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.]
[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.]
[A farmer is not always able to keep his hands and fingemails perfectly clean, even if he washes them. Because he eats with his fingers he is said to have a dirty stomach.]
1747
Ke kini mahiʻai o Kaʻū.
The farming multitude of Kaū.
[A derogatory remark by Keāulumoku, author of the chant “Haui ka lani,” that the people of Kaʻ ū, who were mostly farmers, were insignificant people.]
2239
Na ke kanaka mahiʻai ka imu ō nui.
The well-filled imu belongs to the man who tills the soil.
2491
ʻOla nō ka mahiʻai i kahi kūʻōʻō.
A farmer can subsist on small, broken potatoes.
[As long as there are potatoes, even small or broken ones, a farmer gets along.]
2762
Pūpū wahi kūʻōʻō ka mahiʻai o uka, ola nō ia kini he mahiʻai na ka ʻōiwi.
When the upland farmer gathers small, broken sweet potatoes there is life for many, though he only farms for himself.
ʻO Kaʻaona ka pua i ka uahi o ka hoʻoilo, a ulu māhiehie.
In Kaʻaona [is used] the dart that has rested in the smoke during the rainy months until it acquires beauty.
[Said of the month Kaʻaona, when the young people bring out their darts for games. These darts had reddened in the smoke of the fireplaces during the wet months. With rubbing and polishing they acquired a beautiful sheen.]
ʻO Waipiʻo me Waimanu, no ʻoawa mahoe i ke alo o ka makani.
Waipiʻo and Waimanu, the twin valleys that face the wind.
[These two are neighboring valleys on Hawaiʻi.]
Mahoehope (1)
2506
ʻO Mahoehope ke kāne, ʻo Lanihua ka wahine, hānau ke keiki he kōkua nui a waiū nunui.
Mahoehope is the husband, Lanihua (Productive-heavenly-one) is the wife; a child born to them is either thick-shouldered or large-busted.
[Said of a child born in the month of Mahoehope. If a boy, he would be strong-shouldered and able to do much work; if a girl, she would be large of breast.]
Mahoemua (2)
671
He kanu Mahoemua, he kalo pūʻali.
When one plants in [the month of] Mahoemua, he will have irregularly shaped taro.
2507
ʻO Mahoemua ke kāne, Leleipele ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he ʻōpulepule.
Mahoemua is the husband, Lele-i-pele (Leap-into-voIcano) the wife; a child born to them is reckless and irresponsible.
[Said of a child born in the month of Mahoemua.]
Māhukona (2)
1684
Ke awa haulani o Māhukona.
The restless harbor of Māhukona.
[Poets refer also to the surging (hanupanupā) waves of Māhukona.]
2040
Māhukona kālua paʻa.
Māhukona, roasted whole.
[An epithet applied to Māhukona, Hawaiʻi. During Kamehameha’s rule, Kānemakini, a native of Māhukona, was roasted whole there for thievery.]
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.]
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.]
109
ʻAle mai ke aloha kau i ka maka.
Love comes like a billow and rests before the eyes.
[Said of an overwhelming love that leaves a constant yearning, with the image of one’s affections ever before one.]
113
Aloha mai nō, aloha aku; ʻo ka huhiā ka mea e ola ʻole ai.
When love is given, love should he returned; anger is the thing that gives no life.
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.]
125
ʻAʻohe ʻai waiwai ke hiki mai ka makahiki.
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.]
[The medical kahuna usually had a servant to do the work of fetching and preparing the herbs he prescribed for his patient. Thus the servant served both kahuna and patient. Often the person who gathered the herbs was an apprentice learning the art from the kahuna.]
782
He maʻi makamaka ʻole.
The disease that deprives one of relatives and friends.
[Leprosy.]
783
He maʻi nui ka hilahila.
Humiliation is a great disease.
[Shame and humiliation can make one sick at heart.]
784
He maʻi ola ʻole i kahuna.
A sickness that no kahuna can heal.
[A play on maʻi, which refers to either a sickness or the genitals. Diseases can be cured by a kahuna, but gender is something that no kahuna can change.]
785
He maʻi piʻi aliʻi ke aloha.
Love is a disease that does not even spare the chiefs.
1308
Kahi keiki maʻi lewalewa.
Small child with dangling penis.
[A term of ridicule for a small boy who acts like a grownup. Until a boy was old enough to enter the mua (men’s eating house), he wore no malo.]
[Said of a person who is too eager to finish his work. A play on ake pau (eager to finish), the Hawaiian term for tuberculosis (literally “consumed lung”).]
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.
[A woman does not have the strength of a man.]
779
He maiʻa ke kanaka a ka lā e hua ai.
A man is like a banana tree on the day it bears its fruit.
[When a man’s body was removed from a grave, a banana stalk was laid in to take its place.]
780
He maiʻa līlā, ʻaʻohe ʻiʻo.
A thin banana without substance.
[Not worth troubling about. Maiʻa can refer to either the fruit or the plant.]
781
He maiʻa ua paʻa i ke koʻo.
A banana tree well supported by props.
[A man well supported by his followers.]
1063
Hoʻohui ʻāina pala ka maiʻa.
Annexation [is] ripe bananas.
[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.]
Keep your silence, O rain of Hilo, there are only two of us.
[Uttered by Kanuha in retort when rebuked by the Reverend Titus Coan for Sabbath-breaking: “Hold your silence, for there are only two of us in authority” — meaning Kanuha and Governor Kuakini. Rev. Coan was not to give orders when either was present. Now it is used to mean, “Keep quiet. You’re not the boss around here.”]
Maʻihi (1)
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.]
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.
He ʻio ʻoe, he ʻio au, he ʻio nā ʻānela o ke akua, kiʻi maila nō iā ʻoe a lawe.
You are a hawk, I am a hawk, and the angels of God are hawks.
[Uttered by Hitchcock, a missionary, over the coffin of a sorcerer who had threatened to pray him to death and referred to himself as an ʻio, the bird that flies the highest.]
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.]
1203
ʻIkea maila ʻo Mānā, ua hāʻale i ka wai liʻulā.
Mānā notices the waters of the mirage.
[The attempt to fool is very obvious.]
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.]
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.]
[Koʻiahi, Oʻahu, was famed in old chants for the finest and most fragrant small-leaved maile in the islands. It was destroyed by introduced animals.]
2075
Maile lau liʻi o Koʻiahi.
Fine-leaved maile of Koʻiahi.
[Often used in chants. The fine-leaved maile of Koʻiahi, in Waiʻanae, was considered the best on Oʻahu for beauty and fragrance. After the introduction of goats this beautiful and much-liked vine vanished.]
Are the eyes on the back that one cannot see what is being done?
[Said of one who declares that he doesn’t know how to do a certain thing and perhaps will not be able to learn.]
31
Aia a paʻi ʻia ka maka, haʻi ʻia kupuna nāna ʻoe.
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.]
55
Aia ka wai i ka maka o ka ʻōpua.
Water is in the face of the ʻōpua clouds.
[In Kona, when the ʻōpua clouds appear in the morning, it’s a sign that rain is to be expected.]
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.]
104
ʻAlaʻalawa ka maka o ka ʻaihue.
The eyes of a thief glance about.
[An expression of suspicion toward a shifty-eyed person.]
109
ʻAle mai ke aloha kau i ka maka.
Love comes like a billow and rests before the eyes.
[Said of an overwhelming love that leaves a constant yearning, with the image of one’s affections ever before one.]
[The district of Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi, was known for its fierce and independent warriors. Kohāikalani, Koihala, and Halaʻea, selfish and oppressive chiefs, were each destroyed by rebellious subjects.]
Mākaha (1)
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.]
E kalani e, kiʻi mai i ka iʻa, ua komo i ka mākāhā!
O heavenly one, come and get the fish for it has entered the sluice gate!
[Used by one who has his hands full and needs help quickly. In a battle, Ahia caught Kameʻeiamoku and lifted him with the intention of dashing him to the ground. Kameʻeiamoku twisted himself about, grasped Ahia by the calf of the leg and held fast so that it was impossible for him to run. Seeing Kamehameha a short distance away, Kameʻeiamoku called to him to come and take the fish. Thus was Ahia killed.]
2209
Nahā ka mākāhā, lele ka ʻupena.
When the sluice gate breaks, the fishnets are lowered.
[One’s loss may be another’s gain.]
2923
Wehe i ka mākāhā i komo ka iʻa.
Open the sluice gate that the fish may enter.
[This was uttered by Kaleopuʻupuʻu, priest of Kahekili, after the dedication of the heiau of Kaluli, at Pu’uohala on the north side of Wailuku, Maui. A second invasion from Kalaniʻōpuʻu of Hawaiʻi was expected, and the priest declared that they were now ready to trap the invaders, like fish inside a pond. The saying refers to the application of strategy to trap the enemy.]
