Author Archives: Eryne Lagman

Superstition – Hawaii

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Waipahu, HI
Performance Date: April 10, 2008
Primary Language: English

To add on to the superstitious nature of Hawaiian folklore, there is another Hawaiian superstition that coincides with the myth of Pele.  This superstition is commonly known, even to those who have yet to visit the Hawaiian Islands.

My Hawaiian native good friend, Izach, shared with me another volcano-related superstition.  With Pele being the goddess of volcanoes, to take anything of her possession would aggravate her.  Izach noted that, to take a piece of molten lava or any kind of volcanic rock from the volcano itself, would only be a way of asking for self-inflicted trouble.  Because it is Pele’s property, she will inflict bad things upon you.

A similar circumstance was seen in The Brady Bunch television series.  The Brady clan travels to Hawaii for a summer getaway, as Mike Brady’s job sends him there to visit and check out a building he constructed on location.  The curious Brady boys happen to chance upon a Hawaiian idol, which they find while at a volcanic tourist spot.  The boys take this idol with them wherever they go, and, in turn, bad luck travels along with the Bradys.  They have a turbulent flight back home, as well as a number of injuries occur to the family while they are still on vacation.  This same situation occurs in many other TV shows, aside from The Brady Bunch, including Friends and Sister, Sister.

Again, this superstition continues with the thought that Hawaiians are highly respectful towards those who came before them.  They are aware of their past history, and respect it in every way in their daily life.  As a visitor to Hawaii, such customs and rituals must be shared to the outsiders in order to inform them of the laws of the land.

Real-Life Story – United States

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Hayward, CA
Performance Date: March 24, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Kapampangan

Derrick: “All right, so one of my friends told me this story about his best friend.

They were camping out in the woods, and they brought ‘shrooms with them.

So they were trippin’ off the ‘shrooms and decided it would be cool to go on a hike at night.

So while they were hiking, they started trippin’ out ‘cuz they thought they saw this gnome walking around.

So they started to chase it and follow it until they caught it.

Then they put it in this bag and decided to bring it back to the cabin they were staying in.

They kept it in one of the closets for a while, and they passed out.

So when they woke up they were like, “WTF did we do last night?”

One of them said, “Dude, I think we caught a gnome!  It’s in the closet!”

They realized the gnome would be hungry by then, so they went to go check on it.

When they opened the closet, guess what was inside …”

Me: “A squirrel!!???

Noooooooo, I’m scared.

Do I wanna know?”

Derrick: “Yeah, it’s sad.”

Me: “Don’t tell me it was a person.

Oh God, PLEASE NO.”

Derrick: “It was a little girl.”

Derrick told me this story in regular conversation.  While he and his friends were on a road trip, Derrick’s friend told everyone in his car this story about his best friend, as a means of entertainment for them on the long journey.  This story is a true tale, but, to some extent, a morbid one at that.  This tale shows the negative effects of abusing illegal narcotics.  People would typically feel as though getting a substance-high and hiking in the woods to heighten their “trip” would be an ideal experience.  However, if such an unfortunate circumstance as this occurs, it invalidates the ideal concepts of getting such a high.

Folk Medicine – United States

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 9, 2008
Primary Language: English

For mucus congestion/itchy throat:

  1. Gargle vinegar
  2. Swallow it
  3. Mucus should then regurgitate.
  4. Throat is itchy no longer!

My mother and I were both sick with a congested nose and chest for a while.  Over-the-counter medicine was not doing anything for us.  Antibiotics stopped being effective.  We were tired of being sick for too long, so I finally decided to find another means of remedying us to wellness again.

I searched online for medical remedies for an itchy throat.  I came across a website that encompassed all the healing powers of vinegar.  It discussed al the different ways vinegar can be consumed or put to practical purposes to remedy practically any illness.  Oddly enough, this remedy worked for both my mother and me.  We took a chance, tried the method, and both of our itchy throats and congested sinuses were gone once we gargled and swallowed the vinegar.

Märchen – Cameroon

Nationality: Cameroonian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Jose, CA
Performance Date: March 23, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Pidgin

There was a brother and sister who were left orphaned.

Before the mom died she told the daughter to take good care of her stubborn brother.

because he’s the one that will help her in the future

The siblings were left on the family ranch.

The girl went to work on the farm and boy burned the entire ranch, leaving them homeless.

The girl cried and wondered where they would live.

They went around town looking for a place to stay,

until they arrived at a chief’s house who allowed them to stay with him.

