He Kōkua – Ka Leo o Ka Uluau

Podcast Glossary
Organizations to Explore

Podcast Glossary

As the podcast developed, the production team began noting words He Kokua and phrases that listeners might often hear and shared these on Facebook and Instagram. Here is a glossary of those words – “something helpful” to assist you in navigating both the podcast and the island!

A note: The kaʻi (article) “ka” or “ke” before each term in He Kōkua roughly translates as “the” in English. These kaʻi are often included before the word when teaching vocabulary in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to help the learner memorize them successfully. The kaʻi “ke” precedes words that start with K, E, A, or O, with “ka” preceding words starting with other letters. There are exceptions to this rule that can’t be predicted and it is therefore helpful to learn the kaʻi with new vocabulary. Also, these kaʻi are used in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in situations that English would normally drop articles, such as when referring to non-specific items in general.

Animals:

Ke Koholā (ko ho lah) – humpbacked whale
Ka Manō (ma no) – shark (general name)
Ka Manu (ma noo) – bird; any winged creature
Ka Moa (mo ah) – chicken, red jungle chicken (Gallus gallus), fowl, as brought to Hawaiʻi by Polynesians; for some people, an ʻaumakua
Ka Moʻo (mo-oh) – lizard, reptile of any kind, dragon, serpent; water spirit
Ka Puaʻa (poo ah-ah) – pig, hog, swine, pork
Ka Puhi (poo hee) – eel

Directional:

Ka ʻĀkau (ah ka oo) – north (when one faces west, the direction of the sun’s course, the right hand is in the north)
Ka Hema (heh ma) – south (when one faces west, the direction of the sun’s course, the left hand is to the south)
Ka Hikina (he kee nah) – east, the place of the sun’s rising
Ka Hoʻolua (ho – oh loo ah) – a northwest wind
Ke Koʻolau (ko – oh la ooh) – a northeast wind
Ke Komohana (ko mo hah nah) – west, the place where the sun enters the sea
Ke Kona (ko nah) – a southwest wind
Ka Malanai (ma la na ee) – a southeast wind
Ma Kai (mah ka eee) – towards the sea, and is used when heading towards sea
Ma Uka (mah ooh kah) – towards the uplands, and is used when heading inland or away from the sea

Geographic Feature:

Ka ‘Āina (ah ee na) – land, earth. country
Ke Ana (ah na) – cave, grotto, cavern
Ke Awāwa (ah vaa va) – valley, gulch, ravine
Ke Kuahiwi (koo ah he vee) – mountain, high hill
Ke Kula (koo la) – plain, field, open country, pasture
Ka Lae (la eh) – a cape or point
Ka Lua (loo ah) – a hole, pit, or crater
Ka Pali (pah lee) – a cliff or precipice
Ka Pōhaku (po hah koo) – a stone, rock, or pebble
Ka Puʻu (poo-ooh) – a hill, peak, or mound
Ka Wēkiu (veh kee ooh) – tip, top, topmost, summit, peak

Hana Lei (Lei Making) – Listen to Season II, Episode 5:

Ka Haku – to compose, invent, put in order, arrange; to braid, as a lei, or plait, as feathers
Ka Hili – to braid or plait, as a lei or candlenuts; a braid, plaiting, sting. See lei hili
Ka Hilo – to twist, spin; twisted, braided, threadlike; faint streak of light
Ka Hīpuʻu – knot, bond, fastening; to tie a knot. Hīpuʻu o ka male, bonds of matrimony. Hoʻo īpuʻu to tie, bind
Ke Kui – to string pierced objects, as flowers in a lei, or fish; to thread, as beads
Ka Lei – lei, garland, wreath; necklace of flowers, leaves, shells, ivory, feathers, or paper, given as a symbol of affection
Ka Leihulu – wreath made of feathers. A lei or wreath for the neck made of the feathers of the bird mamo; ka lei mamo no Laa
Ka Pua – flower, blossom, tassel and stem of sugar cane; to bloom, blossom
Ka Wili – to wind, twist, writhe, crank, turn, screw, drill, bore; to dial, crank, or ring up, as on the telephone

ʻIke Hula (thoughts about hula and sustainability) – Listen to Season II, Episode 4:

