| 3 | A ʻai ka manu i luna. | The birds feed above. |
| | [An attractive person is compared to a flower-laden tree that attracts birds.] |
| 64 | ʻAi a manō, ʻaʻohe nānā i kumu pali. | 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.] |
| 75 | ʻAi a puʻu ka nuku. | Eat till the lips protrude. |
| | [Eat until one can take no more.] |
| 76 | ʻAi kū, ʻai hele. | Eat standing, eat walking. |
| | [Said of anything done without ceremony, or of anything unrestrained by kapu.] |
| 77 | ʻAi kū, ʻai noa. | Eat standing, eat freely. |
| | [Said by one about to leave a religious feast, when he must depart before it is over.] |
| 78 | ʻAi manu Koʻolau. | Eat of the birds of Koʻolau. |
| | [Said of a feast where delicious foods are eaten.] |
| 82 | ʻAi nō i ka ʻape he maneʻo no ko ka nuku. | He who eats ʻape is bound to have his mouth itch. |
| | [He who indulges in something harmful will surely reap the result.] |
| 83 | ʻAi nō i kalo moʻa. | One can eat cooked taro. |
| | [The work is done; one can sit at ease and enjoy himself.] |
| 84 | ʻAi nō ka ʻīlio i kona luaʻi. | A dog eats his own vomit. |
| | [Said of one who says nasty things of others and then has those very things happen to himself.] |
| 85 | ʻAi nō ka ʻiole a haʻalele i kona kūkae. | A rat eats, then leaves its droppings. |
| | [Said of an ungrateful person.] |
| 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.] |
| 87 | ʻAi pilau. | Eater of filth. |
| | [Said of one who practiced the sorcery that destroyed others. His god was referred to as akua ʻai pilau (filth-eating god).] |
| 88 | ʻAi puaʻa a Kukeawe. | The pork-eating of Kukeawe. |
| | [Said of a person who is not satisfied with the number of his own pigs and so robs his neighbors of theirs. Kukeawe was a friend of Kahekili who was allowed to help himself to any of Kahekili’s pigs in Kula, Maui. But Kukeawe also took the pigs belonging to the people of Kula, Honuaʻula, and Kahikinui and plundered their possessions. These people rose in rebellion, led by ʻOpū, and surprised the followers of Kukeawe while they were ascending Haleakalā on the way to Kula. Kukeawe’s party retreated but found their way blocked by other parties led by Kawehena, Kahoʻoluhina, and Kuheana. Kukeawe was killed and his body set up at Palauea for all to see.] |
| 89 | ʻAi pūhiʻu. | Eats while breaking wind. |
| | [Said of a bad-mannered person with no regard for ceremony.] |
| 107 | ʻAlamihi ʻai kupapaʻu. | Corpse-eating ʻalamihi. |
| | [The ʻalamihi (mud crab) is a scavenger. In localities where they are not eaten, they are referred to contemptuously as corpse eaters.] |
| 124 | ʻAʻohe ʻai pani ʻia o ka ʻamo. | No particular food blocks the anus. |
| | [All food is good; there is none that hinders evacuation. A rude remark to a very finicky person.] |
| 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.] |
| 151 | ʻAʻohe ʻīnaʻi komo ʻole o ka ʻai. | There is no meat that doesnt taste good with poi. |
| | [Let it go at that. Used especially with regard to genealogy to mean: Even if one claims kinship with me, it doesn’t matter whether the connection is genuine. My life will continue; I can still eat poi.] |
| 153 | ʻAʻohe inoa komo ʻole o ka ʻai. | No name prevents food from entering the mouth. |
| | [Similar to the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.”] |
| 182 | ʻAʻohe māna ʻai loaʻa i ka mea make. | Not even a mouthful of food can be obtained from the dead. |
| | [Consider the living, who may be kindly host or friend.] |
| 193 | ʻAʻohe nānā i ko lalo ʻai i ke pāpaʻa; e nānā i ko luna o ahulu. | Never mind if the food underneath burns; see that the food at the top is not half-cooked. |
| | [Never mind the commoners; pay attention to the chiefs.] |
