The contents of a low shelf can he stolen by dogs.
[Things carelessly left about can be stolen. First said by Kamalalawalu to Lonoikamakahiki in making fun of the short stature of the latter’s half-brother and chief steward, Pupukea.]
1870
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.]
When one has earned his own livelihood he can take his food and eat it with pride.
1003
Hilo mahi haʻaheo.
Hilo of the proud farmers.
[The climate makes the soil of Hilo very easy to till, so the farmers used to make a game of planting. They used long digging sticks to make the holes and wore lei to work. Working in unison, they made a handsome picture.]
1152
I haʻaheo nō ka lawaiʻa i ka lako i ka ʻupena.
The fisherman may well be proud when well supplied with nets.
[Good tools help the worker to succeed.]
1492
Ka nalu haʻaheo i ka hokua o ke kanaka.
The surf that proudly sweeps over the nape of one’s neck.
[Said of a wind which surges and blows from the back. A play on hokua (crest of high wave).]
1813
Kohala ʻāina haʻaheo.
Kohala, land of the proud.
[The youths, lei-bedecked, were proud of their handsome appearance and of their home district.]
2567
Pāhala, ka ʻāina lepo haʻaheo i ka maka.
Pāhala, land [of those who are] proud of the dust in the faces.
[The people of Pāhala, Kaʻū, like others of that district, are proud of their home, even though the wind-blown dust keeps their faces dirty.]
2735
Pulelo ke ahi haʻaheo i nā pali.
The firebrand soars proudly over the cliffs.
[An expression of triumph. Referring to the firebrand hurling of Kauaʻi, or to the glow of volcanic fire on Hawaiʻi.]
Haʻakua (1)
2631
Piha ʻōpala ke one o Haʻakua.
The sand of Haʻakua is flled with rubbish.
[Said of one who is untidy, or who talks nonsense. Haʻakua is under the Puʻueo end of the railroad bridge that spans the Wailuku River in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.]
ʻO uakeʻe nei i loko o Haʻaloʻu, ʻo ka pō nahunahu ihu.
The little bend in Haʻaloʻu (Bend-over), on the night that the nose is bitten.
[This was said of Kahalaiʻa when he became angry with Kaʻahumanu. He was only a “little bend” whose wrath was no more important then a nip on the nose.]
ʻO Hinaiaʻeleʻele ke kāne, ʻo Pōʻeleʻi ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he keiki ʻakena a haʻanui.
Hinaiaʻeleʻele is the husband, Pōʻeleʻi (Supreme-dark-one) the wife; a child born to them is a boaster and an exaggerator.
[Said of a child born in the month of Hinaiaʻeleʻele.]
Hāʻao (1)
1550
Ka ua Hāʻao o Waiōhinu.
The Hāʻao rain of Waiōhinu.
[A poetical expression in reference to Waiōhinu in Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi. The Hāʻao rain comes down from the mountain in columns to Waiōhinu. It is mentioned in songs and chants of Kaʻū.]
[Said of a hard-working woman who carries a load on her back and a baby in her arms.]
559
He hāʻawe pili.
Carriers of bundles of pili grass.
[A derogatory saying by the followers of Kamehameha for the people of Kaʻū, who covered the road of Kapaukua with pili grass for their chief Keouakuahuʻula.]
575
He hiʻi alo ua milimili ʻia i ke alo, ua hāʻawe ʻia ma ke kua, ua lei ʻia ma ka ʻāʻī.
A beloved one, fondled in the arms, carried on the back, whose arms have gone ahout the neck as a lei. Said of a beloved child.
1892
Kū ka paila, hana ka hāʻawe.
A pile has accumulated; now to carry the load.
[Said of a big accumulation of work that requires effort to clear up. Paila is Hawaiianized from the English “pile.”]
1901
Kū ke paʻi, hana ka hāʻawe.
A big heap that requires carrying on the back.
[A heap of work.]
1328
Ka iʻa hāʻawe i ka paʻakai.
The fish that carries salt on its back.
[The mountain shrimp (ʻōpae kolo), a creature that does not die readily after being removed from the water. Once a stranger arrived at the house of a man noted for his stinginess. While the host loudly deplored his lack of any kind of meat to eat with the poi, a shrimp with a lump of salt on its back crawled out of a container in the corner. The selfish man had placed it there earlier, with the salt for seasoning, intending to eat it himself.]
2386
ʻOi hoʻi he hana hāʻawe o kaumaha.
It isn’t work to carry this heavy burden on the back. It’s no trouble at all.
ʻAʻohe hale i piha i ka hoihoi; hāʻawi mai a lawe aku nō.
No house has a perpetual welcome; it is given and it is taken away.
[A warning not to wear out one’s welcome.]
402
Hāʻawi ka ʻākau, lū ka hema.
The right hand gives, the left hand scatters.
[Said of an extravagant person.]
403
Hāʻawi papa heʻe nalu.
A surfboard giving.
[To give a thing and later ask for its return. A surfboard is usually lent, not given outright.]
1286
Ka hāʻawi a ka mea hale, koe koena ʻole ma kūʻono.
Giving as a house owner does, with nothing left hidden in the corners.
[Said of a very generous person who gives freely of all he has.]
2043
Mai hāʻawi wale i ka lei o ka ʻāʻī o ʻalaʻala.
Do not give a lei too freely lest a scrofulous sore appear on the neek.
[In olden times one never gave the lei he wore except to a person closely related. Should such a lei fall into the hands of a sorcerer who disliked him, a scrofulous sore would appear on his neck. If you wish to make a present of a lei, make a fresh one.]
2432
ʻO ka pā ʻai a ka iʻa, kuhi ka lima, leʻa ka hāʻawi.
With a pearl fishhook that the fish grasps, one can point with the hand and give with pleasure.
[A good fishhook brings in enough food for the family and to give to relatives and friends.]
He hale kanaka, ke ʻalalā ala no keiki, ke hae ala no ka ʻīlio.
It is an inhabited house, for the wail of children and the bark of a dog are heard.
[The signs of living about a home are the voices of humanity and animals. Used in answer to someone’s apology over their children crying or dogs barking.]
2411
ʻO ka ʻīlio kahu nō ka ʻīlio hae.
The dog who has a master is the dog who barks the most.
[Said of a person who resents any disparaging remarks about his chief.]
[Let us hurry, as there is no time for niceties. Kaneʻalohi and his son lived near the lake of Halulu at Waiʻaleʻale, Kauaʻi. They were catchers of ʻuwaʻu birds. Someone falsely accused them of poaching on land belonging to the chief of Hanalei, who sent a large company of warriors to destroy them. The son noticed agitation in the water of Halulu and cried out a warning to his father, who tore the birds to hasten cooking.]
1704
Keiki haehae poko o Naʻalehu.
The lad of Naʻalehu who tears into bits.
[Said in admiration of a strong warrior of Naʻalehu who fearlessly attacks his foes. Later said of a Naʻalehu-born person who shows no fear in any situation.]
Haʻehaʻe (2)
990
Hiki mai ka lā ma Haʻehaʻe, ma luna mai o Kukiʻi.
The sun rises at Haʻehaʻe, above Kukiʻi.
[Haʻehaʻe, in Puna, Hawaiʻi, is often called the gateway of the sun. Kukiʻi is a place in Puna.]
2063
Mai ka lā ʻōʻili i Haʻehaʻe a hāliʻi i ka mole o Lehua.
From the appearance of the sun at Haʻehaʻe till it spreads its light to the foundation of Lehua.
[Haʻehaʻe is a place at Kumukahi, Puna, Hawaiʻi, often referred to in poetry as the gateway of the sun.]
Ke hele maila ko Kaʻū; he iho maila ko Palahemo; he hōkake aʻela i Manukā; haele loa akula i Kaleinapueo.
There come those of Kaʻū; those of Palahemo descend; those of Manukā push this way and that; and away they all go to Kaleinapueo.
[Said when one tries to find out something about another and meets with failure at every turn. A play on place names: ʻū (a grunt of contempt) in Kaʻū; hemo (to get away) in Palahemo; kā (to run along like a vine) in Manukā; and leinapueo (owl’s leaping place) in Kaleinapueo.]
2225
Nā kai haele lua o Kalae, o Kāwili lāua o Halaʻea.
The two sea currents of Kalae — Kāwili and Halaʻea.
[The Halaʻea current, named for an evil chief who was swept away, comes from the east to Kalae and sweeps out to sea. The Kāwili (Hit-and-twist) comes from the west and flows out alongside the Halaʻea. Woe betide anyone caught between.]
[Applied to one who goes groping in the dark. The chiefs held kōnane and other games at the shore of Kou (now central Honolulu), and people came from everywhere to watch. Very often they remained until it was too dark to see and had to grope for their companions.]
1329
Ka iʻa hāhā i kahawai.
The fish groped for in the streams.
[The ʻoʻopu, often caught by groping under rocks and hollow places in a stream.]
2527
ʻO ʻOlepau ka mahina; ʻo palaweka ka mahina; ʻo hina wale ka mahina; ʻo hāhā pōʻele ka mahina.
ʻOlepau is the moon phase; hazy is the light of the moon; quickly goes the light of the moon; one gropes in the dark.
[Said of one who is vague or hazy in explaining his thoughts, or of one whose knowledge is vague.]
E hahai ana nō ke kolekole i kahi nui a ka wahie, a e hahai ana no ke ʻino i kahi nui o ka paʻakai.
Underdone meat follows along even where wood is plentiful, and decomposition follows along even where much salt is found.
[Even where good is found, evil creeps in.]
405
Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau.
Rains always follow the forest.
[The rains are attracted to forest trees. Knowing this, Hawaiians hewed only the trees that were needed.]
2641
Piʻipiʻi hahai moa.
Curly head followed by chickens.
[Kahahana was a handsome, curly-haired man who was compared to a fine cock who attracts the attention of the hens. Said of any curly-haired man who has a way with women.]
Do not pluck the ʻōhelo berries lest we be surrounded by rain and fog.
[A warning not to do anything that would result in trouble. It is kapu to pluck ʻōhelo berries on the way to the crater of Kīlauea. To do so would cause the rain and fog to come and one would lose his way. It is permissible to pick them at the crater if the first ʻōhelo is tossed into the fire of Pele. Then, on the homeward way, one may pick as he pleases.]
Only when your face is slapped should you tell who your ancestors are.
[Hawaiians were taught never to boast of illustrious ancestors. But when one is slandered and called an offspring of worthless people, he should mention his ancestors to prove that the statement is wrong.]
166
ʻAʻohe komo o kā haʻi puaʻa ke paʻa i ka pā.
Other people’s pigs would not come in if the fence were kept in good repair.
[Be prepared always, and you’ll find yourself free of trouble. Also, evil influence cannot enter when one keeps his own mental realm fortified from within.]
167
ʻAʻohe laka o kā haʻi ʻīlio.
Other people’s dogs do not mind you.
[Said as a warning to beware of the gods of others.]
238
ʻAukuʻu hāpapa i ka haʻi loko.
Heron groping in somebody else’s fishpond.
[A man groping for somebody else’s woman.]
276
E hana mua a paʻa ke kahua ma mua o ke aʻo ana aku iā haʻi.
Build yourself a firm foundation before teaching others.
284
E hoʻi e peʻe i ke ōpū weuweu me he moho lā. E ao o haʻi ka pua o ka mauʻu iā ʻoe.
Go back and hide among the clumps of grass like the wingless rail. Be careful not to break even a blade of grass.
[Retum to the country to live a humble life and leave no trace to be noticed and followed. So said the chief Keliʻiwahamana to his daughter when he was dying. Later used as advice to a young person not to be aggressive or show off.]
[An expression used by chiefs meaning, “Let us launch our canoes and go to war whether the other side is willing or not.” This is part of a chant used while transporting newly made canoes from the upland to the sea. A group of men walking abreast carried their burden and shouted this chant.]
Aia a wini kākala, a ʻula ka lepe o ka moa, a laila kau i ka haka.
When the spur is sharp and the comb red, then shall the cock rest on a perch.
[When a boy becomes a man, then shall he take a mate.]
389
Haʻahaʻa haka, pau i ka ʻīlio.
The contents of a low shelf can he stolen by dogs.
[Things carelessly left about can be stolen. First said by Kamalalawalu to Lonoikamakahiki in making fun of the short stature of the latter’s half-brother and chief steward, Pupukea.]
413
Haka kau a ka manu.
Perch on which birds rest.
[A promiscuous woman.]
415
Haka ʻula a Kāne.
Kāne’s red perch.
[A rainbow with red colors predominating.]
819
He moa kani ao ia, a pō kau i ka haka.
He is a cock that crows in the daytime, but when night comes he sits on a perch.
[Said of a person who brags of what he can do, but when difficulties come he is the first to remove himself from the scene.]
1289
Ka haka o ka moa kāne, ua kau ʻia e ka moa wahine.
The perch of the cock is now occupied by a hen.
[Said by Puna, whom Kalaniʻōpuʻu placed as governor in Hāna, Maui. Mahihelelima wanted Puna out of the way and lied that Kalaniʻōpuʻu had sent word for Puna to meet him in Hawaiʻi at once. When Puna arrived in Hawaiʻi, he discovered that he had been duped and that Kaʻuiki hill in Hāna had been taken by the Maui chiefs in the meantime. The saying was later used to mean that a superior worker had been replaced by another who was not as good.]
2518
ʻO nā ʻunihipili o Keaweʻolouha ua haʻalele i ka haka.
The deified relatives of Keaweʻolouha have deserted the person they possessed.
[A play on Keawe-ʻolo-uha (Keawe-with-the-sagging-colon), a term applied to one who is too lazy to work. Those who depended on him soon deserted.]
Fill the hole from which the plant has been removed.
[Find someone to replace one who has gone away or died.]
1814
Kohala ihu hakahaka.
Kohala of the gaping nose.
[Kohala is full of hills, and the people there are said to breathe hard from so much climbing.]
2145
Maui poʻo hakahaka.
Maui the empty headed.
[The people of Maui were said to lack intelligence. This saying originally referred to the empty skulls of defeated Maui warriors.]
Hakaio (1)
2796
Ua kaʻa ʻia e Hakaio.
Rolled over by Hakaio.
[Said of a woman with a beautiful figure. Hakaio was the name of a supematural tapa beater that rolled itself over the legendary heroine Keamalu to beautify her figure after her bath.]
Hakalau (1)
115
Alu ka pule i Hakalau.
Concentrate your prayers on Hakalau.
[Whenever concentration and united effort are required, this saying is used. A sorcerer at Hakalau once created havoc in his own and other neighborhoods. Many attempts to counter-pray him failed until a visiting kahuna suggested that all of the others band together to concentrate on the common enemy. This time they succeeded.]
Hakalauʻai (1)
146
ʻAʻohe i hiki i Hakalauʻai, pae ʻē i Keolewa.
Hakalauʻai was never reached, for he landed at Keolewa instead.
[Before one could receive sufficient food for all his requirements, he found his efforts suspended. A play on Haka-lau-ʻai (Rack-for-much-food) and Ke-olewa (Suspend-in-space).]
Haki kākala o Piʻilani, ʻike pono ʻo luna iā lalo.
Roughness breaks in Piʻilani, those above recognize those below.
[A storm breaks loose and those above — rain, lightning, thunder, wind — show their effects to the people below.]
504
Hāwāwā ka heʻe nalu haki ka papa.
When the surf rider is unskilled, the board is broken.
[An unskilled worker bungles instead of being a help. There is also a sexual connotation: When the man is unskilled, the woman is dissatisfied.]
702
He koʻokoʻo haki wale.
A staff that breaks easily.
[A weak leader.]
1202
I ke alo nō o ka lawaiʻa lā a pūkē hewa nā leho, haki wale nā kākala.
It was right in front of the fishermen that the cowry shells came together violently and the spikes broke off.
[In spite of watchfulness, trouble occurs. The leho is a cowry-shell octopus lure fashioned with a spike on it.]
