA`UMAKANA 'IA 0KALEO, 0KALEO WALE NOE!" <br /> (STUDY BACKGROUND AND SYNTHESIS) <br /> Mete Kahea No Pelel A Chant to Call Upon Pale <br /> Hele hoi ke ala mauka o Ka`u The path passes through the uplands <br /> of Ka'U <br /> Hele ho`i ke ala makai o Puna The path also passes along the coast <br /> of Puna <br /> Q ka ma`ema`e la o ka pua lei lam here like a fresh flower lei <br /> Aloha ka pi`ina i Kukala`ula Respect the ascent at Kukala`ula <br /> Ho`opuka aku la i ka Pu'ulena The Pu'ulena wind comes forth <br /> `Aina a ke akua i noho at Blowing from the land of the goddess <br /> Ka`u makana 'la o ka leo The only gift I have to offer you is <br /> my voice <br /> 0 ka leo wale ne e— Only my voice— <br /> Traditional mete (chants) like the one above, describe the long journey that one makes in <br /> traveling from the low lands to the mountains, and across Kukala'ula (the "sun-parched plains"), <br /> while on a pilgrimage to honor Pele. The traveler is borne upon the Pu'ulena breeze which <br /> blows from the land in which the goddess lives. The chanter acknowledges personal <br /> imperfections, but shares that the voice and prayerfulness are pure and presented as a tel. In <br /> humility, one asks, what else could be offered to the goddess? There is nothing, nothing but a <br /> voice, simply a voice. <br /> This mele is one of thousands that describe the landscape of Pele Honuamea (Pete of the <br /> Red or Sacred Earth)2 as more than a single spot or a mere piece of land. The landscape is <br /> alive and spans the 'aina (lands) of Puna and Ka`u, reaching through the depths of the papa <br /> honua (earth strata) and up to the farthest reaches of the lewa lani (heavens). <br /> An ancient saying that describes the entirety of landscape states: <br /> "Mai ka piko o ka po`o, a i ka poli o na wawae, a me na kihi `eha o ke kinot" <br /> (From the very top of the head [summit] to the bottom of the feet, and embracing <br /> all four corners of the body!)3 <br /> In the countless native traditions of these `aina, one finds that the landscape of Pele and her <br /> 'ohana touch all of Hawai`i, and extend to Kahiki (the ancestral homelands of the gods. <br /> goddess, and ancestors of the Hawaiian people). <br /> The traditional and historical narratives that have been gathered under the cover of this <br /> study, are lust a sampling of the rich spiritual and cultural history of Pele, her family, and twenty- <br /> one primary traditional land units (ahupuaa and `ill) which contribute to the more than 335,000 <br /> acres that are now within the national park. To touch on all of the history—both native and <br /> historic period—would require a lifetime and many volumes, and then it would still be <br /> incomplete. As kupuna have shared—"ke ha'a mai la o Pete i Hawaii" (Pete dances across the <br /> lands of Hawai`i). In our effort to provide readers with an overview of the diverse history, we <br /> Mele calling upon Pete, asking for permission to travel across her lands, from the Collection of <br /> Ho'ohila Kawelo (Kepa Maly, curator). <br /> Pete Honuamea is one of the many names by which the goddess of the volcanoes is known. <br /> Mary Kawena Pukui, pers. comm. (1975-78). <br /> Draft-Elhnohistorical study of`Aina within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park <br /> Kumu Pono Associates LLC(working draft ver.Novemer 14,2022) ii <br />