Nāmakaokahaʻi

Have you ever felt the cool spray of the ocean on a hot day, or heard the crash of a big wave against the shore. That is my song. I am Nāmakaokahaʻi, and the great blue ocean is my kingdom. For as long as I can remember, my younger sister, Pele, has been my opposite, a being of fire who loves to build tall, smoking mountains from the heart of the world. Our story is a great chase across the sea, a tale of how our powerful dance of water and fire created the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

My sister Pele has a spirit as restless as the fire in her heart. She loves to create, to push hot, glowing land up from the bottom of the sea with a mighty rumble. But I always follow her. I love my cool, flowing water, and when I see her fiery mountains rise from my ocean, I see it as an invitation to dance. So began our great chase across the Pacific Ocean. Pele first made her home on an island called Kauaʻi, building a magnificent volcano. "Look, sister. A new mountain for the world," she would say. And I would answer by sending my waves to greet her creation. Whoosh. My water would rush over her hot lava, cooling the flames with a great hiss of steam. So Pele would flee, laughing as she moved southeast to the next island, Oʻahu, and then to Molokaʻi and Maui. On each one, she built a new home of fire and rock. And every time, I would arrive. My ocean waters would surge against the new lava, cooling it into smooth shores and tall cliffs. Our contest wasn't one of anger, but of two powerful sisters playing a game. Pele's fire would build everything up, and my water would shape and smooth it all down. This is why the older islands in the northwest are softer and smaller, worn down by my playful waves, while the newer islands are bigger and rockier.

At last, my sister traveled to the largest island, which is called Hawaiʻi. There, she built her greatest volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. They were so tall that my waves could not reach her fiery home at the very top. Here, we finally found our balance. Pele could continue to create new land with her glowing lava flows, and I could embrace the shores she made, creating beautiful black sand beaches and giving a home to the colorful coral reefs. The ancient people of these islands told our story to explain how their home was made. Today, the story of me and my sister Pele lives on. It reminds everyone that opposite things, like fire and water, can work together to create something wonderful and new. Our dance shows the living, breathing spirit of the beautiful Hawaiian landscape.