Monthly Archives: February 2016

n. All Hawaiian species of false staghorn fern (formerly known as Gleichenia spp., now listed under three genera: Dicranopteris, Hicriopteris, Sticherus), weedy, creeping, branching ferns, forming dense thickets. (Neal 9.) Also unuhe. (PPN hulufe.) One of the first things I … Continue reading →

1. n. Same as palai, a fern. 2. A Niʻihau name for niʻaniʻau and kupukupu. 3. Niʻihau name for gold fern, Pityrogramma calomelanos (syn. P. chrysophylla). (Neal 20.) While I did say that palaʻā is one of my favorite ferns, … Continue reading →

1. n. The lace fern (Sphenomeris chinensis syn. chusana), a common wild fern in Hawaiʻi; also known in other parts of Polynesia and in Asia. Long, slender stems support smooth, ovate, pointed fronds, about 30 cm long, which are subdivided … Continue reading →

1. Redup. of kupu 1; to surge forth, as lava. (For. 6:545.) See ex., unu 2. (PPN tuputupu.) 2. n. General name for ferns on a single stem, such as kupukupu 3.  3. n. Sword fern (Nephrolepis exaltata), a long, narrow fern with many … Continue reading →

No one who takes care of his possessions has ever found them eaten by rats. When one takes care of his goods he will not suffer losses. This is an ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise saying) that I first taught my students … Continue reading →

1. Redup. of malama 1 (light, month, moon); light of knowledge, clarity of thinking or explanation, enlightenment; shining, radiant, clear. Ka mālamalama o ka ʻākau, northern lights. hoʻo.mā.lama.lama To cause light, brighten, illuminate, enlighten, inform, civilize. (PNP malamalama.) 2. Coris ballieui, a … Continue reading →

To study. Hoʻopaʻa means to “make firm” or “make fast” (recognize that paʻa word in there meaning solid or hard? Same one used in kūkae paʻa – constipation). Haʻawina is the Hawaiian word for lessons, assignment, or task. So when … Continue reading →

1. n. Plain, field, open country, pasture. An act of 1884 distinguished dry or kula land from wet or taro land. Kō kula kai, shore dweller. 2. n. Source; container. See kula kakalina, kula wai, kula waiwai. Kula kālā, source of monetary income. Kula loaʻa, source of profit or gain. 3. n. Basket-like fish … Continue reading →

Love is like a bird — there is no branch that it does not perch upon. Ah, love is in the air…Valentines is approaching. A fitting ʻōlelo noʻeau to end our week with our fine feathered friends, nā manu. Love … Continue reading →

1. Chicken, red jungle chicken (Gallus gallus), fowl, as brought to Hawaiʻi by Polynesians; for some people, an ʻaumakua. Okay, the moa is not a native bird but it did play a big role in Hawaiʻi. Yes, we are talking … Continue reading →