Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 6, 1 June 2021 — Molokai or Moloka'i? [ARTICLE]

Molokai or Moloka'i?

Miki'ala shares mana'o regarding the spelling of "Molokai" without the 'okina in this article: "Molo means 'to twist or turn.' Kai means 'oeean.' Ka'i, with the 'okina or glottal stop, means 'leader.' When you put them together, what makes more sense-Moloka'i, the twisting leader, or Molokai, the twisting oeean waters? The late Harriet Ne - a historian, hula master and one of my father's teachers - said it should be 'Molokai,' referring to the waterspouts often seen off the island. Old maps show spelling variations, including Molokai, Morotoi and Molotoi, but they all have three syllables, not four as there would be when you say those words with an 'okina."