High Chiefess Kapiʻolani & the Volcano

In 1824, only a few years after the kapu system was abolished and the missionaries had arrived in Hawaiʻi, the people of the islands still lived under the lingering fear of the old gods. High Chiefess Kapiʻolani,a woman of noble rank and great influence, was one of the first aliʻi to embrace Christianity. Yet she knew that many still feared the fiery goddess Pele, believed to dwell in the depths of Kīlauea.

Kapiʻolani, resolved to make a public stand of faith. She traveled more than sixty miles over rough lava fields to the edge of the great crater, determined to show her people that the power of Pele was nothing before the living God. On her journey, priests and guardians of the old religion confronted her. They warned her that if she defied Pele, death and destruction would fall upon her and her followers. But Kapiʻolani did not turn back.

Arriving at the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, she gathered the people around her. According to tradition, no one was allowed to eat the sacred ʻŌhelo berries without first offering them to Pele. But in full view of the crowd, Kapiʻolani picked and ate the berries without offering sacrifice. Then, with the Bible in her hand, she descended several hundred feet into the crater. There, she prayed aloud and declared:

“Jehovah is my God. He kindled these fires. I do not fear Pele. If I perish by her anger, then you may fear her power. But if Jehovah saves me while I break her taboos, then you must fear and serve the Lord alone, who is the true God.”

The earth did not quake. The lava did not rise. Pele did not appear. Kapiʻolani walked away unharmed, and her courageous act broke the spiritual grip of fear that Pele had held over her people for generations.

That day marked a turning point. By her bold faith, Kapiʻolani led many Hawaiians to renounce their fear of false gods and follow Christ, showing that the Lord alone has power over creation.