The first thing I wondered was what the goddess Pele is all about. In Hawaiian mythology, Pele is the goddess of fire, volcanoes, wind, and lightning. When I started reading this chapter, I thought Liliuokalani would have a lot of positive things to say about Pele, as she described the journey to Hilo and her time there very pleasantly. She states that the volcano is seen as one of the greatest natural wonders of the modern world, and that her journey to see it with her friend Helen Aldrich was a "short and pleasant voyage." Liliuokalani goes on to describe the comfortable grass house in which they stayed, and the brilliant, fiery glow of the crater. The bulk of the chapter is spent on details of dancing flames and bubbly fires and a lot of descriptive imagery that set me up to feel really interested in what Liliuokalani would have to say about Pele. When I finally got to her opinion, I was actually surprised. I thought she would have a lot to say about the traditions or background of Pele, but she barely mentions the goddess. What she does say is that the legends of appeasing the volcano's wrath have become a harmless sport; "not by any means an act of worship." She also compares it to throwing rice at a newlywed couple at a wedding. I can think of a lot of things we do in that sort of free-spirited tradition, so it was interesting to see Queen Liliuokalani's view on something like that.
Personally, I like Liliuokalani's style of writing and tone of voice. It seems very informal to me, almost like talking with someone you just met. That's why it was interesting to me to read her opinions on this easygoing vacation rather than all of the formal occasions and royal lifestyle that were her everyday life.
Just for fun, here's a video of a chant about Pele I found.
-Emily Warren
Emily -
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see your interest in Pele and some of the indigenous rituals. As I've said in response to some of the others posts as well, keeping Liliuokalani's audience in mind in important while reading, as well as her motive for writing. She is trying to present the Hawaiian people as modern and her kingdom as worthy of equal treatment as the other great powers of the world that they hold treaties with. In order for her to make her case, especially in the court of American public opinion, that Hawaiians should be allowed to maintain autonomy and self-determination, she can't delve into practices and beliefs that could be used by her political enemies to show the backwardness and heathenism of her people (which were the motives of the missionary project in Hawaii in the 1820s, and was often a driving force behind "Manifest Destiny", America bringing the light of civilization to the rest of the world... whether they want it or not...), even, and perhaps especially, if they still hold a very important place for the native peoples.
- Trey