kapa kulture

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

Archive for the tag “hawaiian language”

May 2026 Workshops

PAPA PAWEHE

HALE KAPA “LET’S MAKE KAPA” WORKSHOP

Hawaiian Word of the Day: manaʻo ʻiʻo

manaʻoʻiʻo: Faith, confidence; to have faith, confidence; to believe. Kumu manaʻoʻiʻo, creed. Pelika o ka manaʻoʻiʻo, covenant of faith. Ua manaʻoʻiʻo i ke Akua, [he] believes in God.

Hawaiian Word of the Day: Makaliʻi

Makaliʻi: 1. Tiny, very small, fine, wee, small-meshed; narrow wefts. Makaliʻi ʻohua, tiny ʻohua, spawn: fig., anything wee, tiny. 2. Pleiades; Castor and Pollux. 3. Hawaiian month name; the six summer months collectively.

Makaliʻi  (Pleiades)

Makaliʻi (Pleiades)

To learn more about the Makaliʻi constellation and the associated Hawaiian season of Makahiki, check out this website:

http://www.kaahelehawaii.com/pages/culture_makahiki.htm

Hawaiian Word of the Day: ʻāwīwī

ʻāwīwī: To hurry; speedy, swift, quick, fast.

ʻĀwīwī kēia ka'a.  This car is fast.

ʻĀwīwī kēia ka’a. This car is fast.

Hawaiian Word of the Day: ʻoluʻolu

ʻoluʻolu: Pleasant, nice, amiable, satisfied, contented, happy, affable, agreeable, congenial, cordial, gracious; please. E ʻoluʻolu ʻoe e hele mai, please come here; lit., be kind to come here. E ʻoluʻolu ʻoe i koʻu manaʻo, please do me a favor. ʻOluʻolu ʻole, unpleasant, impolite, uncomfortable. ʻaʻole o lākou ʻoluʻolu i ʻelua dālā, they are not satisfied with two dollars. Mōʻi ʻoluʻolu, gracious majesty. ʻOluʻolu nō iāia iho, satisfied with himself, complacent. ʻAʻahu ʻoluʻolu, comfortable, casual, informal wear. Ke noi aku nei au i kou ʻoluʻolu, I am asking a favor of you. E ʻoluʻolu i ka mea i loaʻa, be satisfied with what you have got.

hoʻoluʻolu: To satisfy, alleviate, allay, console; to retire to rest, to seek rest; parade rest, at ease (military commands). E hōʻoluʻolu mai i kō ʻoukou mau naʻau, comfort your hearts.

ʻOluʻolu ka pōpoki.

ʻOluʻolu ka pōpoki.

Hawaiian Word of the Day: pōpoki

pōpoki: Cat (said by some to be derived from English “poor pussy”). Pōpoki kī, a spitting cat [spiteful, malignant person]. Pōpoki lehu, Maltese cat; lit., ash cat. Pōpoki nāwaliwali, weak cat [a weakling]. Pōpoki peʻelua, gray cat with darker markings, as a tabby cat; lit., caterpillar cat.

ko'u pōpoki, my cat

ko’u pōpoki, my cat

Hawaiian Word of the Day: hāʻawi

hāʻawi: To give, grant, allot, hand, present; to bid as at auction; to offer; to deal, as cards; a deal. Hāʻawi lokomaikaʻi, to give freely, open-handed. Hāʻawi wale, to give freely, gratis.

ʻukiʻuki ~ Dianella Sandwichensis

ʻukiʻuki ~ Dianella Sandwicensis


Ka ukiʻuki ʻo ia haʻawi. The ʻukiʻuki it’s giving.

Hawaiian Word of the Day: heiau

heiau: Pre-Christian place of worship, shrine; some heiau were elaborately constructed stone platforms, others simple earth terraces. Many are preserved today. Several types are listed below. On the island of Kauaʻi where I live, there are 17 heiau located in the Na Pali district, 22 in the district of Haleleʻa, 20 in the Koʻolau district, 13 in the Puna district, and 81 in Kona district. Dedication of these heiau were to the four major gods; KU, KANE, KANALOA, and LONO, who represented Akua in natual phenomena. ʻAumakua were also honored by prayer and offerings.

Hale heiau, house of worship.

heiau hoʻōla: Heiau for treating sick.

heiau hoʻouluʻai: Heiau where first fruits were offered to insure further growth. Lit., heiau for the increase of food crops.

heiau hoʻoulu ua: Heiau where offerings were made to insure rain.

heiau hoʻoulu iʻa: Heiau where fish were offered to insure good fishing.

heiau kālua ua: Heiau for stopping rain, or (less frequently) for bringing rain. One such heiau named Imu-Kālua-ua (rain-baking oven) was in the Kaunakakai quadrangle, Molokaʻi; a land section in Puna, Hawaiʻi, also has this name. Rain in leaf packages is said to have been baked in an oven.

heiau maʻo: Small temporary heiau covered with tapa stained green (maʻo). Used for the hoʻouluʻai ceremony to bring food.

heiau poʻo kanaka: Heiau where human sacrifice was offered.

heiau waikaua: Heiau used for services to bring success in war.

luakini: Temple, church, cathedral, tabernacle; large heiau where ruling chiefs prayed and human sacrifices were offered; to perform temple work.

Luakini-type heiau were the largest and most complex and were sacrificial to KU. The KANE heiau were the simplest and were accessible to commoners. LONO heiau were dedicated to agriculture, and KANALOA heiau were associated with fishing. KU and LONO required complex worship and offerings.

Puʻu honua were places of refuge and restoration of pono when kapu was broken. The puʻu honua were consistent with Hawaiian protocol and would not be adjacent to heiau where human sacrifice was conducted. For example, at the puʻu honua at Wailua, Kauaʻi were for royal birth and burial. At such a place of mana and esteem, respite and peace was sought and mau haʻa lelea or repentance was made.

heiau tower

http://www.kaimi.org/heiau.htm

Moʻokini Luakini

Post Navigation