I kani ko ‘aka i ka le‘ale‘a; i pu‘u ko nuku i ka huhū; i le‘a ka nohona i ka mā‘ona.

Aloha kakahiaka e ko Maui! Today's 'ōlelo no'eau has become one of my favorites. I kani ko 'aka i ka le'ale'a; i pu'u ko nuku i ka huhū i le'a ka nohona i ka mā'ona. One laughs when joyous, sulks when angry; is at peace with all when the stomach is satisfied. So true! Our emotions are revealed through our expressions. When someone is happy and joyful it radiates in their countenance. They laugh, they smile and their joy becomes contagious. It's hard to be in a room with someone who is joyous and not smile, too. On the other extreme, when someone is angry their anger manifests in their expressions, attitude and even their actions. Think of a young child, typically joyful and happy, but when their angry, you sure know it. The part I like the best of this 'ōlelo no'eau, though, tells us that one is at peace with all when the stomach is full, mā'ona ka 'ōpū. It's not just about the food. When we think about eating much of our eating occurs with other people. Yes, our stomachs become full and that makes most of us very happy, but it's the pilina, the relationships we create and build upon that seems to satisty the soul. So, you see, we don't just eat because we love food, we eat because we love each other as well.

Aloha nō, a hui hou!
Luana

He pua laha 'ole

Ke welina aloha iā kākou a pau e ka lehulehu! Today's Morning Mana'o features yet another 'ōlelo no'eau, He pua laha 'ole, which translates as, a flower not common. It is used as an expression of one who is as choice and highly prized as a very rare blossom. This mana'o is used frequently in song and chant. Let's break it down and look at its meaning closer. Pua, as we know is the word for flower, but in poetry it can be a reference to a child, loved one, lover or offspring. Laha translates as extended, spread out, published, distributed, common. 'Ole negates the word before it, so laha 'ole means uncommon or rare. Palani Vaughn uses this phrase in the beautiful mele he wrote entitled, He Pua Wehiwa, which speaks of the precious lehua blossom. He describes this pua in different ways using different adjectives in Hawaiian - he pua lei, a flower greatly desired, he pua laha 'ole, a rare flower, he pua wehiwa, a choice flower, he pua mae 'ole, a flower that never fades. This phrase could be used to describe a special person, rare and hard to come by. You could use it to express your love for your spouse, your love. Yet it could also be an expression of love for a child. So many ways to use 4 little Hawaiian words. Take a moment today to think about the pua laha 'ole in your life and as you recall them, let them know just how special they are.

Aloha nō, a hui hou!
Luana

The wisdom of our kupuna . . . He weke, he i'a pahulu.

Aloha kakahiaka e ko Maui! Yesterday I overheard my son, Kamalei and my nephew, Lamaku talking about the weke fish. Kamalei was telling Lama that if you eat weke you get nightmares. I was interested in what he was saying, so I asked him who had told him that. He said that my Papa, his great grandfather, Papa Medeiros had told him this. He said, "Papa told me if you eat weke you get bad dreams, especially the head." Later that night I was looking through the 'ōlelo no'eau book and lo and behold, I found this 'ōlelo no'eau, "He weke, he i'a pahulu. It is a weke, the fish that produces nightmares." According to tradition, the head of the weke fish contains something that produces nightmares. It is said that the nearer to Lāna'i the fish is caught, the worse the effects are. Pahulu was the chief of the ghosts that occupied Lāna'i. Ka'ululā'au, the son of Kaka'alaneo was banished to Lāna'i because of his mischeviousness. While there he used his trickery to rid the island of these ghosts and in the mo'olelo, the spirit of Pahulu fled to the sea and entered a weke fish. Since that time, nightmares are referred to as Pahulu and the weke is known to cause bad dreams. I was amazed to find that although Papa didn't explain the whole story, this mana'o had been passed on from one generation to the next and although we lost Papa just over a year ago, his words and lesson live on in his grandchildren and great grandchildren. How grateful I am for the wisdom of our kūpuna.

