Category Archives: Place Names

Fun mele about the latest heard over the telephone, 1921.

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HULA HA’I MEAHOU.

O ke anuenue ko’u papale,
Hokuwelowelo ko’u lipine,
Hae ka ilio ma Puuloa,
He alahula ia na Kaahupahau,
Nanea i ka holo a ke kaaahi,
Ua like me ka lio waha uaua,
Ka ihona au a o Kekele,
Ike i ka nani a o Kilohana,
Hele kuu hoa a maeele,
Aole wai e maalili ai,
Iluna au a o Daimana Hila,
Ike i ka nani o ka mahina,
Kukuna o ka la ko’u kamaa,
Olapa hele nei puni ke kaona,
I ka po mahina o Mahealani,
Paia o ka hale haulani ana,
Kelepona au i hai mai,
Hu e ka pele kai a o Hilo,
I alohaia no a o Aala Paka,
Kahi a na iwa e hiolani nei,
Hainaia mai ana ka puana,
Kaula kelepona aha’i meahou.

KAKAAKO BOY.

[This song is also reminiscent of the mele still sung widely today, “Kukuna o ka La.”]

(Kuokoa, 11/11/1921, Mahele Elua, p. 1)

HULA HA'I MEAHOU.

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke LIX, Helu 45, Mahele Elua, Aoao 1. Novemaba 11, 1921.

Lahaina, a o Hawaii nei hoi o ka wa kahiko, 1941.

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KA HALEPAAHAO KAHIKO O LAHAINA ame LAHAINA KAHIKO

(Kakauia e Inez Ashdown)

E like me na mea i hooloaa ia mai ka moolelo mai o Hale Hoahu o na Mea Kahiko o Bihopa mai ia Mr. E. H. Bryan Jr., mea malama o ua hale la, o ka Halepaahao kahiko o Lahaina i kukulu ia i ka M. H. 1851 a pau nohoi i ka makahiki 1852 i ka wa keia e noho moi ana o Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli, i noho moi a hiki i ka makahiki 1854.

O ke ano oia au hui au a kamailio me na Hawaii kahiko o 70 a hiki i ke 80 makahiki, a pela pu nohoi ma o ka hoohala ana he mau hora lehulehu maloko o ka Hale Waiho Buke o Wailuku e heluhelu ana hoi i na buke kahiko i hoolako ia mai ia’u e Mrs. Juliette Davis, ka mea malama Hale Hoahu Buke. Continue reading →

Beginning of line-by-line commentary of “Aia i Honolulu kuu pohaku,” 1929.

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EXPLANATION OF THE FIRST LINE.

1. Aia i Honolulu kuu pohaku

Kapanookalani’s thoughts:—This land Honolulu, it is close to Nanawale, Puna, by the sea. It is a ku, a small land in between large lands.

The stone [pohaku] is Lord [Haku] of the chiefess and in this word, the important idea is chiefess [‘lii wahine].

Kahapula’s thoughts:—Honolulu is on Oahu, where King Kamehameha V dwelt and those who opposed him is the Honolulu in this first line of the mele. It was here his enemies schemed and carried out all their defiant acts against him. While they knew the wish of the King to marry the chiefess Pauahi, her teacher, Amos Cooke secretly agreed to  Bishop for him to meet with Pauahi without the knowledge of her parents. That is how Pauahi became Bishop’s, and this is how Bishop and his relative Lee [? William Little Lee] became dignitaries of the land.

Kupihea’s thoughts:—Honolulu is a fish stone called a Kuula, and was brought here to this Honolulu [on Oahu] from the Honolulu of Puna [on Hawaii]. This Kuula was placed in the tiny land of Honolulu where an Alii called Honolulu lived, who was related to the chiefess Peleula, whose younger sister was the beautiful Waikiki. This place is mauka of the old Rawlin’s Estate. There is a bank of coral where Honolulu is; the fishing altar [Kuula] for the fish ponds [loko i’a] is on the Waikiki side of Liliha Street and between Vineyard and King Streets.

