He Momi e Lei ai (a pearl to wear as a lei)

nvs. Vanity, foolishness, worthlessness; worthless, mischievous, of no value; wretch, scoundrel. See ex., niho mole. Lapuwale o nā lapuwale, vanity of vanities.

The fact that I know this word from “small kid time” could be viewed as a blow to the self esteem. For the life of me I cannot recall whether I was referred to as a lapuwale or just heard it used to refer to others. I prefer to think the latter is true! And I bet you seven to one (seven is a lucky number, right?) that as you read the definition you began to think of people who qualify as lapuwale material. Am I right? Pay up!

It doesn’t matter whether you pronounce the “w” with a soft “w” sound as in water or a “v” sound. Usually the w can go either way in Hawaiian words. Whichever is most comfortable for you is the correct way. Just like Hawaiʻi. W or V is fine. But take a word like ʻEwa. You don’t hear people say the w with the v sound. Why is that? Give it a try. It just doesn’t feel right to the mouth right? Too cumbersome. That is why just about EVERYBODY pronounces ʻewa with a hard v sound. Now say Kawaihae (as in the place on Hawaiʻi Island). It is much easier to say it with a soft w sound. The mouth feels better when you do it that way. There is no hard and fast rule on the sound of the w.

Interesting to note that lapu by itself is a ghost, apparition, phantom. It also means haunted or to act as a ghost. And wale refers to slime, mucus, or phlegm. This gives the connotation of someone who is lapuwale as being nothing but a slimy ghost or phantom.

He iʻa lapuwale, he pāpaʻi niho mole – A worthless sea creature, a crab with a missing claw.

Auē, ʻo kēlā ʻano kanaka lapuwale! – Geez, that kind good for nothing person!

He hana lapuwale nō hoʻī kēia – This is definitely worthless work.

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

nvt. To uphold, support, favor, assist, prop up; to bind, as with a sash or belt; support, aid, recommendation, girdle. Cf. koʻo, support. Mea kakoʻo, sponsor. Ā ʻo ka ʻoiaʻiʻo hoʻi ke kākoʻo o kona kīkala (Isa. 11.5), truth then is the girdle of his reins. hoʻo.kā.koʻo Caus/sim. (PCP taatoko.)

I think this should be a word we should all live by. Kākoʻo. Support. A walking cane is a koʻokoʻo. A cane offers major support. Notice the same word – koʻo. A koʻo is a brace, prop, or support.

Successful and thriving companies look for prospective employees that have an ability to work cooperatively with others. To me, an inteegral part of working together is the value of kākoʻo, supporting one another, both professionally and personally.

It is a word that I use quite frequently in speaking, sometimes in an effort to express my support of people’s manaʻo, and at other times in an attempt to remind myself to kākoʻo, even though it might not be the most convenient of times. Sometimes one can kākoʻo with a supportive voice and other times with with present physically and lending a hand of support.

There are many instances (this never seems to wane) in which we can kākoʻo our efforts to aloha ʻāina (take care of our land) or mālama i ke kai (care for our ocean). All these efforts are done with a manaʻo pono (good thoughts). I kākoʻo these efforts. If we don’t take care of our land or our ocean, we become part of the problem of pollution, lack of resources, lack of connection to our earth.

E kākoʻo kākou kekahi i kekahi – Let us all support one another.

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

n.1. Scrotum; with qualifiers, a term of abuse. Cf. hoʻolaholaho, laho kole, laho oʻo, laho paka, laho ʻula. See saying, ule 1. (PPN laso.)

2. Male, as pipi laho, bull; puaʻa laho, boar (fig., promiscuous male).

Laho, as I know it, refers to the scrotum, but another term used is ʻeke laho (or ʻete laho, if you are talking to someone from Niʻihau). ʻEke is a bag. Makes sense, huh? Scrotum bag. The word for testicle is hua, same as the word for ovum. Hua can refer to egg, seed, or fruit. These are the “technical” words for that part of the anatomy.