Aloha nō, a hui hou!
Luana

Ka ua pe'e puhala o Hamakuapoko

Aloha mai e nā hoa aloha! Eia kekahi 'ōlelo no'eau. Today's 'ōlelo no'eau is Ka ua pe'e pūhala o Hāmākuapoko, the rain that makes one hide beneath the pūhala trees. From this one 'ōlelo no'eau we learn so much. First, we find a wahi pana, place name - Hāmākuapoko. We have learned that Hāmākuapoko is a moku or large land district on our island Maui. There are two Hāmākua, Hāmākualoa and Hāmākuapoko, long Hāmākua and short Hāmākua. When you look at these two areas on a map Hāmākuapoko is literally more poko, narrow and Hāmākualoa is longer and wider. Second, we learn that our kūpuna were very in tune with the natural environment. They watched the wind and the rain and its characteristics and based on those characteristics they gave them names. Through this 'ōlelo no'eau we learn that the ua, or rain of Hāmākuapoko must have come down hard, causing the people of that place to run and seek shelter under the leaves of the pūhala trees. Ka ua pe'e pūhala. Third, we can infer that this area must have had a significant number of pūhala, shorter hala trees, for it to be mentioned in this ancient proverb. This was the place where shelter was found when one was caught in the sudden rain. As we peel away each layer of this 'ōlelo no'eau we catch a glimpse of the Hawaiian worldview and we begin to see this wahi pana through the eyes of our kūpuna. Mahalo au i kēia 'ike i waiho 'ia na mākou, I am grateful for this knowledge that has been left for us.

Aloha nō, a hui hou . . .
Luana

I ali'i no ke ali'i i ke kanaka.

E nā hoa makamaka, nā kama a Maui, Aloha mai kākou!

Today's Morning Mana'o is an 'ōlelo no'eau - I ali'i nō ke ali'i i ke kanaka. A chief is a chief because of the people who serve him. This 'ōlelo no'eau was said as a reminder to the chief to always consider his people. I like this proverb because it applies to anyone in a leadership role. An alaka'i, a leader, can only lead those who are willing to follow. Good alaka'i, good leaders build trust, foster relationships and genuinely care about the those they lead. Consider the relationship you have with your boss. A boss who cares about his or her workers, shows an interest in them and acknowledges their efforts will have far greater success than a boss who just gives orders and expects results. A leader must lead by example. Her example speaks louder than her words. A good leader exemplifies the qualities he or she expects. A fine example in our history is Kamehameha I. Yes, he was a fierce warrior, but he also showed great leadership skills. Oral tradition tells us that he could be found working along side his people in the taro patches of 'Apuakēhau. King William Lunalilo was known as the people's king. In fact, he chose to be buried amongst his people, at Kawaiaha'o, in downtown Honolulu rather than be interred at Mauna 'Ala, the royal masoleum. Our challenge, today, is to think about the leadership roles we all have as parents, friends, citizens in our community. Are we leading by example? Are we building trust and fostering relationships? This is a good time for us to reflect on our own leadership qualities. Indeed, i ali'i nō ke ali'i i ke kanaka, a chief is only a chief because of his people.

Aloha nō, a hui hou . . .
Luana

Direction in life: 'O ka makapo wale no ka mea e hapapa ma ka pouli

E ka 'ohana o KPOA, aloha mai kākou. You know that old addage, "If you're going no where you're guaranteed to get there", well, our kūpuna had a similar 'ōlelo no'eau, 'O ka makapō wale nō ka mea e hāpapa i ka pōuli, only the blind gropes in the dark. Makapō is the Hawaiian word for blind. Maka, literally meaning eye and pō meaning night or dark. The idea of this 'ōlelo no'eau is that if you have no direction in life, you will get no where. Hence the English mana'o of "If you're going no where you're guaranteed to get there." We all need direction in our lives, especially in this day and age. There are so many opportunities and ways for us to 'auana, get sidetracked an off course. But what are the things that really, truly provide us with guidance and direction? I believe that the course is set at home, with our 'ohana. In our homes we are taught values, morals, right from wrong. We learn what is important and our personal value system is developed from a young age. Our 'ohana sets the foundation for our course in life. The lessons we learn at home direct our path in life. This is what makes 'ohana so important. Home is our first school, our parents, our first teachers. With a strong, solid foundation we do not have to live our lives groping in the dark, but instead, the light instilled in us from our 'ohana keeps us on a steady, sure course that leads to eternal happiness and joy. We never know when our journey will end, so make the best of this life and continue to move forward, in the right direction on that steady, sure course laid for us by our kūpuna.