| 194 | ʻAʻohe nao ʻai i ka pāpaʻa. | Nothing at all but burnt food to eat. |
| | [A terrible situation.] |
| 221 | ʻAʻole e ʻai ʻia he maunu ʻino. | It will not be taken by the fish; it is poor bait. |
| | [People will pay no attention to poor production. When it is good, it will attract attention.] |
| 250 | E ʻai ana ʻoe i ka poi paua o Keaiwa. | Now you are eating poi made from the paua taro of Keaiwa. |
| | [A boast from the district of Kaʻū: “Now you are seeing the very best that we have.” Also used to say, “Now you will find out how fine a girl (or boy) can be in making love.” The paua was the best taro in Kaʻū and the only variety that grew on the plains.] |
| 251 | E ʻai i ka mea i loaʻa. | What you have, eat. |
| | [Be satisfied with what you have.] |
| 252 | E ʻai i kekahi, e kāpī kekahi. | Eat some, salt some. |
| | [Said to young people: Eat some now and save some for another time.] |
| 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.] |
| 317 | E kanu mea ʻai o nānā keiki i ka haʻi. | Plant edible food plants lest your children look with longing at someone else’s. |
| 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.] |
| 429 | Hālau ka hale; ʻohā ka ʻai. | A big house; small taro to eat. |
| | [A large house brings so many visitors that to feed them all, even immature taro must be used.] |
| 435 | Haluku ka ʻai a ke aku. | The aku rush to eat. |
| | [Said of those who boisterously rush to eat.] |
| 458 | Hana kāpulu ka lima, ʻai ʻino ka waha. | Careless work with the hands puts dirty food in the mouth. |
| 486 | Hauhili ka ʻai a ke kaweleʻā. | The kaweleʻā fish takes the hook in such a way as to tangle the lines. |
| | [Said of a tangled situation.] |
| 515 | He ʻai e kāhela ai ka uha. | An eating that spreads the intestines. |
| | [The enjoyment of a good meal when labor is finished and all is at peace.] |
| 517 | He ʻai kuli ke aloha mai nā kūpuna mai. | Love has had a deaf way of its own since the days of the ancestors. |
| | [A person who is very much in love often does not heed counsel.] |
| 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.] |
| 519 | He ʻai make ka uhi. | The yam is the food of death. |
| | [The yam grows downward in the ground, instead of upward like the taro. When a person digs for yams, he has to be on the watch lest while digging with head down low an enemy strike him on the back of the neck and kill him.] |
| 520 | He akua ʻai kahu ka lawena ʻōlelo. | Gossip is a god that destroys its keeper. |
| 521 | He akua ʻai ʻopihi ʻo Pele. | Pele is a goddess who eats limpets. |
| | [Pele was said to be fond of swimming and surfing. While doing so she would pause to eat seafood.] |
| 522 | He akua ʻai pilau. | A filth-eating god. |
| | [Said of a god who heeds the voice of a sorcerer and goes on errands of destruction.] |
| 566 | He hānai aliʻi, he ʻai ahupuaʻa. | The rearing of a chief is the ruling of an ahupuaʻa. |
| | [A person in whose care a young chief was placed was often rewarded with a large tract of land.] |
| 568 | He hāpuʻu ka ʻai he ʻai make. | 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.] |
| 581 | He hoa ʻai waiū paha no Kauahoa. | Perhaps he shared the breast with Kauahoa. |
| | [Said of one who is indifferent to the problems of others. A play on uahoa (hard) in Kauahoa, a warrior of Kauaʻi.] |
| 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.] |
| 812 | He mea ʻai ʻia kahi pilipili maunu kāpae ʻia. | The bit of bait set to one side is edible still. |
| | [A man or woman who has been the mate of another can still be a good mate to have.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 860 | He ola na ka ʻōiwi, lawe aʻe nō a ʻai haʻaheo. | When one has earned his own livelihood he can take his food and eat it with pride. |