Hua – n. Testicles, Ka hele ā pala nā hua i ka moana, testicles rot at sea [a sailor lacks a sex partner]. He hua pēpē ʻia (Oihk. 21.20), broken testicles. (PNP fua.)

In cattle ranching, when a bull becomes a steer, they ʻoki (cut) the laho, which means that the ʻeke laho is cut and the hua is removed. He is now laho ʻole, without his laho. In one swift move of the knife a bull becomes a steer. Once the wound heals, the ʻeke, though not as big as before, is still an ʻeke. It is a bit confusing even though I have been there, I have seen it, heck I have actually done it (and quite enthusiastically, I might add!). And I have eaten it (nothing like mountain oysters on the hibachi, I tell you, with a bit of Hawaiian salt on it).

Think there are any ʻōlelo noʻeau about laho? Heck yeah! Here you go, all you laho enthusiasts:

Kū ka ule, heʻe ka laho – The penis stands, the scrotum sags (this expression is not meant to be vulgar. When the ule or pōule appears–that is, the breadfruit blossom–it is the sign of the fruiting season. The young breadfruit first appears upright, and as the fruit grows larger its stem bends so that it hangs downward.)

Check it out in this photo.

laho kole

n. Raw scrotum (an insulting reference to poverty).

laho paka

n. Crinkled scrotum (implication that there has been excessive drinking of kava).

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

Interj. Syllables repeated in chants, usually at ends of verses, similar to ēhē; a taunting singsong teasing phrase, used especially by children, meaning “Oh! Oh! Aha! Shame on you! You are going to catch it!” As a verb, to tease. See ex., lei 1, ʻuhene. Also ahana and ahana kōkō lele, both meaningless. 

Mahalo to a hoaaloha (friend) who asked me about a particular phrase we all used in small kid time. Remember “Hana kokolele!” And then we would add on more lines to the taunting.

“Hana kokolele, peanut bata jele, I going tell your mada…” and so on. I am sure many of you have other verses to the tune.

So when my friend asked me what hana kokolele meant, I was dumbfounded. I mean, we don’t always know what we are saying, right? We just said it because someone else said it so we did too! Haha. Monkey see, monkey do mentality. So I looked high and low for answers at various places in the dictionary and eventually found it under ahahana.

Remember the song, “ʻŪlili ē? The lines go: ʻŪlili ē, ahahana, ʻūlili ehehene.” Same.

The taunting part comes when ahahana is used when someone does something they are not supposed to do. The immediate response by children around is: “Ahahana!” Or as we also used to say “halala” or “ahana” or “hana kokolele.” Any of these will do. They all plant fear in the mind of the wrongdoer, or confirm his intended outcome.

Mai ahahana ʻoe i kou pōkiʻi – Don’t tease your young brother.

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

1. nvs. Industrious, busy, hard-working; workman, laborer, worker, industry.

2. n. Implement, tool, utensil, furnishings (Nah. 7.1). Mea paʻahana, tool, workman.

Paʻahana is considered a “Hawaiian value”. A way to live your life. Surely if you look back through our history, it is apparent that our kanaka Hawaiʻi led an industrious life. Extensive cultivation in taro terraces (loʻi kalo), living a subsistent and self sufficient life, farming and fishing and sharing with ʻohana within their ahupuaʻa (land section). Hawaiian practiced paʻahana because their lives literally depended on it. No work = no food, clothes, shelter, transportation.

When foreigners came to Hawaiʻi, there were some remarks as to the laziness of Hawaiians during the day when the sun was out. But who wants to work in the blazing sun? Hawaiians worked in the early mornings and late afternoons more than during the middle of the heat of the day. Even today, when I wake up early in the countryside (I am thinking of Hawaiian Homes areas like Nānākuli, Keaukaha), I see the kupuna raking the leaves in the yard, pruning the bushes, sweeping the streets, and I mean EARLY, as soon as can see. Pau hana, go inside drink coffee and read newspaper. That is paʻahana.