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.]
[A person who assumes a bright or vivacious look in hypocrisy. A play on maka (eye) and hinu (bright).]
Makahuʻena (1)
1143
Hulili ka lā i ke kula o Makahuʻena, he huakaʻi ʻoiʻo.
When the sunlight vibrates over the plain of Makahuena, a procession of ghosts is going through.
[A saying used when the heat of the sun appears to vibrate. The huakaʻi ʻoiʻo is a procession of departed chiefs and their followers.]
Makahūʻena (1)
1980
Lele ka makani o Makahūʻena, kuakea ka moana.
When the wind of Makahuena flies, the ocean is white with foam.
[A play on maka (eyes), hū (overflow), and ʻena (red hot or wrath) in the name Makahūʻena (Eyes-spilling-wrath). Applied to one whose eyes and manner denote fury. First uttered by Pele in a chant about the winds of Kauaʻi.]
Makaiwa (3)
1724
Ke kai kaha nalu o Makaiwa.
The surfing of Makaiwa.
[Famous is the surf of Makaiwa at Wailua, Kauaʻi, enjoyed by the native chiefs and royal guests from the other islands.]
1759
Ke kui lā i nā ʻāpiki lei o Makaiwa.
Stringing the ʻilima flowers into lei at Makaiwa.
[ʻĀpiki was another name for ʻilima.]
2433
ʻO ka papa heʻe nalu kēia, paheʻe i ka nalu haʻi o Makaiwa.
This is the surfboard that will glide on the rolling surf of Makaiwa.
[A woman’s boast. Her beautiful body is like the surf board on which her mate “glides over the rolling surf.”]
Makakoʻi (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.]
Makalawena (1)
2095
Makani ʻEka aheahe o Makalawena.
The gentle ʻEka breeze of Makalawena.
Mākālei (2)
586
He hoapili o Mākālei.
A companion of Mākālei.
[Said of an attractive person.]
2092
Mākālei, lāʻau piʻi ona ʻia e ka iʻa.
Mākālei, the stick that attracts and draws thefish.
[Said of a handsome person who attracts the interest of others. Mākālei was a supernatural tree who attracted fish.]
Makaliʻi ka malama, makaliʻi nā maka, makaliʻi nā nahele.
Makalii is the month in which people squint and plants grow stunted.
[A play on different meanings of makaliʻi.]
2094
Makaliʻi puaināwele ke kai o Keoneʻoʻio.
The sea of Keoneʻoʻio is dim and distant.
[Said of one who feels himself too good for his associates.]
Makaliʻi (5)
186
ʻAʻohe mea koe aku iā Makaliʻi; pau nō ka liko me ka lāʻele.
Makaliʻi left nothing, taking [everything] from buds to old leaves.
[Said of one who selfishly takes all, or of a lecherous person who takes those of the opposite sex of all ages. From a legend surrounding a chief, Makaliʻi, who took from his people until they faced starvation.]
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.]
2093
Makaliʻi ka malama, makaliʻi nā maka, makaliʻi nā nahele.
Makalii is the month in which people squint and plants grow stunted.
[A play on different meanings of makaliʻi.]
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.
[A house becomes sad and forlorn when it is no longer occupied by the host whose welcome was always warm.]
484
Hāpapa hewa ka malihini makamaka ʻole.
A stranger without a friend feels lost.
[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.]
782
He maʻi makamaka ʻole.
The disease that deprives one of relatives and friends.
[Leprosy.]
787
He makamaka, ke pā lā kāhea.
That is a friend, for he calls out an invitation.
[It was the custom to call out an invitation as a visitor approached.]
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.]
Makana (3)
1532
Ka pali ʻō ahi o Makana.
The firebrand-hurling of the cliff of Makana.
[Pāpala or hau wood was cut, thoroughly dried, and carried up the hillside to where an imu lay ready to be lighted. When dusk descended, the imu was lighted and the logs placed in it. When the blowing of the wind was just right, the lighted log was hurled into the wind and borne seaward, high over the heads of the spectators, before dropping into the sea.]
1542
Ka poli lauaʻe o Makana.
Makana, whose bosom is adorned with lauaʻe ferns.
[Famed in songs and chants are the fragrant lauaʻe fems of Makana, Kauaʻi.]
1949
Lauaʻe o Makana.
The lauaʻe fern of Makana.
[Famed in songs and chants is the lauaʻe that grows everywhere at Makana on Kauaʻi. When crushed it has a scent similar to that of the maile and is often used with the pandanus fruit in making lei.]
ʻĀko Nuʻuanu i ka hālau loa a ka makani; ʻāko Mānoa i ka hale a ke ʻehu.
Gathered in Nuuanu is the longhouse of the wind; gathered in Mānoa is the house of rainy sprays.
189
ʻAʻohe mea nāna e hoʻopuhili, he moho no ka lā makani.
There is no one to interfere, for he is a messenger of a windy day.
[Said in admiration of a person who lets nothing stop him from carrying out the task entrusted to him.]
215
ʻAʻohe umu moʻa i ka makani.
No umu can be made to cook anything by the wind.
[Talk will not get the umu lighted and the food cooked. This saying originated in Olowalu, Maui, where it was very windy and hard to light an umu.]
270
ʻEha ana ʻoe lā i ka makani kuʻi o ka Ulumano.
You will he hurt by the pounding of the Ulumano breeze.
[One is hurt by the sharp words spoken. This is a line from an old chant.]
274
E hamau o makani mai auaneʻi.
Hush, lest the wind arise.
[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.]
275
E hānai ʻawa a ikaika ka makani.
Feed with ʻawa that the spirit may gain strength.
[One offers ʻawa and prayers to the dead so that their spirits may grow strong and be a source of help to the family.]
[To meet a one-eyed man on the way is a sign of bad luck; to fish with him is worse still.]
2098
Makapaʻa ʻike ʻole i ka ʻope iʻa.
One-eyed person who does not see the bundle of fish.
[Dried fish were rolled in ti leaves and hung up. When the leaves dried, they matched the color of the thatch of the house and often were not noticed at a glance.]
2795
Ua ʻike paha i ka makapaʻa.
Perhaps he saw a one-eyed person.
[Said of a person who meets with bad luck. It is considered unlucky to meet a blind person on one’s way.]
[Said of one who is actually or figuratively “blind.” Hema, chief of Maui, went deep-sea fishing to satisfy the longing of his pregnant wife. He landed at Ulupaʻupaʻu where his eyes were pecked out by a large bird.]
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.]
Makapuʻu (1)
1531
Ka pali nānā uhu kaʻi o Makapuʻu.
The uhu-observing cliff of Makapuʻu.
[The sea surrounding Makapuʻu Point, Oʻahu, is the favorite haunt of the uhu (parrotfish).]
[Said of a person made wary by an unpleasant experience.]
789
He makau hala ʻole.
A fishhook that never fails to catch.
[A boast of a person who attracts the opposite sex and holds his or her attention.]
1130
Huikau nā makau a ka lawaiʻa i Wailua, lou mai ʻo Kawelowai iā Waiehu.
The fishhooks of the fishers became entangled at Wailua and caught Kawelowai at Waiehu.
[An entangling love affair. The first line of a chant.]
1176
I kahi ʻē ka malia, hana i ka makau.
While fair weather is still far away, make your fishhooks.
[Be prepared.]
1183
I kai nō ka iʻa, mali ʻē ka makau.
While the fish is still in the sea, make the hook fast to the line.
[Be prepared.]
1338
Ka iʻa hoʻohihia makau o ʻĀinahou.
The fish of ʻĀinahou that tangles the fish line.
[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.]
ʻO ka hana ia a ka lawaiʻa iwi paoa, iho nō ka makau, piʻi nō ka iʻa.
That is the way of a fisherman with lucky bones — down goes his hook, up comes a fish.
[Said of a lucky person. It was believed that certain people’s bones brought them luck in fishing. When they died their bones were sought for the making of fishhooks.]
[The person we are afraid of is absent; we have nothing to worry about.]
2100
Makaʻu ka hana hewa i ka uka o Puna.
Wrongdoing is feared in the upland of Puna.
[Wrongdoing in the upland of Puna brings the wrath of Pele.]
2101
Makaʻu ke kanaka i ka lehua.
Man is afraid of the lehua.
[When going to the mountains one is warned not to pluck lehua blossoms lest it rain. Only when one is going out of the upland region is it permissible to pluck flowers. So the mountaingoer is said to fear the lehua.]
2102
Makaʻu wāwae.
Feared by the feet.
