Tag Archives: Pali

Never Take Pork on the Pali

Never take pork on the Pali

General Information about Item:

  • Genre/Sub-genre: Customary and Verbal folklore: Superstition
  • Language: Hawaiian/English
  • Country: USA

Informant Data:

  • Sophia Domingo ’20
    • From Maui, Hawaii
    • Age 19

Contextual Data:

  • Having boundaries and respect for deities such as Pele brings community members together with their shared beliefs and customs.
  • Cultural Context: The Hawaiian people look to legends to explain natural phenomenon around them. Legends such as the goddess of fire and volcanos, Pele, are respected greatly.

Item:

The legend of the goddess of fire and volcanos, Pele, includes her relationship with the “hog child”, Kamapua’a. The two had a bad breakup, so now she is insulted if anyone dares to bring pork on the Pali, the cliffs that connect Kihei to Lahaina. If one were to get caught with pork on the Pali, the legend says that one would then have to feed the pork to Pele’s dog.

Collector: Makena Thomas ’20

Tags/Keywords: Pele, pork, Pali, Kamapua’a, Hawaii, tradition, legend, superstition, goddess, deity