Hawaiian oral tradition describes 400 years of volcanic activity at Kīlauea

Culturally significant oral tradition involving Pele, the Hawaiian volcano deity, and her youngest sister Hiʹiaka may involve the two largest volcanic events to have taken place in Hawaiʹi since human settlement: the roughly 60-year-long ‘Ailā’au eruption during the 15th century and the following development of Kīlaueaʹs caldera. In 1823, Rev. William Ellis and three others became the first Europeans to visit Kīlaueaʹs summit and were told stories about Kīlaueaʹs activity that are consistent with the Pele–Hiʹiaka account and extend the oral tradition through the 18th century. Recent geologic studies confirm the essence of the oral traditions and illustrate the potential value of examining other Hawaiian chants and stories for more information about past volcanic activity in Hawai‘i.