by Leilehua Yuen
Lauoho-o-Pele, Pele’s hair. What an evocative name for this form of lava!
Strands of shimmering ʻ ehu (reddish-brown) hair can be seen scattered across the Kīlauea. Sometimes, especially after lava fountains, whole hanks of this hair can be found—festooned on branches or trapped against rocks where it has been blown by the winds. What creature would shed in such abundance?
This hair is not grown by a creature, but by our very island itself! This hair is volcanic glass, spun into hair-fine threads by the superheated gasses roiling from the throat of our volcano and blown across the landscape. One method of formation is when a gouts of molten lava separate into pieces, thin strands of lava stretching between them, lengthening into hair fine threads. Carried on the wind, they are so light, they have been found kilometers downwind of their source.
Beautiful and delicate, Pele’s hair often shatters when touched. The fine threads are sharper than needles, and can embed themselves in skin, causing the same itching, prickling sensation as commercial fiberglas. Lodged in the eyes, they are excruciating. It is best to leave them where they lie. The birds, however, know how to handle this gift of the volcanoes, and sometimes use it in their nests.
If you find your car or windows covered in Pele’s hair or volcanic ash, do not try to wipe it off. It will scratch whatever surface it is wiped across. Instead, add some dish soap to a bucket of water and toss that onto the car or window. The soap, a surfactant, will help the hair or ash to left from the surface. You can then use a water hose to wash it away.
Another interesting lava form is Waimaka-o-Pele, Pele’s tears. Sometimes found at the end of a strand of Pele’s hair, because they are so much heavier (though still very light) they tend to snap off.
What is NOT Pele’s hair is the so-called “Spanish moss,” which is neither Spanish, a moss, nor Hawaiian. Known to botanists as Tillandsia usneoides, this bromeliad is actually a relative of the pineapple! (Please note that the pineapple also is not a Hawaiian plant!) It is native to southern portions of North America, Central America, and parts of South America.
One of the Native American names for it is Itla-okla, which translates to English as “tree hair.” It has numerous traditional uses, including medicinal. KLTV.com has an interesting article on Itla-okla.