1429
Ka lālā kaukonakona haki ʻole i ka pā a ka makani Kona.
The tough branch that does not break in the Kona gales.
[Said of a sturdy, strong person.]
Hakipuʻu (1)
248
E aha ʻia ana o Hakipuʻu i ka palaoa lāwalu ʻono a Kaʻehu?
What is happening to Hakipuu, with dough cooked in ti leaves, of which Kaehu is so fond?
[This is a line of a chant composed by Kaʻehu, a poet and hula instructor from Kauaʻi. It refers to a part-white woman with whom he flirted. Used in humor when referring to Hakipuʻu, a place on the windward side of Oʻahu.]
[Priests and others were known to go in search of a worthy chief to serve.]
2127
Ma loko o ka hale, hoʻopuka ʻia ka pili, a ma waho o ka hale, he haku ia.
Inside of the house you may mention your relationship, but outside of the house your chief is your lord.
[Those who served the chief in his home were usually loyal blood relatives. From childhood they were taught not to discuss the relationship with anyone outside of the household, and always to refer to their chief as Kuu haku (My lord), never by any relationship term. Only the chief could mention a relationship if he chose.]
Gone on the road from which there is no returning.
[Death.]
Halaʻea (2)
1819
Kō ke au iā Halaʻea.
The current carried Halaʻea away.
[Said of one who goes out and forgets to return. Halaʻea was a chief of Kaʻū who was so selfish that he demanded every fish caught by the fishermen. After years of going without fish, the fishermen rebelled. One day, the whole fleet went to the fishing grounds outside of Kalae and did not return. The chief wanted the catch and ordered a servant to go and ask for it. The servant refused, and in anger the chief went himself. When he asked for the fish the whole fleet turned the prows of their canoes shoreward. One by one the fishermen unloaded their fish onto the chief’s canoe. The canoe began to sink under the weight of the fish, and the chief cried out to the men to stop. They refused. The chief, his canoe, and his fish were swept out on the current and never seen again. This current, which comes from the east and flows out to sea at Kalae, is known as Ke au o Halaʻea.]
2225
Nā kai haele lua o Kalae, o Kāwili lāua o Halaʻea.
The two sea currents of Kalae — Kāwili and Halaʻea.
[The Halaʻea current, named for an evil chief who was swept away, comes from the east to Kalae and sweeps out to sea. The Kāwili (Hit-and-twist) comes from the west and flows out alongside the Halaʻea. Woe betide anyone caught between.]
He hālau a hālau ko ka niu, hoʻokahi nō hālau o ka niuniu.
The coconut tree has many shelters to go to; but the person who merely aspires has but one.
[Said in scom to or of a person of low rank who assumes the air of a chief. A true chief (niu) is welcome every-where he goes; a pretender is only welcome in his own circle.]
Hālau-a-ola (1)
2017
Loaʻa ke ola i Hālau-a-ola.
Life is obtained in the House-of-life.
[One is happy, safe, well again. A play on ola (life, health, healing, contentment, and peace after a struggle).]
Hālawa (1)
432
Hālawa, inu wai kūkae.
Hālawa drinker of excreta water.
[An insult applied to the kauā of Hālawa, Molokaʻi.]
[When steel and flint come together, sparks result; so it is with two persons who cannot get along.]
2059
Mai ka hoʻokuʻi a ka hālāwai.
From zenith to horizon.
[An expression mueh used in prayers. In calling upon the gods in prayers, one mentions those from the east, west, north, south, and those from zenith to horizon.]
ʻAʻohe hale i piha i ka hoihoi; hāʻawi mai a lawe aku nō.
No house has a perpetual welcome; it is given and it is taken away.
[A warning not to wear out one’s welcome.]
Haleakalā (1)
96
Akāka wale ʻo Haleakalā.
Haleakalā stands in full view.
[Said of anything that is very obvious or clearly understood.]
Haleʻauʻau (1)
121
A nui mai ke kai o Waialua, moe pupuʻu o Kalena i Haleʻauʻau.
When the sea is rough at Waialua, Kalena curls up to sleep in Haleʻauʻau.
[Applied to a person who prefers to sleep instead of doing chores. A play on lena (lazy), in Kalena, who was a fisherman, and hale (house) in Haleʻauʻau.]
Haleleʻa (1)
1586
Ka ua Makakoʻi o Haleleʻa.
The Adz-edged rain of Haleleʻa.
[A rain so cold that it feels like the sharp edge of an adz on the skin. Refers to Haleleʻa, Kauaʻi.]
A lot of trash accumulated with the rocks in the streams.
[The sign of a storm. Also said of the many useless, hurtful words uttered in anger.]
Halemano (2)
433
Halemano honi palai o uka.
Halemano smells the ferns of the upland.
[At Halemano, Oʻahu, the breezes bring the fragrance of ferns from the upland.]
2379
ʻOhuʻohu Halemano i ka lau lehua.
Bedecked is Halemano with lehua leaves.
[An expression of admiration for a good-looking person.]
Halepuaʻa (1)
755
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 (water) 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, Hawaiʻi.]
[The ʻanaeholo, a fish that travels from Honouliuli, where it breeds, to Kaipāpaʻu on the windward side of Oʻahu. It then turns about and returns to its original home. It is driven closer to shore when the wind is strong.]
1458
Ka makani hali ʻala o Puna.
The fragrance-bearing wind of Puna.
[Puna, Hawaiʻi, was famed for the fragrance of maile, lehua, and hala. It was said that when the wind blew from the land, fishermen at sea could smell the fragrance of these leaves and flowers.]
Hālō aku ma ʻō, he maka helei; kiʻei mai ma ʻaneʻi, he ʻoʻopa.
Peer over there and there is someone with a drawn-down eyelid; peep over here and here is a lame one.
[No matter which way one turns there is a sign of bad luck.]
793
He mamo na Hālō me Kiʻei.
A descendant of Peep and Peer.
[Said of a snoopy person.]
1174
I ka ʻai, i ka nānā; i ka ʻai, i ka hālō; i ka ʻai, i ke kiʻei.
Eat, look about; eat, peer; eat, peep.
[Said of the eating of a thief — the eyes dart here and there to see if anyone is coming.]
1479
Ka manu kaʻupu hālō ʻale o ka moana.
The kaʻupu, the bird that observes the ocean.
[Said of a careful observer.]
Hāloa (5)
308
Eia ua lani a Hāloa i pili ai ka hanu i ke kapu.
Here is a chief descended from Hāloa, whose kapu makes one hold his breath in dread.
[A compliment to a chief. To be able to trace descent from Hāloa, an ancient chief, was to be of very high rank from remote antiquity.]
1227
ʻIliʻili o Hāloa.
Pebbles of Hāloa.
[Descendants of chiefs of Hāloa, grandson of Wākea and Papa, or any chiefs descended from the gods.]
1700
Ke hōʻole mai nei o Hāloa.
Hāloa denies that.
[Hāloa is the god of taro. It was said that whatever business was discussed before an open poi bowl was denied by Hāloa. If a medical kahuna was called while eating, he took it as a sign that he was not the right person to treat the sick one. However, if he was told while eating that someone was dying, he was able to treat the illness, for Hāloa would deny the death.]
2052
Mai hoʻomāuna i ka ʻai o huli mai auaneʻi o Hāloa e nānā.
Do not be wasteful of food lest Hāloa turn around and stare [at you].
[Do not be wasteful, especially of poi, because it would anger Hāloa, the taro god, who would someday let the waster go hungry.]
2204
Nā aliʻi o ke kuamoʻo o Hāloa.
Chiefs of the lineage of Hāloa.
[Said of high chiefs whose lineage goes back to ancient times — to Hāloa, son of Wākea. Wākea mated with Hoʻohokukalani and had two sons, both named Hāloa. The older Hāloa was born a taro, the younger one a man. It was this younger brother that the high chiefs name with pride as their ancestor.]
I say “māmaki” and you say “hamaki.” How are they alike?
[Once a Hawaiian had some tapa made of māmaki bark which he wished to trade with some white sailors. He did not speak English and they did not speak Hawaiian. He said, “He kapa māmaki kēia.” (“This is kapa made of māmaki.”) Although they did not know exactly what he said, they understood that his goods were for sale. They asked, “How much?” He thought they were asking what kind of tapa he had, so he answered, “Māmaki.” Again the sailors asked, “How much?” which sounded like “hamaki” to the Hawaiian. In exasperation he cried, “I say ʻmāmaki’ and you say ʻhamaki.’How are they alike?” This utterance came to apply to two people who absolutely cannot agree.]
Hāmākua (7)
438
Hāmākua ʻāina pali loa.
Hāmākua, land of tall cliffs.
[Praise of Hāmākua, Hawaiʻi.]
439
Hāmākua i ka wakawaka.
Irregular and rough Hāmākua.
[Praise of Hāmākua, a district of gulches and valleys.]
440
Hāmākua i ke ala ʻūlili.
Hāmākua of the steep trails.
[Praise of Hāmākua, a land of precipices and gulches where the old trails were often steep and difficult to travel on.]
441
Hāmākua kihi loa.
Hāmākua with a long corner.
[One corner of Hāmākua touches every district of Hawaiʻi except Puna. Also, a play on kihi loa. A native of Hāmākua is said to avoid meeting strangers. Because of bashfulness or disinclination to share his possessions, he will turn aside (kihi) and go a long way away (loa).]
728
Hele a ʻīlio pīʻalu ka uka o Hāmākua i ka lā.
Like a wrinkled dog is the upland of Hāmākua in the sunlight.
[An uncomplimentary remark about an aged, wrinkled person. Line from a chant.]
1568
Ka ua kīhene lehua o Hāmākua.
The rain that produces the lehua clusters of Hāmākua.
1597
Ka ua pehi hala o Hāmākua.
The rain of Hāmākua that pelts the pandanus fruit clusters.
When the mouth yawns, it is a night on which no fish are caught.
[A sleepy, yawning person isn’t likely to be out catching fish.]
443
Hāmama nā paniwai o Kulanihākoʻi.
The lids of Kulanihākoʻi are removed.
518
He ʻai leo ʻole, he ʻīpuka hāmama.
Food unaccompanied by a voice; a door always open.
[Said about the home of a hospitable person. The food can be eaten without hearing a complaint from the owners, and the door is never closed to any visitor.]
[Hold your silence or trouble will come to us. When the people went to gather pearl oysters at Puʻuloa, they did so in silence, for they believed that if they spoke, a gust of wind would ripple the water and the oysters would vanish.]
ʻEwa is made cold by the fish that silences the voice. Hush!
[A warning to keep still. First uttered by Hiʻiaka to her friend Wahineʻomaʻo to warn her not to speak to Lohiʻau while they were in a canoe near ʻEwa.]
1331
Ka iʻa hāmau leo o ʻEwa.
The fish of ʻEwa that silences the voice.
[The pearl oyster, which has to be gathered in silence.]
[Said of one who is verbally ambitious but does nothing to attain his goal, or of one who is full of flattery and false promises.]
Hamohamo (2)
829
He moʻopuna na Pālau o Hamohamo.
A grandchild of Pālau, resident of Hamohamo.
[A braggart. A play on Pālau (Idle talk) and Hamohamo (Flatter).]
1044
Hoʻi ʻolohelohe i ke kula o Hamohamo.
Going home destitute on the plain of Hamohamo.
[Going home empty-handed. A play on hamo (rub), as in the act of rubbing the hands together to indicate that one is empty-handed. Hamohamo is a place in Waikīkī.]
[Said of a person who is mean and willful, with no thought for anyone but himself. He is compared to the heroic figures of old (akua) who were born deformed and abandoned as infants, then rescued and raised to adulthood. Such persons were often belligerent by nature.]
139
ʻAʻohe hana a Kauhikoa; ua kau ka waʻa i ke ʻaki.
Kauhikoa has nothing more to do; his canoe is resting on the block.
[His work is all done.]
140
ʻAʻohe hana a Kauhikoa, ua kau ke poʻo i ka uluna.
Kauhikoa has nothing more to do but rest his head on the pillow.
[Everything is done and one can take his ease. Kauhikoa, a native of Kohala, was a clever person who could quickly accomplish what others would take months to do.]
141
ʻAʻohe hana i nele i ka uku.
No deed lacks a reward.
[Every deed, good or bad, receives its just reward.]
[Said of a fisherman or farmer who begins work before sunrise and continues into the daylight hours.]
Hāna (6)
451
Hāna i ka iʻa iki.
Hāna of the little fish.
[Believing slanderous tales about Kuʻula and his wife, Hinahele, the ruling chief of Hāna ordered them destroyed. Having mana over the fish of the sea, the two caused a scarcity until their son ʻAiʻai brought them back to life. Kuʻula and Hinahele were worshipped as deities by fishermen.]
460
Hāna, mai Koʻolau a Kaupō.
Hāna, from Koʻolau to Kaupō.
[The extent of the district of Hāna, Maui.]
1566
Ka ua kea o Hāna.
The white rain of Hāna.
[Refers to the misty rain of Hāna, Maui, that comes in from the sea.]
1578
Ka ua Lanihaʻahaʻa o Hāna.
The Rain-of-the-low-sky of Hāna
[Refers to Hāna, Maui. once, the young warrior chief Kaʻeokulani ran to a banana grove to escape a sudden squall. As he stood safe and dry in the shelter of the banana leaves he lifted his spear. It accidentally pierced through the leaves and a trickle of water came through. He remarked that the sky where he stood was so low he had pierced it.]
2124
Mālia Hāna ke ahuwale nei Kaihuokala.
Hāna is calm, for Kaihuokala is clearly seen.
[Kaihuokala is a hill on the Hāna side of Haleakalā. When no cloud rests upon it, it is a sign of clear weather. Also expressed Mālie Maui, ke waiho maila Kaihuokala.]
[One offers ʻawa and prayers to the dead so that their spirits may grow strong and be a source of help to the family.]
277
E hea i ke kanaka e komo ma loko e hānai ai a hewa ka waha.
Call to the person to enter; feed him until he can take no more.
[Originally a reply to a password into a hula school. Used later in songs and in speech to extend hospitality.]
449
Hānai ʻia i ka ʻiao.
Fed with ʻiao fish.
[One is given small gifts to interest him until, like the deep-sea fish, he takes the hook and is landed. The ʻiao is a small fish used as a bait for large, deep-sea fish.]
450
Hānai ʻia i ka poli o ka lima.
Fed in the palm of the hand.
[Said of a child reared with constant attention.]
452
Hānai holoholona, ʻaʻohe lohe i ka ʻohumu.
Feed animals and no complaints are heard.
[A retort by one who is criticized for raising animals instead of children.]
[Said to people who adopt or take in children to raise. Children can be helpful.]
Hanakahi (6)
463
Hananeʻe ke kīkala o ko Hilo kini; hoʻi luʻuluʻu i ke one o Hanakahi.
The hips of Hilo’s multitude were sagging as they returned, laden, to Hanakahi.
[Used to express the weight of grief, or to mean that a person has a heavy load to carry. Lines from a chant entitled, “Hoe Puna i ka Waʻa.”]
999
Hilo Hanakahi.
Hilo, land of Hanakahi.
[Hanakahi was the name of a chief of Hilo in ancient times.]
1969
Lei Hanakahi i ke ʻala me ke onaona o Panaʻewa.
Hanakahi is adorned with the fragrance and perfume of Panaʻewa.
[The forest of Panaʻewa was famous for its maile vines and hala and lehua blossoms, well liked for making lei, so Hilo (Hanakahi) was said to be wreathed with fragrance.]
1999
Like nō i ka laʻi o Hanakahi.
All the same in the calm of Hanakahi.
[There is unity; all are as one. A play on kahi (one) in the place name Hanakahi.]
2033
Luʻuluʻu Hanakahi i ka ua nui.
Weighted down is Hanakahi hy the heavy rain.
[Hanakahi, Hilo, was named for a chief of ancient times. This expression was much used in dirges to express heaviness of the heart, as tears pour like rain.]
