Stop 1 Visitor CenterOur tour with Ranger Rick. Photo by Shandi Siegl
Volcanoes National Park was established in 1916, and the visitor center was our first stop once we entered the park. It offered a lot of information about the history, geography, and geology of the park as well as updated information on volcano activity and hazards. We had time to peruse this information before going on a hike with one of the park’s rangers, Ranger Rick LaMontagne. Rick was a wealth of information, and began the tour with a basic lesson in Hawaiian language. Learn more about the language of Hawai`i.
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Volcano HouseRanger Rick led us to the Volcano House, which, according to the National Park Service website, has a history dating back to 1846. The current building was built in 1941 after a fire destroyed the old building. Its main function was to house guests and visiting scientists. It offers 42 rooms (20 crater view, 12 non-crater view, 10 garden view), a dining room, lounge, two gift shops and snack bar. The National Park Service closed the building in January 2010 for renovations, and it is slated to reopen in 2012 (National Park Service, 2011).
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`Ohe Hano Ihu DemonstrationRanger Rick demonstrated the nose flute. Hear a nose flute being played here. Photo by Sandy Thao
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Hawaiian Nose Flute The `ohe hano ihu, or Hawaiian nose flute is a simple instrument of great cultural significance to native Hawaiians. Rick explained that the flutes were made of a single section of bamboo and had one hole with which to blow air through and two to three holes for the fingers to create melodies. Each flute was unique to the musician as he would drill the holes in a way that created tones that he found pleasing (King, 1989). Traditionally, hano were played by men to woo women and would have been played by holding it with the right thumb and forefinger and using the rest of the fingers on the right hand to play notes. The left thumb would hold the left nostril closed and the rest of the left hand cupped around the flute (King, 1989).
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Sources
King, Serge. 1989. "`Ohe Hano Ihu: The Hawaiian Bamboo Nose Flute." Retrieved December 14, 2011 (http://www.sergeking.com/HAM/ohehanoihu.html).
Kuck, Loraine and Richard Tongg. 1958. Hawaiian Flowers & Flowering Trees. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company.
National Park Service. November 23, 2011. "Lodging." Retrieved December 10, 2011 (http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lodging.htm).
National Park Service. November 30, 2011. "Hawaiian Volcanoes." Retrieved December 4, 2011 (http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm).
Simmons, B.B. December 26, 2009. "FLUTES 2: `Ohe Hano Ihu: Hawaiian Nose flute by Sean Folsom." YouTube. Retrieved December 17, 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNyuV-dldYA).
*Banner photo by Ezra Zeitler
Kuck, Loraine and Richard Tongg. 1958. Hawaiian Flowers & Flowering Trees. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company.
National Park Service. November 23, 2011. "Lodging." Retrieved December 10, 2011 (http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lodging.htm).
National Park Service. November 30, 2011. "Hawaiian Volcanoes." Retrieved December 4, 2011 (http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm).
Simmons, B.B. December 26, 2009. "FLUTES 2: `Ohe Hano Ihu: Hawaiian Nose flute by Sean Folsom." YouTube. Retrieved December 17, 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNyuV-dldYA).
*Banner photo by Ezra Zeitler