[Said of excreta — unpleasant to step on.]
2624
Pēlā iho a hala aʻe ka ua ka mea makaʻu.
Wait until the thing that is feared, the rain, has gone its way.
[Wait until this person whom we are afraid of or do not want with us has gone.]
Makaʻukiu (1)
2590
Palakahē ka ʻai o Makaʻukiu.
Spoiled rotten are the food crops of Makaʻukiu.
[Said of anything that is rotting, or of destruction, or of death in battle.]
I kū ka makemake e hele mai, hele nō me ka maloʻeloʻe.
If the wish to come arises, walk frmly.
[If you wish to come do not be hesitant, for you are welcome.]
1234
I mānai kau, i pua hoʻi kaʻu, kui ʻia ka makemake a lawa pono.
Yours the lei-making needle, mine the flowers; so let us do as we wish [— make a complete lei].
[You, the man and I, the woman; let us satisfy the demands of love. Said by Hiʻiaka in a chant as she embraced Lohiʻau at the rim of Kīlauea to rouse the jealous wrath of her sister Pele.]
2105
Makemake akula i ka uhu kāʻalo i ka maka.
There is a desire for the parrot-fish that passes the eyes.
[Said when one desires a lass or lad who is passing by.]
2452
ʻO ke aliʻi wale nō kaʻu makemake.
My desire is only for the chief.
[An expression of loyalty and affection for one’s chief, used in chants of praise.]
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.]
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.
[Where strong words fall, feelings are hurt.]
1740
Ke kau mai nei ka mākole.
The red-eyed one rests ahove.
[Said of the rainbow with red predominating. A sign to some people that their ʻaumakua is watching them.]
2112
Mākole iho hewa i Mākua.
Red-eyed one goes to Mākua by mistake.
[Applied to one who has gone off his course. Once, a red-eyed person left Mokulēʻia, Oʻahu, intending to go to Mākaha, but went by way of Kawaihāpai and arrived at Mākua instead.]
2113
Mākole lā i Waolani.
The red-eyed ones at Waolani.
[Waolani, Nuʻuanu, was said to have been the home of many defective people — the hunchbacked, the club-footed, the red-eyed, and so forth. To see such a person anywhere outside of Waolani was regarded as a sign of bad luck.]
2141
Ma ʻō, ma ʻō ka uahi; mākole, mākole ma ʻaneʻi.
Yonder, yonder the smoke; here, over here, the infamed eyes.
[Said of a person who takes a part against another and after winning, comes around to express friendship and sympathy.]
Learn to work lest you be struck by the voice of the parent-in-law.
[Advice to a son or daughter before marriage.]
457
Hana ka iwi a kanaka makua, hoʻohoa.
First get some maturity into the bones before challenging.
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.]
719
He lani ke keiki, he milimili na ka makua.
The child is a chief to be fondled by the parents.
[A child requires as much care as a chief.]
730
Hele akula a ahu, hoʻi mai nō e omo i ka waiū o ka makua.
He goes away and, gaining nothing by it, returns to nurse at his mother’s breast.
[Said of a grown son or daughter who, after going away, returns home for support.]
1042
Hoʻi no ka pono i ka makua.
Returns to the parent for benefts.
[Said of a grown person who returns to his parents for support or help, thus becoming a dependent once again.]
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.]
347
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.]
662
He kaikamahine ke keiki, ola nā iwi; ʻo ke keiki kāne he hānai mākua hūnōai.
A girl child brings life to the bones [of her parents], but a boy child supports his parents-in-law.
[In old Hawaiʻi, a man went to live with his wife’s parents, while a woman remained with her own.]
1295
Ka hana a ka mākua, ʻo ka hana nō ia a keiki.
What parents do, children will do.
2301
Na wai hoʻi ka ʻole o ke akamai, he alanui i maʻa i ka hele ʻia e oʻu mau mākua?
Why shouldnʻt I know, when it is a road often traveled by my parents ?
[Reply of Liholiho when someone praised his wisdom.]
Mākua (1)
2112
Mākole iho hewa i Mākua.
Red-eyed one goes to Mākua by mistake.
[Applied to one who has gone off his course. Once, a red-eyed person left Mokulēʻia, Oʻahu, intending to go to Mākaha, but went by way of Kawaihāpai and arrived at Mākua instead.]
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.]
2123
Māla ʻuala.
Potato patch.
[Said in annoyance by an oldster when another Hawaiian asks in English, “What’s the matter?” “Matter” sounds like “māla,” and the retort “Māla ʻuala" squelches any more questioning.]
Malaekoa (1)
482
Hāpai kiʻekiʻe i ke aka o ʻAina-kō, kewekewe i ke ālia o Malaekoa.
Lified high is the shadow of ʻAina-kō, making crooked patterns on the salt-encrusted land of Malaekoa.
[It is applied to a conceited, proud, and self-centered person.]
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.]
1536
Kāpeku ka leo o ke kai, o hoʻoilo ka malama.
When the voice of the sea is harsh, the winter months have come.
[First uttered by Hiʻiaka.]
1617
Kau ke poʻo i ka uluna ʻo Welehu ka malama.
Rest the head on the pillow; Welehu is the month.
[Said of one whose work is done and who is able to rest. Welehu is a stormy month when little can be done except remain at home and sleep.]
1871
Kū ʻia ka malama ʻeʻelekoa.
Weathered the storms of the stormy month.
[Endured with courage the discomforts and privations of war.]
2093
Makaliʻi ka malama, makaliʻi nā maka, makaliʻi nā nahele.
Makalii is the month in which people squint and plants grow stunted.
Take heed that you are not jabbed by the swordfish, the long-nosed fish of the sea.
[Do not annoy that fellow, or you will suffer the consequences.]
Malama (3)
1950
Lauahi Pele i kai o Puna, one ʻā kai o Malama.
Pele spreads her fire down in Puna and leaves cinder down in Malama.
[There are two places in Puna called Malama, one inland and one on the shore where black sand (one ʻā) is found.]
2563
Paʻapaʻakai ʻo Malama.
Crusted with salt is Malama.
[Said of a sour situation. Refers to Malama, Puna, Hawaiʻi.]
2673
Pōhaku ʻai wāwae o Malama.
Feet-eating rocks of Malama.
[Said of sharp ʻaʻā rocks that make walking with bare feet very painful. This saying comes from a chant by Pa oa, friend of Lohiʻau, who went to Kīlauea to seek his friendʻs lava-encased remains.]
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.]
2046
"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.]
Maleka (3)
1962
Lawe ʻo Maleka i ka hoa lā; lilo!
America takes the mate; [she is] gone!
[This expression was used in a chant of the whaling days, when some Hawaiians lost their wives and sweethearts to the white sailors.]
2221
Nā ʻili puakea o Maleka.
The white-blossom skin of Maleka.
[Said of fair-skinned Americans.]
2740
Pulu i ka wai lohi o Maleka.
Soaked by the sparkling water of America.
[Drunk.]
Malelewaʻa (1)
301
Eia iho ko hoa like o Malelewaʻa.
Here is a suitable companion for you, Malelewaʻa.
[Remark about an untidy person. A play on malele (strewn about) in Malelewaʻa, a place on Kauaʻi.]
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.]
1176
I kahi ʻē ka malia, hana i ka makau.
While fair weather is still far away, make your fishhooks.
[Be prepared.]
2125
Malia paha he iki unu, paʻa ka pōhaku nui ʻaʻole e kaʻa.
Perhaps it is the small stone that can keep the big rock from rolling down.
Mālia (1)
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.]
[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.]
1078
Hoʻokahi no lā o ka malihini.
A stranger only for a day.
[After the first day as a guest, one must help with the work.]
1495
Kani ka moa i ka ʻīpuka, he malihini kipa.
When a cock crows at the door, a guest is to he expected.
2184
Mokihana onaona o Maunahina, lei hoʻohihi a ka malihini.
The fragrant mokihana berries of Maunahina, lei in which visitors delight.
[Maunahina is a mountain on Kauaʻi, where the mokihana berries grow best.]
2453
ʻO ke aloha ke kuleana o kahi malihini.
Love is the host in strange lands.
[In old Hawaiʻi, every passerby was greeted and offered food whether he was an acquaintance or a total stranger.]
2746
Punaluʻu, i ke kai kau haʻa a ka malihini.
Punaluu, where the sea dances for the visitors.
[Punaluʻu, Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi, is said to be the place where the sea dances to delight visitors.]
[Ehunuikaimalino was a chief of Kona, Hawaiʻi, under the ruler Liloa.]
2755
Pupuhi kukui — malino ke kai.
Spewed kukui nuts — calm sea.
[To calm the water, fishermen chewed kukui nuts and spewed them. It has the same meaning as, “Pour oil on troubled waters.”]
