Monthly Archives: March 2016

nvt. Chant that was not danced to, especially with prolonged phrases chanted in one breath, often with a trill (ʻiʻi) at the end of each phrase; to chant thus. Ke oli, the chant. Mea oli, chanter. (PNP oli.). Welcome to … Continue reading →

Welcome to kupulau!  Spring is upon us. Daylight savings time. We sprung forward with adjust our counting for those states whose times change. I like it that we in Hawaiʻi don’t change our time based on the seasons. What’s an hour … Continue reading →

nvi. Trip, voyage, journey, mission, procession, parade; to travel, parade.  Guess what? Sing it with me: “I’m leavin’, on a jet plane, don’t know when…” Ah, but I do. I will be back in a week. I am going on … Continue reading →

n. An endangered gray, yellow, and white Hawaiian honey creeper (Psittirostra bailleui, P. kona); endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi. Its bill is especially suited for opening māmane tree pods. Its only home is on Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi. See ex., olokē, piʻoloke. … Continue reading →

The opposite of wiwo ‘ole is wiwo: 1. Fearful, bashful, modest, afraid, timid, shy.  The only difference is the ‘ole. It is the same ‘ole that appears in ‘a‘ole for “no”. In other words, when you add the suffix ‘ole, it negates … Continue reading →

n. Cooked sweet-potato leaves. The ʻuala was not just cultivated for its tubers, Hawaiians (and many other cultures) also cook the greens, which is known as palula.  The young leaves are used from all varieties though those with smaller leaves … Continue reading →

1. nvt. Hill, as of sweet potatoes; dune; to hill up. Cf. puʻe one. (PPN puke.) 2. vt. To attack, force, ravish, rape, compel. Keiki puʻe, boy or youth who ravishes women. (Puk. 22.16.) (PPN puke.) 3. n. A lobelia (Lobelia gaudichaudii var. … Continue reading →

‘Uala – sweet potato. Sometimes spelled as ‘uwala (but NEVER pronounced with the hard V sound), this wide-spreading vine was a kinolau, or body form, of Kamapuaʻa, the pig demi god, and dedicated to Lono, god of agriculture.  In fact during the … Continue reading →

1. vs. Sacred, holy, majestic, dignified; treated with reverence or respect. hō.ʻihi a. To treat thus; to hallow. b. Tapa or pandanus fitted into a hoop and placed on the head of an attendant (kahu), serving as a holder for … Continue reading →