| 873 | He pā ʻai ʻia, ke piʻi ala ke aku. | It is a good mother-of-pearl hook, for the aku fish are coming up. |
| | [Said of an attractive person who has no trouble attracting the opposite sex, or of a lucky person who never fails to get what he wants.] |
| 875 | He pāʻā kō kea no Kohala, e kole ai ka waha ke ʻai. | A resistant white sugar cane of Kohala that injures the mouth when eaten. |
| | [A person that one does not tamper with. This was the retort of Pupukea, a Hawaiʻi chief, when the Maui chief Makakuikalani made fun of liis small stature. Later used in praise of the warriors of Kohala, who were known for valor.] |
| 943 | He uahi ʻai pū nō ko ʻŌlaʻa kini. | Smoke that is also eaten by those of ʻŌlaʻa. |
| | [In ancient times, birdcatchers went to the forest of ʻŌlaʻa (then known as Laʻa) to ply their trade. Crude shelters were built for sleeping and cooking, and meals were often eaten beside a smoky fire. So anyone who shares a meal by a smoky fire is said to eat smoke like the people of ʻŌlaʻa.] |
| 946 | He ʻuala ka ʻai hoʻōla koke i ka wī. | The sweet potato is the food that ends famine quickly. |
| | [The sweet potato is a plant that matures in a few months.] |
| 997 | Hilo ʻai lūʻau. | Hilo, eater of taro greens. |
| | [The people of Hilo were said to be fond of cooked taro greens. When storms came to Hilo it was impossible to obtain fish from the streams or the sea. The people had to be content with taro greens.] |
| 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.] |
| 1032 | Hoʻi i Kālia i ka ʻai ʻalamihi. | Gone to Kālia to eat ʻalamihi crabs. |
| | [He is in a repentant mood. A play on ʻala-mihi (path-of-repentance). Kālia, Oʻahu, is a place where ʻalamihi crabs were once plentiful.] |
| 1034 | Hoʻi ka ʻoʻopu ʻai lehua i ka māpunapuna. | The lehua-eating ʻoʻopu has gone back to the spring. |
| | [Said of one who has gone back to the source.] |
| 1093 | Hoʻolale i ka ʻai a ka uʻi. | Show what youth can do. |
| | [Let the youth show us what he can do.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 1216 | I komo ka ʻai i ka paʻakai. | It is the salt that makes the poi go in. |
| | [Poi tastes much better with salted meats. If there is no meat, one can make a meal of poi and salt.] |
| 1268 | Ka ʻai a Kaiaʻupe. | The [lua] stroke of Kaiaupe. |
| | [Said when one is lured and suffers the consequences. Kaiaʻupe was a noted female robber who lived near the cliff trail of ʻAʻalaloa, Maui. She would entice a man to lie with her on the edge of the cliff, and then kick him off with her foot. This expression came to refer to any kind of treachery.] |
| 1269 | Ka ʻai hūnā i ka poli. | The food hidden in the bosom. |
| | [Breast milk.] |
| 1270 | Ka ʻai kīʻoʻe lāʻau. | The food reached for with a stick. |
| | [Said of the breadfruit, which grows high on the tree.] |
| 1271 | Ka ʻai lewa i ka ʻāʻī. | The food that swings from the neck. |
| | [Refers to food containers that were carried suspended from poles.] |
| 1273 | Ka ʻai nānā i luna. | The food that requires looking up to. |
| | [Said of breadfruit, which grows on the tree, in contrast with taro, sweet potato, and yam, which grow underground.] |
| 1274 | Ka ʻai niho ʻole a ka makani i ka ʻai. | Even without teeth the wind consumes the food crops. |
| | [Said of a destructive windstorm.] |
| 1275 | Ka ʻai waha ʻulaʻula o ka ʻāina. | The red-mouthed food of the land. |
| | [Watermelon. When the Hawaiians first saw Captain Cook’s men eating watermelon, they thought that they were eating human flesh and referred to them as akua waha ʻulaʻula (red-mouthed gods).] |