2826
Ua malino ke kai o Paikaka.
The sea of Paikaka is calm.
[All is peaceful now, for wrath is gone.]
Maliʻo (2)
127
ʻAʻohe ʻalawa wale iho iā Maliʻo.
Not even a glance at Maliʻo.
[Said of a haughty person. Pele was once so annoyed with Maliʻo and her brother Halaaniani that she turned them both into stone and let them lie in the sea in Puna, Hawaiʻi. It was at the bay named after Halaaniani that clusters of pandanus were tossed into the sea with tokens to loved ones. These were borne by the current to Kamilo in Kaʻū.]
148
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.]
[A call to prepare for war or to prepare for the project at hand.]
1497
Kani ka pola o ka malo.
The flap of the loincloth makes a snapping sound.
[The boast of an athlete so swift in movement that the flap of his loincloth snaps.]
1630
Kaʻū malo ʻeka, kua wehi.
Kaʻū of the dirty loincloth and black back.
[The farmers there squatted on their haunches and worked the soil with short digging sticks. The sun darkened the backs of the workers.]
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.
[Said of a boy about five or six years old. Prior to this age, a boy ate with the women in their eating house and wore no clothing, but when he was old enough to join the men in theirs, he wore a malo, just as they did.]
[Said of threatening disaster. Robbers once lived at a place in Wai’anae now known as Malolo-kai. Their spies watched for travelers to kill and rob. When there were only a few that could be easily overcome, the spies cried, “Low tide!” which meant disaster for the travelers. But if there were too many to attack, the cry was “High tide!”]
The Inuwai breeze blew, withering the leaves of the trees.
[Along he came and nothing was left. The Inuwai (Drink-water) breeze is very drying.]
648
He iwi maloʻo.
Dried bones.
[Said of one long dead. Sometimes when it was felt that a dead person was the cause of trouble for a living one, the kahuna or person in charge would so refer to the deceased.]
672
He kapa maloʻo wale ka ʻili.
The skin is a garment that dries easily.
[Being wet is nothing to worry about.]
949
He ʻiāhini ka iʻa o kahi maloʻo.
The locust is the meat of dry places.
[Said of a type of locust, now extinct, that was easy to catch and much eaten when fish were scarce.]
1198
I ka waha nō a ulu ka ʻai; i ka waha nō a maloʻo.
Food crops are made to grow by the mouth; while still in the mouth they wither.
[Said of one who talks about farming and plans to plant but does nothing about it.]
1851
Koʻolau kai maloʻo.
Koʻolau of the very low tide.
[An expression of contempt for the people of Koʻolau, Maui, who were said to lack generosity and hospitality.]
ʻAkahi a komo ke anu iaʻu, ua nahā ka hale e malu ai.
Cold now penetrates me, for the house that shelters is broken.
[Fear enters when protection is gone. Said by ʻAikanaka of Kauaʻi when two of his war leaders were destroyed by Kawelo.]
430
Hālau Lahaina, malu i ka ʻulu.
Lahaina is like a large house shaded by breadfruit trees.
539
He aliʻi no ka malu kukui.
A chief of the kukui shade.
[A chief who has something shady in his genealogy that he doesn’t care to discuss.]
668
He kanaka no ka malu kukui.
A person from the kukui tree shade.
[A person of uncertain parentage; one who has in his veins the blood of chiefs as well as commoners. Similar to Kūkae pōpolo (Excreta of the pōpolo berries [that have been eaten]).]
1473
Ka malu ao o nā pali kapu o Kakaʻe.
The cloud shelter of the sacred cliffs of Kakaʻe.
[Kakaʻe, an ancient ruler of Maui, was buried in ʻīao Valley, and the place was given his name. It was known as Na-pali-kapu-o-Kakaʻe (Kakaʻe’s Sacred Precipice) or Na-pela-kapu-o-Kakaʻe (Kakaʻe’s Sacred Flesh). Since that time, many high chiefs have shared his burial place.]
[Said of one who has gone on an all-night spree. When the top kukui nut on a candle was bumed out, it was knocked off and the next nut on the stick allowed to burn.]
Malulani (1)
416
Hakē ka paʻi ʻai o ka Malulani.
The Malulani is overloaded with bundles of hard poi.
[An impolite reference to a pregnant woman. The Malulani was an inter-island ship.]
Let your fastest runners run in relay to catch Kaʻohele.
[Let us make every effort to attain our goal. Kaʻohele was a chief and warrior and in his day there was none swifter than he. It was only by running after him in relay that he was caught and killed.]
808
He mau iwi māmā ko ke kanaka o ke aliʻi.
The servant of a chief has bones that are light of weight.
[He who serves the chief must be active and alert.]
2132
“Māmā Hilo?” “ʻAe, māmā Hilo i ka wai ʻole.”
“Is Hilo light?” “ Yes, Hilo is light for lack of water.”
[A question asked of a runner, and his reply. It means that the way is clear, with no robbers or unpleasant experiences, and no rains to swell the streams and make traveling difficult.]
2134
Māmā Kona i ka wai kau mai i ka maka o ka ʻōpua.
Kona is lightened in having water in the face of the clouds.
[Kona is relieved, knowing that there will be no drought, when the clouds promise rain.]
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.]
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.]
Māmala (4)
656
He kai hele kohana ko Māmala.
A sea for going naked is at Māmala.
[The entrance to Honolulu Harbor was known as Māmala. In time of war the people took off their clothes and traveled along the reef to avoid meeting the enemy on land.]
1510
Ka nuku o Māmala.
The mouth of Māmala.
[The entrance to Honolulu Harbor, named for a shark goddess who once lived in the vicinity.]
1718
Ke kai ʻau umauma o Māmala.
The sea of Māmala, where one swims at the surface.
[Māmala is the entrance to Honolulu Harbor.]
2202
Nā ʻale kuehu o Māmala.
The billows of Māmala with wind-blown sprays.
[Māmala is the entrance to Honolulu Harbor.]
Mamalakā (1)
1872
Kū ihola i Mamalakā, i ka hale o Kāneheoheo.
There one stands at Mamalakā, the house of Kāneheoheo.
[Luck has departed, and one is left disappointed. A play on heo (to be gone or to depart) in Kāneheoheo.]
ʻAʻole i ʻenaʻena ka imu i ka māmane me ka ʻūlei, i ʻenaʻena i ka laʻolaʻo.
The imu is not heated by māmane and ʻūlei wood alone, but also by the kindling.
[To be powerful, a ruler must have the loyalty of the common people as well as the chiefs.]
408
Haiamū ka manu i ka pua o ka māmane.
The birds gather ahout the māmane blossom.
[Said of one who is very popular with the opposite sex.]
1797
Kīkē ka ʻalā, uē ka māmane.
When the boulders clash, the māmane tree weeps.
[This was first uttered by Hiʻiaka as she watched the fires of Pele destroy Lohiʻau. She described the terrifying outpouring of lava as it overwhelmed him. Later used to mean that when two people clash, those who belong to them often weep.]
2238
Nā keiki uneune māmane o Kula.
The lads of Kula, who tug and pull the māmane up by the roots.
[An expression of admiration for the people of Kula, Maui, who accomplish whatever they set out to do.]
2859
Uhiuhi lau māmane ka wai o Kapāpala.
Covered with māmane leaves is the water of Kapāpala.
[The stream in Kapāpala, Kaʻū, often becomes very muddy. The people used to place māmane branches in the water to help the mud settle so that some drinking water could be obtained. This saying applies to a person who tries to cover up the wrongdoings of another.]
E akahele i ka mamo a ʻĪ, o kolo mai ka mole uaua.
Beware the descendant of ʻĪ, lest the tough roots crawl forth.
[A warning uttered by Palena, a chief of Kohala, who saw Kuaʻana-a-ʻĪ cruelly treated by the chiefs of Kona. Kuaʻana later went to see the people of his mother, Hoʻoleialiʻi, in Hāna, and to help the chiefs of Hilo in fighting those of Kona.]
793
He mamo na Hālō me Kiʻei.
A descendant of Peep and Peer.
[Said of a snoopy person.]
794
He mamo na Kamapuaʻa.
A descendant of Kamapuaʻa.
[Said of a man who behaves like a beast, especially where women are concemed. Kamapuaʻa was the hog god of Kaliuwaʻa. There are many stories about his pursuit of women.]
795
He mamo na Lohiʻau.
A descendant of Lohiʻau.
[A slowpoke.]
796
He mamo na Waʻawaʻa mā.
A descendant of the Waʻawaʻa brothers.
[A fool.]
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.]
Ancestors slept with descendants, and more descendants were born.
