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KANE, Herb Kawainui. Pele: Goddess of Hawaii’s Volcanoes. Captain Cook: Kawainui Press (Publisher: Captain Cook, Hawaii 96704), 1996. 71 pp. ISBN 0-943357-01-2 (pa) $9.95. Illus. (col).


Nothing could bring more fear and respect from Hawaiians than their beloved goddess, Pele. “It’s
Tutu (Pele) guaranteed…She make the quake, the quake made the wave…She always gets the last word,” murmurs a bewildered bystander as he watches a mural that was spared a catastrophe. This Herb Kane mural depicting ancient Hawaiian life survived a twenty foot wave just mauka of Punaluu on the Big Island.

Herb Kawainui Kane’s Pele: Goddess of Hawaii’s Volcanoes is a delightful short book that successfully captures the essence of Pele. It is illustrated by Kane, a renowned Hawaiian painter. Kane’s depiction of Pele’s piercing eyes and hair of hardened lava gracing the front cover beckons readers into a story of Pele’s complex personality. The book begins with an introduction of her undisputed powers. Kane writes, “Pele devours land with her flame and rules over all volcanoes in Hawai’i.”

In enjoyable text, he takes readers through Pele’s many transformations. In the romantic story of Hi’iaka and Lohiau, Pele is a beautiful, but vengeful seductress ready to strike her own beloved sister. Full of jealous rage, Pele’s destructive powers are apparent in the telling of ‘Ohi’a and Lehua’s story. ‘Ohi’a, a handsome man, ignores Pele’s advances in his dream, because he is madly in love with Lehua. Unable to accept her unrequited love, Pele kills the lovers. However, readers see a glimpse of a remorseful Pele in this story. Filled with guilt, she transforms Ohi’a into a tree and Lehua into its blossom, where they can now be together for all eternity.

There are many books on Pele such as Rick Carroll’s Madame Pele: True Encounters with Hawaii’s Fire Goddess and Gordon Morse’s Dancing and Romancing with Pele: A Story Guide to Kilauea Volcano, but none of these are accompanied by beautiful and vibrant paintings. Perhaps the most dramatic of these paintings can be found in the middle of the book. Armed with a Bible, the Christian high chiefess Kapiolani is seen standing on the edge of a caldera full of hot burning lava, challenging Madame Pele.

Born on the Big Island and raised in Hilo, Waipi’o Valley, and Wisconsin, Kane’s passion for Hawaiian culture enables him to capture these stories well in his paintings. This passion, as well as his gift as a painter, makes him the perfect storyteller to bring Pele to life. In addition, Kane has had his share of supernatural experiences with her. Even though he tries to conceal his belief in Pele by offering other explanations to these experiences, this personal relationship makes this book a success.

Pele: Goddess of Hawaii’s Volcanoes offers a great introduction to Hawaiian myths and legends. My only critique is its compact size. This book with its many paintings and illustrations would have been perfect if it were the size of a coffee table book. Nonetheless, it is a must have for anyone’s collection who is a Hawaiian literature and arts enthusiast. I highly recommend it.


Submitted in May 2008 by Elena Clariza, MLISMLISc Student, University of Hawai'i at Manoa