or over. Culture In the Hawaiian language, the word means dagger or knife. The held pointing downwards, such as the statue at Pāhoa High and Intermediate School, is a symbol of peace and strength. It is unknown when indigenous Hawaiians settled the area during pre-contact times, but the deep, rich soil and important protected archeological sites in the area suggest a long history of habitation. Legends associated with the Pāhoa area are referenced in Hawaii's ancient oral history in the Pele and Hiiaka Myth. There are two primary schools in the Pāhoa area, Pāhoa Elementary School and Keonepoko Elementary School, in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision. There are two secondary schools, Pāhoa High and Intermediate School on Pāhoa Village Road and the Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences. 2014 lava flow In June 2014, a lava flow dubbed the June 27th flow started running from a vent in the Puu Ōō cone in a northeast direction towards the villages of Ka'ohe Homesteads and Pāhoa. In early September it appeared that the lava flow was en route to the small community of Ka'ohe Homesteads. Community leaders and state officials began to draw up plans for evacuations and the mayor signed an emergency proclamation as the flow approached to within 0.8 miles, a distance it was expected to cover in approximately a week. On September 13, a release from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory stated that the flow had begun to shift away from the subdivision as it had interacted with both the cracks and down-dropped blocks within the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano and a natural valley that leveled away from Ka'ohe Homesteads. The lava flow then advanced on Pāhoa. On October 25, the flow had reached the town's recycling facility, which was closed and temporarily relocated as a result. The flow was quickly advancing on a nearby cemetery and triggered the first series of evacuations. On November 10, the flow claimed one home. Officials feared that the lava would cover Hawaii Route 130, the only route in and out of Pāhoa and of the entire lower Puna section of the island. On October 22, The National Park Service announced that it would help state and county officials create an emergency route along 8 miles of the buried Chain of Craters Road in order to help Puna residents who would potentially lose access to the rest of Hawaii. Construction of the Chain