[Said when a girl mates with a supernatural lover in a dream and later bears him a child. The lover might be a family ʻaumakua, hence the reference to an ancestor.]
[Said of an unbeliever who denies the power of the gods.]
1212
ʻIke nō i ka lā o ka ʻike; mana nō i ka lā o ka mana.
Know in the day of knowing; mana in the day of mana.
[Knowledge and mana — each has its day. Another day may bring greater knowledge and greater mana than today.]
1369
Ka iʻa mana nui.
The fish of many divided parts.
[The octopus, with its eight tentacles.]
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.]
Not even a mouthful of food can be obtained from the dead.
[Consider the living, who may be kindly host or friend.]
1875
Kū i ka māna.
Like the one from whom he received what he learned.
[Said of a child who behaves like those who reared him. Mana is food masticated by an elder and conveyed to the mouth of a small child. The haumāna (pupil) receives knowledge from the mouth of his teacher.]
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.”]
Mānā (14)
18
Ahu kupanaha ka lā i Mānā.
Peculiar is the action of the sun in Mānā.
[Said of a delusion. Mānā, Kauaʻi, is a place where mirages were once seen.]
161
ʻAʻohe kanaka o kauhale, aia i Mānā, ua haohia i ka iʻa iki.
No one is at home, for all have gone to Mānā, attracted there by small fishes.
[Said of one who is distracted by an insignificant matter or goes away on any excuse.]
986
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.]
1018
Hōʻaleʻale Mānā i ke kaha o Kaunalewa.
Mānā ripples over the land of Kaunalewa.
[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.]
1203
ʻIkea maila ʻo Mānā, ua hāʻale i ka wai liʻulā.
Mānā notices the waters of the mirage.
[The attempt to fool is very obvious.]
1657
Ka wai liʻulā o Mānā.
Mirage of Mānā.
[Mirages were seen at Mānā on the nights of Kū and Kāne.]
I mānai kau, i pua hoʻi kaʻu, kui ʻia ka makemake a lawa pono.
Yours the lei-making needle, mine the flowers; so let us do as we wish [— make a complete lei].
[You, the man and I, the woman; let us satisfy the demands of love. Said by Hiʻiaka in a chant as she embraced Lohiʻau at the rim of Kīlauea to rouse the jealous wrath of her sister Pele.]
[Nothing can change a bad situation into a good one.]
351
E mānalo ka hala o ke kanaka i ka imu o ka puaʻa.
The wrongs done by man are atoned for by a pig in the imu.
[When a person has committed a wrong against others or against the gods, he makes an offering of a hog with prayers of forgiveness.]
384
E waikahi ka pono i mānalo.
It is well to be united in thought that all may have peace.
2227
Nakaka ka puaʻa, nahā ka waʻa; aukahi ka puaʻa mānalo ka waʻa.
The pig cracks, the canoe breaks; perfect the pig, safe the canoe.
[Whenever a new canoe was launched, a pig was baked as an offering to the gods. If the skin of the roasted pig cracked, misfortune would come to the canoe; but if it cooked to perfection the canoe would last a long time.]
[Said of a disobedient person. The kāhala is a deep-sea fish that is difficult to land.]
1801
Kini Kailua, mano Kāneʻohe.
Forty thousand in Kailua, four thousand in Kāneʻohe.
[A great number. Said by a woman named Kawaihoʻolana whose grandson was ruthlessly murdered by someone from either Kailua or Kāneʻohe. She declared that this many would perish by sorcery to avenge him. Another version credits Keohokauouli, a kahuna in the time of Kamehameha, for this saying. He suggested sorcery as a means of destroying the conqueror’s Oʻahu enemies.]
When the shark eats, he never troubles to look toward the foot of the cliff.
[Said of a person who eats voraciously with no thought of those who provided the food, shows no appreciation for what has been done for him, nor has a care for the morrow.]
266
E ao o pau poʻo, pau hiʻu ia manō.
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.]
799
He manō holo ʻāina ke aliʻi.
The chief is a shark that travels on land.
[The chief, like a shark, is not to be tampered with.]
800
He manō ka iʻa hoʻomano ke aloha.
Shark is the fish; may love be persistent.
[An expression used in hana aloha sorcery. A play on manō and hoʻomano (persistent).]
1318
Kahu i ka lae o ka manō, he ʻale ka wahie.
Kindle a fire on the forehead of a shark with waves for fuel.
[Said when food in the imu is not cooked because of a lack of firewood. A criticism of the hosts’ half-cooked food.]
1782
Ke pau ka moa, kākā i ka nuku; ke pau ka ʻiole, ahu kūkae; ke pau ka manō, lanaō i ke kai.
When a chicken finishes [eating] he cleans his beak; when a rat finishes, he leaves a heap of excreta; when a shark finishes, he rises to the surface of the sea.
[A description of the table manners of people. Some are clean like the chicken; others are unclean and careless, like the rat; and still others, like the shark, loll around without offering to help.]
[May I be] devoured by Pele, [May I be] devoured by a shark.
[An oath, meaning “If I fail.. ..” It was believed that if such an oath were not kept, the one who uttered it would indeed die by fire or be eaten by a shark.]
Mānoa (6)
101
ʻĀko Nuʻuanu i ka hālau loa a ka makani; ʻāko Mānoa i ka hale a ke ʻehu.
Gathered in Nuuanu is the longhouse of the wind; gathered in Mānoa is the house of rainy sprays.
285
E hoʻi ka uʻi o Mānoa, ua ahiahi.
Let the youth of Mānoa go home, for it is evening.
[Refers to the youth of Mānoa who used to ride the surf at Kalehuawehe in Waikīkī. The surfboards were shared among several people who would take turns using them. Those who finished first often suggested going home early, even though it might not be evening, to avoid carrying the boards to the hālau where they were stored. Later the expression was used for anyone who went off to avoid work.]
664
He Kākea, ka makani kulakulaʻi kauhale o Mānoa.
It is the Kākea, the wind that pushes over the houses of Mānoa.
[Applied to one who goes about shoving others around. The Kākea was the strongest wind of the valley.]
1574
Ka ua Kuahine o Mānoa.
The Kuahine rain of Mānoa.
[This rain is famed in the songs of Mānoa. According to an old legend, Kuahine was a chiefess, the wife of Kahaukani. Their daughter Kahalaopuna was so beautiful that rainbows appeared wherever she was. Once, two gossiping men claimed they had made love to her. This so angered her betrothed husband that he beat her into unconsciousness. She was revived by an owl god, but after hearing more gossip, her betrothed killed her. In grief, her mother became the Kuahine rain. Her father adopted two forms — the wind Kahaukani and a hau tree. It was said that this tree moaned in grief whenever a member of royalty died.]
2139
Mānoa aliʻi, Mānoa kānaka.
Mānoa of the chiefs, Mānoa of the commoners.
[In ancient days an invisible line was drawn from the center of the low, green hill, Puʻu Luahine, at the head of Mānoa Valley, to the center of Rocky Hill back of Punahou School. Looking up into the valley, Mānoa of the commoners was on the right side. Here lived the commoners and here too, the excreta of the chiefs was secretly buried by the kahu moka (protector and keeper of the excreta). This was an important position, for if any of the excreta fell into the hands of an enemy, the chief might die through sorcery. On the left side of the valley lived the chiefs and their retainers.]
Manokalanipo (2)
1488
Ka moku kāʻili lā o Manokalanipo.
The sun-snatching island of Manokalanipo.
[Kauaʻi, the northwesternmost island of the group, beyond which the sun vanishes at dusk. Manokalanipo was an ancient ruler of Kauaʻi.]
1556
Kauaʻi a Manokalanipo.
Kauai of Manokalanipo.
[Manokalanipo was a chief of Kauaʻi in ancient times.]
[We will know how successful one is by what he produces. One knew whether a birdcatcher was successful by counting the birds on his gummed stick.]
Manuʻakepa (1)
1442
Ka limu kā kanaka o Manuʻakepa.
The man-throwing algae of Manuakepa.
[Hanalei, Kauaʻi, was known for its pouring rain. A slippery algae grows among the grasses on the beach, and when carelessly stepped on, it can cause one to slip and fall. This algae is famed in songs and chants of that locality.]
Manuia (1)
1525
Kapakahi Manuia; Keokoʻi ka moku!
Crooked is Manuia; Keokoʻi is the ship!
[When Boki sailed to Noumea, Manuia and his wife Kaʻupena and two hundred others followed in the ship Keokoʻi. They were to join Boki’s party in the New Hebrides, but Boki’s ship was lost, and Boki was never seen again. Shortly before the return of the Keokoʻi, a lunatic went about the streets of Honolulu, crying these words. When the ship finally arrived, its flag was at half-mast, for most of the crew had died of disease and been buried at sea. Manuia’s body was brought home. This expression is said humorously of anything that is crooked or lopsided.]