aloha nō, a hui hou . . .
Luana

Makana vs. Ho'okupu

'Ano'ai me ke aloha e ka lehulehu! One of the questions I get asked frequently is what is the difference between makana and ho'okupu. Let's go to the puke wehewehe 'ōlelo Hawai'i, the Hawaiian language dictionary first to see what it says. Makana is defined as gift or present. It also translates as award, reward, donation or prize. It can gift or to give a gift. Ho'okupu on the other hand literally means to cause growth, sprouting or to sprout. When you think about it, makana is a literal gift, ho'okupu is the thought behind the gift. In my learning, ,most of the time ho'okupu is used when describing an offering given during ceremony. For example, you might bring a ho'okupu to Founder's Day at Kamehameha Schools or you may offer a ho'okupu at a hula festival or celebration. Typically, ho'okupu is in the plant form and it is the mana'o behind the offering that makes it a ho'okupu. Just think of the defintion, you want to cause growth and sprouting forth, metaphorically, through the ho'okupu. An 'ulu or breadfruit might be offered as a play on the word ulu, which also means growth. In hula, many times, the ho'okupu are kinolau or plant manifestations of Laka, the Goddess of hula. The leo, or voice can be a ho'okupu as well. If you are visiting the Leeward, dry side of the island you might offer wai, fresh water, as a ho'okupu. The idea is to evoke the mana'o through the ho'okupu being presented. Now, makana, has more of a noa feeling to it, free of kapu. It is a meaningful gift, given from the heart, but can be thought of as a little lighter than a ho'okupu. Now, just remember the 'ōlelo no'eau, 'a'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka hālau ho'okahi, not all knowledge is taught in one school. If you are a student of hula or Hawaiian protocol you may have your own understanding of ho'okupu and makana. It is also important to check with the host of the event you're attending or the place you are visiting to understand their protocol and the expectations so that your ho'okupu or makana is appropriate. Hopefully, today's Morning Mana'o gives you a little insight and makes the task of selecting ho'okupu or makana a little less daunting.

aloha nō, a hui hou,
Luana

Awaiaulu ke aloha . . .

Aloha kakahiaka e ko Maui! Here are two 'ōlelo no'eau that talk about love. The first goes, Awaiāulu ke aloha, love made fast by tying togehter. The second says, 'Uo 'ia i ka manai ho'okahi, strung like flowers on the same needle. When we think about love it's alot like making a lei. Two different people, like different flowers come together to make something beautiful. Like a lei, love is fastended by tying it together, tightly, creating a bond that is unbreakable. This kind of bond takes hard work and comittment. Comittment to each other, comittment to the marriage, comittment to being parnters. Sometimes this comittment also requires compromise. Knowing when to be humble, when to be quiet. The second 'ōlelo no'eau paints of a picture of a couple living harmoniously, like flowers strung on the same lei needle. If you've ever strung a lei you know that no two flowers are exactly the same, yet as you string the flowers onto the lei needle they begin to shift and move and bend a little until they become one, one lei. So it is in relationships. Sometimes we gotta bend, shift and move a bit, but as we work together, we become one. One beautiful lei of love fastened together. These were the 'ōlelo no'eau we chose to have inscribed on our wedding invitations 16 years ago today. It still serves as a reminder to me that love takes work, effort and comittment, but love is worth it. It's worth the ups and the downs. It's worth the sacrifice when you can look back some years later and admire your beautiful lei of love. So to all of y ou who have found love, hang on to it, nurture it, tie it together, fasten it, to do whatever it takes to keep your lei of love fresh and beautiful. Happy Anniversary, Llewellyn. Aloha au iā 'oe.

Aloha nō, a hui.
~Luana