The Ohia Lehua tree

This is the story of how the hardy `ohi`a tree came to be.

`Ohi`a was a respected (and very good-looking) Hawaiian chief who once became the object of Pele's affections. Being the beautiful and powerful goddess of volcanoes, fire, lightning, dance, and violence, Pele is not one to mess with.

However, `O`hia was desperately in love with a girl named Lehua, and so he diplomatically tried to turn down Pele's seductive advances. Pele was jealous of Lehua, so she turned `Ohi`a into an ugly, stumpy tree with gray bark and pale green leaves as her vengeance.

The other gods were not powerful enough to turn `Ohi`a back into a chief, but they compromised by turning Lehua into the beautiful red flowers that blossom from the ohia tree. This way, `Ohi`a and Lehua could be united forever.

All along the rim of the Kilauea caldera, the native Hawaiians offer gifts to Pele that include lehua blossoms or rocks wrapped with leaves. When I first arrived here, I didn't expect to learn this much about Hawaiian culture, especially the fearful respect that everyone (Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian) has for Pele. Pele is described as jealous, violent, and merciless in many folklore stories, but I'm convinced that her portrayal is a biased one. Still, I wouldn't want to piss her off.