| 1277 | Ka ʻalaʻihi kualoa e kukū ʻai i nā lima. | The long-backed ʻalaʻihi fish that pierces the hands. |
| | [Said of one who is not to be trifled with.] |
| 1317 | Kahoʻolawe ʻai kūpala. | Kahoʻolawe, eater of kūpala. |
| | [The kūpala is a wild plant whose tubers were eaten in time of famine. It grew on Kahoʻolawe.] |
| 1322 | Ka iʻa ʻai pū me ka lepo. | The fish eaten with mud. |
| | [The clam. Even when washed before cooking it still retains a bit of the mud in which it lived.] |
| 1381 | Ka iʻa uahi nui o ka ʻāina; o ka iʻa ma luna, o ka ʻai ma lalo. | The many smoky fish of the land; with the fish ahove and the vegetable food beneath. |
| | [This refers not to any particular fish or meat but to anything that is cooked in an imu. When lighted, the imu is smoky until the stones redden and the wood is reduced to coals.] |
| 1390 | Kā i ka ʻai ka ʻaihue. | A thief is hurt in his thievery. |
| | [Theft is accompanied by fear.] |
| 1435 | Kalaupapa ʻai ʻinoʻino. | Kalaupapa of the bad food. |
| | [An epithet for Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi. In the early days of the leper settlement, the food situation was deplorable. Poi was floated in on the tide, and meat sometimes began to spoil before it was received.] |
| 1490 | Ka mū ʻai paka o Puʻunui. | The tobacco-eating bug of Puʻunui. |
| | [Said of one who is a pest. Puʻunui is now a part of Honoluiu.] |
| 1555 | Kauaʻi a ka ʻai paʻa. | Kauaʻi of the hard poi. |
| | [There was a man of Kauaʻi who was inclined to be stingy and whose favorite meat was dried octopus. He would cut it into small pieces, remove the skin, and mix it into the poi. Whenever hospitality compelled him to invite anyone to share his food, he would say, “I am sorry that I have no meat. All I have is very lumpy poi. Just poke your fingers straight in and pull them up again. Push the lumps aside.” Naturally, many declined the invitation. But one day several visitors from Hawai’i who were very hungry accepted. One noticed that the host was chewing, so he stuck a lump in his mouth and chewed, thus discovering that the lumps were pieces of dried octopus.] |
| 1557 | Kaʻū ʻai kōʻalaʻala. | Kaʻū of the hasty repast. |
| | [Some of the natives of Kaʻū had a reputation for not being very hospitable. Hasty eating on the part of the host did not encourage guests to linger.] |
| 1635 | Kaupō ʻai loli. | Kaupō, land of the loli eaters. |
| | [Kauakahiakua, a chief of Kaupō, Maui, is said to have been fond of loli and to have once built a large imu for roasting them. Since that time the people of Kaupō have had a reputation for being especially fond of this sea creature.] |
| 1639 | Ka wahine ʻai honua. | The earth-eating woman. |
| | [Pele.] |
| 1640 | Ka wahine ʻai lāʻau o Puna. | The tree-eating woman of Puna. |
| | [Pele.] |
| 1641 | Ka wahine ʻai pōhaku. | The stone-eating woman. |
| | [Pele.] |
| 1713 | Ke kaha ʻai ʻole a ʻīloli. | The foodless place, ʻĪloli. |
| | [ʻĪloli, Molokaʻi, was said to be a place where no food could be grown because of its lack of moisture.] |
| 1764 | Ke kupa ʻai au. | The native [son] forever. |
| | [May the chief live without end.] |
| 1772 | Ke one ʻai aliʻi o Kakuhihewa. | The chief-destroying sands of Kakuhihewa. |
| | [The island of Oʻahu. When the priest Kaʻopulupulu was put to death by the chief Kahāhana for warning him against cruelty to his subjects, he uttered a prophecy. He predicted that where his own corpse would lie in a heiau at Waikīkī, there would lie the chief’s corpse as well. Furthermore, he said, the land would someday go to the sea — that is, to a people from across the sea. This was felt to be a curse. When Kamehameha III was persuaded by a missionary friend to move the capital from Lahaina to Oʻahu, a kahuna, remembering the curse, warned him not to, lest the monarchy perish. The warning was ignored, and before the century had passed, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was no more.] |
