Kulia I Ka Nuʻu

Aloha mai e nā hoa pepeiao! Esther Julia Kapiʻolani Nāpelakapuokākaʻe was married to King David Kalākaua and reigned as Queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is interesting to note that Kapiʻolani’s middle name Nāpelakapuokākaʻe is a reference to Kapelakapuokākaʻe, the secret burial cave of our aliʻi hidden in ʻIao Valley. Her name, Kapiʻolani translates as ‘the arch of the heavens”. Both names allude to her rank as a Hawaiian chiefess. She was the granddaughter of Kaumualiʻi, the last chief of Kauaÿi and the step granddaughter of Kuhina Nui, Queen Kaʻahumanu. Kapiʻolani’s motto was Kūlia i ka nuʻu, which literally translates as ‘strive for the summit’. Our aliʻi excelled in all things. They did not settle for less and neither should we. I love the saying Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu because it reminds us to strive for excellence, but it is also a reminder that none of us are hemolele, perfect. Reaching the summit is a journey we are all on together. We strive to do good and to be better. We learn from our mistakes. We learn from other examples in our lives. We might not get it right the first time, but we strive to reach that level of excellence and to live by the high standards set forth by our kūpuna. When we make a mistake, we pick ourselves up, dust off and get back on that path of kūlia i ka nuʻu, striving for the summit, working towards success and doing the best we possibly can. No laila, e kūlia i ka nuʻu kākou a pau. May we all strive to be better and to reach the summit, living lives that reflect excellence in all things. Aloha nō, a hui hou.CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD THE MORNING MANAʻO PODCAST

Simplify and Be Satisfied

Aloha mai kākou! Today’s 'ōlelo no'eau was inspired by one of my friends who posted it on Facebook. This Hawaiian proverb, demonstrates the kaona or dual meaning found in Hawaiian language. Mai nānā i ka 'ulu o waho, 'a'ohe ia nāu; e nānā nō i ka 'ulu i ke alo, nāu ia. Don’t look at the breadfruit that is far off, it is not yours. Instead, look at the breadfruit that is here in front of you, it is yours. On one level this proverb reminds us to be satisfied with what we have. So many of us are constantly comparing what we have with what others have. We feel a need to keep up with others and we at times want what we don’t have. On one hand, it is good to be motivated to achieve more and to become better, but we cannot allow that drive to distract us from the many blessings we already have. In these difficult economic times, we need to simplify and be satisfied. Material possessions can be lost in an instant and can’t be taken with us when we exit this mortal world and return to Ke Akua. Now let’s look a little deeper at this 'ōlelo no'eau. That 'ulu or breadfruit could also symbolically represent our spouses, our life partners. It reminds us to be happy with the breadfruit we have chosen and not look wantingly at other breadfruit that don’t belong to us. It reminds me of my favorite saying, “If the grass seems greener on the other side, it’s time to water your own grass!” So, may we all apply this valuable lesson in our lives – simplify and be satisfied and love the one you’ve chosen to be with. Thanks, May for this great reminder! Aloha nō, a hui hou! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD THE MORNING MANA'O PODCAST.

Hana Hou!

Aloha mai e ku'u mau hoa pepeiao o ke kakahiaka! Today we explore the Hawaiian phrase, Hana Hou. I’m sure most of us are familiar with this word. We use all the time at concerts and shows when we want to see it or hear it again. It’s the Hawaiian equivalent of “encore” in this context. But what do these words really mean? Hana has many translations, but it is commonly used to mean work, job, labor; to do, to work or to behave. E hana i ka ha'awina. Do you homework. Ua hana au i kēia lā. I worked today. E hana maika'i. Do it good. Hou translates as new, fresh, recent, again or more. When we put it together we get translations like, do it again, do it over, one more time, but the translation I want to focus on today is, start fresh, start anew. In life we make all kinds of plans, but not all of our plans come to fruition. Life happens and our plans get changed or even thrown out the window at times. I, like others can sometimes dwell on what isn’t going right or what didn’t happen the way I planned it. The wonderful news is that when we get distracted from our goals and dreams or when our plans don’t pan out the way we have envisioned, we can hana hou – start again, start anew. So, if you are like me and start to dwell on what isn’t going right or what hasn’t happened yet, stop, take a deep breath and hana hou, start over, do it again, make those plans again and take the steps to make it happen. As long as you try, you cannot fail. Failure only comes to those who don’t even try. No laila, e hana hou kākou! Aloha nō, a hui hou! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD THE MORNING MANA'O PODCAST.


