Hawaii Volcanoes Natl Pk

While the oldest Hawaiian island (Kaua’i) was formed some 5.1 million years ago, the Big Island is the newest addition, and is still growing. There were once five active volcanoes contributing to the island's growth: Mauna Kea, Kohala, Hualalai, Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Hualalai last erupted in 1801, while Kilauea and Mauna Loa are still considered active.

The early Hawaiians...

By the time Westerners discovered Hawai'i (in the late 18th century), Polynesians from the Marquesas, Tahiti and the Cook Islands had lived on the islands for more than 1,200 years. These island people had traveled over 3,500 miles by sea, bringing with them the plant life and animals necessary for their survival. They had established a way of life based around agriculture and a government based around ali'I (chiefs) and kahuna (priests). The system of kapu dictated the rules of society. The Hawaiian people were, for the most part, peaceful. Because there were only a limited number of able-bodied warriors, a fighting lifestyle was not practical. Pre-contact life on the Big Island was quite prosperous. As one of the primary taro producers in the island chain, it managed to maintain a relatively high standard of living through inter-island trade.

The ancient Hawaiians were a highly religious people; many gods and goddesses affected their behavior in everyday life. On the Big Island, the most powerful of these was the Volcano Goddess, Pele. Big Islanders believed that Pele’s wrath showed itself in the form of the molten lava that frequently ran down the mountainside and (less frequently) destroyed villages and killed their inhabitants.