Note 2 — INTRODUCTION
Reading edition
Paoa. One Hawaiian says this should be pahoa. (Paulo Hokii.)
The Paoa mentioned in verse eight was a divining rod used to determine the suitability of any spot for Pele’s excavations. The land must be proof against the entrance of sea water. It also served as a spade in excavating for a volcanic crater.
When a suitable place was finally discovered on Hawaii, the Paoa staff was planted in Panaewa and became a living tree, multiplying itself until it was a forest. The writer’s informant says that it is a tree known to the present generation of men. “I have seen sticks cut from it,” said he, “but not the living tree itself.” ↑