Post #1
In class, on Wednesday, Professor Wilson argued that Ch. XI “Mauna Loa” of Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen showcases Liliuokalani’s Western leanings about Pele and religion. But I think it is quite the opposite, the Queen’s language in this chapter shows her distinctly Hawaiian views of nature and natural “disasters”.
In 1880, Queen Liliuokalani and her family witnessed the beginning of Mauna Loa’s eruption. The language that Liliuokalani uses to describe the eruption shows that to Hawaiians volcanoes are not natural disasters, but something more closely related to a celebration of the land. Queen Liliuokalani describes the eruptions as “nature’s gorgeous fireworks” (71). A Western observer of this event would use language focusing on horror and the frightening aspects of the event, making it a natural disaster, not something joyous. Furthermore, Liliuokalani describes the flames as “light” and is portrayed as “dancing” (71). The volcanic eruption is something like a party to her. The Queen claims that Hawaiians do not worship Pele anymore, but based on the diction surrounding the eruption, a celebration of Hawaii is definitely an aspect of the eruption. This chapter showcases Queen Liliuokalani’s distinctly Hawaiian viewpoint of the land, even though she may still have Western religious leanings because of her education.
-Mary Rowan
Great insights Mary. There are a few other postings concerning Pele that could be interesting for you to check out . . .
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