2154
Me he makamaka lā ka ua no Kona, ke hele lā a kipa i Hanakahi.
The rain is like a friend from Kona — it goes and calls on Hanakahi.
[These are two lines from an old chant used to express a friendly visit with one who dwells in a distant place.]
Hanakāpīʻai (3)
1399
Ka iki koaiʻe a Hanakāpīʻai.
The small koaiʻe tree of Hanakāpīʻai.
[A boast of that locality on Kauaʻi. One may be small in stature but he is as tough and sturdy as the koaiʻe tree.]
1517
Ka ʻoʻopu peke o Hanakāpīʻai.
The short ʻoʻopu of Hanakāpīʻai.
[The ʻoʻopu at Hanakāpīʻai on Kauaʻi were said to be shorter and plumper than those anywhere else. Mentioned in chants.]
2529
ʻOʻopu peke o Hanakāpīʻai.
The stunted ʻoʻopu fish of Hanakāpīʻai.
[Famed in the legends of Kauaʻi are the ʻoʻopu of Hanakāpīʻai, which are said to be plump and shorter in length than those elsewhere. Sometimes applied humorously to a short, plump person.]
Hanalē (2)
162
ʻAʻohe kana mai o ka holo o ka lio ia Hanalē; pākahi a ka lio, pālua a ka lio.
How Henry made the horses run; one on a horse or two on a horse.
[How hunger (Henry) made the fingers work in conveying poi to the mouth — with one fmger and with two.]
992
Hiki maila nā hoaloha, ʻo Keʻolohaka lāua ʻo Hanalē.
The friends Keʻolohaka and Hanalē have come.
[The friends Vacancy and Hunger are here. Said in fun when one is very hungry.]
Hanalei (3)
1584
Ka ua loku o Hanalei.
The pouring rain of Hanalei.
2034
Luʻuluʻu Hanalei i ka ua nui; kaumaha i ka noe o Alakaʻi.
Heavily weighted is Hanalei in the pouring rain; laden down by the mist of Alakaʻi.
[An expression used in dirges and chants of woe to express the burden of sadness, the heaviness of grief, and tears pouring freely like rain. Rains and fogs of other localities may also be used.]
2151
Meʻe uʻi o Hanalei.
The handsome hero of Hanalei.
[Said of one who is attractive.]
Hanamāʻulu (1)
2320
No Hanamāʻulu ka ipu puehu.
The quickly emptied container belongs to Hanamāʻulu.
[Said of the stingy people of Hanamāʻulu, Kauaʻi — no hospitality there. At one time, food containers would be hidden away and the people of Hanamāʻulu would apologize for having so little to offer their guests.]
Aia kēkē nā hulu o ka umauma hoʻi ke kōlea i Kahiki e hānau ai.
When the feathers on the breast darken [because of fatness] the plover goes back to Kahiki to breed.
[A person comes here, grows prosperous, and goes away without a thought to the source of his prosperity.]
230
ʻAʻole nō i ʻike ke kanaka i nā nani o kona wahi i hānau ʻia ai.
A person doesn’t see all the beauties of his birthplace.
[One doesn’t see how beautiful his birthplace is until he goes away from home.]
387
Ēwe hānau o ka ʻāina.
Natives of the land.
[People who were born and dwelt on the land.]
464
Hānau ʻia i ka pō Lāʻau, lāʻau nā iwi, he koa.
Born was he on a Lāʻau night for his bones are hard and he is fearless.
[Said of a bold, fearless person. Lāʻau nights are a group of nights in the lunar month. The days following each of these nights are believed to be good for planting trees.]
465
Hānau ʻia i Kaulua, he koa wiwo ʻole.
Born in Kaulua, a warrior brave is he.
[Said of one born in the month of Kaulua.]
467
Hānau ke aliʻi i loko o Holoholokū, he aliʻi nui; hānau ke kanaka i loko o Holoholokū, he aliʻi nō; hānau ke aliʻi ma waho aʻe o Holoholokū, ʻaʻohe aliʻi, he kanaka ia.
The child of a chief born in Holoholokū is a high chief; the child of a commoner born in Holoholokū is a chief; the child of a chief born outside of the borders of Holoholokū is a commoner.
[Holoholokū, sacred birthplace of the chiefs, is in Wailua, Kauaʻi.]
Papani ka uka o Kapela; puaʻi hānono wai ʻole o Kukaniloko; pakī hunahuna ʻole o Holoholokū; ʻaʻohe mea nāna e ʻaʻe paepae kapu o Līloa.
Close the upland of Kapela; no red water gushes from Kukaniloko; not a particle issues from Holoholokū; there is none to step over the sacred platform of Līloa.
[The old chiefs and their sacredness are gone; the descendants are no longer laid to rest at Ka-pela-kapu-o-Kakaʻe at ʻīao; the descendants no longer point to Kukaniloko on Oʻahu and Holoholokū on Kauaʻi as the sacred birthplaces; there is no one to tread on the sacred places in Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi, where Līloa once dwelt.]
Here is a chief descended from Hāloa, whose kapu makes one hold his breath in dread.
[A compliment to a chief. To be able to trace descent from Hāloa, an ancient chief, was to be of very high rank from remote antiquity.]
353
E moni i ke koko o ka inaina, ʻumi ka hanu o ka hoʻomanawanui.
Swallow the blood of wrath and hold the breath of patience.
381
ʻEu kōlea i kona puapua; ʻeu ke kanaka i kona hanu.
A plover stirs its tail; a man stirs because of the breath within.
[Said by Kaʻiana, who led an army in battle under Kamehameha I. When the Puna fighters refused to battle against Keouakuahuʻula because of the close kinship between their own district and Kaʻū, Kaʻiana said this to urge them to think of themselves and their own lives. Encouraged, the warriors resumed fīghting and won the victory for Kamehameha.]
1332
Ka iʻa hanu ʻala o kahakai.
The fragrant-breathed fish of the beach.
[The līpoa, a seaweed with an odor easily detected from a distance.]
1383
Ka iʻa ʻumi i ka hanu.
The fish that holds the breath.
[The wana, or sea urchin. The fisherman holds his breath as he dives for them.]
1958
Lawe ka hanu i ʻOlepau.
The breath was taken to ʻOlepau.
[A play on ʻole (no) and pau (finished) Said of one who dies by accident, in a war, etc., and not from natural causes. ʻOlepau is a moon phase in the lunar month.]
[Now is the opportune time to venture forth. Mokuola, now known as Coconut Island, is a small island in Hilo Bay believed to have curative influences. The sick who swam around it recovered, and a person who could swim around it three times under water would have a long life. When the sea receded, one could swim part way around with little effort.]
[Hawaiians were generally easygoing and didn’t order people off their lands or regard them as trespassers. When the whites began to own lands, people began to be arrested for trespassing and the lands were fenced in to keep the Hawaiians out.]
477
Haole kī kōlea!
Plover-shooting haole!
[Blundering Caucasian. Said in exasperation of a white person. The haole, in going plover hunting, shoots with his gun, killing some, maiming others. The maimed can fly elsewhere to die or become victims of some other animal. But the Hawaiian goes quietly at night with a net. He takes what he wants and lets the others escape unharmed.]
480
Hapa haole ʻiʻo ʻoniʻoni.
Half-white with quivering flesh.
[What restless, active people these part-Caucasians are!]
1326
Ka iʻa ʻawaʻawa a ka haole.
The foreigners’ sour fish.
[Salted salmon, a fish commonly eaten by Hawaiians after its introduction here.]
1960
Lawe liʻiliʻi ka make a ka Hawaiʻi, lawe nui ka make a ka haole.
Death by Hawaiians takes a few at a time; death by foreigners takes many.
[The diseases that were known in the islands before the advent of foreigners caused fewer deaths than those that were introduced.]
[Breadfruit trees of Niʻihau were grown in sinkholes. The trunks were not visible, and the branches seemed to spread along the ground. These trees are famed in chants of Niʻihau.]
[This was first uttered in a chant by Hiʻiaka, who, upon arriving at Kauaʻi to seek Lohiʻau, found no friendliness from his sister Kahuanui and her people.]
1866
Kuhikuhi kahi lima i luna, hāpapa kahi lima i lalo.
One hand points upward, the other gropes downward.
[Said of a religious leader who teaches others to seek heavenly wealth while he himself seeks worldly possessions.]
2423
ʻO ka makapō wale nō ka mea hāpapa i ka pōuli.
ʻOnly the blind grope in darkness.
[Said to one who gropes around instead of going directly to the object he is seeking.]
[At time of famine no one was particular about the kind of fish he received.]
2364
ʻOhi hāpuku ka makapehu o Kaunu.
The hungry of Kaunu greedily gather.
[Said of one who greedily takes anything, good or inferior. Also said of one who talks carelessly without regard for the feelings of others.]
2365
ʻOhi hāpuku ka wahie o Kapaʻau.
Anything was gathered up as fuel at Kapaʻau.
[Said of one who takes anything and everything. At one time Kohala suffered a drought and food became scarce. The women did their best to raise food at ʻAinakea while the men traveled far in search of some means of relieving the famine. In order to cook their meager, inferior crops, the women used whatever they found for fuel — dried sugar-cane leaves, grasses, potatoes, and so forth.]
If the hāpuʻu is the food, it is the food of death.
[When famine came many depended on hāpuʻu to sustain life, but it required much work to prepare. There was the cutting, the preparation of the imu, and three whole days during which the hāpuʻu cooked. If the food was done then, hunger was stayed; if not, there was another long delay, and by that time someone may have starved to death.]
[Living in a land where it snows was believed to lighten the skin.]
1403
Ka ʻili hau pā kai o ʻAlio.
The hau bark, wet by the sea sprays of ʻAlio.
[This is a reference to a strong shore-dweller. Salt air and sea sprays made the bark of the hau trees on the shore stronger than those of the upland. ʻAlio is a place on Kauaʻi.]
1457
Ka makani haʻihaʻi lau hau o Olowalu.
The hau-leaf tearing wind of Olowalu.
[A gusty wind.]
1744
Kekeʻe hau o Maʻalo.
Crooked are the hau trees of Maʻalo.
[A humorous saying. The hau grove of Maʻalo, Maui, was known as a place for illicit love affairs.]
1754
Ke kololio ka hau o uka, kō mai ka nae ʻaʻala o ke kiele.
When the dew-laden breeze of the upland creeps swiftly down it brings with it the fragrance of the gardenias.
[Said of pretty young women who squat and do nothing — they are good lookers but not good workers. A play on lena (lazy) in Kalena.]
Hau (2)
1303
Ka Hau o Maʻihi.
The Hau [breeze] of Maʻihi.
[Refers to Maʻihi, Kona, Hawaiʻi. Because this locality was named for Maʻihi-ala-kapu-o-Lono, daughter of the god Lono-a-ipu, this wind was regarded as sacred and did not blow beyond Kainaliu and Keauhou.]
2170
Moe kokolo ka uahi o Kula, he Hau.
The smoke of Kula traveled low and swift, borne by the Hau wind.
[Said of one who is swift in movement. Also, in love and war much depends on swiftness and subtlety.]
Hāʻulelau is at Kalalau, and Lūalii is at Kauliʻiliʻi.
[Such a scattering all over the place, like fallen leaves, with bits and pieces all strewn about. A play on haule-lau (fallen leaves), kalalau (wander around), lū-aliʻi (scatter in pieces), and kau-liʻiliʻi (a little here and a little there).]
[Used about something disturbing, like a violent argument. When the people of ʻEwa went to gather the pipi (pearl oyster), they did so in silence, for if they spoke, a Moaʻe breeze would suddenly blow across the water, rippling it, and the oysters would disappear.]
Mat of the forest to which no strips are added in making.
[Said of a bed made of fern, banana, or other leaves of the forest — one needs no strips of lauhala or other material to make a mat.]
Hauola (3)
1425
Ka laʻi o Hauola.
The calm of Hauola.
[Peace and comfort. There is a stone in the sea at Lahama, Maui, called Pōhaku-o-Hauola, where pregnant women went to sit to ensure an easy birth. The umbilical cords of babies were hidden in crevices in the stone.]
1939
Laʻi Hauola i ke kai māʻokiʻoki.
Peaceful Hauola by the choppy sea.
[Peace and tranquility in the face of disturbance.]
2012
Liʻuliʻu wale ka nohona i ka lā o Hauola, a holoholo i ke one o ʻAlio.
Long has one tarried in the sunlight of Hauola and walked on the sand of ʻAlio.
[Said in praise of an aged person. There is a play on ola (life) in the name Hauola.]
Not well hidden, for it is the hiding of little children.
Hāʻupu (6)
496
Hāʻupu mauna kilohana i ka laʻi.
Hāʻupu, a mountain outstanding in the calm.
[Said of a person of outstanding achievement. Also used in praise of Hāʻupu, Kauaʻi.]
1395
Kaʻi ka puaʻa i luna o Hāʻupu, e ua ana.
When the pigs move around the summit of Hāʻupu, it is going to rain.
[When puffy “pig” clouds encircle the top of Hāʻupu, above Kīpū on Kauaʻi, it is a sign of rain.]
1513
Kaʻohu wānana ua o Hāʻupu.
The mist of Hāʻupu that foretells rain.
[When clouds circle the peak of Hāʻupu, Kauaʻi, it is sure to rain.]
2525
ʻO ʻoe hoʻi kahi i Hāʻupu kēlā, ua kupu a kiʻekiʻe i luna.
You, too, were on the tall hill of Haʻupu going all the way up to the very top.
[Said sarcastically to a person who boasts of his greatness.]
2780
Ua hala ka wawā i Hāʻupu.
The loud talking has gone to Haupu.
[The gossip is now widespread.]
2823
Ua loha nā hui o Hāʻupu.
The flippers of Hāʻupu droop.
[Said poetically of an aged person. The ridges on both sides of Hā’upu hill on Kaua’i go down gradually, with a rise here and there, but none is as high as Hā’upu itself.]
Hāʻupukele (2)
21
Ahuwale nā pae puʻu o Hāʻupukele.
The row of Hāʻupukele’s hills are in full view.
[Said of anything that is exposed or very obvious.]
1485
Ka moe kau a Moi, ke kahuna mana o Hāʻupukele.
You sleep like Moi, the powerful kahuna of Haupukele.
[Said to one who oversleeps. The kahuna Moi, of Hāʻupukele, Molokaʻi, had a long, prophetic dream of misfortune to befall his chief. The chief paid no attention and kidnapped a chiefess of Hilo. This led to a war with her sons, Niheu and Kana.]
Hauʻula (1)
1314
Ka hilu pani wai o Hauʻula.
The water-damming hilu fish of Hauula.
[Refers to Hauʻula, Oʻahu. In ancient days, two brothers came from Kahiki in the form of hilu fish. Near Oʻahu they separated, one going to the east side of the island and the other to the west. The younger brother was caught in a net at Hauʻula and divided among the families of the fishermen. When the older brother arrived he was grieved to find pieces of his brother’s body throughout the village. He went to the upland and dammed the water of the stream with his own body. After a while he rose, and the backed-up water rushed down, sweeping everyone into the sea. The pieces of his brother’s body were joined again into a hilu fish.]
[An ignoramus. Hāwaʻe is a short-spined sea urchin that is full of liquid and has no meat. Also expressed as Hāwaʻe ʻiʻo ʻole (meatless hāwaʻe).]
2409
ʻO ka iki hāwaʻe ihola nō ia o Miloliʻi.
Here is the little sea urchin of Miloliʻi.
[A boast. I am small but potent.]
Hāwaʻe (1)
1072
Hoʻokahi no Hāwaʻe, lauhue Kona.
Only one Hāwaʻe, and poisonous gourds grow all over Kona.
[In Kona, Hawaiʻi, a priest named Hāwaʻe lived during the reign of Ehukaipo. In every important heiau in that district, an image named for this priest was kept. Many people were sacrificed to these evil namesakes of Hāwaʻe.]