Copyright 2008, Morning Mana'o
All Rights Reserved
Kumu Luana Kawa'a, Hālau Kamauliola
Kama'ike, The Hawaiian Learning Center
www.thehawaiianlearningcenter.com

Kamehameha Series - Keopuolani

Welina me ke aloha kākou! One of the most important strategic moves Kamehameha the great made wasn’t in battle, but instead, it was his choice to marry Keōpūolani, the high chiefess from our own island of Maui. He knew that by marrying her and having children from this union, he would be able to have heirs of the ni'au pi'o status – the highest rank given to an ali'i of that time. Keōpūolani was just an adolescent when she married Kamehameha, but her mana was great, even greater than Kamehameha’s. So high was her rank that Kamehameha had to crawl in her presence. She bore three children with him, Liholiho, who would become Kamehameha II, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as Kamehameha III and their only daughter, Princess Nāhi'ena'ena. Their early life was spent in Lāhaina and they resided on the sacred island of Moku'ula. Later, when the capital was moved to Honolulu, the royal family relocated to O'ahu and in 1890, upon the death of Kamehameha, his son, Liholiho become King of Hawai'i and times changed drastically. Kamehameha, Pai'ea, Kūnuiākea, the great ali'i of Hawai'i will always be remembered for his grand feats and his mighty power. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD THE MORNING MANA'O PODCAST

Kamehameha - Hole Waimea

Hau'oli Lā Kamehameha, Happy Kamehameha Day to you all. We’ve learned of Kamehameha’s auspicious birth and his childhood days lived in isolation. Later, King Alapaÿi had a change of heart and Kamehameha was brought out of seclusion and into the chief’s court. He became a student of the great warrior, Kekūhaupi'o. Kamehameha quickly became one of the most skilled warriors of his time. Captain George Vancouver recorded seeing 6 spears hurled at Kamehameha at one time. Three he caught with one hand, two he broke with the other hand and one he dodged. An amazing feat! On the island of Hawai'i he was known for his Kipu'upu'u warriors, a band of runners named after the cold wind that blows from Mauna Kea and chills the district of Waimea. Like Kamehameha, these warriors were trained in spear fighting and would travel to the uplands of Mahiki to gather wood for their spears and while doing so they would sing mele aloha, songs of love, instead of songs of war. This story is captured in the traditional mele inoa or name chant, Hole Waimea. Later, the chant was recorded as a mele 'auana and titled, Waikā. No laila, may we all take some time today to reflect upon the life of this great warrior and chief, Kamehameha. Aloha nō, a hui hou. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AND DOWNLOAD THE MORNING MANA'O PODCAST

Kamehameha Series - His Birth

Aloha mai e ku'u mau hoa aloha! Kamehameha Day is just around the corner so let’s take some time to learn more about this great ali'i. Kamehameha was born on a stormy night in Kokoiki, in the moku of Kohala on the island of Hawai'i. Although the exact date is not known, one of the hō'ailona that appeared was a comet, with a long tail. Scientists know that Halley’s Comet appeared in 1758 and so it is probable that Kamehameha was born in that same year. His mother was the high chiefess Keku'iapoiwa. Kamehameha is what we call a Po'olua child, with two fathers, both Keōua and Kahekili had relationships with his mother. Here on Maui, we claim Kamehameha as the son of our chief, the great Kahekili. Before his birth, chief Alapa'i was warned that a child would be born who would become a great King. The kahuna told of the hō'ailona that accompany this royal birth. Feeling inadequate and fearful of losing his own power, Alapa'i sent warriors to search for this child. Immediately after his birth Kamehameha was taken to 'āwini where he lived with his mother’s cousin, Kaha'ōpulani in secrecy. His early childhood was lived alone, ostracized from his 'ohana and so he was called, Kamehameha, the lonely one. Tune in tomorrow as we learn more about this great chief. Aloha nō, a hui hou. DOWNLOAD OR LISTEN TO THE MORNING MANA'O PODCAST

Ho'ohalahala

Welina me ke aloha e nā makamaka! Ho'ohalahala literally translates as to criticize, complain, find fault, correct and negotiate. Sometimes it can be so easy for us to be critical of others. We find fault, we complain, we dwell on the negative and perhaps even overlook the positive. Yesterday at church we were reminded as parents to not just point out the wrongs our children do, but to take the time to acknowledge and recognize their positive behaviors. This can apply to all relationships. Whether it be at work with our colleagues, at home with our ÿohana, with our children, our spouses, our friends and family, this is a good reminder for us all. It takes so much energy to criticize and find fault, imagine if we used that energy to focus on the positive. It reminds me of the 'ōlelo no'eau, I ka 'ōlelo nō ke ola, i ka 'ōlelo nō ka make – in the language there is life, in the language there is death. In other words, there are good, positive words and there are not so good, negative words. Our challenge this week is to choose to be more positive, to look for the good in others and to ho'ohalahala, criticize and complain less. I’m going to put it into action in my
'ohana. Aloha nō, a hui hou! CLICK HERE to listen to and download the Morning Mana'o podcast.