| Hawaiian Legend, as related to me in Hawaii: Once there was a handsome warrior named Ohia. Ohia met a beautiful lady named Lehua, they were boyfriend and girlfriend. One day Ohia passed by Pele the goddess of fire. Pele immediately fell in love with him so she said "I want you to be my boyfriend.", but Ohia told Pele that he already had a girlfriend named Lehua. Pele was mad that he wasn't her boyfriend, so she set a spell on him and turned him into an ugly tree. When Lehua found out about this, she begged Pele to turn him back into human form again, but Pele didn't turn him back so Lehua went to the gods and asked them if they could turn Ohia back into human form but the gods said that they couldn't turn him back. Instead, they turned Lehua into a beautiful red flower and put her on the ugly tree that was Ohia so they could be together. Today acording to legend, when you pick a lehua blossom it will rain, because you are separating Ohia and Lehua. Here's another version of the story: adapted from "The Goddess Pele," by Joe Mullins, Aloha Graphics and Sales, Honolulu, HI, 1977. You can find the Ohi'a Lehua on the mountains, lava fields, bogs, woodlands of Hawaii. The Ohia Lehua looks like a fluffy red flower on a really crooked, twisted tree. The Ballet "The Legend of Ohi'a and Lehua") written by flautist Sulubika , myself (on harp and keyboards) & Richard Kashansky (percussion). This was performed live in Honolulu with the James McKuen Ballet Coampny and performed to tape in Los Angeles in the early 80's. The story was slightly modified for the ballet. In her jealous rage Pele errupts and covers the ground with lava. But there survived the Ohia/Lehua, standing alone in the wake of the outpouring. The reviewer said the music was "hauntingly beautiful" and said this piece should be part of every American ballet companies repertoire. Wish I could find that clip. I found a little book the other day in the shed whilst digging up other family history. It was entitled: "Into Da Fire"-- Song/Poem\/Pictures by Penny Little ©1983, which included the pictures (thumbnails in the slideshow above). I drew the pictures at the time there was another eruption on the Big Island of the Kilauea Volcano
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