The stone is related to chiefs from times immemorial [mai ka po mai]. It is a manifestation made by God.

Iokepa’s thoughts:—Honolulu is a small land and a canoe landing makai of Nanawale, Puna, between two sand dunes, one on the Hilo side and one on the Puna side, called Puu Waawaa. From this Honolulu is called the Honolulu here [on Oahu] which used to be called Kou before, and after it was called Honolulu until this day.

This is the meaning for the word Honolulu:—The wind is very calm [lulu] an the sea is serene; it is very fine and peaceful. Bay [? Hono] of calm sea; Hono that is peaceful.

Kuluwaimaka’s thoughts:—The stone is related to Kamehameha V. Honolulu in Puna is a lowland next to the sea. Its width is perhaps half a mile long between Na Puu o Pele and Waiakahiula on the Hilo side. Honolulu is a place where you pick opihi [ku’i opihi] and pick limu [hana limu]. There is a fine spring [punawai] there and there is a foot path there.

[And to think that this is but the very beginning of Kelsey’s detailed account of the explanation of the six loea of the mele “Aia i Honolulu kuu pohaku.” This is just the first line! It continues in the following issues!!

One more (huge) reason that Hawaiian-Language Newspapers are priceless!!!]

(Alakai o Hawaii, 12/5/1929, p. 2)

NA MANAO WEHEWEHE MALUNA O KA LAINA EKAHI.

Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Buke 1, Helu 32, Aoao 2. Dekemapa 5, 1929.

Royal Order of Kamehameha: the early days, 1903.

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The Secret Society of the True Natives.

On the 11th of this month, on the day of Ka Na’i Aupuni [Kamehameha Day], a number of native youths established a secret society called “Kamehameha Order”. There are many respected Hawaiians who joined this association, and Prince Kalanianaole is the head of this group.

It is stated that this association will be spread across this Archipelago, and native Hawaiians will be allowed to join, should they be fitting.

One of their major functions will be trying to search out and to care for things from times of old, and the designating of the storied places [wahi pana] all over these islands.

Currently, there is a Historical Society [Ahahui Moolelo o ke Au Kahiko]¹, and they have a lot, but the oiwi Hawaii themselves must do something so that the famed ones of times past will live on, and also to foster things that will let the name of Hawaii live on in perpetuity.

¹The roster of active members of the Hawaiian Historical Society of 1903 read:

