The Legend of Mauna Snoa

A long time ago, far across the sea, hot lava churned beneath miles of ocean, pushing ever higher until the Hawaiian Island chain was born. Over millions of years, the lava cooled and a wide variety of flora and fauna grew and flourished. Many famous volcanoes still exist, providing structure and beauty to this rugged paradise.

You are probably familiar with the great and powerful twins on the “big island” of Hawaii. These two volcanoes–Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea–are two of the five volcanoes that make up the island. They are world famous and are considered sacred by native Hawaiians.

But, they were not the only volcanoes that ever existed there. There was… another. Ancient legends tell of another volcano that was near, but not part of the Big Island. Instead of hot lava from the center of the earth, this volcano allegedly spewed the sweet, colorful flavors of the island. No one knows any more where they came from. And no one questioned it. Ancient natives knew it could only be a gift from Above. It was called “Mauna Snoa.”

The clever natives would collect these colorful flavors and combine them with snow they would harvest from the tops of the other volcanoes. Thus, Hawaiian Shave Ice was born.

Many people have wondered why the Hawaiians call it “shave ice” instead of “shaved ice.” This is a topic of discussion and wonder among frozen dessert aficionados and has been for many years. The true story is that one year, the great volcano Mauna Snoa demanded a sacrifice. If it was not appeased, the mountain would disappear into the ocean, never to return.

The villagers chose the most beautiful woman in the entire island chain, whose name was Dee, to be the sacrifice. Unfortunately, she was the daughter of a powerful chieftain who gathered a small force of his finest warriors and sent his daughter away with them to live safely on a tiny, remote island where she was never heard from again.

The mountain was angry, and kept its promise (as mountains do). Mauna Snoa slowly slipped into the sea, disappearing forever. As a pitiful attempt at reconciliation with the mountain, the chieftain demanded that the “D” be dropped from all future references to shaved ice. Thus becoming “shave ice.”

Today, one family harks back to those early days, when sweet flavors of paradise flowed freely from the great Mauna Snoa. Using the finest flavors from the Islands, along with pure cane sugar and crystal clear water from Artesian sources in the Rocky Mountains, this family produces the finest, most authentic Hawaiian shave ice in the area.

&