Girl went to the farm with the chief’s wife.

The boy played with the chief’s son.

The boy was playing with the prince when the prince pretended to pound him with the paddle.

Fearing to get hurt, the boy and girl ran away.

They went to an area where there was a river.

The sister carried boy in a tree.

The village people came to cut down tree.

A bird came to carry them one at a time but the boy refused.

They agreed to hang on to a wing.

As they were flying, the boy poked the bird in the eye with a nail.

They fell on an island with a killer lion.

At 6pm all the townspeople must go inside because that is when the lion feeds.

The king promised anyone who kills the lion will rule half the kingdom.

A woman allowed them to stay at her house.

One night, they woke up and the boy was gone.

The boy was burning stones and he threw the stones in the lion’s mouth.

The lion died and the boy put his shoe on the lion’s head, to show it was he who defeated.

Everyone on the island tried to fit the shoe, then the boy came and tried on the shoe.

It fit and he came to rule the kingdom, giving his sister a home.

Again, Ayee heard this story as a young child.  It is another one of the stories her uncle shared with her and her cousins growing up.  The tale is made for entertainment purposes to young audiences, namely young children.  The tale emphasizes loyalty to family, as well as such admirable qualities in a growing child: courage, trust, and devotion.  The ending of the tale is reminiscent of that of the timeless fairytale, Cinderella, in that the ‘perfect fit’ for a shoe is the determining factor for the “right person.”

Like the tale of Billy and the “Me Papa” marchen/chant, this story can also be found in the Cameroonian version of Arabian Nights.

Annotation: This tale can be found in its original form in

The Crystal World

J.G. Ballard

New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (1966)

Superstition – Hawaii

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Waipahu, HI, and South San Francisco, CA
Performance Date: April 10, 2008, and April 5, 2008
Primary Language: English

The Pali Lookout on the island of Oahu, in the state of Hawaii, is notorious for being a hotspot for supernatural activity.  There is the Pali Highway that runs alongside the edge of the mountain, which includes the Pali Lookout.  The highway itself runs through a tunnel.

My friend Izach, who was born and raised on the island, on the Waipahu side, explained to me that people have sometimes spotted a White Lady atop the Pali Lookout.  The origin of who she is or what business she has in that geographic area is not definite, however, a supernatural presence is greatly felt in that general area.  Izach heard a story in which a man drove up to Pali Lookout by himself one night, and the next day, he was found dead.  Whether he came into contact with the White Lady is unsure, however, the reasons for his death were not tangible and seem to have only been the cause of some supernatural force.  Izach informed me that local folklore will warn you against the “Night Marchers,” as well.  The “Night Marchers” are a traveling pack of men who drum in the middle of the night.  If you are in or near the Pali area, and you hear drumming, it’d be best to get as far away as possible as soon as possible.  You must not make eye contact with the “Night Marchers;” by all means, you must avoid looking into their deep red eyes.

My good friend Berna shared another account of a Pali Lookout tale with me.  Apparently, there is a tunnel that is near the Pali Lookout, through which it is absolutely prohibited by local folklore and general precaution, to bring any type of pork through.  There is evidently a force that will not let you take the pork through the tunnel and over the lookout.  If one attempts to do such a thing, to test the spirits in the area, one usually does not come out of the tunnel—if at all, at least not unscathed.

In the early 1980’s, Berna’s uncle and his friends thought it would be funny to test the spirits of the Pali Lookout by bringing a bacon sandwich through the tunnel.  They entered the tunnel, bacon sandwich in tow, and suddenly, all goes pitch dark.  The lights of the tunnel black out.  The headlights and backlights of the car itself go out.  The driver nor the passengers of the car could not see what was ahead of them, nor what direction in which they were headed.  What was heard was insanely loud, jarring screeching noises and it felt as though there was a force charging towards them.  Still unable to see to the end of the tunnel, they put the car in reverse and somehow managed to clear the tunnel through the opening.  When they inspected the damages, the top of the car and all along the sides of the car were covered in deep and distinct claw marks.

As I have observed with other pieces of Hawaiian folklore, such superstitions or legends and myths as this prove the sanctity of the laws of the land to the Hawaiian people.  With such a rich history of mythological events and natural gods and goddesses, they value their land and all it has to offer and personally believe they are in debt to their surroundings.  Therefore, they go to measures to ensure that they are within the right means of going about their daily lives, and not disrupting Mother Nature, the supernatural, and the forces that be.