[From a children’s game in which one made a number of sand piles and buried filth in one of them. When a child dug into the sand and drew out a hand smeared with filth, the others shouted this. Also used to imply that one is taking part in a shady deal.]
500
Hawahawa ka lima i ka haʻi kūkae.
The hand is only soiled by the excreta of others.
[Sometimes said when an adopted child proves ungrateful or is taken away by its own parents. All one gets are soiled hands.]
Hawaiʻi (13)
321
E kipi ana lākou nei. ʻAʻole naʻe ʻo lākou ponoʻī akā ʻo kā lākou mau keiki me nā moʻopuna. ʻO ke aliʻi e ola ana i ia wā e kū ʻōlohelohe ana ia, a ʻo ke aupuni e kūkulu ʻia aku ana, ʻo ia ke aupuni paʻa o Hawaiʻi nei.
These people [the missionaries] are going to rebel; not they themselves, but their children and grandchildren. The ruler at that time will be stripped of power, and the government established then will be the permanent government of Hawaiʻi.
[Prophesied by David Malo.]
501
Hawaiʻi kuauli.
Hawaiʻi with the verdant country.
502
Hawaiʻi nui a Keawe.
Hawaiʻi, great island of Keawe.
[Keawe (Keawe-i-kekahi-aliʻi-o-ka-moku) was a ruler of Hawaiʻi.]
503
Hawaiʻi palu lāʻī.
Ti-leaf lickers of Hawaii.
[This saying originated after Kamehameha conquered the island of Oʻahu. The people of Kailua, Oʻahu, gave a great feast for him, not expecting him to bring such a crowd of people. The first to arrive ate up the meat, so the second group had to be content with licking and nibbling at the bits of meat that adhered to the ti leaves. In derision, the people of Oʻahu called them “ti-leaf lickers.”]
548
He ʻauhau kōʻele na ka Hawaiʻi.
A taxing of small fields by the Hawaii chiefs.
[After Kamehameha united the islands, even the smallest food patch was taxed.]
570
He Hawaiʻi ʻuala Kahiki.
An Irish-potato Hawaiian.
[A term of derision applied to a native Hawaiian who apes the ways of the whites instead of appreciating the culture of his own people. Also said to one who is absolutely ignorant of his own culture.]
Hāwele kīlau i ka lemu, ʻāhaʻi ka puaʻa i ka waha; ke hele nei ʻo Poʻokea.
Draw the fine loincloth under the buttocks; the pork finds its way into the mouth; Poʻokea now departs.
[Poʻokea was a very clever thief during the reign of Kahekili of Maui. Whenever he eluded his pursuers, this was his favorite boast. Any reference to one as being a descendant or relative of Poʻokea implies that he is a thief who steals and runs.]
E hea i ke kanaka e komo ma loko e hānai ai a hewa ka waha.
Call to the person to enter; feed him until he can take no more.
[Originally a reply to a password into a hula school. Used later in songs and in speech to extend hospitality.]
514
Hea ʻia mai kēia kanaka, malia he inoa i loaʻa iā ʻoe.
Call an invitation to this person, perhaps you know the name.
[A request to be called into someone’s home, usually uttered by a passing relative or friend who would like to pause and rest but is not sure that he is recognized by the others.]
555
Hea wawalo ke kai o ʻOʻokala.
The sea of ʻOʻokala sends forth an echoing call.
[Said in humor of any loud call. A play on ʻO (hail) and kala (proclaim).]
1155
I hea nō ka lima a ʻau mai?
Where are the arms with which to swim ?
[Don’t complain, use your limbs to do what you need to do.]
1156
I hea ʻoe i ka wā a ka ua e loku ana?
Where were you when the rain was pouring ?
[A reply to one who asks his neighbor for some of his crop. If he answered that he had been away during the rains, he would be given some food; but if he said that he had been there, he would be refused. It was due to his own laziness that he did not have a crop as fine as his industrious neighbor’s.]
1533
Ka pali walowalo hea kanaka o Mōlīlele.
The eerie man-calling cliff of Mōlīlele.
[Mōlī-lele (Mōlī’s Leap), in Kaʻū, is the place where an unhappy girl named Mōlī once leaped over the cliff in suicide. On each anniversary of her death the gale there blows a little harder than usual, and a person standing at the point from which she jumped can hear a rushing sound, as of a tapa-clad person running by.]
[An expression much used in poems of Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi. Kawelo was a woman murdered by her husband. Her spirit entered a blowhole at Honuʻapo, where her remains had been tossed. Out of this hole she warned of impending trouble, and the people grew fond of this voice from the depths.]
[To give a thing and later ask for its return. A surfboard is usually lent, not given outright.]
504
Hāwāwā ka heʻe nalu haki ka papa.
When the surf rider is unskilled, the board is broken.
[An unskilled worker bungles instead of being a help. There is also a sexual connotation: When the man is unskilled, the woman is dissatisfied.]
571
He heʻe hōlua.
One who rides a hōlua sled.
[Said proudly of being a descendant of the chiefly families of Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi, who were well known for their skill in hōlua sledding.]
572
He heʻe ka iʻa, he iʻa kino palupalu.
It is an octopus, a soft-bodied creature.
[Said of a weakling.]
573
He heʻe nui, ke ʻula ala.
It is a large octopus because it shows a red color.
[A man went to farm one day and met another squatting carelessly as he worked. He made this remark, often used later to refer to a man who exposes himself.]
E hiolo ana nā kapu kahiko; e hina ana nā heiau me nā lele; e hui ana nā moku; he iho mai ana ka lani a e piʻi ana ka honua.
The ancient kapu will be abolished; the heiau and altars willfall; the islands will be united; the heavens will descend and the earth ascend.
[A prophecy uttered by Kapihe, a kahuna in Kamehameha’s time. The last part of the saying means that chiefs will come down to humble positions and commoners rise to positions of honor.]
[Said of anything done without ceremony, or of anything unrestrained by kapu.]
211
ʻAʻohe uʻi hele wale o Kohala.
No youth of Kohala goes empty-handed.
[Said in praise of people who do not go anywhere without a gift or a helping hand. The saying originated at Honomakaʻu in Kohala. The young people of that locality, when on a journey, often went as far as Kapua before resting. Here, they made lei to adorn themselves and carry along with them. Another version is that no Kohala person goes unprepared for any emergency.]
278
E hele aku ana i ka māla a Kamehameha, o Kuahewa.
The proportion is reaching the size of Kuahewa, Kamehameha’s food patch.
[The project is becoming too big. Kamehameha’s food patch was so huge that one border could not be seen from the other.]
279
E hele ana i ka ʻauwaeʻāina o lākou nei.
Going with them to look over the best in their land.
[Hawaiians didn’t like to be questioned as to where they were going and would sometimes give this answer. Paʻe was a moʻo woman who often assumed the form of a dog and went wherever she willed. One day, while disguised as a dog, she was caught by some men who didn’t know of her supernatural powers, and they roasted her. This roasted dog was to be a gift to their chief’s wife and was put in a calabash, covered with a carrying net, and carried up the pali. Just below the Nuʻuanu Pali, the men saw a pretty woman sitting at the edge of a pool. She called, “Oh Paʻe, where are you going?” From out of the calabash leaped the dog, well and whole, who answered, “I am going with them to look over the best in their land.” The men fled in terror, leaving Paʻe behind with the other woman, who was a moʻo relative.]
280
E hele ka ʻelemakule, ka luahine, a me nā kamaliʻi a moe i ke ala ʻaʻohe mea nāna e hoʻopilikia.
Let the old men, the old women, and the children go and sleep on the wayside; let them not be molested.
[Said by Kamehameha I.]
305
Eia ke kānaenae a ka mea hele: he leo, he leo wale nō.
Here is an offering from a traveler: a voice in greeting, simply a voice.
[Said in affection by a passerby who, seeing a friend, greets him but doesn’t stop to visit.]
E uku ʻia ke kanaka kiʻi lāʻau, he luhi kona i ka hele ʻana.
The man who goes to fetch medicinal herbs is to be paid — the trip he makes is labor.
[The person sent by the kahuna to gather herbs for a patient’s medicine was always paid by the patient’s family. If they faiied to pay, and the gatherer grumbled, the medicine would do no good. A person who was paid couldn’t grumble without hurting himself.]
E nihi ka helena i ka uka o Puna; mai pūlale i ka ʻike a ka maka.
Go quietly in the upland of Puna; do not let anything you see excite you.
[Watch your step and don’t let the things you see lead you into trouble. There is an abundance of flowers and berries in the uplands of Puna and it is thought that picking any on the trip up to the volcano will result in being caught in heavy rains; the picking is left until the return trip. Also said to loved ones to imply, “Go carefully and be mindful.”]
1091
Hoʻolalau ka helena i Kualoa, piʻi ana i ka pali o Kānehoalani.
In wandering about Kualoa, he ascends the cliff of Kānehoalani.
[He goes off his course and thereby gets nothing. On the cliff of Kānehoalani stands a phallic stone, a symbol of bad luck when seen in a dream.]
2310
Niau kololani ka helena, hūnā nā maka i ke aouli.
Silently, quickly he departed, to hide his eyes in the sky.
Kamaliʻi ʻike ʻole i ka helu pō: Muku nei, Muku ka malama; Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka.
Children who do not know the moon phases: Muku is here, Muku the moon; Hilo comes next, then Hoaka.
[The first part of a child’s chant for learning the names of the moon phases. Also said of one who does not know the answer to a question or is ignorant. He is compared to a small child who has not learned the moon phases.]
ʻAkahi ka hoʻi ka paoa, ke kau nei ka mākole pua heʻo.
Here is a sign of ill luck, for the red-eyed bright-hued one rests above.
[Said when a rainbow appears before the path of one who was on a business journey. Such a rainbow is regarded the same as meeting a red-eyed person — a sign of bad luck. Better to turn about and go home.]
Lilo i Puna i ke au a ka hewahewa, hoʻi mai ua piha ka hale i ke akua.
Gone to Puna on a vagrant current and returning, fnds the house full of imps.
[From a chant by Hiʻiaka when she faced the lizard god Panaʻewa and his forest full of imps in a battle. It was later used to refer to one who goes on his way and comes home to find things not to his liking.]
"Mai hea mai ʻoe?" “Mai Kona mai.” “Pehea ka ua o Kona?” “Palahī puaʻa ka ua o Kona.” “A pehea ke aku?” “Hī ka pā, hī ka malau.”
“Where are you from?” “From Kona.” “How is the rain of Kona?” “The rain of Kona pours like the watery excreta of a hog.” “How are the aku fish?” “They run loose from the hook and the bait carrier.”
[Said in fun of one suffering from loose bowels. Once, a chief was out relieving himself when his bowels were very loose. A runner came by the little-traveled path through the underbrush and seeing the chief there extended his greetings. The chief began to ask questions, which the runner answered. When the chief went home he told those of his household of the abundance of rain and the run of fish in Kona. His servant, whose curiosity was roused, asked, “What were you doing at the time?” “I was excreting, and my bowels were loose,” answered the chief. “He wasn’t talking about the rain and fish,” said the servant, “he was talking about you.” The chief was angry when he heard this, but it was too late to do anything about it.]
Maikaʻi nō ka hoʻoipoipo i ka wā e lana ana ke koko; a pau ka lana ana, pau nō ka hie o ia mea.
Lovemaking is good when the blood is circulating freely [in youth]; but when the blood ceases to circulate freely [as in old age] the pleasure one derives from it ceases.
Hihi kaunaʻoa, hihi i Mānā; aloha wale ia lāʻau kumu ʻole.
The dodder vine creeps, creeps at Mānā; beloved indeed is the trunkless plant.
[This saying comes from two lines of a chant. Said of a person with no family background, or to a parasitical person. The kaunaʻoa (dodder vine) is a parasite.]
[A play on the place name Moe-awakea (Sleep-at-noon). A humorous saying applied to those who fall asleep in the daytime or pass out in a drunken stupor.]
The land of Honuakaha [where chiefs] were embraced.
[Honuakaha, back of the Kawaiahaʻo Cemetery, was once the home of Kalākaua. Here chiefs were entertained with parties.]
1737
Ke kamalei a Kuluipō, ka hiʻialo a Pōnahe.
Beloved child of Kuluipō, one embraced in the arms of Pōnahe.
[A benighted person. A play on pō (darkness).]
Hiʻialo (1)
36
Aia i Hiʻikua; i Hiʻialo.
Is borne on the back; is borne in the arms.
[When one has gone to a far place where he cannot be seen by loved ones, he is said to be in Hiʻikua; and when one is where he can be seen daily, he is said to be in Hiʻialo. Also said of a favorite child, who is carried in the arms or on the back. Also said of the ʻaumākua.]
Hiʻikua waha ka ʻopeʻope, hiʻi ke keiki ma ke alo, uē ʻalalā i ka nahele.
A bundle borne on the back, a baby in the arms, wailing in the forest.
[Said of mothers fleeing in terror.]
Hiʻikua (1)
36
Aia i Hiʻikua; i Hiʻialo.
Is borne on the back; is borne in the arms.
[When one has gone to a far place where he cannot be seen by loved ones, he is said to be in Hiʻikua; and when one is where he can be seen daily, he is said to be in Hiʻialo. Also said of a favorite child, who is carried in the arms or on the back. Also said of the ʻaumākua.]
Hiʻipoi (1)
2509
ʻO Makaliʻi ke kāne, ʻo Hiʻipoi ka wahine, hānau ke keiki he maikaʻi.
Makaliʻi is the husband, Hiʻipoi (Cherished-one) the wife; a child born to them is well behaved.
This is what the Hawaiians thought the first white men to visit the islands said.
[It is untranslatable gibberish repeated with laughter when one is told something utterly incomprehensible.]
Hikapoloa (3)
2048
Mai Hikapoloa mai.
From Hikapoloa.
[A play on the name Hikapoloa (Stagger-in-the-dark). Said of a stupid person, or of a drunk.]
2367
ʻO Hikapoloa ka makuakāne, o Lanihūpō ka makuahine.
Hikapoloa was the father and Lanihūpō the mother.
[Said of an utterly stupid person. A play on the names of the father (Stagger-in-the-dark) and the mother (Stupid chief).]
2368
ʻO Hikapoloa ka pō, he pō kiʻikiʻi, he pō naʻanaʻa.
Hikapoloa is the night — a leaning night, a stretching night.
[A play on ka pō loa (the long night). Said when one waits wearily for the night to pass, when there is nothing to do to shorten the hours.]
Hikauhi (2)
742
Hele i Kaunakakai i Hikauhi.
Go to Kaunakakai to seek Hikauhi.
[After a time she returned with their daughter, whom they named Hikauhi.]
1162
I Hikauhi, i Kaumanamana.
At Hikauhi, at Kaumanamana.
[A man and his wife lived at Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi. While he was gone fishing one day, she felt the beginning of labor pains and went to her mother’s home in another village. When the husband arrived home and his wife was not there, he began to search for her. After he had searched fruitlessly for several days, his wife returned with their baby daughter, whom they named Hikauhi. Ever since that day, hikauhi has meant “in vain,” and when a person loses something and goes in search, one says, “I Hikauhi, i Kaumanamana.”]
No food is of any value when the Makahiki festival comes.
[Enjoy what you have now lest it not be of much use later. Gifts were given to the priests who came in the Makahiki procession of the god Lono. Then all trading and giving ceased. The farmers and fishermen received no personal gain until it was over.]
146
ʻAʻohe i hiki i Hakalauʻai, pae ʻē i Keolewa.
Hakalauʻai was never reached, for he landed at Keolewa instead.
[Before one could receive sufficient food for all his requirements, he found his efforts suspended. A play on Haka-lau-ʻai (Rack-for-much-food) and Ke-olewa (Suspend-in-space).]
226
ʻAʻole hiki i ka iʻa liʻiliʻi ke ale i ka iʻa nui.