If we break the word in two, we have paʻa, which means to make firm or stuck; and hana – work, task, deed. Literally, to be firm to the task.

This should not be confused with hanapaʻa, a term used by fishermen when the fish bites the hook. Hanapaʻa means to make secure or to fasten.

Paʻahana kākou i kēia mau lā – We are busy these days.

Ua paʻahana ʻo Lei i nehinei – Lei was busy yesterday.

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

n. Intestines, bowels, guts; mind, heart, affections; of the heart or mind; mood, temper, feelings. Fig., child. Cf. naʻau aliʻi, naʻau ʻino, naʻaupō. Helu naʻau (name of an arithmetic book), mental counting. Pōkole ka naʻau, short-tempered, cross. Hoʻopaʻanaʻau, to memorize. Naʻau pōkole, short-tempered; lit., short intestine. (PPN ngaakau.)

Yum! Intestines, bowels, guts! Hawaiians eat naʻau. It has been a long time since I have seen any at a pāʻina, but I remember helping my tūtū prepare. Not everyone would help her. Can be a little smelly. But I have a high tolerance, I suppose.

Naʻau also refers to ones feelings or temper, as Hawaiian believe that we feel not in our hearts (Western thinking) but in our guts. You know, like that knot you get in your stomach? The kind that can even make you double over in pain? Yeah. There. Or those butterflies you feel when you are really nervous? Or in love? Yeah. There. Pehea kou naʻau? What do you think/feel? How does it feel to you? It is from the naʻau that we feel the pangs of love, hatred, anger, hurt. ʻEha ka naʻau – the feelings/the naʻau hurt. That intuition, too. Your naʻau speaks to you. Below are some common uses of naʻau:

• naʻau aliʻi – kind, thoughtful, forgiving, loving (having the insides of a ruler)
• naʻauao – enlightened. “Ao” actually refers to daylight, so literally naʻauao means “lighted guts/innards.” to ʻimi naʻauao is to search for enlightenment. The opposite of naʻauao is…
• naʻaupō – ignorance. Pō is the opposite of ao. Pō is night or darkness so if you are naʻaupō you have dark insides. You are ignorant.
• naʻau ʻino – literally, evil insides. Malicious. Malevolent.
• naʻau pono – righteous insides. Everything that comes from you is good and just.
• hoʻopaʻanaʻau – to memorize. To make it paʻa or firm in the naʻau.

Here is a great ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise saying) using naʻau:

Nāu ke keiki, kūkae a naʻau – The child belongs to you, excreta and intestines. (This is said of a child given as hānai to another couple. The child was given wholeheartedly, with no thought of taking him back. The adoptive parents should accept this child, the good and the bad.)

Kuʻia ka hele a ka naʻau haʻahaʻa – Hesitant walks the humble hearted. (A humble person walks carefully so he will not hurt those about him.)

Pōkole ka naʻau – The intestine is short. (Said of a short-tempered person.)

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

vs. Smooth, thin, as poi; fine, mashed, soft, powdery, supple, limber, as a dancer’s body. Cf. nāwāliwali, niu 1,ʻōnāwali, ʻōnāwaliwali. hoʻo.wali To make soft, smooth, as soil, to mix, as poi or dough; to digest. ʻAila hoʻowali pena, paint thinner. ʻUala hoʻowali ʻia, mashed sweet potatoes. Nā lio kaʻinapu hoʻowali lua (chant), graceful, doubly supple horses. Nā mea hoʻowali a loko, digestive organs. ʻŪlei hoʻowali ʻuala, digging stick of ʻūlei wood that softens [the earth for] sweet potatoes [sexual reference]. (PCP wali.)

This is one of those “it’s all good” words. All positive connotations. Can’t you just picture a favorite hula dancer, maybe from last night’s Merrie Monarch Miss Aloha Hula competition? The dancers just flow when dancing, a body so supple and limber that they are the envy of all hula dancers? That is wali.

