Native Hawaiian oral traditions record a rich history of the changing volcanic landscape in Hawai‘i. Interweaving cultural knowledge with scientific disciplines can provide a more complete understanding of past events, including the largest known lava flow eruption of Kilauea.

During the 1970s, Robin Holcomb conducted his doctoral field work and research on Kilauea while working at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. His work included mapping a series of lava flows (now called a flow field) that began erupting in the early-1400s from a vent near the eastern end of what is now Kilauea Iki crater, in the summit region of Kilauea volcano. Now, we know that the flow field was active for about 60 years and traveled in a northeast direction (as well as a small south branch), covering most of the Puna District north of the East Rift Zone of Kilauea. Holcomb referred to this flow field as “Aila‘au” after a reference he found in William D. Westervelt’s “Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes,” published in 1916.

In ‘Olelo Hawai‘i (the Native Hawaiian language), ‘Aila‘au is to “consume trees.” Trees can be consumed by rot, or can topple during windstorms, lightning strikes, floods, and lava flows. ‘Aila‘au is also thought, by some, to have been an elemental force associated with volcanic activity prior to the arrival of Pelehonuamea (Pele of the reddish earth) in the Hawaiian Islands.

Holcomb noted that his choice of ‘Aila‘au as a name was provisional given that he only found it in one reference, and he was under a publication deadline. Hawaiian language sources during the last 40 years have rapidly become more available. Recently, researchers have been reminded of “Kualoloa,” a chant that accurately describes the emplacement of the flow field that Holcomb named ‘Ail‘au.

The chant “Kua loloa,” published in 1915 by Nathaniel Emerson in “Pele and Hiiaka, A Myth From Hawaii,” describes an eruption that began in the upland (ma uka) portions of the ahupua‘a (Native Hawaiian land division) of Keaʻau. The chant describes a broad geographic area affected by the eruption. The forests of Pana‘ewa and ‘Ola‘a were destroyed, with “a blanket of smoke” covering Puna all the way to ‘Apua.

Much of the District was devastated, according to the chant, which documents Pele destroying forests belonging to her sister, Hi‘iaka, as a result of a serious misunderstanding between them. Examining familiar place names in the chant, compared to the geographic extent of the flow field mapped by Holcomb, suggests that the chant chronicles the lava flows that he had named ‘Aila‘au. However, there is no mention of ‘Aila‘au in the Kualoloa chant.

The upland border of Kea‘au ahupua‘a, where the Kualoloa chant notes the eruption began, is near the eastern end of Kilauea Iki, where the mapped vent of the lava flows is located. The chant describes Pele moving northeast into Puna, through ‘Ola‘a and Pana‘ewa, following the mapped lava flow paths. A relatively small flow moved southward from the vent to ‘Apua, just as the chant implies.

A modern understanding of the timing of this eruption and its geographic extent, as well as more detailed knowledge of Native Hawaiian traditional place names, allows us to correlate the 15th-century eruption to the Kualoloa chant. This is an example illustrating the complex relationship between Native Hawaiian oral traditions and specific volcanic events and lava flows as documented in the geologic record.

Native Hawaiian oral traditions and scientific papers have different intended audiences and use their own vocabularies. Events described in chants are not “time-stamped,” but careful study of them, together with knowledge of place names, and clues from scientific evidence of natural phenomena, sometimes allow us to construct correlations between seemingly disparate sources of knowledge. What Holcomb had provisionally referred to as the ‘Ail‘au flow field, we now know should be labeled in future publications the Kualoloa flow field.

Volcano
activity updates

Kilauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.

Over the past week, earthquake rates beneath Kilauea summit and upper-to-middle East Rift Zone were half that of the previous week. About 15 earthquakes were located beneath the summit, and about 30 were located in the upper-to-middle East Rift Zone. Ground deformation rates continue to show slow inflation at the summit and near the September 15-20 middle East Rift Zone eruption site. Future intrusive episodes and eruptions could occur with continued magma supply.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

One earthquake was reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.1 earthquake 14 km (8 mi) S of Fern Forest at 6 km (4 mi) depth on Nov. 13 at 2:22 a.m. HST.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kilauea and Mauna Loa.

Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kilauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

A missing Hawaii woman’s family has revealed the “really weird” final texts she sent before vanishing en route to New York City last week.

Hannah Kobayashi, 30, was last seen on November 8 when she departed her hometown of Maui, Hawaii to visit her aunt in New York City. Kobayashi was excited about the trip, her mother Brandi Yee told HawaiiNewsNow. She even wrote in her itinerary: “Bucket list dreams become a reality.”

The 30-year-old flew into Los Angeles, where she was meant to catch another flight to the Big Apple. But no one has heard from her since she landed in California, according to HawaiiNewsNow.

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Surveillance footage shows Kobayashi landing safely at Los Angeles International Airport. There, she began sending texts to a friend.

“I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds,” the text messages read, according to HawaiiNewsNow. “For someone I thought I loved.”

Her sister, Sydni Kobayashi, described the texts as “really weird.”

“She texted her that she was scared and that she couldn’t come back home or something,” the 30-year-old’s sister told HawaiiNewsNow. “It was just really weird texts.”

“It’s weird to me because it doesn’t sound like her, like there’s just something off about it,” she added. “So I wasn’t too sure. I don’t know if it’s her or if someone else was texting.”

Yee told HawaiiNewsNow she first knew something was wrong when she stopped hearing from Kobayashi. When Yee reached out to Kobayashi’s aunt, she confirmed the 30-year-old never made it to the city.

“She’s like, ‘No. She’s supposed to meet me at the hotel in New York City and we’re supposed to go to a show tonight,’” Yee said.

The family has filed a missing person report with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Yee made a public plea to anyone who might have information about her daughter: “Please help her, if you can. If you know where she’s at, or you have the chance to just help her, please. We just want to bring her home.”

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – An American Airlines flight apparently came dangerously close to the Koolau mountain range earlier this week.

Aircraft tracker FlightAware shows Flight 298 departed from Honolulu for Los Angeles on Wednesday just after 12:30 a.m.

The flight path was straight, but aviation experts said the route should take a hard right turn after takeoff.

Audio released of an air traffic controller can be heard instructing the pilot to avoid the mountains: “Number 298 turn right, expedite your climb through terrain and then turn right through 120.”

“Expedite your climb” is a technical way of saying hurry and gain altitude.

Ultimately, the flight arrived in Los Angeles, seven hours later without incident.

HNN has reached out to American Airlines for comment and are awaiting a response.

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