kapa kulture

This blog is dedicated to Hawaiian kapa and matters related to Hawai'i nei…kuku kapa e!

Hawaiian Word of the Day: lauhuki

lauhuki: 1. Tapa-soaking, to soak tapa. 2. (Cap.) Name of a goddess worshiped by tapa makers.

lauhuki

lauhuki

Hawaiian Word of the Day: pono’ī

pono’ī: Self, own; private, personal; directly, exactly. ‘O wau pono’ī, his own. Hawai’i pono’ī, Hawaii’s own [own people]. No’u pono’ī kēia, this is my own. I mua pono’ī, directly in front. ‘I’o pono’ī, own flesh and blood. Kona mana’o pono’ī, his personal opinion. Nā hana loio nona pono’ī iho, attorney’s private practice (Pukui & Elbert, 1971).

Hawai’i Pono’ī (The National Anthem of the Hawaiian Kingdom, words by King David Kalākaua, 1874)

Hawai`i pono`ī
Nānā i kou mō`ī
Ka lani ali`i,
Ke ali`i

Hui:
Makua lani ē,
Kamehameha ē,
Na kaua e pale,
Me ka ihe

Hawai`i pono`ī
Nānā i nā ali`i
Nā pua muli kou
Nā pōki`i

Hawai`i pono`ī
E ka lāhui e
`O kāu hana nui
E u`iē

Hawai’i’s own
Look to your King
The Royal Chief
The Chief

Royal Father
Kamehameha
We shall defend
With spears

Hawai’i’s own
Look to your Chiefs
The children after you
The young

Hawai’i’s own
O Nation
Your great duty
Strive

Hawaii_Ponoi1

“Beware of the half-truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half.” ~Author Unknown

As I was doing research for a timeline on Hawaiian history I came across a fellow by the name of Ken Conklin. At first, I thought I had stumbled upon a well-researched document of unbiased truth. As I continued to read through Mr. Conklin’s references, http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty/references.html … I was impressed by the wide variety of sources and annotations he listed. But the further down I got in his list, I realized that this man was voicing bigoted sentiment about Hawaiians who believe in a Hawaiian Nation, or Hawaiian Sovereignty in any form. In fact he doesn’t hide his brazen disdain. He ignores the facts of dispossessed Hawaiians… losses in land, culture, and language resulting from historical events.

I bring this up because others might share the views of Mr. Conklin. To these people, I would say, there are two sides to every story. Rationalizing what Conklin calls “the concept that there is no historical, legal, or moral justification for race-based political sovereignty for ethnic Hawaiians” is a clear case of more of the same from hypocrites and thieves… As history has shown, Hawaiians have been of generous spirit and inclusive to the point of our own detriment. Sorry if some people don’t agree with me on this.

e ala e

e ala e

Hawaiian Word of the Day: ‘oia’i’o

Hawaiian Word of the Day: 'oia'i'o.

Hawaiian Word of the Day: ‘oia’i’o

‘oia’i’o: True; truth, fact; truly, firmly, certainly, genuine, real, sure, verily, authentic; faithfulness. Nā mea ‘oia’i’o, facts, true items. ‘Oia’i’o, he ‘oia’i’o, verily, verily. ‘Oia’i’o kā ho’i, is that so, so [as in surprise or anger]. hō’oia’i’o. To verify, certify, check, convince, make sure, prove; to acknowledge, as a title; deed, proof, verification. Hō’oia’i’o ‘ana, acknowledgements (Pukui & Elbert, 1971).

Hawaiian Word of the Day: kahiki

kahiki:1. Tahiti. holokahiki. Holo i Kahiki, sail to Tahiti. The sky was divided into five areas beginning with the term Kahiki: Kahiki-moe, horizon; lit., prostrate Kahiki. Kahiki-kū, sky just above the horizon; lit., upright Kahiki. Kahiki-ka-papa-nu’u, the next layer; lit., Kahiki the elevated stratum. Kahiki-kapapa-lani, high in the sky, almost directly overhead; lit., Kahiki the sky (or god) stratum. Kahiki-kapu-i-Hōlani-ke-ku’ina, the sky directly overhead; lit., sacred Kahiki at Hōlani the meeting place. 2. Any foreign country, abroad, foreign. 3. A variety of banana, common wild on Maui. Kinds are kahiki hae, kahiki mauki, and kahiki puhi.

Hōkūle'a me ke Kahiki

Hōkūle’a me ke Kahiki

Hawaiian Word of the Day: makua

makua: Parent, any relative of the parents’ generation, as uncle, aunt, cousin,; progenitor; Catholic father; main stalk of a plant; adult; full-grown, mature, older, senior. Fig., benefactor, provider, anyone who cares for one; the Lord (God). Kamika Makua, Smith Senior. Ē ka Makua (Ka Nonanona, beginning of a letter, Sept. 5, 1843), Sire. Makua Laiana, Father Lyons [the Hawaiians’ name for the Rev. Lorenzo Lyons, 1807-1886]. ‘O kö mäkou Makua i loko o ka lani, our Father who art in heaven. ho’omakua. To grow into maturity, mature; to act the part of a parent; to foster, adopt; as a child; to call or treat as a parent; to address as a parent, aunt, or uncle one related by affection rather than by blood or adoption; to become established or permanent. Ua ho’omakua aku au nona, I became his parent or guardian (Pukui & Elbert, 1971).

Hawaiian Word of the Day: wehi

wehi: 1. Decoration, adornment, ornament; to decorate. ho’owehi. to beautify, decorate, adorn. 2. A song composed as an adornment, a song honoring someone. Ha’ina kou wehi, sing the adornment, your song. 3. Dark (Pukui & Elbert, 1971).

Ka wehi ma kapa

Pā wehi ma kapa

Hawaiian Word of the Day: pōhaku

pōhaku: 1. Rock, stone, mineral, tablet; sinker; thunder; rocky, stony. Mauna Pōhaku, Rocky Mountains. Ke ka’a maila ka pōhaku, the thunder peals. ho’opōhaku. To harden, as lava; to petrify; hard. Fig., stubborn. (Proto Polynesian: fatu, Central Polynesian: poofatu.) 2. Weighted with rocks, hence stationary, not moving. Pōhaku kaomi moena, a stone weighing down a mat, said of a homebody. Pōhaku ‘au wa’a lā le’ale’a i kai nei (chant), fleet of canoes at anchor, happy here at sea. ho’opōhaku. To remain long in one place; to stay at home. E ho’opōhaku, e hoho mālie (chant), stay, rest quietly. 3. Type of crab (Pukui & Elbert, 1971).

2pohaku

Hawaiian Word of the Day: ku’i ku’i

ku’iku’i: To pound, punch, strike, box, hit, hammer; to beat out, as metals; to churn, as butter; to boom or clap, as thunder; to smite, injure, to jar; to prod, as ‘opihi shells from rocks with a knife, formerly with sharp stones; to clash (as sound).

wauke ku’iku’i: Bast from fully mature wauke that required more beating (ku’iku’i) than younger wauke (wauke ohiohi).

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