Wali reminds me of growing up and mixing poi at my tūtū wahine’s hale. Heaven forbid if there should be lumps in the poi. OUCH! Never hear the end of it. You want to hoʻowali, mix it smooth, young child! All my memories of poi are good ones, including poi wali, smooth poi. Remember the poi bags hanging on the line or drying on the louvers in the kitchen or on the clothesline? Tūtū said those are the good bags because they were nice and thick, good to reuse.

Eh, make sure you kahi that poi bowl good, don’t want dirty sides of the bowl! And everything went with poi, even eggs and bacon. And no matter what, as long as the poi was wali you eat it till it is gone, even if it takes a week. Starts out fresh and ends up with bubbles, white film and a special odor! Just mix em all up. All good. Everyone has their favorite stage of poi.

Hoʻowali i ka poi a wali – Mix the poi until it is smooth.

Hele nō ka wai, hele nō ka ʻalā, wali ka ʻulu o Halepuaʻa – The water flows, the smooth stone [pounder] works, and the breadfruit of Halepuaʻa is well mixed [into poi]. (Everything goes smoothly when one is prosperous. A play on wai and ʻalā (smooth stone). ʻAlā commonly refers to cash. In later times, Hele nō ka wai, hele nō ka ʻalā came to refer to a generous donation. Halepuaʻa is a place in Puna.

Lomia a wali i ka wali lima ʻole a ke aloha – Squeezed and crushed by love, who does it without hands. (Said of a heartrending grief)

Copyright: 2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proberbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.

1. vi. To flash, as lightning; to blaze suddenly, flare up; to rumble uneasily, as a queasy stomach. ʻŌlapa ka hoe a ka lawaiʻa, he ʻino, the fisherman’s paddle flashes, a storm [of haste].

2. n. Several native species and varieties of forest trees (Cheirodendron), with opposite leaves, each leaf divided palmately into three to five (rarely six or seven) leaflets, and with flowers borne in umbels. (Neal 652.) Also ehu, kauila māhu (on Maui), lapalapa, māhu, ʻōlapalapa. Cf. hū ʻōlapa.

3. n. Dancer, as contrasted with the chanter or hoʻopaʻa (memorizer); now, any dance accompanied by chanting, and drumming on a gourd drum.

4. n. Name for the āholehole (fish) used as sacrifice for love sorcery (hana aloha), or for sorcery that sends a bad spirit to plague another (hoʻounauna), probably so called because of the desired rapidity of the spirit’s actions.

5. Same as ʻōlapalapa 3.

Merrie Monarch is here so I thought Iʻd bring to the surface a word related to hula. Today’s word is ʻōlapa. This is the dance or dancer in what is most commonly referred to as “hula kahiko” or ancient hula. But, of course, in “old” Hawaiʻi they wouldnt call their own traditional dance hula kahiko, right? A more “traditional” term is ʻōlapa, as in hula ʻōlapa. ʻŌlapa is also the term used for the dancer of the traditional form of hula. Some hālau hula have the word ʻōlapa as part of their name. See if any of them perform this year!

The hula and hula dancer are said to be called ʻōlapa because of the tree by the same name. As the wind blows, the leaves shimmer and dance in the breeze, reminiscent of our ʻōlapa dancers.

E hula ana nā ʻōlapa – the dancers are going to dance.

ʻŌlapa ka uila i Kāneʻohe – The lightning flashes in Kāneʻohe.

ʻŌlapa ka hoe a ka lawaiʻa, he ʻino – difficult to handle is the paddle of the fisherman in a storm (said of one struggling against a difficult situation. First uttered by Pele in a chant about the winds of Kauaʻi).

Photo compliments of http://www.boardofwatersupply.com

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author.