A small fish cannot swallow a big one.
[A commoner cannot do anything to a chief.]
261
E ala kākou e ʻai o hiki mai kaumahalua.
Let us rise and eat before the doubly-weighted ones arrive.
[Let’s get going and eat before company comes. The people of Honokaneiki, in Kohala, were not noted for their hospitality. Travelers to Honokaneiki were called “doubly-weighted” because they had to swim to get there from the cliff of Kakaʻauki. With bundles, and being soaked by the sea, the weight of a person was doubled. In order to finish their morning meal before others arrived, the people of Honokaneiki awoke early, ate, and went about their work.]
370
E pale lauʻī i ko akua ke hiki aku i Kona.
Place a shield of ti leaves before your god when you arrive in Kona.
[A message sent by Kaʻahumanu to Liholiho requesting him to free the kapu of his god Kūkāʻilimoku. Kaʻahumanu was at that time striving to abolish the kapu system.]
453
Hānai kanaka, hiki ke hoʻoūnauna.
Feed humans and one can send them on errands.
[Said to people who adopt or take in children to raise. Children can be helpful.]
Ka iho ʻana iho o ko luna poʻe, hikikiʻi ka ua o ʻEna.
When those from above come down, the rain of ʻEna leans backward.
[When drowsiness comes, one can lean back and relax contentedly. Also, when one feels mellow after imbibing, there is contentment and relaxation.]
2792
Ua ʻia kāua e ka ua; hikikiʻi kāua i kānana!
We are rained upon by the rain; let it pour as it wills!
[Two men were traveling in the mountains on Kaua’i when it began to rain. The first man found a small dry place under an overhanging rock. The second man’s place leaked, and so he cried out these words. Hearing this, the first man was lured away from his dry rock and ran toward his companion, who sneaked under the dry place and rested. The first man now stood shivering in the rain. This saying is used when someone is foolish enough to give up what he has.]
Mai ka hikina a ka lā i Kumukahi a ka welona a ka lā i Lehua.
From the sunrise at Kumukahi to the fading sunlight at Lehua.
[From sunrise to sunset. Kumukahi, in Puna, Hawaiʻi, was called the land of the sunrise and Lehua, the land of the sunset. This saying also refers to a life span — from birth to death.]
2393
ʻOiʻoi ʻo Maui Hikina.
East Maui forges ahead.
[Those of East Maui are said to be very active and able to withstand anything.]
ʻEono moku a Kamehameha ua noa iā ʻoukou, akā ʻo ka hiku o ka moku ua kapu ia naʻu.
Six of Kamehameha’s islands are free to you, but the seventh is kapu, and is for me alone.
[This was uttered by Kamehameha after Oʻahu was conquered. The islands from Hawaiʻi to Oʻahu, which included Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe, belonged to his people. But the seventh “island,” Kaʻahumanu, was his alone. Anyone who attempted to take her from him would be put to death.]
1311
Ka hiku o nā lani.
The seventh of the heavenly ones.
[A term of affection for Kalākaua, who was the seventh ruler of united Hawai’i.]
Hiku (1)
1222
I laila i luakaha ai me Hiku.
There [he] whiled the time with Hiku.
[Had an enjoyable time. Hiku was a hero who lived in the mountains of Hawaiʻi and was thought of as a man who lived happily.]
When one wants to dance the hula, bashfulness should be left at home.
[Also expressed Aʻo i ka hula,....]
783
He maʻi nui ka hilahila.
Humiliation is a great disease.
[Shame and humiliation can make one sick at heart.]
866
He ʻoʻopu kuʻia, ka iʻa hilahila o Kawainui.
A bashful ʻoʻopu, the shy fish of Kawainui.
[Said of a bashful person. Kawainui at Kailua was one of the largest ponds on Oʻahu.]
2084
Mai piʻi aʻe ʻoe i ka lālā kau halalī o ʻike ʻia kou wahi hilahila e ou mau hoa.
Do not climb to the topmost branches lest your private parts be seen by your companions.
[Do not put on an air of superiority lest people remember only your faults.]
Hīlea (1)
1030
Hoʻi i Hīlea i kalo ʻekaʻeka.
Go to Hīlea of the dirty taro.
[Said of a careless person. Once, Kohāikalani, a chief of Kaʻū, was living at Punaluʻu. Poi was brought for him from various parts of the district, and a tiny speck of taro peeling was found in the poi from Hīlea. The makers of the poi were put to death. To say that someone hails from Hīlea is to say that he is unclean.]
[Mullet. Hīlia is a place on Molokaʻi where mullet often come in schools near the shore. The people, wading into the water, would kick the fish ashore where others would pick them up.]
1805
Kioea ʻai pua ʻiʻi o Hīlia.
The kioea bird that eats the fish spawn of Hīlia.
[Said of the kioea (curlew), an eater of little fish, or of a big fellow who gobbles up little ones.]
Hilina (1)
2321
No Hilina paha, ke huikau ala ka ʻōlelo.
Perhaps he was born in Hilina — his speech is confused.
[A play on hili (confusion). Hilina is the month of winds.]
[Said of one who leans or depends on another. The ancestors of these two districts were originally of one extended family. The time came when those of each district decided to have a name of their own, without breaking the link entirely. Those in Kaʻū referred to themselves as the Mākaha and those in Puna as the Kumākaha. These names are mentioned in the chants of the chiefs of Kaʻū.]
995
Hilinaʻi Puna kālele ia Kaʻū, hilinaʻi Kaʻū kālele ia Puna.
Puna trusts and leans on Kaʻū, Kaʻū trusts and leans on Puna.
[The people of Puna and Kaʻū are related.]
2622
Peʻe kua o Kaʻulahaimalama; o Kekūhaupiʻo ka makua; hilinaʻi aʻe i ka pale kai, kālele moku aʻe ma hope.
Kaʻulahaimalama is secretive; Kekūhaupiʻo (Stands-leaning) is her father; she leans against the canoe side and rests against the back of the canoe.
[Said of one who tries to conceal the true offender by pretending to know nothing.]
Hilinehu (2)
100
Ako ʻē ka hale a paʻa, a i ke komo ʻana mai o ka hoʻoilo, ʻaʻole e kulu i ka ua o Hilinehu.
Thatch the house beforehand so when winter comes it will not leak in the shower of Hilinehu.
[Do not procrastinate; make preparations for the future now.]
Aia i Hilo ʻo Alanaio; aia i Puna ʻo Kapoho; aia i Laupāhoehoe ʻo Ulekiʻi.
In Hilo is Alanaio; in Puna is Kapoho; in Laupāhoehoe is Ulekii.
[A vulgar play on place names, calling attention to private parts, which are omens of disappointment when seen in dreams. An expression of contempt for one who brings bad luck. Alanaio (Way-of-the-pinworm), the anus, is in Hilo; Kapoho (The Container), the vagina, is in Puna; and Ulekiʻi (Rigid Penis) is in Laupāhoehoe.]
91
ʻAkahi au a ʻike i ka ʻino o Hilo.
It is the first time I have seen a Hilo storm.
[For the first time I have met with evil people who wish to harm me.]
210
ʻAʻohe sananā, he mauʻu Hilo.
Nothing to shout about, it is only Hilo grass.
[Said of a trifling matter that is not worth fussing over.]
242
ʻAu umauma o Hilo i ka wai.
Hilo has breasted the water.
[To weather the storm. The district of Hilo had many gulches and streams and was difficult to cross.]
260
E ala e Kaʻū, kahiko o Mākaha; e ala e Puna, Puna Kumākaha; e ala e Hilo naʻau kele!
Arise, O Kaʻū of ancient descent; arise, O Puna of the Kumākaha group; arise, O Hilo of the water-soaked foundation!
[A rallying call. These names are found in Kaʻū and Puna chants of the chiefs. The Mākaha and Ku-mākaha (Like-the-Mākaha) were originally one. Some moved to Puna and took the name Kumākaha.]
[When a pregnant woman longed for hilu fish, the child born to her would be a very quiet, well-behaved person. Because chiefs liked reserved, well-mannered people, such persons were often found in the royal courts, and were referred to as the chief’s hilu fish.]
1007
Hilu ka iʻa, he iʻa noʻenoʻe.
The fish is the hilu, an attractive one.
[A quiet, well-behaved person. When a pregnant woman longed for hilu fish, the child born to her would be well-mannered, quiet, and unobtrusive.]
1314
Ka hilu pani wai o Hauʻula.
The water-damming hilu fish of Hauula.
[Refers to Hauʻula, Oʻahu. In ancient days, two brothers came from Kahiki in the form of hilu fish. Near Oʻahu they separated, one going to the east side of the island and the other to the west. The younger brother was caught in a net at Hauʻula and divided among the families of the fishermen. When the older brother arrived he was grieved to find pieces of his brother’s body throughout the village. He went to the upland and dammed the water of the stream with his own body. After a while he rose, and the backed-up water rushed down, sweeping everyone into the sea. The pieces of his brother’s body were joined again into a hilu fish.]
E hiolo ana nā kapu kahiko; e hina ana nā heiau me nā lele; e hui ana nā moku; he iho mai ana ka lani a e piʻi ana ka honua.
The ancient kapu will be abolished; the heiau and altars willfall; the islands will be united; the heavens will descend and the earth ascend.
[A prophecy uttered by Kapihe, a kahuna in Kamehameha’s time. The last part of the saying means that chiefs will come down to humble positions and commoners rise to positions of honor.]
579
He hina na ka ʻaʻaliʻi kūmakani, he ʻulaʻa pū me ka lepo.
When the wind-resisting ʻaʻaliʻi falls, it lifts the sod up with its roots.
[A boast: When I, a powerful man, fall, others will fall with me.]
905
He poʻi na kai uli, kai koʻo, ʻaʻohe hina pūkoʻa.
Though the sea he deep and rough, the coral rock remains standing.
[Said of one who remains calm in the face of difficulty.]
935
He pūmaiʻa: loaʻa i ke kīkīao, hina.
A banana stump: when a gust of wind comes, it falls.
[A weakling who is blown down by every trouble that comes.]
957
He ʻūlili holoholo kahakai, pā i ke kai nui, hina.
A sandpiper running about on the beach, when struck by a big wave, falls.
[A disparaging remark applied to a weakling who cannot fight.]
1697
Ke hina ke uahi ma kahi ʻaoʻao he mea mākole ko ia ʻaoʻao.
When the smoke falls on one side, someone on that side will feel a smarting of the eyes.
Mai ʻōlelo i ke kuapuʻu e kū pololei, o hina auaneʻi.
Dont tell the hunchback to stand up straight lest he fall down.
[Don’t go around correcting others.]
Hina (4)
691
He keʻu na kaʻalae a Hina.
A croaking by Hina’s mudhen.
[A warning of trouble. The cry of a mudhen at night is a warning of distress.]
2194
Molokaʻi nui a Hina.
Great Molokaʻi, land of Hina.
[The goddess Hina is said to be the mother of Molokaʻi.]
2698
Pua ka uahi o kāʻeʻaʻeʻa moku o Hina.
Up rose the smoke of the experts of the island of Hina.
[Said of the quickness of the athletes of Molokaʻi — they were so fast that they smoked.]
2830
Ua moʻa ka maiʻa, he keiki māmā ka Hina.
The bananas are cooked, [and remember that] Hina has a swift son.
[Let’s finish this before we are caught. This saying comes from the legend of Māui and the mudhens. For a long time he tried to catch them in order to learn the secret of making fire. One day he overheard one of them saying these words. He caught them before they could hide and forced them to yield the secret of fire.]
[A rude remark about one with bad breath, or one whose nose has the foul odor of catarrh. The hīnālea was a favorite fish for a dish called iʻa hoʻomelu. Before preparation, the fish was left to decompose slightly, thus acquiring a strong odor. After seasoning with salt, kukui relish, and chili pepper, the fish lost its unpleasant smell.]
Take vegetable food; the hinana is a fish that can be caught in the hand.
[A suggestion to take taro, poi, potato, or breadfruit along on the journey and not worry about meats, which can be found along the way. First uttered by Pele in a chant about the winds of Kauaʻi.]
Hinauluʻōhiʻa (1)
2304
Nāwele ka maka o Hinauluʻōhiʻa.
Pale is the face of Hinauluʻōhiʻa.
[Said of the pink rim around the blossom end of the white mountain apple. Refers to the goddess Hina.]
Where the mouths are shiny [with fat food], prosperity is there.
[The prosperous have the richest food to eat.]
1679
Ke amo ʻia aʻela ʻo Kaʻaoʻao; ke kahe maila ka hinu.
Kaʻaoʻao is being carried by; the grease is flowing from his body.
[What has happened to him is very obvious. Kaʻaoʻao, angry with his brother Kekaulike, ruthlessly destroyed the crops in his absence. The latter followed him up to Haleakalā and there slew him. His decomposed body was found later by his followers.]
[Used by adults to frighten children into staying at home. Hio was an akua (ghost) who wandered about peering into the doors of homes and biting off the noses of those who annoyed him. He escaped when his companions were caught in a fishnet set by the super-natural hero Kamiki at Kuʻunaakeakua (Net-let-down-for-akua), Makalawena, Kona.]
E hiolo ana nā kapu kahiko; e hina ana nā heiau me nā lele; e hui ana nā moku; he iho mai ana ka lani a e piʻi ana ka honua.
The ancient kapu will be abolished; the heiau and altars willfall; the islands will be united; the heavens will descend and the earth ascend.
[A prophecy uttered by Kapihe, a kahuna in Kamehameha’s time. The last part of the saying means that chiefs will come down to humble positions and commoners rise to positions of honor.]
938
He puʻupā hiolo wale nō i ka leo.
An obstructing wall falling down at the sound of the voice.
[Said of stubbornness and obstinacy that are removed by gentle coaxing.]
1011
Hiolo ka pali kū, nahā ka pali paʻa.
The standing precipice falls, the solid clff breaks.
Be careful lest you go head and tail into the shark.
[A warning to be on one’s guard. Nanaue, of Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi, had two forms — that of a man and that of a shark. As people passed his farm to go to the beach, he would utter this warning. After they had passed, he would run to the river, change into a shark, and swim under the water to the sea where he would catch and eat those he had warned. No one knew that it was Nanaue who was eating the people until someone pulled off the shoulder covering he always wore and discovered a shark’s mouth between his shoulder blades. After he was put to death the people were safe again.]
955
He ula no ka naele, panau no ka hiʻu komo i ke ale.
That is a lobster of a sea cave, with one flip of the tail he is in the rocky cavern.
[Said of an independent person who knows how to take care of himself.]
1696
Ke hiʻi lā ʻoe i ka paukū waena, he neo ke poʻo me ka hiʻu.
You hold the center piece without its head and tail.
[You know only the middle part of the genealogy or legend. What about the origin and the latter part?]
2117
Mālama i ke kala ka iʻa hiʻu ʻoi.
Watch out for the kala, the fish with a sharp tail.
[A warning to beware of a person who is well equipped to defend himself. The kala, a surgeonfish, has a spike near the caudal fin which it uses in defense.]
2177
Moe poʻo a hiʻu i Kalaeʻoiʻo.
Lies head and tail at Kalaeʻoiʻo.
[Is up to the neck in trouble. Processions of ghosts were sometimes encountered here. If one had a relative among them, he escaped death; if not, he perished.]
2293
Naueue ka hiʻu o ka iʻa lewa i ke kai.
The tails of thefish that move in the sea tremble.
[Said of fish, such as the hīnālea, in the cold month Welehu. The tails of the hīnālea bend as they seek hollows in the corals for hiding.]
Show [your] knowledge of surfing on the back of the wave.
[Talking about one’s knowledge and skill is not enough; let it be proven.]
1055
Hō mai ka ihu, a hele aʻe au.
Give hither the nose ere I go.
[Kiss me ere I depart.]
2596
Pā mai, pā mai ka makani o Hilo; waiho aku i ka ipu iki, hō mai i ka ipu nui.