Ka Hālau – long house, as for canoes or hula instruction; meeting house
Ka Hula – the hula, a hula dancer; to dance the hula
Ke Kumu – teacher, tutor, manual, primer, model, pattern
Ka Mauli Ola – breath of life, power of healing
Ke Mele – song, anthem, or chant of any kind; poem, poetry; to sing, chant
Ke Oli – chant that was not danced to, especially with prolonged phrases chanted in one breath, often with a trill (ʻiʻi) at the end of each phrase; to chant thus
Ka Pā Hula – hula troupe, hula studio, place reserved for hula dancing
Ka Pāʻū -woman’s skirt, sarong; skirt worn by women horseback riders; to wear a pāʻū
Ka ʻŪniki – graduation exercises, as for hula, lua fighting, and other ancient arts

Kiaʻi Loko (Pond Protectors) – Listen to Season II, Episode 3:

Ka Iʻa – fish or any marine animal, as eel, oyster, crab, whale
Ke Kūʻula – any stone god used to attract fish, whether tiny or enormous, carved or natural, named for the god of fishermen; heiau near the sea for worship of fish gods; hut where fish gear was kept with kūʻula images so that gear might be impregnated with kūʻula mana, usually inland and very taboo. Lit., red
Kū.Ke Kuapā – wall of a fish pond
Ka Limu – general name for all kinds of plants living under water, both fresh and salt, also algae growing in any damp place in the air, as on the ground, on rocks, and on other plants; also mosses, liverworts, lichens. See saying, hailepo. Ua ulu ka limu, the seaweed (pubic hairs) are growing. (PPN limu.)
Ka Loko Iʻa – fish pond
Ka Mākāhā – sluice gate, as of a fish pond; entrance to or egress from an enclosure
Ka Papa – flat surface, stratum, plain, reef, layer, level, foundation, story of a building, floor, class, rank, grade, order, table, sheet, plate, shelf (rare), face (of a watch); flat, level; to be a great many
Ka Pōhaku – rock, stone, mineral, tablet; sinker (see ex., pīkoi #3); thunder; rocky, stony

Konohiki Miloliʻi (Fishing rights) – Listen to Season II, Episode 2:

Ka Hānai – to raise, rear, feed, nourish, sustain; provider, caretaker.
Ke Koʻa – fishing grounds, usually identified by lining up with marks on shore.
Ke Konohiki – headman of an ahupuaʻa land division under the chief; land or fishing rights under control of the konohiki; such rights are sometimes called konohiki rights.
Ka Lawaiʻa – fisherman; fishing technique; to fish, to catch fish.
Ka Mālama – to take care of, tend, attend, care for, preserve, protect, save, maintain; preservation, support, loyalty; custodian, caretaker, keeper.
Ka ʻŌpelu – mackerel scad (Decapterus pinnulatus and D. maruadsi); an ʻaumakua for some people.
Ka Palu – fish bait made from vegetables such as ʻulu, kalo, pumpkin and others.
Ka Pono – correct or proper procedure, true condition or nature, correct, necessary (this is not a full list).
Ka Waʻa – canoe, rough-hewn canoe, canoemen, paddlers.

Kaulana Mahina (observing and following lunar cycles) – Listen to Season II, Episode 6:

Ke Anahulu – period of ten days; for ten days, to pass ten days
Ke Kaulana Mahina – the position of the moon
Ke Kilo – to study (i.e. examine, observe) something
Ka Mahina – moon, month; moonlight
Ka Malama – light, month, moon
Ka Pō – night, darkness, obscurity

Natural Element:

ʻEna Makani (eh nah – ma ka nee) – a stormy wind
Makani Hauʻoki (ma ka nee – how-oh kee) – an icy wind
Makani Kolonahe (ma ka nee – ko lo na heh) – gentle, pleasant breeze
Makani ʻOluʻOlu (ma ka nee – oh-loo oh-loo) – a refreshing breeze, a fair wind
Makani Pāhili (ma ka nee – pah hee lee) – a strong wind, cyclone, or hurricane
Makani Pālua (ma ka nee – pah loo uh) – variable wind
Ka Ua (ooh ah) – a general term for rain
Ka Ua ʻAwa (ooh ah – ah vah) – a chilly rain
Ka Ua Kilihune (ooh ah – kee lee hu neh) – a light gentle rain
Ka Ua Koʻiawe (ooh ah – ko-ee ah veh) – a light moving rain
Ka Ua Loku (ooh ah – loh koo) – a downpour of rain

