Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For a final example, look at
Kealaikahiki,
which can be broken down as
Ke-
ala-i-kahiki.
The translations are
Ke
(the)
ala
(road)
i
(to)
kahiki
(Tahiti), or com-
pletely, “The road to Tahiti.” (For “kahiki,” the “k” and the “t” are interchangeable
in many Polynesian languages, and lacking a “t” in modern Hawaiian, the “k” is
substituted). Seeing as this name refers to the channel between the islands of Lana'i
and Kaho'olawe-which points south-it would only make sense that “the road to
Tahiti” would signify the direction that voyaging canoes would head when journey-
ing back to their ancestral homeland.
Whew! You got all that? It's a lot to take in. But it's worth the effort. By pro-
nouncing the vowels correctly, and by breaking longer words into the shorter words
contained within, the scary Hawaiian language suddenly becomes much more man-
ageable.
he'enalu:
surfing
heiau:
A platform made of skillfully fitted rocks, upon which temporary structures were
built as temples and offerings made to the gods.
hono:
bay, as in Honolulu (Sheltered Bay)
honu:
green sea turtle; endangered
ho'olaule'a:
any happy event, but especially a family outing or picnic
huhu:
angry; irritated
hui:
a group; meeting; society. Often used to refer to Chinese businesspeople or family
members who pool their money to get businesses started.
hukilau:
traditional shoreline fish-gathering in which everyone lends a hand to
huki
(pull)
the huge net.
hula:
a native Hawaiian dance in which the rhythm of the islands is captured by swaying
hips and stories told by lyrically moving hands. A
halau
is a group or school of hula.
huli huli:
barbecue, as in
huli huli
chicken
imu:
underground oven filled with hot rocks and used for baking. The main cooking meth-
od featured at a lu'au, used to steam-bake pork and other succulent dishes. The tending
of the
imu
was traditionally for men only.
ipo:
sweetheart; lover; girlfriend or boyfriend
kahuna:
priest; sorcerer; doctor; skillful person. In old Hawai'i
kahuna
had tremendous
power, which they used for both good and evil. The
kahuna ana'ana
was a feared indi-
vidual who practiced black magic and could pray a person to death, while the
kahuna
lapa'au
was a medical practitioner bringing aid and comfort to the people.