Blow, blow, O winds of Hilo, put away the small containers and give us the large one.
[Laʻamaomao, the god of wind, was said to have a wind container called Ipu-a-Laʻamaomao. When one desires more wind to make the surf roll high, or a kite sail aloft, he makes this appeal.]
He moʻa no ka ʻai i ka pūlehu ʻia; he ahi nui aha ia e hoʻā ai?
Food can be cooked in the embers; why should a big fire be lighted?
[A small love affair will do; why assume the responsibilities of a permanent mating? Said by those who prefer to love and leave.]
1016
Hoʻā ke ahi, kōʻala ke ola. O nā hale wale nō kai Honolulu; ʻo ka ʻai a me ka iʻa i Nuʻuanu.
Light the fire for there is life-giving suhstance. Only the houses stand in Honolulu; the vegetable food and meat are in Nuuanu.
[An expression of affection for Nuʻuanu. In olden days, much of the taro lands were found in Nuʻuanu, which supplied Honolulu with poi, taro greens, ʻoʻopu, and freshwater shrimp. So it is said that only houses stand in Honolulu. Food comes from Nuʻuanu.]
[Said by Kawelo to his opponent and kinsman, Kauahoa.]
2924
Wehe ka piko lā, e ka hoahānau.
Undone is the navel string, O kinsman.
[A family relation is severed. Said by Keopuolani to Kekuaokalani when she attempted to quell a rebellion, meaning that the tie of kinship between the two cousins, Liholiho and Kekuaokalani, was being severed by the latter’s refusal to be reconciled.]
[Evil-doers blame the person who safeguards the rights of others. Kaʻahupāhau was the guardian shark goddess of Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor) who drove out or destroyed all the man-eating sharks.]
[The glory of the land has departed. Also, the person is dead.]
Hoaka (1)
1471
Kamaliʻi ʻike ʻole i ka helu pō: Muku nei, Muku ka malama; Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka.
Children who do not know the moon phases: Muku is here, Muku the moon; Hilo comes next, then Hoaka.
[The first part of a child’s chant for learning the names of the moon phases. Also said of one who does not know the answer to a question or is ignorant. He is compared to a small child who has not learned the moon phases.]
[A play on Kii-lau (Fetch-many), meaning one whose tongue knows where to fetch a lot to say. When words offend, the speaker responds that they are merely explanations not meant to hurt anyone.]
[Said of the movements of a dance. A play on ʻaleale (to ripple like water), referring to the gestures of the hands, and lewa (to sway), referring to the movement of the hips.]
[Keep dipping your finger into the poi until you’ve had your fill.]
319
E kaupē aku nō i ka hoe a kō mai.
Put forward the paddle and draw it back.
[Go on with the task that is started and finish it.]
327
E lauhoe mai nā waʻa; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ʻāina.
Everybody paddle the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore is reached.
[Pitch in with a will, everybody, and the work is quickly done.]
686
He keiki kālai hoe na ka uka o Puʻukapele.
A paddle-making youth of Puuʻkapele.
[A complimentary expression. He who lives in the uplands, where good trees grow, can make good paddles Puʻukapele is a place above Waimea Canyon on Kauaʻi.]
797
He mamo paha na ka poʻe o Kahuwā he maʻa i ka hoe ma ke kūnihi.
Perhaps they are descendants of the people of Kahuwā who were in the habit of paddling with the edge of the paddle blade.
[They are stupid people who never do things right.]
809
He māʻukaʻuka hoe hewa.
An uplander, unskilled in wielding the paddle.
[Said of an awkward person who blunders along, or of a man who is clumsy in lovemaking.]
[There is no interest in that. Said by one who lacks interest, or is bored with what is being said or done. A play on hoi (bitter yam) and hoihoi (interest).]
2867
Ulu ka hoi.
The hoi vine grows.
[There is interest in what is going on. A play on hoihoi (interest).]
A aloha wale ʻia kā hoʻi o Kaunuohua, he puʻu wale nō.
Even Kaunuohua, a hill, is loved.
[If a hill can be loved, how much more so a human?]
56
Aia kēkē nā hulu o ka umauma hoʻi ke kōlea i Kahiki e hānau ai.
When the feathers on the breast darken [because of fatness] the plover goes back to Kahiki to breed.
[A person comes here, grows prosperous, and goes away without a thought to the source of his prosperity.]
62
Aia ko kāne i ka lawaiʻa, hoʻi mai he ʻōpeʻa ka iʻa.
Your husband has gone fishing and returns with bats for meat.
[This saying comes from a children’s chant of amusement for coaxing a sea animal to crawl from its shell.]
86
ʻAi nō ke kōlea a momona hoʻi i Kahiki.
The plover eats until fat, then returns to the land from which it came.
[Said of a foreigner who comes to Hawaiʻi, makes money, and departs to his homeland to enjoy his wealth.]
92
ʻAkahi hoʻi kuʻu ʻono i ka uhu kāʻalo i kuʻu maka.
Now I long for the uhu fish that passes before my eyes.
[How I would like that handsome fellow for a sweetheart. The uhu is a bright-colored fish, beautiful to look at, and tasty.]
93
ʻAkahi ka hoʻi ka paoa, ke kau nei ka mākole pua heʻo.
Here is a sign of ill luck, for the red-eyed bright-hued one rests above.
[Said when a rainbow appears before the path of one who was on a business journey. Such a rainbow is regarded the same as meeting a red-eyed person — a sign of bad luck. Better to turn about and go home.]
[Said of a person who is mean and willful, with no thought for anyone but himself. He is compared to the heroic figures of old (akua) who were born deformed and abandoned as infants, then rescued and raised to adulthood. Such persons were often belligerent by nature.]
The water of ʻEleile that carries back the ti-leaf stalk.
[The pool of ʻEleile on Maui is famed in songs and chants. Visitors throw ti stalks into the pool and watch the water carry them all around before washing them downstream.]
[Fooled and left stranded. In ancient times, two fishermen sailed from Kapākai, a small canoe landing between ʻUpolu Point and the heiau of Moʻokini in Kohala. As they were about to leave for Maui, a stranger asked permission to accompany them, and it was granted. Late that night one of the fishermen signaled to the other to toss the passenger overboard because he was doing nothing to help with the canoe. The passenger guessed what they were up to and cried, “Oh! I forgot my cowry sinkers at the canoe landing.” Cowry sinkers were valuable, so they turned about and retumed to Kapākai. Upon landing, the passenger leaped ashore. When asked where the sinkers were, he pointed to two half-buried rocks nearby. The fishermen were disappointed (hoka) in not obtaining the coveted cowry sinkers. In another version the saying originated at the birth of Kamehameha I on a canoe. At the landing at Kapākai his mother pretended illness, whieh drew attention to herself and gave Naeʻole the opportunity to seize the newborn baby and flee with him into hiding.]
[Said of one who is disillusioned after giving many gifts. Wakaʻina was a ghost of North Kohala who deceived people. He often flew to where people gathered and chanted. When he had their attention he would say, “I could chant better if I had a tapa cloth.” In this way he would name one thing after another, and when all had been given him he would fly away chanting these words.]
The runner, Wawaia, who ran out of his course, caused hindrance and delay.
[Said of one who does not concentrate and wastes considerable time. Wawaia was a runner who, instead of running on the errand assigned to him by his chief, went on a visit before completing the errand, thus causing delay and rousing the ire of his chief.]
1047
Hōkai ua lawaiʻa makapaʻa.
A one-eyed fsherman spoils the luck.
[To meet a one-eyed man on the way is a sign of bad luck; to fish with him is worse still.]
1048
Hōkai ua lawaiʻa o ke kai pāpaʻu, he poʻopaʻa ka iʻa e hoʻi ai.
A fisherman who fools around in shallow water takes home poʻopaʻa fsh.
[The poʻopaʻa (hard-headed) fish is easily caught with hook and line.]
It is a lauhau, the fish that creates disturbances in sea pools. Said of a boisterous person.
1695
Ke hele maila ko Kaʻū; he iho maila ko Palahemo; he hōkake aʻela i Manukā; haele loa akula i Kaleinapueo.
There come those of Kaʻū; those of Palahemo descend; those of Manukā push this way and that; and away they all go to Kaleinapueo.
[Said when one tries to find out something about another and meets with failure at every turn. A play on place names: ʻū (a grunt of contempt) in Kaʻū; hemo (to get away) in Palahemo; kā (to run along like a vine) in Manukā; and leinapueo (owl’s leaping place) in Kaleinapueo.]
2198
Muʻumuʻu hōkake ipu kai.
One-armed fellow who messes up his meat dish.
[An expression of ridicule for a person who has lost a hand or is without hands or fingers. He messes up his dish in his attempt to pick up the food. Also said in humor of anyone who is clumsy with his hands.]
ʻO nā hōkū o ka lani kai ʻike iā Pae. Aia a loaʻa ka pūnana o ke kōlea, loaʻa ʻo ia iā ʻoe.
Only the stars of heaven know where Pae is. When you find a plover’s nest, then you will find him.
[Said of something so well hidden that it will not be found. Pae was a priest in the reign of ʻUmi. He was so lucky in fishing that the chief desired his bones for fishhooks after his death. When Pae died, his sons hid his bones so well that none of the chiefs and priests could find them. The sons would say, “When you find the nest of the plover, then will you find him.” But ʻUmi enlisted the help of a noted priest of Kauaʻi, who saw the ghost of Pae drinking from a spring in Waimanu Valley. Thus were the bones of Pae found and made into fishhooks for the chief. The sons of Pae were reminded that the chief was using their father’s bones for hooks by his constant cry, “O Pae, hold fast to our fish!”]
2515
ʻO nā hōkū o ka lani luna, ʻo Paʻaiea ko lalo.
The stars are above, Paʻaiea helow.
[Refers to Kamehameha’s great fish-pond, Paʻaiea, in Kona, Hawaiʻi. Its great size led to this saying — the small islets that dotted its interior were compared to the stars that dot the sky. The pond was destroyed during a volcanic eruption.]
[To speak evil of one’s kith and kin, or to reveal confidences that will result in trouble for another.]
1096
Hōʻole ka waha, holehole ʻia nō ka iwi.
Though the mouth denies one’s guilt, his bones are stripped anyway.
[Said of those who deny guilt but are punished anyway. This saying originated in the time of Kamehameha I, when thieves and murderers were severely punished even though they claimed innocence.]
1337
Ka iʻa holehole iwi o ka ʻāina.
The fish of the land that strips the flesh from the bones.
[Goats. When one pursues them for meat, many a limb suffers skinning and bruises.]
2497
ʻŌlelo ka waha, holehole ka lima.
The mouth talks, the hand strips.
[Said of one who says friendly words yet does unfriendly deeds.]
No owl hoots, no mudhen cries, no ʻūlili runs on the beach.
[There is perfect peace.]
957
He ʻūlili holoholo kahakai, pā i ke kai nui, hina.
A sandpiper running about on the beach, when struck by a big wave, falls.
[A disparaging remark applied to a weakling who cannot fight.]
1705
Keiki holoholo kuāua o Makawao.
The lad of Makawao who goes about in the rain.
[Said of a native of that place who is not afraid of being wet.]
2012
Liʻuliʻu wale ka nohona i ka lā o Hauola, a holoholo i ke one o ʻAlio.
Long has one tarried in the sunlight of Hauola and walked on the sand of ʻAlio.
[Said in praise of an aged person. There is a play on ola (life) in the name Hauola.]
Holoholokū (4)
467
Hānau ke aliʻi i loko o Holoholokū, he aliʻi nui; hānau ke kanaka i loko o Holoholokū, he aliʻi nō; hānau ke aliʻi ma waho aʻe o Holoholokū, ʻaʻohe aliʻi, he kanaka ia.
The child of a chief born in Holoholokū is a high chief; the child of a commoner born in Holoholokū is a chief; the child of a chief born outside of the borders of Holoholokū is a commoner.
[Holoholokū, sacred birthplace of the chiefs, is in Wailua, Kauaʻi.]
2602
Papani ka uka o Kapela; puaʻi hānono wai ʻole o Kukaniloko; pakī hunahuna ʻole o Holoholokū; ʻaʻohe mea nāna e ʻaʻe paepae kapu o Līloa.
Close the upland of Kapela; no red water gushes from Kukaniloko; not a particle issues from Holoholokū; there is none to step over the sacred platform of Līloa.
[The old chiefs and their sacredness are gone; the descendants are no longer laid to rest at Ka-pela-kapu-o-Kakaʻe at ʻīao; the descendants no longer point to Kukaniloko on Oʻahu and Holoholokū on Kauaʻi as the sacred birthplaces; there is no one to tread on the sacred places in Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi, where Līloa once dwelt.]
[A powerful warrior. The niuhi shark was dreaded because of its ferociousness. It was believed that a chief or warrior who captured this vicious denizen of the deep would acquire something of its nature.]
Holu ka pua o ka mauʻu, kapalili ka lau o ka lāʻau, māewa ka lau o ke ʻuki.
The grass blossoms sway, the leaves on the trees flutter, the leaves of the ʻuki grass wave to and fro.
[Said of speed in traveling. The traveler went so fast he was like a passing gust of wind that caused the leaves to sway or flutter.]
1054
Holu ka wai o Kaʻulili i ka makani.
The water of Kaʻulili ripples in the wind.
[A humorous saying applied to one whose proud swagger is like the movement of the ʻūlili (wandering tattler).]
1665
Kāwelu holu o Lanihuli.
The swaying grass of Lanihuli.
[Visitors to Nuʻuanu Pali know the kāwelu grass on the slope of the hill, dipping, rippling, and swaying in the breeze. It is mentioned in many chants and poems.]
[The realm of Piʻilani, a powerful ruling chief of Maui, included the islands of Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, as well as all the bays of Maui whose names begin with hono.]
Honokeʻā (1)
1816
Kohala, mai Honokeʻā a Keahualono.
Kohala, from Honokeʻā to Keahuaiono.
[The extent of Kohala.]
Honokōhau (3)
1056
Honokōhau ʻōpae lele.
Honokōhau’s leaping shrimp.
[An epithet for the kauā of Honokōhau, Maui.]
1503
Kano ke kihi poʻohiwi o Honokōhau.
Hard are the shoulder muscles of Honokōhau.
[The people of Honokōhau, Maui, were said to be hard workers.]
2140
Mānuʻunuʻu wale kini o Honokōhau.
Multitudinous are the inhabitants of Honokōhau.
[Said of the people of Honokōhau, Maui, who were known for having big families.]
Honoliʻi (1)
2374
ʻO Honoliʻi, huewai ʻolāʻolā i ka nuku.
Honoliʻi, where the water bottle gurgles at the mouth.
[Said of those of Honoliʻi, Hilo, by Hiʻiaka. In ancient days, expert sorcerers there who prayed others to death muttered prayers that sounded like the gurgling of a water bottle.]
Honolua (1)
1057
Honolua kōhi lae.
Honolua of the weighted hrow.
[Said of the fishermen of Honolua, Maui, who never raised their heads lest they be expected to share their catch of fish.]
Honolulu (3)
1016
Hoʻā ke ahi, kōʻala ke ola. O nā hale wale nō kai Honolulu; ʻo ka ʻai a me ka iʻa i Nuʻuanu.
Light the fire for there is life-giving suhstance. Only the houses stand in Honolulu; the vegetable food and meat are in Nuuanu.
[An expression of affection for Nuʻuanu. In olden days, much of the taro lands were found in Nuʻuanu, which supplied Honolulu with poi, taro greens, ʻoʻopu, and freshwater shrimp. So it is said that only houses stand in Honolulu. Food comes from Nuʻuanu.]
1423
Ka lā ikiiki o Honolulu.
The intensely warm days of Honolulu.
[People from the country often claim that Honolulu is excessively warm.]
1575
Ka ua Kūkalahale o Honolulu.
The Kūkalahale rain of Honolulu.
