Earth, Cashman 2008 New Zealand

What happened at Tarawera (New Zealand, 1886)?

Plinian and phreatomagmatic eruption killed ~250 people.

How do communities explain the Tarawera eruption?

By merging metaphors, rumours, and science.

What was reported before the Tarawera eruption?

Sightings of a phantom war-canoe 10 days before eruption.

How did Māori interpret the war-canoe sighting?

As a sign of impending volcanic disaster.

What is the role of metaphors in volcanic disasters?

They frame unfamiliar events in familiar schemas.

What is a myth in volcanic contexts?

A supernatural explanation of a natural event.

How do Māori view landscape features?

As part of ancestry and lineage.

Who was Tuhoto in the Tarawera story?

An elder/ priest linked to the eruption narrative.

What caused Tuhoto to be blamed?

He was said to invoke spirits to punish people.

Which spirits were invoked in the Tarawera myth?

Tama-o-hoi and Ruaimoko.

What does the Tarawera myth illustrate?

Cultural interpretation of volcanic events.

Why are myths useful after eruptions?

They help people explain and cope with trauma.

How do Māori explain volcanic events culturally?

As actions tied to family, ancestry, and spiritual balance.

What is the role of myth in recovery?

It provides emotional and cultural meaning to disasters.