| 1790 | Kiʻi ʻia aku ko ʻai i kiʻona. | Go and recover your food from the dung heap. |
| | [Said in disgust and anger to one who complains of the amount of food another has eaten, or of the number of times another has eaten one’s food.] |
| 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.] |
| 1835 | Komo akula ʻoe i ka ʻai a ka lua i Kealapiʻiakaʻōpae. | You are caught by the hold in lua fghting called Kealapiʻiakaʻōpae. |
| 1863 | Kuehu ka ʻai hoʻopau a ka ua. | Shaken up are the products over which the rain did its best to produce. |
| | [Said of good crops as a result of showers.] |
| 1869 | Kū hoʻolehelehekiʻi i ka mahina ʻai a Nūkeʻe. | 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.] |
| 1955 | Laulaha ka ʻai a ke ʻahi. | The ʻahi fish takes the hook in swarms. |
| | [Said when the sea is full of canoes fishing for ʻahi. Also said of a successful business — customers come in swarms.] |
| 1963 | Leʻa ka ʻai a ka ʻiole, ua nui ka ʻili. | The rats joyously eat their fill, there are many skins [remaining]. |
| | [There were two Hilo brothers who lived at Kukuau and Puʻueo. The latter was very prosperous but neglectful of his needy brother. One day the Kukuau man decided to visit his wealthy brother and found many friends eating. After watching them for a while he made this remark. It was overheard by someone who reported it to their host. When he came to see who it was he found that it was his own brother. Sadly he realized then how he had neglected his own kin while outsiders enjoyed his weakh. This saying is sometimes used for one who does for outsiders but neglects his own.] |
| 1965 | Leʻa ke kau ʻai. | The time for food is pleasing. |
| | [One can eat with pleasure — there are no wars, just peace.] |
| 1995 | Liʻiliʻi manu ʻai laiki, akamai i ka hana pūnana. | Small is the rice bird but an expert in nest building. |
| | [He may be insignificant but he’s a good worker.] |
| 2026 | Luhi ʻuʻa i ka ʻai a ka lio. | Wasted time and labor getting food for the horse. |
| | [Applied to one who worked hard, like a Hawaiian sailor on a whaling ship. Retuming home with a well-filled pocket, he would find many friends and girlfriends to help him spend his earnings. In a very short time his cash would be gone and his friends would find another prosperous person. Sadly he would retum to work.] |
| 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.] |
| 2222 | Naio ʻai kae. | Dung-eating pinworm. |
| | [An expression of contempt for one who slanders, especially his own kin.] |
| 2232 | Na ka puaʻa e ʻai; a na ka puaʻa ana paha e ʻai. | [It is] for the pigs to eat; and perhaps the pigs will taste [you]. |
| | [A reminder to be hospitable to strangers. From the following story: A missionary and two Hawaiian companions arrived hungry and tired in Keonepoko, Puna, after walking a long distance. Seeing some natives removing cooked breadfruit from an imu, they asked if they could have some. “No,” said the natives, “it is for the pigs to eat.” So the visitors moved on. Not long after, leprosy broke out among the people of Puna. The first to contract it were taken to Oʻahu and later sent on to Kalaupapa. Others died at home and were buried. When the last ones fmally died, there was no one to bury them, and the pigs feasted on their bodies. Thus, justice was served.] |
| 2279 | Nā niu kulakulaʻi a nā aliʻi ʻai moku. | The coconut trees pushed over by the ruling chiefs. |