[The rain that announces itself to the homes by the pattering it makes on the roofs as it falls. Often mentioned in songs.]
Honomaʻele (1)
2237
Nā keiki o Waipouli me Honomaʻele.
Children of Waipouii and Honomaʻele.
[A humorous reference to very dark people. A play on pouli (dark) in Waipouli and ʻele (black) in Honomaʻele.]
Honopū (1)
2833
Ua nīkiʻi ʻia i ke olonā o Honopū.
Tied fast with the olonā cord of Honopū.
[Honopū, Kaua’i, was said to produce excellent olonā in ancient days.]
[Said of some ʻaumākua who make themselves visible to loved ones by assuming an earthly form, such as fish, fowl, or animal, yet retain the nature of a god.]
282
E hiolo ana nā kapu kahiko; e hina ana nā heiau me nā lele; e hui ana nā moku; he iho mai ana ka lani a e piʻi ana ka honua.
The ancient kapu will be abolished; the heiau and altars willfall; the islands will be united; the heavens will descend and the earth ascend.
[A prophecy uttered by Kapihe, a kahuna in Kamehameha’s time. The last part of the saying means that chiefs will come down to humble positions and commoners rise to positions of honor.]
718
He lani i luna, he honua i lalo.
Heaven above, earth beneath.
[Said of a person who owns his own property, or of one who is sure of his security. The sky above him and the earth beneath his feet are his.]
966
He waʻa holo honua.
A land-sailing canoe.
[A horse, mule, or donkey used for transportation.]
1316
Ka honua nui a Kāne i hoʻīnana a ʻahu kīnohinohi.
The great earth animated and adorned by Kāne.
[Kāne was the god of fresh water and life.]
1421
Kalaʻihi ka lani, kūpilikiʻi ka honua.
When the day is stormy, the earth is distressed.
[When the chief is angry, the people are unhappy.]
[The ʻalalauwā, which came in great schools to the waterfront of Honolulu. Fishermen of all ages came with their poles to fish, and the crowds were sometimes so great that the lines tangled.]
Hoʻohila (2)
2266
Nanā ka leo o ke kai o Hoʻohila.
Surly is the voice of the sea of Hoʻ ohila.
[Said of one who speaks harshly.]
2930
Wela ke kai o Hoʻohila.
Warm is the sea of Hoʻohila.
[Praise for a fearless warrior, or a warning that danger is near. It is said that the presence of a shark is indicated by the warmth of the sea.]
[A saying that cropped up when talk of the annexation of Hawaiʻi began. It was a sign of bad luck to encounter someone with a bunch of bananas while on a business trip. Hence this warning that annexation will bring bad luck to Hawaiʻi.]
[Said of one who remains indoors constantly during the windy, rainy month of Welehu, huddled by a fireplace for warmth. Later applied to one who prefers being indoors.]
Maikaʻi nō ka hoʻoipoipo i ka wā e lana ana ke koko; a pau ka lana ana, pau nō ka hie o ia mea.
Lovemaking is good when the blood is circulating freely [in youth]; but when the blood ceases to circulate freely [as in old age] the pleasure one derives from it ceases.
E keʻekeʻehi kūlana i paʻa. ʻO ʻoe hoʻokahi, ʻo wau hoʻokahi, kū mai i mua.
Take a firm stand. You, by yourself, and I, by myself, let us step forth.
[A challenge to one to step out of a crowd and fight man to man.]
346
E mālama i ka mākua, he mea laha ʻole; ʻo ke kāne he loaʻa i ka lā hoʻokahi.
Take care of parents for they are choice; a husband can he found in a day.
[Parents should be cared for, for when they are gone, there are none to replace them. One can marry again and again.]
560
He hālau a hālau ko ka niu, hoʻokahi nō hālau o ka niuniu.
The coconut tree has many shelters to go to; but the person who merely aspires has but one.
[Said in scom to or of a person of low rank who assumes the air of a chief. A true chief (niu) is welcome every-where he goes; a pretender is only welcome in his own circle.]
There isn’t room enough on the island of Kaʻula, for the birds are crowding.
[It is overcrowded. Kaʻula is a bird-inhabited island beyond Niʻihau.]
1084
Hoʻokē a maka.
Deny the eyes.
[Said of a very selfish person who eats without sharing, no matter who looks on with longing; or of one who does his own work only, without lifting a finger to help another. Also said of one who gives to his own children but refuses to share with the children of neighbors and relatives.]
The Kauaula wind ofʻUlupaʻu claims honors that do not belong to it.
[Said in derision of one who steals, then boasts of possessions that are not rightly his. Also said of one who claims illustrious relatives. The Kauaʻula wind is a wind of Maui.]
The trail leads to a diving place; do not follow after.
[A warning to leave well enough alone.]
1086
Hoʻokolo aku i ka nui manu.
Go inquire of the other birds.
[Go and consult others. From the following story: One day a man went up to a mountain spring for water. On the way down he paused to rest, then fell asleep. An ʻelepaio lighted and, seeing the man’s gourd bottle, pecked a hole in the gourd. The sound of the pecking woke the man, who saw the water running out. In anger he threw a stone at the ʻelepaio and injured its leg. It flew away and met an ʻio. “O! ʻIo, I was stoned by a man,” ʻElepaio cried. “What did you do?” asked ʻIo. “Pecked the man’s bottle.” “Then the fault is yours,” answered ʻIo. ʻElepaio flew on and met Pueo. The same words were exchanged between them. So it was with ʻIʻiwi, ʻŌʻō, and all the others. ʻElepaio’s disgust grew greater with ʻAmakihi, who laughed at him in derision. Receiving no sympathy, ʻElepaio sat and thought and finally admitted to himself that he, indeed, was to blame.]
[An expression mueh used in prayers. In calling upon the gods in prayers, one mentions those from the east, west, north, south, and those from zenith to horizon.]
[Said of an unbeliever who denies the power of the gods.]
1096
Hōʻole ka waha, holehole ʻia nō ka iwi.
Though the mouth denies one’s guilt, his bones are stripped anyway.
[Said of those who deny guilt but are punished anyway. This saying originated in the time of Kamehameha I, when thieves and murderers were severely punished even though they claimed innocence.]
1700
Ke hōʻole mai nei o Hāloa.
Hāloa denies that.
[Hāloa is the god of taro. It was said that whatever business was discussed before an open poi bowl was denied by Hāloa. If a medical kahuna was called while eating, he took it as a sign that he was not the right person to treat the sick one. However, if he was told while eating that someone was dying, he was able to treat the illness, for Hāloa would deny the death.]
ʻUnu mai a hoʻonuʻanuʻa ke kilu o Kalamaʻula, hoʻoleʻaleʻa i ke kaha o Kaunalewa.
Bring all the kilu for amusement at Kalamaʻula to make merry on the field of Kaunalewa.
[To come together for a gay time and bring whatever you have to add to the fun. There is a play on lewa, whieh refers to the swinging of the hips in hula.]
Standing like a protruding-lip image at the food patch of Nūkeʻe.
[Standing around doing nothing, gaining nothing; hence, worth nothing. The reference to Nūkeʻe (Twist-mouth) adds a touch of contempt.]
Hoʻolehua (2)
1935
Kuʻu manu lawelawe ō o Hoʻolehua.
My bird of Hoʻolehua that cries out about food.
[Said of the kioea, whose cry sounds like “Lawelawe ke ō! Lawelawe ke ō!" (“Take the food! Take the food!”). The kioea is the bird that calls to the fishermen to set out to sea.]
[A play on hoʻolewa (to lift) and kū hele mai (stand up and come), meaning that we stood up and lifted the beer down our throats. An expression used by the sweet-potato beer drinkers of Lahaina, Maui.]
E mālama i ka mākua, o hoʻomakua auaneʻi i ka haʻi.
Take care of [your] parents lest [the day come when] you will be caring for someone else’s.
[Mākua includes all relatives of the parents’ generation, including their siblings and cousins.]
454
Hana ʻino i ka ke kino ʻelemakule a hoʻomakua aku i ka haʻi.
Mistreat your own oldsters and the day may come when youll be caringfor someone else’s.
[Said to a rude or ungrateful child. You should think of your own elder first, while he is alive, lest after his death you must take care of someone who had no part in rearing you.]
2790
Ua hoʻomakua ka lāʻau.
The plant has become a tree.
[Said of a habit that might once have been easily overcome but has now gained a good stronghold.]
[Said to a person who hinted his liking for another’s possessions; one was obliged to say, “Take it, I give it to you.” Such a hinting person was disliked, and favorite possessions were hidden away when he approached.]
[Refers to Mānā, Kauaʻi. In ancient days there were five patches at Kolo, Mānā, in which deep water mound-planting was done for taro. As the plants grew, the rootlets were allowed to spread undisturbed because they helped to hold the soil together. When the rainy season came, the whole area was flooded as far as Kalamaihiki, and it took weeks for the water to subside. The farmers built rafts of sticks and rushes, then dived into the water. They worked the bases of the taro mounds free and lifted them carefully, so as not to disturb the soil, to the rafts where they were secured. The weight of the mounds submerged the rafts but permitted the taro stalks to grow above water just as they did before the flood came. The rafts were tied together to form a large, floating field of taro.]
Set in order at Waineki are the houses of Limaloa.
[Limaloa, the god of mirages, made houses appear and disappear on the plains of Mānā. This saying applies to the development of ideas, the setting of plans, or the arranging of things in order.]
ʻUnu mai a hoʻonuʻanuʻa ke kilu o Kalamaʻula, hoʻoleʻaleʻa i ke kaha o Kaunalewa.
Bring all the kilu for amusement at Kalamaʻula to make merry on the field of Kaunalewa.
[To come together for a gay time and bring whatever you have to add to the fun. There is a play on lewa, whieh refers to the swinging of the hips in hula.]
Hoʻokahi no makani ʻino o ke Kalakalaʻihi Kalaloa, he hoʻonuinui ʻōlelo.
There is only one bad wind, the Kalakalaʻihi Kalaloa, which creates too much talk.
[Said of nasty words that start dissension and argument. A play on kalakala (rough) and kala loa (very rough). First uttered by the lizard-goddess Kilioe, who was trying to stir Pele to wrath by her insults.]
The fish of Waimea that touch the skins of people.
[When it was the season for hinana, the spawn of ʻoʻopu, at Waimea, Kauaʻi, they were so numerous that one couldn’t go into the water without rubbing against them.]
Make the canoe go back; do not insist on heading into a storm.
[A plea not to do something or associate with someone that will lead to serious trouble.]
377
E puʻu auaneʻi ka lae i ka ua o Kawaupuʻu, i ka hoʻopaʻa a ka hōʻakamai.
The forehead is likely to be lumped by the rain of Kawaupuu if one insists on being a smarty.
[A warning not to get cocky or smart lest one be hurt. A play on puʻu (lump).]
1225
I leʻa ka hula i ka hoʻopaʻa.
The hula is pleasing because of the drummer.
[The lesser details that one pays little attention to are just as important as the major ones. Although the attention is given to the dancer, the drummer and chanter play an important role in the dance.]
Ma loko o ka hale, hoʻopuka ʻia ka pili, a ma waho o ka hale, he haku ia.
Inside of the house you may mention your relationship, but outside of the house your chief is your lord.
[Those who served the chief in his home were usually loyal blood relatives. From childhood they were taught not to discuss the relationship with anyone outside of the household, and always to refer to their chief as Kuu haku (My lord), never by any relationship term. Only the chief could mention a relationship if he chose.]
2464
ʻO ke kumu, o ka māna, hoʻopuka ʻia.
The teacher, the pupil — let it come forth.
[A challenge from a pupil to the teacher who trained him in warfare or sports — “Now let the teacher and pupil vie against each other.”]
[Mountain shrimp, which cling to weeds and grasses along the banks of streams when a cloudburst occurs in the upland. Unlike the ʻoʻopu, they are not washed down to the lowland.]
[It was the custom of Pūlaʻa, Puna, Hawaiʻi, to remove the best mounds of sweet potato, earth and all, to wide strips of thick, coarse lauhala mats stretched out on racks. When a chief came on a visit, these mats were placed on the right-hand side of the road and made kapu. Should he return, the mat-grown potato field was carried to the opposite side of the road so that it would still be on the right of the traveling chief.]
ʻO ka wai kau nō ia o Keʻanae; ʻo ka ʻūlei hoʻowali ʻuala ia o Kula.
It is the pool on the height of Keanae; it is the ʻūlei digging stick for the potato [patch] of Kula.
[A handsome young man of Kula and a beautiful young woman of Keʻanae, on Maui, were attracted to each other. She boasted of her own womanly perfection by referring to her body as the pool on the heights of Keʻanae. Not to be outdone, he looked down at himself and boasted of his manhood as the digging stick of Kula.]
[Said of one who is fearful of getting into trouble.]
Hōpoe (5)
474
Haoʻe nā ʻale o Hōpoe i ka ʻino.
The billows of Hōpoe rise in the storm.
[His anger is mounting. Hōpoe, Puna, has notoriously high seas.]
738
He lehua neneʻe wale i Hōpoe.
A low spreading lehua tree at Hōpoe.
[A petite person, as pretty as a small, flower-laden tree.]
1113
Hōpoe, ka wahine lewa i ke kai.
Hōpoe, the woman who dances in the sea.
[Hōpoe was a dancer of Keaʻau, Puna, in that long ago day when gods mingled with men. Because of her dancing and her kindly nature, Hōpoe was taken by the goddess Hiʻiaka as a favorite friend. When Pele sent Hiʻiaka to Kauaʻi to fetch Lohiʻau, the first request Hiʻiaka made to Pele was to be kind to her friend, Hōpoe. After a time, when Hiʻiaka did not return as expected, Pele in a fit of rage destroyed Hiʻiaka’s grove and the beloved Hōpoe. The latter was changed into a balancing stone that seemed to dance in the sea.]
1567
Ka ua kiawe lehua o Hōpoe.
The rain that sets the lehua of Hōpoe to swaying.
[When the rain patters down, the lehua of Hōpoe, Puna, gently sway to and fro.]
2534
ʻOpihi kauwawe lehua o Hōpoe.
ʻOpihi covered by the lehua blossoms of Hōpoe.
[The fringes of lehua at Hōpoe fall into the sea, and are washed up over the rocks, hiding the ʻopihi.]
He iʻa no ka pāpaʻu, he loaʻa wale i ka hopu lima; he iʻa no ka hohonu, noho i kaʻeaʻea.
Fish of the shallows are easy to catch with the hands; but fish of the depths keep the fisherman wet with sea sprays.
[Ordinary folks are easy to find but an outstanding one is not.]
1114
Hopu hewa i ka ʻāhui hala o Kekele.
[One] grasps the pandanus cluster of Kekele by mistake.
[Said of one who meets with disappointment. A play on hala (to miss or to be gone). The hala cluster is often used figuratively to refer to the scrotum. Kekele is a grove at the base of Nuʻuanu Pali.]
1115
Hopu hewa i ka loli, i ka iʻa maka ʻole.
Grasped the eyeless fish by mistake.
[Met with disappointment. The loli (sea cucumber) is known as the fish without eyes.]
1242
I noho ʻoukou a i pae mai he waʻa o Kahiki-makolena, hopu ʻoukou a paʻa; o ke kahuna ia ʻaʻohe e ʻeha ka ʻili ʻoiai no Kahiki aku ana ka ʻāina.
If sometime in the future a canoe from Kahiki-makolena arrives, grasp and hold fast to it. There is the kahuna for you, and your skins will never more he hurt [in war],for the land will someday he owned hy Kahiki.
[A prophecy uttered by Kaleikuahulu to Kaʻahumanu and her sisters as he was dying. Foreign priests (missionaries) will come. Accept their teachings.]
2054
Mai hopu mai ʻoe, he manu kapu; ua kapu na ka nahele o ʻOʻokuauli.
Do not catch it, for it is a bird reserved; reserved for the forest of ʻOʻokuauli.
