Anyway, yes, those exploquakes. Daily. And Iʻm come (horrors!) to enjoy them. In an odd way. Theyʻre friendly and not at all violent. So far. In the back, way way way back of my mind, a thought niggles, not persistently, but itʻs there: What if? And I acknowledge, however briefly that thought, then put it way. Because if I dwelt on it, Iʻd go crazy. No need for that. Then what would YOU do? So the What If of The Big One, a big collapse of Kaluapele, is thought about once in a while. The possibility of it. Then I wonder what Iʻll make for dinner.
Now, then. This CLAMOR Iʻve heard and read about. We Need a Name. We need a name, a good proper name for Fissure 8. Now. Because.... But amidst the clamor, Iʻve yet to hear a cogent reason for the "Because" part.
On May 5, 2018, "Fissure 8 opened at the edge of Luana Street (near Leilani Street) with fountaining and occasional bursts to 100 m heights, and building a spatter cone." This, from the HVO Chronology. May 5, 2018. Last I checked, Pelehonuamea was still busy at Fissure 8 in Keahialaka. Nine weeks? Ten Weeks? 71 days. Seventy-One Days.
Might you clamorers take a deep breath and TryWait (borrowing a phrase from friends in Kona ʻĀkau) for...as long as it takes? 71 days. Hardly nothing.
Maunaulu in the Park: Started erupting May 24, 1969. Name proposed May 12, 1970. A year.
Puʻukiaʻi on the East Rift Zone (ERZ), erupted between September 13 and October 1, 1977. Name proposed November 30, 1987. Ten years.
Puʻuʻōʻō, and Puʻuhalulu started erupting in early 1983. Kupaianaha started erupting in 1986. Names proposed also on November 30, 1987. A few years.
And yes, I will grant you that the dates of Proposal are official dates. All names mentioned were used informally, and some underwent evolution and revision, before the Official Proposal letters were sent out.
But 71 days? She not pau yet. What if there are changes afoot about which we are clueless?
I know...these days there are baby naming parties, and there are baby gender reveal parties. So many people want to know NOW! Why??? How can you name a child before you meet them? How can? TryWait! Yes. I know. Iʻm sounding like a cranky old unko. And maybe I am.
But please, wait. Please? Names live on long after weʻre gone. Yes, "Fissure 8" is a name of convenience, but itʻs also part of The Record. The Chronology. Itʻs the eighth fissure to open in Keahialaka during the current activity in Puna ma kai. And in that region there have been numerous eruptions over centuries. And there are centuries more of eruptions to come. TryWait. Named features in lower Puna are numerous. Many many of them are related to the actions of Pele and her family. They are old, descriptive, informative names. Lovely names. TryWait. Please?
Knowledgeable kūpuna of the area must, at some point, meet and discuss The Naming. Kūpuna are Native Hawaiian elders with special knowledge of certain things. Fishing, farming, manufacture of various items, naming. Old People. Wise People. People full of thought. I donʻt know who those kūpuna with knowledge of Keahialaka and Kapoho and environs might be, but Iʻm sure they can found. THEY are the ones to consider names.
This is not, I donʻt think, a time for a naming contest like they had in early 1960. A newspaper and the Park had a contest to name what is now Puʻupuaʻi, the cone built when Kīlauea Iki erupted in late 1959.
We have learned much over recent decades. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) is being revived. There are many Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners about. There is absolutely no reason, no reason At All to rush the naming of a feature, or features, whose actions have brought about change, in many cases catastrophic change, to peoples lives. TryWait. Please.
Reflect. Breathe. Be thoughtful. Study. Learn. Review. Understand. Then...
Kūpuna meet and talk. THEY propose a name when the time is right. Kūpuna. Not me, not USGS, not Civil Defense, not the County...Kūpuna.
An Official Form is filled out and submitted to the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names:
That form will have ONE name on it: The Proposed Hawaiian Name for Fissure 8.
The Board will review, conduct meetings, discuss, ask pertinent questions, and when satisfied, will recommend approval of a new name.
When the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names approves the new name, they will send it to the US Board on Geographic Names in Washington. The US Board generally concurs with recommendations of the Hawaiʻi Board.
Thatʻs the process. Itʻs not complicated, but it does take time. As it should.
Please. TryWait. And of course, if you have questions, write me. Iʻve spent a LOT of time researching place names. Iʻm not a expert, but have good understanding of the topic.
Whew!
Time for hoʻopūʻiwa, that stupefaction on account of wonder:
Above, July 13, 2018. View toward the Pacific. Ash covered, still growing, Halemaʻumaʻu and surroundings. Note the sagged, collapsing area to the left of the lua, the pit. At the bottom, the parking lot and buildings of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and NPS Jaggar Museum. Incomprehensible, stunning...hoʻopūʻiwa...
Below, also yesterday, what I call the "Northeast Bay" from the KEcam in the tower at HVO. Kinda the same view as above:
And at Puna ma kai, itʻs oia mau nō, still the same, at Keahialaka and F8. News is that there are surges of lava from the puʻu about 2 hours after exploquakes at Kaluapele. Not sure how I feel about that observation.
And just off shore, this...an islet oozing lava, 20 or 30 feet in diameter also photographed on July 13, 2018.
Sure reminds me of Keaoi offshore of Halapē, my favorite site in the backcountry of the Park. Below, a quick screen shot of a fantastic photo by friend Andrew Richard Hara.
Keaoi sits offshore, and Puʻukapukapu rises 1,000 feet above Halapē.
Keaoi sits offshore, and Puʻukapukapu rises 1,000 feet above Halapē.
Please visit his site to donate to his ERF or to purchase prints:
And we say aloha to Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School and Ahalanui Park. Auē. The face of Puna ma kai continues to change.
Time for me to get on with my day. Please contemplate issues related to naming. I shall.
Till tomorrow, as always, with aloha,
BobbyC
maniniowali@gmail.com
Aloha e Bobby,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all this! Just trying adding a comment. I agree with your exhortation to folks to be patient about the naming, and appreciate your educating your readers on the process. Kupaianaha maoli kēia mau kiʻi!
Facebook on Hawaii Tracker today.
ReplyDeleteTry to find her GIF maps - very interesting:
Christy Devonport
6 hours
Someone made one of these animated gifs quite a while ago showing the change to the East Rift zone. I wanted to get a similar sense of change now, so I pulled all of the USGS fissure maps from 5/4-7/23 and made a new animated gif. Mahalo from North Carolina.