Manukā (1)
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.]
[Said of anything that goes on and on, as the pouring rain, or of havoc such as that produced by a torrent. Names of other places are sometimes substituted for Hilo.]
1001
Hilo i ka ua kinakinai, ka ua mao ʻole.
Hilo of the constant rain, where it never clears up.
2142
Mao ʻole ke kai o Mokupaoa.
Endlessly rough is the sea of Mokupaoa.
[Endless bad luck. Mokupaoa means “Island of Misfortune.”]
The rain of Waiānuenue that is like a wreath of mist.
[Wai-ānuenue (Rainbow-water) in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, is now known as Rainbow Falls. On sunny days a rainbow can be seen in the falls, and on rainy days the rising vapor is suggestive of a wreath of mist.]
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.]
758
He lepo ka ʻai a Oʻahu, a māʻona nō i ka lepo.
Earth is the food of Oʻahu, and it is satisfied with its earth.
[Said in derision of Oʻahu, which was said to be an earth-eating land. In olden times, an edible mud like gelatine was said to fill Kawainui Pond. The mud, which was brought hither from Kahiki in ancient days, was once served to the warriors and servants of Kamehameha as a replacement for poi.]
806
He māʻona ʻai a he māʻona iʻa ko ka noanoa.
The commoner is satisfed with food and fish.
[The commoner has no greater ambition than success in farming and fishing.]
807
He māʻona moku.
A satisfaction with the land.
[Said of a person contented with what he has, as a chief is satisfied with his domain.]
1187
I kani koʻaka i ka leʻaleʻa; i puʻu ko nuku i ka huhū; i leʻa ka nohona i ka māʻona.
One laughs when joyous; sulks when angry; [is] at peace with all when the stomach is satisfed with food.
1246
I ola nō ke kino i ka māʻona o ka ʻōpū.
The body enjoys health when the stomach is well filled.
ʻAʻohe na ia mau mea e uē iā ʻoe, na ke kanaka ʻoe e uē.
Things will not mourn you, but people will.
[Said to one who thinks more of his possessions than of his kinfolk or friends.]
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.]
328
E lawe i ke aʻo a mālama, a e ʻoi mau ka naʻauao.
He who takes his teachings and applies them increases his knowledge.
808
He mau iwi māmā ko ke kanaka o ke aliʻi.
The servant of a chief has bones that are light of weight.
[He who serves the chief must be active and alert.]
810
He mau maka laha ʻole.
Faces that are rare.
[Said by members of the royal court in speaking of their chiefs with appreciation for the privilege of serving. The faces of the aliʻi were rarely seen.]
1204
ʻIke au i kona mau poʻopoʻo.
I know all of his nooks.
[I know all about him, including his family connections, faults, and virtues.]
[A symbol of the family of Iwikauikaua. After his daughter was put to death by one of his wives, this chief made a tour of the island of Hawaiʻi with torches burning day and night. This became a symbol of his descendants, who included Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani.]
Keep your silence, O rain of Hilo, there are only two of us.
[Uttered by Kanuha in retort when rebuked by the Reverend Titus Coan for Sabbath-breaking: “Hold your silence, for there are only two of us in authority” — meaning Kanuha and Governor Kuakini. Rev. Coan was not to give orders when either was present. Now it is used to mean, “Keep quiet. You’re not the boss around here.”]
Maui (6)
357
E nānā mai a uhi kapa ʻeleʻele ia Maui, a kau ka puaʻa i ka nuku, kiʻi mai i ka ʻāina a lawe aku.
Watch until the black tapa cloth covers Maui and the sacrificial hog is offered, then come and take the land.
[Said by Kahekili, ruler of Maui, to a messenger sent by Kamehameha I with a question whether to have war or peace. Kahekili sent back this answer — “Wait until I am dead and all the rites performed, then invade and take the island of Maui.”]
1763
Ke kū nō a Maui; ke kiʻei nō a Lānaʻi; ka moe nō a Molokaʻi; ka noho nō a Oʻahu.
[Said of people who stand about, look on, go to sleep and sit around, but who do not lend a hand with work.]
2143
Maui a Kama.
Maui, island of Kama.
[Kamalalawalu was a ruling chief of Maui.]
2144
Maui nō ka ʻoi.
Maui excels.
[From the song of this title by the Reverend Samuel Kapū.]
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.]
2393
ʻOiʻoi ʻo Maui Hikina.
East Maui forges ahead.
[Those of East Maui are said to be very active and able to withstand anything.]
Māui (1)
1674
Ke ala kīkeʻekeʻe a Māui.
The winding trails of Māui.
[Trails made by Māui when he was pursued by those who wished to destroy him. One trail was at Waiahole, Oʻahu, one at Kekaʻa between Lahaina and Kāʻanapali, and the third at Kealakahakaha, Kahakuloa, Maui.]
[Said of a person of outstanding achievement. Also used in praise of Hāʻupu, Kauaʻi.]
1846
Kona, mauna uliuli; Kona mauna ulupō.
Kona of the green mountains; Kona of the dense forest.
[North and South Kona, Hawaiʻi.]
2147
Mauna Kea, kuahiwi kū haʻo i ka mālie.
Mauna Kea, standing alone in the calm.
2148
Mauna Loa kīkala nui.
Big-sterned Mauna Loa.
[The Mauna Loa was a ship that plied between the islands. This expression is applied in derision to a woman who is large in the rear. Also expressed, Mauna Loa kīkala ʻūpehupehu: Swollen-sterned Mauna Loa.]
2687
Poliʻahu, ka wahine kapa hau anu o Mauna Kea.
Poliʻahu, the woman who wears the snow mantle of Mauna Kea.
[Poliʻahu is the goddess of snows; her home is on Mauna Kea.]
Maunahina (1)
2184
Mokihana onaona o Maunahina, lei hoʻohihi a ka malihini.
The fragrant mokihana berries of Maunahina, lei in which visitors delight.
[Maunahina is a mountain on Kauaʻi, where the mokihana berries grow best.]
Maunaloa (1)
1144
Hulili wela ka lā o Maunaloa.
The sun shining on Maunaloa makes it vibrate with heat.
[Maunaloa, Moloka’i, is a very warm place.]
Maunalua (1)
1413
Kai pakī o Maunalua.
The spraying sea of Maunalua [Oʻahu].
Maunauna (1)
234
ʻAu ana ka Lae o Maunauna i ka ʻino.
Point Maunauna swims in the storm.
[Said of a courageous person who withstands the storm of life. Point Maunauna (Battered) is at Waimea, Oʻahu, where high seas are common.]
Maunawili (1)
2848
Ua piʻi paha i ka ʻulu o Maunawili.
Gone up, perhaps, to fetch the breadfruit of Maunawili.
[A play on wili (twist, turn about). Said of one who is confused.]
[Said of a trifling matter that is not worth fussing over.]
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.]
487
Haʻu ka makani, hāʻule ke onaona, pili i ka mauʻu.
When the wind puffs, the fragrant blossoms fall upon the grass.
[When there is an explosion of wrath, people quail before it.]
1053
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.]
1994
Liʻiliʻi kamaliʻi, nunui ka ʻomoʻomo palaoa; liʻiliʻi pua mauʻu kihe ka puka ihu.
Small child, but a big loaf of bread; small blade of grass, but it tickles the nostril enough to cause sneezing.
[Once said by a chiefess in praise of a teenage boy with whom she had an affair, this became a humorous saying throughout the islands.]
2863
ʻUkuliʻi ka pua, onaona i ka mauʻu.
Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it.
[Said of a small person who gives happiness to others.]
Mawae (3)
1004
Hilo, mai Mawae a ka pali o Maulua.
Hilo, from Mawae to the cliff of Maulua.
[The extent of the Hilo district is from Mawae on the Puna side to Maulua on the Hāmākua side.]
1628
Kaʻū, mai ʻOkiʻokiaho a Mawae.
Kaʻū, from ʻOkiʻokiaho to Mawae.
[The district of Kaʻū, from ʻOkiʻokiaho at the boundary of Puna, to Mawae at the boundary of Kona.]
2747
Puna, mai ʻOkiʻokiaho a Mawae.
Puna, from ʻOkiʻokiaho to Mawae.
[The extent of Puna is from ʻOkiʻokiaho on the Kaʻū side to Mawae on the Hilo side.]
