Incredible images have emerged from Hawaii this morning as the volcano Kilauea erupted yet again.
The footage showed huge plumes of lava pouring from its craters on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, having erupted 36 times since December last year.
Scientists have previously said they believe they are all part of the same eruption because magma has been following the same pathway to the surface.
Last month, a major eruption saw lava shoot 400 metres into the air, according to the US Geological Survey – higher than the Empire State Building.
Some people may see lava flows as destructive. But Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the executive director of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, said lava is a natural resource that hardens into land and forms the foundation for everything on Hawaii Island.
Kanahele-Mossman’s nonprofit is named after her grandmother – the esteemed practitioner of Hawaiian language and culture.
The foundation’s hula halau, or school, is celebrated for its mastery of a style of hula rooted in the stories of Pele and her sister, Hiʻiaka.
Kanahele-Mossman has visited the crater a few times since the eruption began. She initially watches in awe and reverence.
But then she observes more details so she can go home and compare it to the lava in the centuries-old tales that her school performs.
While at the crater, she also delivers a chant prepared in advance and places offerings. Recently she presented awa, a drink made with kava, and a fern lei.
“You as the dancer, you are the storyteller and you carry that history that was written in those mele forward,” she said, using the Hawaiian word for song.
“To be able to actually see that eruption that’s described in the mele, that’s always exciting to us and drives us and motivates us to stay in this tradition.”
Reported with Associated Press.