“Ables, L. C.; Achi, W. C.; Alexander, S. T.; Alexander, W. D.; Allen, S. C.; Allen, W. F.; Baldwin, H. P.; Banning, B. R.; Beckwith, Rev. E. G.; Beckwith, Miss Martha; Bertram, Bro. G.; Bishop, Rev. S. E.; Bolte, C.; Bowen, W. A.; Boyd, J. H.; Brown, Cecil; Brown, C. A.; Bryan, Wm. A.; Carter, A. W.; Carter, G. R.; Carter, Mrs. H. A. P.; Carter, J. O.; Cartwright, Bruce; Castle, G. P.; Castle, J. B.; Castle, W. R.; Catton, R.; Cooke, A. F.; Cooke, C. M.; Cooke, Jos. P.; Cunha, E. S.; Damon, F. W.; Damon, S. M.; Day, Dr. F. R.; Dayton, D.; Desha, G. L.; Dickey, C. H.; Dickey, L. A.; Dillingham, B. F.; *Dimond, W. W.; Dole, E. P.; Dole, Hon. S. B.; Dowsett, J. M.; Emerson, J. S.; Emerson, Mrs. J. S.; Emerson, Dr. N. B.; Emerson, Rev. O. P.; Emmeluth, J.; Fisher, J. H.; Frear, Hon. W. F.; Giffard, W. M.; Goodale, W. W.; Graham, W. M.; Haalelea, Mrs. A. A.; Hackfeld, J. F.; Hall, W. W.; Hartwell, A. S.; Hatch, F. M.; Henriques, E.; Herrick, C. F.; Hobron, T. W.; Ho Fon; Humphreys, A. S.; Hustace, C.; Irwin, W. G.; Jones, P. C.; Judd, Albert F.; Lewers, Robert; Logan, D.; Lowrey, F. J.; Lucas, George; Lyle, James; Lyons, C. J.; Mclanahan, E. B.; McGonagle, Chas.; McIntyre, H. E.; Mackintosh, Rev. A.; Magoon, J. A.; May, Thos.; Mott-Smith, E. A.; Nakuina, M. K.; Nolte, H. J.; Parke, W. C.; Peacock, W. C.; Pearson, Arthur W.; Pond, Percy M.; Potter, Geo. C.; Rhodes, C. L.; Robinson, M. P.; Rodgers, Dr. C. T.; *Ropert, Rev. F. G., Bishop of Panopolis; Rowell, W. E.; Schaefer, F. A.; Schmidt, H. W.; Searle, J. C.; Sedgwick, T. F.; Smith, G. W.; Smith, Henry; Smith, Walter G.; Smith, W. O.; Stokes, John; Swanzy, F. M.; Timmons, L. D.; Towse, Ed.; Thrum, T. G.; Thurston, L. A.; von Holt, H.; Walker, T. R.; Wall, W. E.; Waterhouse, H.; Weaver, P. L.; Westervelt, Rev. W. D.; Whiting, W. A.; Whitney, Dr. J. M.; Wichman, H. F.; Wilcox, A. S.; Wilcox, C.; Wilcox, G. N.; Williams, H. H.; Wilson, W. F.; Wodehouse, E. H.; Wood, Dr. C. B.; Wood, Edgar; Wundenberg, F.
*Deceased.

(Kuokoa, 6/26/1903, p. 1)

Ka Hui Malu o na Oiwi Ponoi.

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XLI, Helu 26, Aoao 1. Iune 26, 1903.

Alika, South Kona, 1886.

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The story of how Alika was named.

Alika was a man and Hina was his wahine, and their occupation was farming. Before they would begin farming, they would vow that should their crops mature, they would consume it along with Pele, the god. But when the crops reached maturity, the two of them didn’t carry out their promise, and the day that they ate of their crops, that was when they soon died.

This is how it happened: Hina urged Alika to eat sweet potato, and so Alika went to dig up some, and after finding some, he baked it in the umu¹ until done and then they ate it all; then the forest began to speak as if it were a man, echoing all about them. During which time, the man soon thought of their vow. Alika said to Hina, “We will die because of you,” and before he was done speaking, lava soon flamed forth and they perished.

And it is for this man that this land is called by that name until this day; if you look at the aftermath of the lava, in this area, the burnt homes of Kaupo stand jagged because of the spreading flames²; the land is horrid in appearance in every way; but the kamaaina love it here, and it is only the malihini who disparage it.

Pohakuekaha was the aikane of Alika and Ko-aka; Kiapea was the woman of all of them; they died and their bodies transformed into rocks; Pohakuekaha is a stone that is visited often by malihini who are in the area.

The amazing thing about this rock is that if the visitor climbs atop of the rock and throws pebbles into the sea, the sea will turn rough, but not in any other area, just right there.

As for Ko-aka, if the sea is calm right above it, during low tide, this is a sign that will be rough seas; this rock is now located in down in the deep, while Pohakuekaha is on the sand.

These things above deal with the story of this land as was heard by Kahinalua, the kamaaina of this place.

Yours truly,

M. K. KIAMOKU

Alika, S. Kona, Hawaii.

¹Umu is another word for imu, the underground oven (as in the name, Kaumualii).

²I am not sure if this is a reference to the actual place called Kaupo in South Kona, or to the famous saying “Kū ke ʻā i ka hale o Kaupō” from the story of Pāmano…

(Kuokoa, 8/7/1886, p. 3)

Ka moolelo i loaa ai ka inoa Alika.

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XXV, Helu 32, Aoao 3. Augate 7, 1886.