He Kōkua

Podcast Glossary
Organizations to Explore

Podcast Glossary

As the podcast developed, the production team began noting wordsHe 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!

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