| 33 | Aia a wela ke poʻo o ke keiki i ka lā. | When the head of the child is warmed by the sun. |
| | [When he is old enough to toddle or creep by himself into the sunlight.] |
| 288 | E hoʻi nā keiki oki uaua o nā pali. | Home go the very tough lads of the hills. |
| | [These lads of the hills were the cowboys of Puʻuwaʻawaʻa and Puʻuanahulu, who were well known for their endurance.] |
| 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. |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 562 | He hale kanaka, ke ʻalalā ala no keiki, ke hae ala no ka ʻīlio. | It is an inhabited house, for the wail of children and the bark of a dog are heard. |
| | [The signs of living about a home are the voices of humanity and animals. Used in answer to someone’s apology over their children crying or dogs barking.] |
| 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.] |
| 684 | He keiki aloha nā mea kanu. | Beloved children are the plants. |
| | [It is said of farmers that their plants are like beloved children, receiving much attention and care.] |
| 685 | He keiki e nānā ana, he keiki e nānā ʻole ana. | One child may care, and another may not. |
| | [Said to one who raises a family — some may take care of the senior members of the family and some may not.] |
| 686 | He keiki kālai hoe na ka uka o Puʻukapele. | A paddle-making youth of Puuʻkapele. |
| | [A complimentary expression. He who lives in the uplands, where good trees grow, can make good paddles Puʻukapele is a place above Waimea Canyon on Kauaʻi.] |
| 687 | He keiki kāmehaʻi. | A wonder child. |
| | [Said of a child whose father is unknown — people wonder who the sire is.] |
| 688 | He keiki mea kupuna. | [It shows] that the child has a grandparent. |
| | [Said in admiration of a child whose grandparents show affection by making beautiful things for his use or compose songs and chants in his honor. A similar expression is He keiki mea makua: [It shows] that the child has a parent.] |
| 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.] |
| 740 | He lei poina ʻole ke keiki. | A lei never forgotten is the beloved child. |
| 745 | Hele ka makuahine, ʻalalā keiki i kauhale. | When the mother goes out, the children cry at home. |
| | [Said of a neglectful mother.] |
| 981 | Hewa kumu waiho i keiki. | Faults of the source are left to the children. |
| | [Children suffer the consequences of the wrongs committed by their parents.] |
| 987 | Hiʻikua waha ka ʻopeʻope, hiʻi ke keiki ma ke alo, uē ʻalalā i ka nahele. | A bundle borne on the back, a baby in the arms, wailing in the forest. |
| | [Said of mothers fleeing in terror.] |
| 1167 | I hoʻokauhua i ke kōlea, no Kahiki ana ke keiki. | When there is a desire for plovers, the child-to-be will travel to Kahiki. |
| | [Said of a pregnant woman. If she craves plovers, her child will someday travel to foreign lands.] |
| 1252 | I paʻa ke kino o ke keiki i ka lāʻau. | That the body of the child be solidly built by the medicines. |
| | [A mother ate herbs during pregnancy and nursing for the sake of the baby’s health. The herbs were given to the child up to the age of twenty so that he would be healthy and strong through maturity and old age.] |
| 1295 | Ka hana a ka mākua, ʻo ka hana nō ia a keiki. | What parents do, children will do. |
| 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.] |
| 1397 | Ka ʻike a ka makua he hei na ke keiki. | The knowledge of the parent is [unconsciously] absorbed by the child. |
| 1438 | Ka lei hāʻule ʻole, he keiki. | A lei that is never cast aside is one’s child. |
| 1504 | Ka nui e ʻauamo ai i ke keiki i ke kua. | The size that enables one to carry a smaller child on the back. |
| | [Said of a child about ten years old who has grown big enough to carry a younger sibling on his back. In ancient days the age of a child was not reckoned by years but by physical ability to perform a certain task.] |
| 1704 | Keiki haehae poko o Naʻalehu. | The lad of Naʻalehu who tears into bits. |
| | [Said in admiration of a strong warrior of Naʻalehu who fearlessly attacks his foes. Later said of a Naʻalehu-born person who shows no fear in any situation.] |
| 1705 | Keiki holoholo kuāua o Makawao. | The lad of Makawao who goes about in the rain. |
| | [Said of a native of that place who is not afraid of being wet.] |
| 1706 | Keiki kāohi lā o Kumukahi. | The lad that holds back the sun at Kumukahi. |
| | [Praise of an outstanding youth of Puna. Kumukahi is the eastern point of Hawaiʻi, the place where the sun comes up.] |
| 1707 | Keiki kia manu o Laʻa. | Bird-catching lad of Laʻa. |
| | [A person whose charm attracts the opposite sex. ʻŌlaʻa, Hawaiʻi, was once known as Laʻa. Birdcatchers often went into the forest there for feathers. This expression is also used in a chant composed for Kalākaua.] |
| 1708 | Keiki ʻopeʻope nui o Kaluakoʻi. | The lad of Kaluakoʻi with the big hundle. |
| | [A person heavily laden with bundles. Kuapakaʻa, a boy of Kaluakoʻi, made ready to go with Keawe-nui-a-ʻUmi, chief of Hawaiʻi, to Kaʻula in search of Pakaʻa. The lad knew all the time that Pakaʻa was on Molokaʻi, for Pakaʻa was his father. Before going he asked permission to bring his bundles on board. To everyone’s surprise they consisted of a large log filled with necessities, and a large rock which was later used as an anchor.] |
| 1709 | Keiki uhaʻi koaiʻe o ʻOhaikea. | Lad of ʻOhaikea who breaks koaiʻe logs. |
| | [An expression of admiration for any youth of ʻOhaikea in Kaʻū. A handsome young man of that locality was said to have been so strong that he could break a log in two with his bare hands.] |