[Said of a forgetful person who looks everywhere and then finds the article at hand. Keawe and his servant once went to Kaʻū by canoe and then traveled upland from Kalae. When they came to a small stretch of lava rocks, Keawe wanted his sandals. The servant looked at his empty hands and asked the chief to wait while he ran back to see if he had dropped them along the way. The servant met some travelers and asked if they had by any chance seen the chief’s sandals. They pointed to his chest. He had tied them together with a string and was wearing them around his neck.]
186
ʻAʻohe mea koe aku iā Makaliʻi; pau nō ka liko me ka lāʻele.
Makaliʻi left nothing, taking [everything] from buds to old leaves.
[Said of one who selfishly takes all, or of a lecherous person who takes those of the opposite sex of all ages. From a legend surrounding a chief, Makaliʻi, who took from his people until they faced starvation.]
227
ʻAʻole i ʻenaʻena ka imu i ka māmane me ka ʻūlei, i ʻenaʻena i ka laʻolaʻo.
The imu is not heated by māmane and ʻūlei wood alone, but also by the kindling.
[To be powerful, a ruler must have the loyalty of the common people as well as the chiefs.]
237
ʻAu i ke kai me he manu ala.
Cross the sea as a bird.
[To sail across the sea. Also applied to a hill that juts out into the sea or is seen from far out at sea.]
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.]
[Meheʻula was a war leader of Kalaniōpuʻu who, when defeated, would run away and return later. This saying is applied to one who runs away and returns later to resume the fight.]
Ka moe no kau a Mele Wile, ala aʻe ua moʻa i ke kuke.
You sleep the sleep of Mary [wife of] Willie; when you awake, the food is cooked.
[A common saying on Hawaiʻi applied to any sleepy-head. Mary, wife of William Shipman, was annoyed with a servant who constantly overslept. One morning she looked into the servant’s room and loudly uttered this condemnation. The other servants laughed, and the sleeping servant was so ashamed that she rose bright and early thereafter.]
When the bait is not good, fish will not gather to eat it.
[One knows that goodness and graciousness always attract. Palu is bait of dried, mashed octopus liver.]
Mikololou (1)
2111
Make ʻo Mikololou a ola i ke alelo.
Mikololou died and lived again through his tongue.
[Said of one who talks himself out of a predicament. Mikololou was a shark god of Maui destroyed by the shark goddess Kaʻahupāhau of Pearl Harbor for expressing a desire to eat a human being. He was drawn up to land where his flesh fell off and dried in the heat of the sun. One day some children found his tongue in the sand and played with it, tossing it back and forth. When it fell into the sea, the spirit of Mikololou possessed it and it became a living shark again.]
[A friendly relation between closely related persons has been severed. To dream of an injury to one’s piko is an omen of the death of a close relative.]
2183
Mō ke kī lā — make!
Cut is the kī — it is death!
[Used in riddling contests of old, when persons who failed to guess correctly were often tortured or put to death. A wicked Puna chief once invented a riddle that no one could solve: He kī e, he kī e, mō ke kī — make! (It is the kī, it is the kī, [when it is] cut [there is] death!) The answer? The parts of the body whose names include the word kī, such as kīkala (hip) and kihi poʻohiwi (shoulder). Many people tried and failed to guess the answer and so were put to death. Finally, an old woman took pity on a youthful contestant and secretly told him the solution. In addition she told the youth about an additional kī that the chief himself had forgotten. On the day of his contest, the youth answered the chief’s riddle. Then he challenged the chief with the same riddle. A dispute arose when the chief denied that there were any other body parts with kī. The youth pointed to the chief’s fingernails (mikiʻao) and was declared the winner. The wicked chief was put to death as he had put others to death.]
[An expression of derision. Inter-marriage was encouraged only among high chiefs. When commoners inter-married, they were declared to be like chickens, mating with no regard to relationship.]
[The work is done; one can sit at ease and enjoy himself.]
215
ʻAʻohe umu moʻa i ka makani.
No umu can be made to cook anything by the wind.
[Talk will not get the umu lighted and the food cooked. This saying originated in Olowalu, Maui, where it was very windy and hard to light an umu.]
611
He iʻa moʻa ʻole i kālua.
A fish that can never he cooked.
[Said of a person of low rank. Nothing can change his genealogy.]
820
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.]
892
He pili kauawe paha ke kumu i moʻa ʻole ai ke kalo.
Perhaps the reason for the partly cooked condition of the taro is because it is the one closest to the leaves that cover over the imu.
[Said of an imperfect or defective task, or of a person whose ideas are “half-baked.”]
1487
Ka moe no kau a Mele Wile, ala aʻe ua moʻa i ke kuke.
You sleep the sleep of Mary [wife of] Willie; when you awake, the food is cooked.
[A common saying on Hawaiʻi applied to any sleepy-head. Mary, wife of William Shipman, was annoyed with a servant who constantly overslept. One morning she looked into the servant’s room and loudly uttered this condemnation. The other servants laughed, and the sleeping servant was so ashamed that she rose bright and early thereafter.]
[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.]
1058
Honuaʻula, e pāluku ʻia ana nā kihi poʻohiwi e nā ʻale o ka Moaʻe.
Honuaʻula whose shoulders are pummelled by the Moaʻe wind.
[A poetical expression for a person being buffeted by the wind. Honuaʻula, Maui, is a windy place.]
1256
Ipu lei Kohala na ka Moaʻe Kū.
Kohala is like a wreath container for the Moaʻe breeze.
[Kohala is a windy place.]
2580
Pā ka makani o ka Moaʻe, hele ka lepo o Kahoʻolawe i Māʻalaea.
When the Moaʻe wind blows, the dust of Kahoʻolawe goes toward Maalaea.
[Said when offering a small space or seat to a friend when every other place is occupied. As Paʻao was leaving from Kahiki with a canoe filled to capacity, a priest, Makuakaumana, called out, asking to come along. He was offered the only available space — the sharp point at the stem of the canoe, the moamoa.]
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.]
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.]
337
ʻElemakule kamaʻole moe i ke ala.
An oldster who has never reared children sleeps by the roadside.
[Caring for and rearing children results in being cared for in old age.]
363
E nui ke aho, e kuʻu keiki, a moe i ke kai, no ke kai lā hoʻi ka ʻāina.
Take a deep breath, my son, and lay yourself in the sea, for then the land shall belong to the sea.
[Uttered by the priest Kaʻopulupulu at Waiʻanae. Weary with the cruelty and injustice of Kahāhana, chief of Oʻahu, Kaʻopulupulu walked with his son to Waiʻanae, where he told his son to throw himself into the sea. The boy obeyed, and there died. Kaʻopulupulu was later slain and taken to Waikīkī where he was laid on the sacrificial altar at Helumoa.]
371
E paneʻe ka waʻa ʻoi moe ka ʻale.
Set the canoes moving while the billows are at rest.
[Said by Holowae, a kahuna, to suggest that Kalaniʻōpuʻu retum to Hawaiʻi while there was peace. Later used to stir one to action.]
[Said of entangling affairs. There is a play on Moe-awakea (Sleep-till-the-sun-is-high).]
2783
Ua hihina wale i Moeawakea.
Fallen down at Moeawakea.
[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.]
Moelana (1)
1589
Ka ua nihi pali o Moelana.
The rain that sneaks along the cliffs at Moelana.
[The rain at Moelana, below the Nuʻuanu Pali.]
Moemoe (1)
2592
Palakī a Moemoe.
Ti daubs of Moemoe.
[Excrement. Ti eaten in great quantity loosens the bowels. Moemoe was a prophet whose excrement, when questioned, was said to reply of his whereabouts.]
[Said of one who is of very low rank — like a floor mat.]
1486
Ka moena pāwehe o Mokulēʻia.
The patterned mat of Mokulēʻia [Oʻahu].
[It is as varied and pretty as a patterned mat.]
2175
Moena hāunu ʻole o ka nahele.
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.]
2176
Moena pāwehe o Niʻihau.
Patterned mat of Niʻihau.
[Poetic expression often used in reference to Niʻihau. Fine makaloa mats of Niʻihau, beautifully patterned, were famed throughout the islands.]
2594
Pale hāliʻi moena.
A mat cover.
[A low commoner.]
2675
Pōhaku kaomi moena.
A stone that holds down the mat.
[Said of a person who stays at home most of the time. A pōhaku kaomi moena is a large smooth stone used to hold the strands of lauhala in place while plaiting.]
ʻAʻohe mea nāna e hoʻopuhili, he moho no ka lā makani.
There is no one to interfere, for he is a messenger of a windy day.
[Said in admiration of a person who lets nothing stop him from carrying out the task entrusted to him.]
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.]
[Said of one who leaves home for a better chance of advancing but eventually comes back.]
Moi (1)
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.]
Moikeha (1)
1450
Ka lulu o Moikeha i ka laulā o Kapaʻa.