[Do not try to win one who is reserved for another.]
2791
Ua hopu hewa i ka uouoa.
Accidentally caught an uouoa fish.
[A play on uō (to howl). Said of one who has gotten himself into something distressing.]
[When Kupanea died, Kaona, a false prophet who lived during the reign of Kamehameha III, suggested that the family leave him unburied and that Kaona’s prayers would restore the corpse to life again. Instead Kupanea’s corpse became decomposed and had to be buried. Thus, this humorous saying — meaning never! — came into being.]
152
ʻAʻohe i nalo ka ʻulaʻula o ka lepo, loaʻa hou nō ka wahine.
The redness of the earth hasnt even vanished when a new wife is obtained.
[Said in scorn of a person who takes a new mate shortly after the death of the old one.]
157
ʻAʻohe kahe o ka hou i ka ʻōʻō kōhi paʻōʻō a kamaliʻi.
With the digging implement used by children to dig up leftover potatoes, no perspiration is shed.
[Said of a task requiring little effort.]
594
He hou moe kāheka.
A hou fish that sleeps in a sea pool.
[Said of a person who snores. The hou when sleeping makes a snoring sound.]
595
He hou ʻoe, he iʻa moe ahiahi.
You are a hou, a fish that sleeps in the evening.
[A small, inoffensive fellow — but one who will fight when annoyed.]
723
He lau maiʻa pala ka wahine, hou aku nō ʻoe, pōhae.
A woman is like a yellowed banana leaf that tears when one pokes at it.
Eager to drink of the gushing spring of Koʻolihilihi.
[Eager to make love. Koʻolihilihi (Prop-eyelashes) is a spring in Puna. When royal visitors were expected, the people attached lehua blossoms to the makaloa sedge that grew around the spring so that when their guests stooped to drink, the lehua fringes touched their cheeks and eyelashes. The last person for whom the spring was bedecked was Keohokalole, mother of Liliʻuokalani.]
1119
Hū akula i kula.
Lost on the plain.
[Said of one who goes off-course.]
1124
Hū hewa ʻia paha ke Kinaʻu, a ke Kalaukina e huli hele nei.
Perhaps the Kinaʻu is off her course, to have the Claudine go in search of her.
[Said in fun of a person who goes in search of another. This is a line from a hula song.]
1125
Hū hewa i Kapua ka ʻauwaʻa pānānā ʻole.
The fleet of canoes without a compass landed at Kapua by mistake.
[Said of one who is off his course, mentally or otherwise. A saying from Kohala.]
1131
Hū i kula ka make o ka ʻaiā.
The wicked dead is washed up by the sea.
[In ancient times, certain priests would take charge of a chief’s corpse. The flesh and viscera, called pela, were sometimes taken out to sea where they were deposited. It was said that the viscera of a good chief was accepted by the sea and hidden in its depth, but that of a wicked chief was washed ashore and left there.]
1132
Hū ka ʻalaʻala.
The aerial bulbs appeared.
[A lot of nothing worth troubling about. Here, ʻalaʻala refers to the aerial bulbs on the hoi vine. ʻAlaʻala is also the term applied to the liver of the octopus in songs and sayings, regarded as a symbol for something unimportant.]
[The seeds of the kanawao, a small tree, were believed to help in making a woman fertile. In royal chants, large families of chiefs were sometimes compared to kanawao trees and their seeds.]
Hua (1)
1811
Koʻele nā iwi o Hua i ka lā.
The bones of Hua rattled in the sun.
[A warning not to talk too much of one’s kin. Also, a reminder that trouble is sure to befall those who destroy the innocent. Hua was a chief of Maui who heeded the lies of jealous men and ordered the death of his faithful priest, Luahoʻomoe. Before he died, he sent his sons to the mountains for safety, because it was foretold by gods what was to come over the land. After his death, drought and famine came. Many died, including the chief Hua. There was no one to hide his remains, so his bones were left exposed to sun and wind. Also expressed Nakeke nā iwi....]
[Said of a person who runs here and there for trivial things.]
Huaʻā (1)
857
He ʻoi wale aku nō ʻo Huaʻā.
Great indeed was Huaʻā.
[A sarcasm. Huaʻā was a chief of Puna on Hawaiʻi. When the chief of another district threatened to war against him, he hastily sent word to Kamehameha for protection. The latter ordered the war-minded chief to cease his threats.]
The size that enables one to carry a water bottle.
[Said of a child about two years old. In Kaʻū, where fresh water was scarce and had to be obtained from upland springs, every person who went helped to carry home water. When a child was about two, he was given a small gourd bottle for carrying water.]
[Said when one starts a fight and then gets beaten. Kalahumoku was a supernatural dog from Kahiki who became the friend of ʻAiwohikupua, chief of Kauaʻi. He was taken by the latter to Hawaiʻi to fight the lizard guardian of Paliuli and to destroy ʻAiwohikupua’s sisters, who resided there. The girls had been deserted by the chief when they did not win for him the woman he wanted to wed. The lizard won the battle and the dog returned to his friend with his ears chewed up and part of his tail bitten off.]
2236
Nā keiki huelo loloa o ka ʻĀina Pua.
The long-tailed sons of the Flowery Kingdom.
[The Chinese, who once wore queues.]
2935
Welo ka huelo kū.
The standing tails sway.
[Said of young vines that appear in the month of Welo and have not yet spread. Owls sometimes mistake them for rats and pounce on them.]
Huelo (1)
1596
Ka ua peʻe pū hala o Huelo.
The rain of Huelo that makes one hide in a hala grove.
[Water is life and Kāne is the keeper of water. To dream of a well-filled water gourd that breaks and spills its contents is a warning of death for someone in the family.]
1123
Huewai maka.
Unripe water gourd.
[A small water hole, which is nearly too small to be of value. Not applied to people.]
1247
I ʻolāʻolā nō ka huewai i ka piha ʻole.
The water gourd gurgles when not filled full.
[A person not very well informed talks more than one who is.]
1253
I pao i ka huewai nuku pueo a ke kanaka.
Pecked at the man’s short-necked gourd bottle.
[Attempted an affair with another’s wife. This saying comes from the story of the ʻelepaio bird that pecked at a man’s water bottle while he slept.]
2208
Nahā ka huewai a ua kahe ka wai.
The gourd water-bottle is broken and the water has run out.
[The body is dead; life has fled.]
2374
ʻO Honoliʻi, huewai ʻolāʻolā i ka nuku.
Honoliʻi, where the water bottle gurgles at the mouth.
[Said of those of Honoliʻi, Hilo, by Hiʻiaka. In ancient days, expert sorcerers there who prayed others to death muttered prayers that sounded like the gurgling of a water bottle.]
ʻAʻohe ʻike wale iho iā Maliʻo, i ka huhuki laweau a Uwēkahuna.
Malio is not recognized because Uwēkahuna is drawing her away.
[Said of one who refuses to recognize old friends and associates or is snubbed by friends because they have interests elsewhere. Maliʻo was a mythical woman of Puna whom Pele once snubbed. Uwēkahuna is the bluff overlooking the crater of Kīlauea.]
Huhune (1)
2550
ʻO Welehu ke kāne, ʻo Huhune ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he luluāʻina.
Welehu is the husband, Huhune (Tiny-specks) the wife; a child born to them is freckled.
E hiolo ana nā kapu kahiko; e hina ana nā heiau me nā lele; e hui ana nā moku; he iho mai ana ka lani a e piʻi ana ka honua.
The ancient kapu will be abolished; the heiau and altars willfall; the islands will be united; the heavens will descend and the earth ascend.
[A prophecy uttered by Kapihe, a kahuna in Kamehameha’s time. The last part of the saying means that chiefs will come down to humble positions and commoners rise to positions of honor.]
1127
Hui aku, hui mai, hui kalo me ka nāwao.
Mixed there, mixed here, all mixed together are the cultivated and the wild taros.
[Said of a great mix-up.]
1128
Hui aku na maka i Kou.
The faces will meet in Kou.
[We will all meet there. Kou (now central Honolulu) was the place where the chiefs played games, and people came from everywhere to watch.]
2823
Ua loha nā hui o Hāʻupu.
The flippers of Hāʻupu droop.
[Said poetically of an aged person. The ridges on both sides of Hā’upu hill on Kaua’i go down gradually, with a rise here and there, but none is as high as Hā’upu itself.]
E noho ma lalo o ka lāʻau maka, iho mai ka huihui, māʻona ka ʻōpū.
Sit under a green tree. When the cluster comes down, the stomach is filled.
[Serve a worthy person. When your reward comes you will never be hungry.]
1129
Huihui pāipu a Lono.
Lono’s cluster of gourd vessels.
[Lono was a woman who had a large family of children and an indolent, pleasure-seeking husband. Hers was a life of drudgery. Tired of it, she sought a home on the sun. But when she tried to go up to it, she grew so uncomfortably warm that she came down again. Then she tried to go to a star, but the twinkling of the stars made her feel that they were laughing at her plight. Then, when the full moon rose, she changed her children into gourds and traveled up a rainbow toward the moon. Her husband saw her and ran to grasp her ankle as she went up. Her foot slipped off like a lizard’s tail. So Lono entered the moon and remained there. On full-moon nights, the people would point out the shadows in the moon and say, “There is Lono and her gourds.” Today a mother who goes about with her flock of children is compared to Lono and her gourds.]
When one wants to dance the hula, bashfulness should be left at home.
[Also expressed Aʻo i ka hula,....]
1225
I leʻa ka hula i ka hoʻopaʻa.
The hula is pleasing because of the drummer.
[The lesser details that one pays little attention to are just as important as the major ones. Although the attention is given to the dancer, the drummer and chanter play an important role in the dance.]
2571
Paʻi ana nā pahu a hula leʻa; ʻo kaʻu hula nō kēia.
Let the better-enjoyed hula chanters beat their own drums; this is the hula chant that I know.
[A retort: Let those who claim to know a lot produce their knowledge; this is what I know.]
Hū hewa ʻia paha ke Kinaʻu, a ke Kalaukina e huli hele nei.
Perhaps the Kinaʻu is off her course, to have the Claudine go in search of her.
[Said in fun of a person who goes in search of another. This is a line from a hula song.]
1137
Huli ka lau o ka ʻamaʻu i uka, nui ka wai o kahawai.
When the leaves of the ʻamaʻu turn toward the upland, it is a sign of a flood.
[When the wind blows the leaves of the ʻamau fern so that they bend toward the mountains it is also blowing clouds inland, which will produce rain.]
1138
Huli ka malau, ka ʻiako a ka lawaiʻa.
The malau that serves as an outrigger of the canoe is turned over.
[Work is done. The malau is a live-bait carrier attached to the canoe. When the fishing was done the empty malau was tumed over. First used by Hiʻiaka in a chant when she saw two shark men flee at the sight of her, though she intended no harm.]
1139
Huli ke alo i ka paia.
Turn the face to the wall.
[There is nothing to fear. To go to sleep with one’s face to the wall is an indication of confidence in one’s safety.]
1140
Huli ke alo i luna.
Facing upward.
[Said of a baby not yet able to sit up or a person too sick to rise.]
Aia kēkē nā hulu o ka umauma hoʻi ke kōlea i Kahiki e hānau ai.
When the feathers on the breast darken [because of fatness] the plover goes back to Kahiki to breed.
[A person comes here, grows prosperous, and goes away without a thought to the source of his prosperity.]
565
He hamo hulu puna ma waho.
A brushing on the outside with whitewash.
[A friendly exterior only.]
599
He hulu aliʻi.
Royal feathers.
[Said of the adornment of a chief, or of an elderly chief himself who is one of a few survivors of his generation and therefore precious.]
601
He hulu makua.
A feather parent.
[When most of the relatives of the parents’ generation were gone, the few left were referred to as hulu mākua and considered as precious and choice as feathers. Hulu can refer to relatives as far back as three generations.]
[Said in annoyance or disgust for disobedience or heedlessness. The ears are too full of fuzz to let sounds enter.]
600
He huluhulu kau i ka puka ihu.
Hair growing inside of the nostril.
[Said in envy of a person who is regarded as a favorite by a superior — he is so closely allied to the person that he is likened to a hair in the other’s nostril. Also said in criticism of one who is made too much of.]
1206
ʻIke ʻia aʻe nō ma ka huluhulu kau i ka puka ihu.
Attention is paid only to the hairs of the nostrils.
[Attention is paid to the favored few whom one does not like to offend.]
A sea for fishing with a draw net is the sea of Kālia.
[The water at Kālia is very shallow.]
1145
Hului kōkō a Makaliʻi a kau i luna.
The carrying net of Makaliʻi takes all and suspends them on high.
[Said of a stingy person. Makaliʻi was a supernatural chief of ancient times who gathered all the food plants in a net and hung them in the sky among the stars of the Pleiades. The result was famine.]
[A call to prepare for war or to prepare for the project at hand.]
2223
Na kahi ka malo, na kahi e hume.
The loincloth of one, the other can wear.
[A close relationship. As a general rule, Hawaiians would not wear the clothing of people other than blood relatives. In explaining genealogy to a young relative, this conveyed the idea that a relationship was near enough to warrant the wearing of each other’s clothing.]
2341
Nona ka malo, naʻu e hume; noʻu ka malo, nāna e hume.
His loincloth I could wear; my loincloth he could wear.
It isn’t a break in a gourd container that can he easily mended by sewing the parts together.
[A broken relationship is not as easily mended as a broken gourd. Also, the breaking up of the family brought a stop to the support each gave the other.]
This is a small speck of dust that causes a roughness in the eye.
[One may be small but he can still cause distress. This was the retort of Kaʻehuiki, a shark-god of Puna, when he was taunted for his small size by Kaiʻanuilalawalu, shark-god of Kīpahulu, Maui.]
[Said of a god, who is invisible. Also expressed He poʻo hūnā i ke aoūli.]
1269
Ka ʻai hūnā i ka poli.
The food hidden in the bosom.
[Breast milk.]
1508
Kanukanu, hūnā i ka meheu, i ka maʻawe alanui o Kapuʻukolu.
Covering with earth, hiding the footprints on the narrow trail of Kapuukolu.
[Said of a cautious person who guards his ways from those who pry. In ancient times a person who did not want to be traced by his footsteps carefully eradicated them as he went.]
[A little pool of water on Lehua often mentioned in chants of Niʻihau. It is said to be guarded by a supernatural pāoʻo fish. When this fish rises to the surface, its back resembles the surrounding rocks, which makes the pool difficult to see. When the pāoʻo sinks to the bottom, the water can again be seen. Also, a pool not far from the crater of Kīlauea. The priests of Pele who knew of its location obtained water from it to mix with the ʻawa drinks they offered to her. Like the pool on Lehua, a supernatural pāoʻo fish guarded it. This pool was destroyed during the making of a road.]
Papani ka uka o Kapela; puaʻi hānono wai ʻole o Kukaniloko; pakī hunahuna ʻole o Holoholokū; ʻaʻohe mea nāna e ʻaʻe paepae kapu o Līloa.
Close the upland of Kapela; no red water gushes from Kukaniloko; not a particle issues from Holoholokū; there is none to step over the sacred platform of Līloa.
[The old chiefs and their sacredness are gone; the descendants are no longer laid to rest at Ka-pela-kapu-o-Kakaʻe at ʻīao; the descendants no longer point to Kukaniloko on Oʻahu and Holoholokū on Kauaʻi as the sacred birthplaces; there is no one to tread on the sacred places in Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi, where Līloa once dwelt.]
It isn’t a break in a gourd container that can he easily mended by sewing the parts together.
[A broken relationship is not as easily mended as a broken gourd. Also, the breaking up of the family brought a stop to the support each gave the other.]
[Little skill is required to get a canoe out of the water at a landing. Said of one whose knowledge is very shallow and whose skill is practically nil.]
Hupō-e-nui (1)
1146
Hupō-e-nui.
Extremely stupid.
[Applied to those whose blood was mingled with that of kauā.]