I thought I read once about the red ferns on the Big Island and in
the crater of Haleakala: is there a legend attached?
Anonymous
Dear reader,
I think you are asking about the ama'u fern and the demi-god Kamapuaa. I
know this fern is abundant on Kilauea and is probably on Haleakala too.
The way I was taught the legend is in reference to Kilauea, Pele's home.
Pele and Kamapuaa were lovers but their romance was a bit stormy (perhaps
I should say fiery). Once they started to fight. The fight went on for
several days until both of them were very weak. To save himself,
Kamapuaa changed his bodily form from a half-pig half-man to the amauu
fern. Just as he changed Pele threw a fire ball the went down Kamapuaa's
back, turning it red. This event is recorded on the spines (stalks) of
some of the ferns. They are red along the spine and gradually change to
green towards the edges. Halemaumau, the crater at Kilauea, is named for
the amau fern. Halemaumau means house of the amau fern. When Kamapuaa
changed form he surrounded the crater with the fern. Later eruptions
have buried these ferns. There is a photo of an amau fern on the Kilauea Iki
trail guide.
Thanks for taking me back to Hawaii on this snowy North Dakota day.
aloha
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
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