| 2346 | Nui ka ʻai ma ke kuahiwi, puʻu nō ka ʻai, ʻiʻo no ka iʻa. | There is much food in the mountain; puʻu is food and ʻiʻo is meat. |
| | [This was said by the Reverend David Lyman, a missionary, in 1857 when his pupils went with him to the mountain and complained of having no food for the journey — there was an abundance of hāpuʻu and hōʻiʻo ferns in the mountains.] |
| 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.] |
| 2435 | ʻO ka poʻe e ʻai ana i ka loaʻa o ka ʻāina he lohe ʻōlelo wale aʻe nō i ka ua o Hawaiʻi. | Those who eat of the product of the land merely hear of the rains in Hawaiʻi. |
| | [Said of absentee royal landlords who reap the gain but know nothing of the difficulties in the land where the toilers work.] |
| 2480 | Ola i ka ʻai uahi ʻole o ke kini o Mānā. | The inhahitants of Mānā live on food cooked without smoking. |
| | [Said of the people of Mānā, Kauaʻi, who in ancient days did very little poi-making, except in a place like Kolo, where taro was grown. The majority of the inhabitants were fishermen and gourd cultivators whose products were traded with other inhabitants of the island, even as far as Kalalau. Because all the taro cooking and poi-making was done elsewhere, the people of Mānā were said to live on “smokeless food.”] |
| 2519 | ʻOnea Kaupō, ua kā ka ʻai i ka lua. | Barren is Kaupō; the eating in the cavern has begun. |
| | [Fatal shark attacks were common at Kaupō at one time. As a result, the people moved elsewhere, after which a man-eating shark peered at Kaupō and said these words. The spot from which he watched was named Kiʻei (Peer). Later used to mean destitution.] |
| 2544 | ʻO wahie ka ʻai, ʻo loli ka iʻa, ʻo muku ka imu. | Wood is the vegetable food, sea cucumber is the meat, and a small imu is the only imu. |
| | [Said of scarcity from oppression.] |
| 2395 | ʻO ka ʻai no ka ʻai, ʻo ka ʻiʻo kanaka ka iʻa. | Food is here to be eaten, with only human flesh for meat. |
| | [Said when there is nothing to eat with poi. There were once two boys of Kaʻū who won a riddling contest against a Kona man, the champion of the island of Hawaiʻi. In one riddle the boys claimed to be eating human flesh. The audience pondered this, since no meat was visible, and began to dispute the claim. Suddenly the boys popped wads of poi into their mouths and proceeded to lick their fingers — the “human flesh.”] |
| 2585 | Pala ʻaluʻalu ka ʻai a kamaliʻi. | Mostly peel when matured are the crops of children. |
| | [Children, lacking the strength of adults, are not successful farmers.] |
| 2586 | Palahuli i lalo ka waha ʻai ai. | Turned down is the mouth he eats food with. |
| | [He has more problems than he knows what to do with.] |
| 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.] |
| 2601 | Pāpale ʻai ʻāina, kuʻu aloha. | The head-covering over the land, my beloved. |
| | [Said of Kamehameha by his wife, Kaʻahumanu.] |
| 2610 | Pau kōkō a Makaliʻi i ka ʻai ʻia e ka ʻiole. | The net of Makaliʻi was all chewed up by the rat. |
| | [A total loss.] |
| 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.] |
| 2754 | Pupuhi ka umu, moʻa pala ka ʻai. | When the umu smokes, the food is underdone. |
| | [Not enough steam remains inside to cook the food. Said of one who does a lot of enthusiastic talking but canʻt knuckle down to business.] |
| 2769 | Ua ʻai au i kāna loaʻa. | I have eaten of his gain. |
| | [Said with pride and affection by a parent or grandparent who is being cared for by the child he reared.] |
| 2770 | Ua ʻai i ke kāī-koi o ʻEwa. | He has eaten the kāī-koi taro of ʻEwa. |
| | [Kāī is Oʻahu’s best eating taro; one who has eaten it will always like it. Said of a youth or a maiden of ʻEwa, who, like the kāī taro, is not easily forgotten.] |