The calm of Moikeha in the breadth of Kapaʻa.
[Thc chief Moikeha enjoyed the peace of Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi, the place he chose as his permanent home.]
I kahi ʻē nō ke kumu mokihana, paoa ʻē nō ʻoneʻi i ke ʻala.
Although the mokihana tree is at a distance, its fragrance reaches here.
[Although a person is far away, the tales of his good deeds come to us.]
2184
Mokihana onaona o Maunahina, lei hoʻohihi a ka malihini.
The fragrant mokihana berries of Maunahina, lei in which visitors delight.
[Maunahina is a mountain on Kauaʻi, where the mokihana berries grow best.]
Mokoliʻi (2)
1663
Ka wana momona o Mokoliʻi.
The fat sea urchins of Mokoliʻi.
[Mokoliʻi, a small island off windward Oʻahu, is known for its fine sea urchins.]
1727
Ke kai leo nui o Mokoliʻi.
The loud-voiced sea of Mokoliʻi.
[The sea of Mokoliʻi (now known as Chinaman’s Hat) is said to roar. This small island is said to have once been a reptile that Hiʻiaka stuck into the sea, head down and tail up.]
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.]
368
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.]
807
He māʻona moku.
A satisfaction with the land.
[Said of a person contented with what he has, as a chief is satisfied with his domain.]
826
He moku ʻāleuleu.
District of ragamuffns.
[Said by Kamehameha’s followers of Kaʻū and Puna because the people there, being hard-working farmers, lived most of the time in old clothes.]
841
He niuhi ʻai holopapa o ka moku.
The niuhi shark that devours all on the island.
[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.]
1412
Ka ʻio nui maka lana au moku.
The great ʻio with eyes that see everywhere on the land.
[Kauaʻi, the northwesternmost island of the group, beyond which the sun vanishes at dusk. Manokalanipo was an ancient ruler of Kauaʻi.]
Mokulēʻia (1)
1486
Ka moena pāwehe o Mokulēʻia.
The patterned mat of Mokulēʻia [Oʻahu].
[It is as varied and pretty as a patterned mat.]
Mokuola (2)
473
Hanuʻu ke kai i Mokuola.
The sea recedes at Mokuola.
[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.]
2281
Nā niu ulu aoʻa o Mokuola.
The tall, slim coconut trees of Mokuola.
[Mokuola (now called Coconut Island) in Hilo, is a place where pandanus and coconut trees were numerous.]
Mokupaoa (2)
1100
Hoʻomaha ʻole ke kai a Mokupaoa.
The sea of Mokupaoa never rests.
[Said of anything or anyone who goes on and on without resting. Mokupaoa is a place name.]
2142
Mao ʻole ke kai o Mokupaoa.
Endlessly rough is the sea of Mokupaoa.
[Endless bad luck. Mokupaoa means “Island of Misfortune.”]
Still rooted in childhood when the bones have not matured.
[Said of a person who is still a child, either physically or mentally.]
41
Aia i ka mole o Lehua.
At the taproot of Lehua.
[Said of one who is out of sight for a long time, neither seen nor heard of. Lehua is an island beyond Niʻihau.]
253
E akahele i ka mamo a ʻĪ, o kolo mai ka mole uaua.
Beware the descendant of ʻĪ, lest the tough roots crawl forth.
[A warning uttered by Palena, a chief of Kohala, who saw Kuaʻana-a-ʻĪ cruelly treated by the chiefs of Kona. Kuaʻana later went to see the people of his mother, Hoʻoleialiʻi, in Hāna, and to help the chiefs of Hilo in fighting those of Kona.]
888
He pāpaʻi niho mole.
A crab minus a claw.
[Said of a person with a missing tooth.]
1025
Hoʻi hou i ka mole.
Return to the taproot.
[The return to love and loyalty for kith and kin after a severing of relationship.]
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.]
Mōlīlele (1)
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.]
Molokaʻi (8)
1676
Ke ala pūpū i Molokaʻi.
The path of seashells of Molokaʻi.
[Among the noted things made by Kihaapiʻilani, ruler of Maui, was a paved road lined with seashells at Kaluakoʻi, Molokaʻi.]
1763
Ke kū nō a Maui; ke kiʻei nō a Lānaʻi; ka moe nō a Molokaʻi; ka noho nō a Oʻahu.
[Said of people who stand about, look on, go to sleep and sit around, but who do not lend a hand with work.]
2191
Molokaʻi ʻāina o ka ʻehaʻeha.
Molokaʻi, island of distress.
[This expression came about after the establishment of the leper colony there. It refers to the separation of loved ones, the ravages of the disease, and the sad life in the early days at Kalawao, when so much was lacking for the comfort of the patients.]
2192
Molokaʻi koʻo lāʻau.
Molokaʻi of the canoe-poler.
[The reef at the southern shore of Molokaʻi extends out as far as one-half mile in some places. At low tide the water is no more than eight feet deep. Because it is so shallow, the people could propel their canoes with poles.]
2193
Molokaʻi kuʻi lāʻau.
Molokai, pounder of medicine.
[The kāhuna of Molokaʻi were said to be experts in compounding medicines and poisonous potions. Also, a stick dance bore this name.]
2194
Molokaʻi nui a Hina.
Great Molokaʻi, land of Hina.
[The goddess Hina is said to be the mother of Molokaʻi.]
Aia a pohā ka leo o ka ʻaʻo, kāpule ke momona o ka ʻuwaʻu i ka puapua.
When the ʻaʻo birds’ voices are distinctly heard, the ʻuwaʻu birds are fat even to the very tails.
[The ʻao bird was not heard during the nesting season. When the fledglings emerged and their cries were heard, the season had come when young ʻuwaʻu were best for eating, and the people went to snare them.]
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.]
1663
Ka wana momona o Mokoliʻi.
The fat sea urchins of Mokoliʻi.
[Mokoliʻi, a small island off windward Oʻahu, is known for its fine sea urchins.]
2516
ʻO Nana ka malama; momona ka pāpaʻi.
Nana is the month; the crabs are fat.
2587
Pala ka hala, momona ka hāʻukeʻuke.
When the pandanus fruit ripens, the hāʻukeʻuke sea urchin is fat.
2588
Pala ka hala, momona ka uhu.
When the pandanus fruit is ripe, the parrotfish is fat.
[The sea urchin, a favorite food of the parrotfish, is fat during the season when the pandanus fruit is ripe. Feeding on fat sea urchin, the fish, too, hecome fat.]
2696
Pua ka neneleau, momona ka wana.
When the neneleau blooms, the sea urchin is fat.
[The neneleau blooms about the time when the hala fruit ripens. These were signs for uplanders that the sea urchins were ready to be gathered.]
He moʻo, he pili pōhaku, he pili lāʻau a he pili lepo.
It is a lizard, for it clings to rocks, clings to trees, clings to the earth.
[Said in derision of one who spies, hiding behind rocks, trees, and so forth. Also said of one who likes climbing over rocks and trees like a lizard.]
2074
Mai kolohe i ka moʻo o lele i ka pali.
Do not bother lizards or youll fall off a cliff.
[A warning not to bother lizards lest someday the moʻo cause a madness that makes one leap off a cliff and die.]
2418
ʻO Kalani ka ʻio o Lelepā, ka ʻālapa piʻi moʻo o Kū.
The heavenly one is the hawk of Lelepā, the warrior descendant of Kū.
[Retort of a kahu when he overheard someone criticize his chief, Kamehameha, who was then only a young warrior. He used the name Lele-pā to imply that his chief could fly over any barrier.]
Moʻohelaia (1)
1779
Ke one lele o Moʻohelaia.
The flying sands of Moʻohelaia.
[When the sands of Moʻohelaia, Molokaʻi, were blown about by the wind, it was believed that ghosts were present.]
Moʻolau (1)
1692
Ke haʻi ʻia ala ke keʻe o Moʻolau.
The defects of Moʻolau are being told.
[Said of one who reveals the faults of others. Moʻolau was a lizard of Kohala who battled with Hiʻiaka.]
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.]
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).]
[An expression used in hana aloha sorcery. It was uttered with the hope that the intended victim would be as conscious of love as of a bitter drop on the tongue.]
Wood is the vegetable food, sea cucumber is the meat, and a small imu is the only imu.
[Said of scarcity from oppression.]
2804
Ua kau ka mauli lele i ka muku.
Life is placed where it can take only a brief flight.
[Said of a hopeless situation in which there is only a brief respite, then disaster or death.]
Muku (3)
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.]
2511
ʻO Muku ka lā, mumuku nā hana.
Muku is the day; incomplete are the tasks.
[A warning not to begin a project on the day of Muku lest it be unsuccessful.]
[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.]