martes, 22 de febrero de 2011

Pele: The Tale Of The Volcano Goddess

Native Hawaiians thought that volcanic eruptions were caused by Pele, the beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes. Pele had frequent moments of anger, which brought her eruptions. She was honored but also feared (she could cause earthquakes by stamping her feet or volcanic eruptions by digging with her Pa'oa, her magic stick).



Pele had an argument with her older sister, Namakaokahai. The fight ended up forming the Hawaiian Islands.

Pele used her magic stick on Kauai, but she was attacked by her older sister. Pele recovered and fled to Oahu, where she dug several "fire pits," including the crater we now called Diamond Head, in Honolulu.


After that, Pele left her mark on the island of Molokai before travelling to Maui and creating the Haleakala Volcano. Namakaokahai, Pele's older sister, realized she was still alive and she went to Maui to find her. After a terrific fight, Namakaokahai believed that she had killed her younger sister. But Pele was still alive and she was busy working at the Mauna Loa Volcano, on the big island of Hawaii.

Finally, Namakaokahai gave up the struggle. Pele dug her final eternal fire pit, Halemaumau Crater, at the summit of Kilauea Volcano.

She is said to live there to this day...



Get to know more about volcanoes and how to prevent disasters at: http://www.fema.gov/kids/



Extra activities on volcanoes: worksheets



Answer these questions:

1. What was the most destructive volcanic eruption we know? _____________________________________________


How many lives did it take?__________________________



2. Approximate how many volcanoes are active in the world at this time? ____________________________

Name five of those you remember (or look for them)
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3. What are some positive things we may get from volcanoes?
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Still want more?: Click this Reading / Comprehension

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