1. n. Time, turn, season, date, chronology, period of time. Cf. haʻi manawa. No ka manawa, for the time being, for a short time or while, temporary. Ia manawa, ia manawa nō, at this time, then, contemporary. Nā manawa āpau loa, always, all the time. I ka manawa hea, when. ʻElua manawa, twice, two times. No ka manawa pōkole, for a short time or while, for awhile. Mai kēia manawa aku, henceforth, from now on. Manawa iki, a moment. Manawa mau loa, eternal; eternity. Manawa ʻole, in no time, instantly, immediately. Manawa ua, rainy season. Hoʻopaumanawa, to waste time. I kēlā manawa i kēia manawa, now and then, from time to time. ʻO kou manawa kēia, this is your turn. I ka manawa o Ka-mehameha, in the time of Ka-mehameha. Nā bona no ka manawa, term bonds.

2. vs. For a short time, infrequent. Kū manawa ka moku, the ship stops infrequently.

3. n. Affections, feelings, disposition, heart, seat of emotions. Cf. manawahuwā, manawa ʻino, manawaleʻa,manawanui. Hāliʻaliʻa mai ke aloha pili paʻa i kuʻu manawa (song), recalling love dwelling firmly in my affections. (PPNmanawa).

4. n. Anterior fontanel in the heads of infants; top of the head of adults at position of the fontanel.

Wow! That’s a lot of meanings for a relatively simple word. Today we will focus on #4. Anterior fontanel in the heads of infants. Manawa. In that topmost part of a newborn’s head you can actually see it pulsing. Beating. The soft area is what allows the skull bones to “flex” so that the head can pass through the birth canal. It eventually closes after several months.

This part of the baby is considered sacred. Kapu ke poʻo – the head is sacred. That’s why we NEVER EVER hit a baby’s head. Or pet it (like a dog). That’s a no no. I remember learning that early on.

Our kupuna would actually chew up food and place it on the manawa of infants as another way to “feed” the baby. Māna ʻai.  Food chewed by an adult for an infant. Offer sustenance.

In the same way that the manawa of a kanaka is sacred, so, too, is Mauna Kea. As the highest summit IN THE WORLD (yes, if you measure it from the ocean floor to its peak, Mauna a Wākea is the highest peak in the WORLD), it serves as the MANAWA to our earth. It is SACRED. You do not touch it. You do not desecrate it. You do not disrespect it. You FEED it. How? by caring for it. By offering hoʻokupu in the form of oli, mele, hula. By looking up to it (if you are so fortunate to do so everyday here on Hawaiʻi Island) and saying a prayer of thanks for all its glory and beauty. By not blowing it up to build a telescope.

ʻO Mauna Kea ka manawa o ka honua – Mauna Kea is the fontanel of the earth.

Mālama kākou i ka manawa – We care for/protect the fontanel.

Mahalo iā Kalei no kona hoʻomanaʻo ʻana mai no ka mana o ka manawa – Thank you to Kalei for reminding me of the sacred power of the fontanel.

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author.

vi. To wander, drift, ramble, go from place to place; to stray morally or mentally. Cf. hula ʻauana. ʻAuana ka noʻonoʻo, delirium. hō.ʻauana To cause to wander, disperse, as a conqueror disperses an enemy.

Sometimes spelled ʻauwana, we hear this term more often in connection with hula, as in hula ʻauana. If you look up hula ʻauana in the dictionary you will find:

n. Informal hula without ceremony or offering, contrasted with the hula kuahu; modern hula.

How they came up with “modern hula” from hula ʻauana, I am not sure. Maybe when the concept or the style of dancing hula to songs was developed Hawaiians viewed it as a staying away from what was morally correct in our Hawaiian culture. Or maybe they saw it as a rambling way to hula. Cellophane skirts and coconut shell tops would cause me to think that way! Nevertheless, it is good to know its definition, at least to be better informed.

He kanaka ʻauana ʻo ia – He is a wanderer.

Ke ʻauana nei ke keiki i ʻō i ʻaneʻi – The child is wandering here and there.

Copyright:

2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. ALl rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author.