(BIVN) – Hawaiian culture and volcanic deities will be at the center of discussions later this week, as meetings have been set to talk about the process to name Fissure 8 and other geographic features created last year by Kīlauea.

A Permitted Interaction Group, formed by the Hawaiʻi Board of Geographic Names, is coming to the Big Island, and a public meeting is set for May 16th at the Pāhoa Community Center.



At the meeting – which begins at 5 p.m. – the public will have a chance to learn about the next steps in the process to formally name the geographic features.

The Permitted Interaction Group will also meet with County officials earlier that day in Hilo.

Fissure 8 – the temporary name given by scientists to chronicle the 8th of 24 fissures in the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano on the lower East Rift Zone – produced high fountains in Leilani Estates and sent lava to the ocean, which inundated the seaside village of Kapoho.

Prior to the Hawaiʻi Board of Geographic Names taking the matter under consideration, the Hawaiʻi County Council passed a resolution urging the state board “to consult with community members who have direct traditional, cultural, and familial ties to the district of Puna to establish an appropriate name for the Fissure 8 vent.” The council heard from the public before voting on the measure.

NAME PROPOSALS RECEIVED by the Hawaiʻi Board of Geographic Names