Hawaiianisms

[Benjamin Barrett]

A few expressions I thought worth of note in my trip this week to
Maui:

1. much mahalos - gets 247 hits on Google. KPOA (93.5) is currently
running a commercial: "Much mahalos to our sponsors for bringing us
today's news you can use."

Interestingly, many mahalos gets 242 hits on Google.

2. "We just talk stories" - in a commercial on the same station by
the HMSA (Hawaii Medical Service Association). The speech sounded
spontaneous. This seemed an interesting twist on "to talk story."

3. hanai - Hawaiian adoption, but used also as a verb: "It was the
custom to let a relative hanai, or adopt a child. Konia had promised
Pauahi to her aunt Kina'u. After he [sic] aunt's death from mumps
Pauahi returned to her birth mother, birth father and her hanai
sister Lili'u." Found at a display on the Hawaiian royalty in the
Old Lanai Courthouse.

"H-anai (Hawaiian adoption)" - this spelling, where the dash
indicates a macron over the following letter, found in a separate
display at the Courthouse.

4. m-ak-ah-a - "The [ital] m-ak-ah-a, or fishgate, is still used as
a means of harvesting fish from the fishpond." Also, in this display
at the Courthouse: 'Huilua, which means "twice joined," is located
where Kahana Stream meets Kahana Bay. The name most likely refers to
the double [ital] m-ak-ah-a which fed fresh water into the pond.'

5. ahupua'a - "Hawaiian fishponds provided readily available fish,
shellfish and [ital] limu (seaweed) for people within an [ital]
ahupua'a." In the same display at the Courthouse: "Now part of
Kahana Valley State Park, Huilua Fishpond is being restored as part
of The Department of Land and Natural Resource's [sic] effort to
create a cultural center within the Kahana Valley [ital] ahupua'a."

This is glossed in the New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary as "Land
division usually extending from the uplands to the sea." Although
italicized both times in this display at the Courthouse, it is not
defined or explained anywhere in the display.

6. PUPUS & SIDES - sounds a bit redundant, but found on Kimo's
restaurant menu.

Benjamin Barrett
Tukwila, WA