Podcast Glossary
Organizations to Explore
Podcast Glossary
As the podcast developed, the production team began noting words 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!
- Hui Kaloko-Honokōhau @huikalokohonokohau/
- The Nature Conservancy: Kaʻū Preserve
- Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund @wildhawaii
- The Nature Conservancy: Kīholo
- Hui Aloha Kīholo @huialohakiholo
- Ulu Mau Puanui @ulu_mau_puanui
- Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili @kealaulili
- Miloliʻi Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area project