Relationship:

Ke Kaikaina (ka ee ka ee nah) – younger sibling (or cousin) of same sex
Ke Kaikamahine (ka ee ka ma hee neh) – girl, daughter (traditionally applied to a niece as well)
Ke Kaikuaʻana (ka ee koo ah – ah na) – older sibling (or cousin) of the same sex
Ke Kaikuahine (ka ee koo ah hee neh) – sister (or female cousin) of a male
Ke Kaikunāne (ka ee koo naa neh) – brother (or male cousin) of a female
Ke Keiki Kāne (keh kee – kaa neh) – boy, son (traditionally applied to a nephew as well)
Ke Kupuna (koo poo nah) – a grandparent, and ancestor
Ka Makua Kāne (ma koo ah – kaa neh) – father (traditionally applied to uncle or male cousin of parent generation as well)
Ka Makuahine (ma koo ah hee neh) – mother (traditionally applied to aunt or female cousin of parent generation as well)

Relating to Stories:

Ka Haʻi Moʻolelo (ha ee – mo-oh leh lo) – to tell stories
Ka Hoʻopaʻa Moʻolelo (ho-oh pa-ah – mo-oh leh lo) – to record a story
Ka Huikaʻi Moʻolelo (hoo ee kah-ee – mo-oh leh lo) – to put several stories into one
Ke Kaʻao (kah-ow) – story, fanciful, fiction
Ke Kuamoʻoʻōlelo (koo uh moh – oh ohh le loh) – continuous record, history, story, succession of events
Ke Kukuʻi Wanaʻao (koo koo-ee – vah nah-ow) – telling stories all night
Ka Moʻo (moh-oh) – story, tradition, legend (less common than moʻolelo
Ka Moʻoʻōlelo (moh-oh leh hoh) – a continuous or connected narrative of events; a history; a tradition
Ka Moʻolelo (moh-oh leh hoh) – story, narrative
Ka Moʻolelo Pōkole (moh-oh leh lo – poh koh leh) – short story

Time:

Ke Anahulu (ah na hoo loo) – period of ten days; for ten days; to pass ten days
Ka Lā (la) – day, date
Ka Mahina (ma hee na) – moon, month; moonlight
Ka Makahiki (ma ka hee kee) – year, age; annual, yearly (sometimes written MH.)
Ka Malama (ma la ma) – light, month, moon
Ka Manawa (ma na wa) – time, turn, season, date, chronology, period of time
Ka Pule (poo leh) – week; kēlā pule, kēia pule, weekly
Ka Wā (wa or va) – period of time, epoch, era, time, occasion, season, age

Traditional Staple Food Plants:

Ke Kalo (ka loh) – taro (Colocasia antiquorum var. esculentum)
Ke Kō (koh) – sugar kane (Saccharum officinarum)
Ka Maiʻa (ma ee-ah) – all kinds of bananas and plantains
Ka Niu (nee oo) – coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Ka ʻUala (oo ah la) – sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)
Ka ʻUlu (oo loo) – breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)

Ulana Lauhala (lauhala weaving) – Listen to Season II, Episode 1:

Ka Lauhala – pandanus leaf, especially as used in plaiting
Ka Ulana – to plait, weave, knit, braid; plaiting, weaving
Ka ʻOhi – to gather, harvest, cull, pick select
Ke Poʻo – base of leaf, as hala
Ka Hiʻu – tip of leaf, as hala
Ke Kōkala – thorns on the edge of a pandanus or pineapple leaf
Ke Kūkaʻa – rolled pack, as of pandanus leaves ready for plaiting
Ka Pāpale – hat, head covering; to put on a hat, wear a hat

Organizations to Explore

We encourage you to explore organizations mentioned in the podcast, in the bio information of our mea kipa, and listed below. You may find wonderful volunteer opportunities!