The burning island
Subtitle: myth and history of the Hawai'ian volcano country
By: Pamela Frierson
Publisher: Trinity University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: San Antonio, Tex
Language: eng
Number of pages: 267
ISBN-13: 9781595341358
Subjects: Social life and customs; NATURE / Regional; Hawaiian mythology; Volcanoes
Description: "Westerners--from early missionaries to explorers to present-day artists, scientists, and tourists--have always found volcanoes fascinating and disturbing. Native Hawaiians, in contrast, revere volcanoes as a source of spiritual energy and see the volcano goddess Pele as part of the natural cycle of a continuously procreative cosmos. Volcanoes hold a special place in our curiosity about nature.  The Burning Island is an intimate, multilayered portrait of the Hawaiian volcano region-a land marked by a precarious tension between the harsh reality of constant geologic change, respect for mythological traditions, and the pressures of economic exploitation. Pamela Frierson treks up Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, and Kilauea to explore how volcanos work, as well as how their powerful and destructive forces reshape land, cultures, and history. Her adventures reveal surprising archeological ruins, threatened rainforest ecosystems, and questionable real estate development of the islands. Now a classic of nature writing, Frierson's narrative sets the stage for a larger exploration of our need to take great care in respecting and preserving nature and tradition while balancing our ever-expanding sense of discovery and use of the land"--

""A portrait of the Hawaiian volcano region--a land marked by tension between geologic change, respect for mythological traditions, and pressures of economic exploitation. Frierson treks up Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, and Kilauea to explore how volcanoes work and how their forces reshape land, cultures, and history"--Provided by publisher"--
Notes: Originally published: San Francisco : Sierra Club Books, c1991.

Includes bibliographical references and index.