| 1858 | Kū akula i ka pana a Pikoi-a-ka-ʻalalā, keiki pana ʻiole o ke kula o Keahumoa. | Shot by the arrow of Pikoi-[son] of-the-crow, the expert rat-shooter of the plain of Keahumoa. |
| | [Got his just deserts.] |
| 2115 | Makua keiki i ka poli. | The child in the heart has grown up to be a man. |
| | [Said of one who loved as a child and finds his love reawakened in manhood. First uttered by Lohiʻau, whose love reawakened upon meeting his old sweetheart, Peleʻula.] |
| 2228 | Na ka makua e komo i ka ʻāwelu o keiki, ʻaʻole na ke keiki e komo i ka ʻāwelu o ka makua. | Let the parent wear out his children s old clothes, but do not let the children wear their parent’s old clothes. |
| | [Some Hawaiians would wear the partly worn clothing of their children. However, wearing the old clothing of one’s parents was kapu.] |
| 2235 | Nā keiki a Kālaihaohia. | The children of Kālaihaohia. |
| | [Greedy people. A play on kālai (hew) and haohia (grab-all-one-can).] |
| 2236 | Nā keiki huelo loloa o ka ʻĀina Pua. | The long-tailed sons of the Flowery Kingdom. |
| | [The Chinese, who once wore queues.] |
| 2237 | Nā keiki o Waipouli me Honomaʻele. | Children of Waipouii and Honomaʻele. |
| | [A humorous reference to very dark people. A play on pouli (dark) in Waipouli and ʻele (black) in Honomaʻele.] |
| 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.] |
| 2294 | Nāu ke keiki, kūkae a naʻau. | Yours is the child, excreta, intestines and all. |
| | [In giving a child to adoptive parents, the true parents warned that under no condition would they take the child back. To do so would be disastrous for the child. Recognition, love, and help might continue; but removal while the adoptive parents live — never.] |
| 2335 | No Kalae nō lā hoʻi ke keiki. | The lad is from Kalae after all. |
| | [A boast: “He is a smart lad.” A play on lae (forehead). Refers to Kalae, Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi.] |
| 2371 | ʻO Hinaiaʻeleʻele ke kāne, ʻo Pōʻeleʻi ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he keiki ʻakena a haʻanui. | Hinaiaʻeleʻele is the husband, Pōʻeleʻi (Supreme-dark-one) the wife; a child born to them is a boaster and an exaggerator. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Hinaiaʻeleʻele.] |
| 2389 | ʻO Ikiiki ke kāne, ʻo Hoʻopaupaualio ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he keiki huhū koke. | Ikiiki is the husband, Hoʻopaupauaho (Cause-shortness-of-breath) is the wife; a child born to them is short of temper. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Ikiiki.] |
| 2391 | ʻO ʻIkuwā ke kāne, ʻo Paʻiakuli ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he leo nui. | ʻIkuwā is the husband, Paʻia-kuli (Deafening-noise) is the wife; a child born to them is loud of voice. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of ʻIkuwā.] |
| 2397 | ʻO Kaʻaōna ke kāne, ʻo Laʻioeoe ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he keiki leʻa i ke oli. | Kaʻaōna is the husband, Laʻi-oeoe (Calm-prolonged-sound) the wife; a child born to them is a pleasing chanter. |
| | [A child born in the month of Kaʻaōna is blessed with a pleasant voice for speaking and chanting.] |
| 2401 | ʻO Kāʻelo ke kāne, Pulukāʻelo ka wahine, hānau mai keiki kāpulu. | Kāʻelo is the husband, Pulu-kāʻelo (Well-drenched) the wife; children born to them are filthy. |
| | [Said of a filthy person. A play on ʻelo (soak). The month of Kāʻelo is rainy and muddy.] |
| 2444 | ʻO Kaulua ke kāne, ʻo Lanihua ka wahine, hānau ke keiki he kua leho. | Kaulua is the husband, Lani-hua (Productive-heaven) the wife; born to them is a child with calloused shoulders. |
| | [Said of a person born in the month of Kaulua. He was likely to be a hard worker who carried large bundles on his back.] |
| 2461 | ʻO ke keiki he loaʻa i ka moe, ʻo ka pōkiʻi ʻaʻole. | One can produce a child by sleeping with a mate, but he cannot produce a younger brother or sister. |
| | [Great affection between brothers and sisters, and especially for younger siblings, was not rare in olden days. This saying is a reminder to treat younger ones with love and respect.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 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. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Makaliʻi.] |
| 2517 | ʻO Nana ke kāne, ʻo Nanailewa ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he keiki ʻaeʻa. | Nana is the hushand, Nana-i-lewa (Active-in-movement) the wife; a child born to them has wanderlust. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Nana.] |
| 2550 | ʻO Welehu ke kāne, ʻo Huhune ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he luluāʻina. | Welehu is the husband, Huhune (Tiny-specks) the wife; a child born to them is freckled. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Welehu.] |
| 2551 | ʻO Welo ke kāne, ʻo Mikikole ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he keiki mākilo. | Welo is the hushand, Mikikole (Reach-before-the-meat-is-done) the wife; a child bom to them is a beggar. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Welo. Such a beggar does not ask for things, but the longing look in his eyes is a reason for invitation.] |
| 2677 | Pohāpohā i ke keiki o Kaʻakēkē. | Smacked by the lad of Kaʻakēkē. |
| | [Kaʻakēkē was a maika-rolling field at Ualapuʻe, Molokaʻi, where champions often met in ancient days. Said in admiration of any Molokaʻi lad outstanding in sports.] |
| 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.] |