Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 6, 1 June 2014 — What's in a name? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What's in a name?

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D. Were the names of 0'ahu's eentral plains, Pu'unahawale, Punalu'u, Kokoloea and Kalipahe'e new to you? They were in last month's eolumn. Today we often hear, "the 'Ewa plain," but I am not certain its boundaries are same as in ancient times. For decades, 0'ahu's central plains, Pu'unahawale, Punalu'u, Kokoloea and Kalipahe'e have been dedicated to sugar or pineapple farming and the military. Thus, the character of the land is altered and the names, lost. Our ancestors were very exacting in their naming processes. Amazingly, they named

seven stages of ripeness for the coconut! There was "niu 'ō'io" for the immature eoeonut, when the nutmeat is soft and jelly-like, and the nutshell is still white. At the "niu haohao" stage, the flesh is soft and white, the shell is still white and the water is sweet. Today, we eall this "spoon meat." "Niu 'ilikole" names the half-ripe eoeonut. At this stage, the meat is still not good for cooking. In the niu 'ilikole stage, the soft llesh was often eaten with red salt and poi. The next stage of ripeness is "niu o'o," the llesh is mature, but the outer coconut husk is not dried. "Niu malo'o" has fully matured nutmeat, there is still water in the nut and the outer husk has dried. The niu malo'o stage is best for making kūlolo and pepeie'e. The nut is also best for planting at this stage. "Niu 'āka'a," or " 'ōka'a," is an old nut, there's no water inside and the nutmeat separates from the shell. At this stage, the llesh is gray and oily, and is best for making mano'i, or coconut oil. Mano'i had many uses ... it's a great oil for the skin. And, before we had hair shampoo and crēme rinses, coconut oil

was rubbed into the hair and scalp, prior to washing it with soap. Ancient Hawaiians named divisions of space. For example, when standing, the air space just above one's head is "luna a'e," above that is "luna aku" and above that is "luna loa aku," and above that, "luna lilo aku;" even above that is "luna lilo loa" and above that is "luna o kea ao" ... the firmament where clouds lloat. And, even above that are three divisions called, respectively, "ke ao ulu," "ka lani uli" and "ka lani pa'a," the solid heaven. The region known as Kalanipa'a seems very

remote when looking into the sky above. Ancestors imagined that the sun traveled along a track there, until it set beneath the oeean. Equally as exacting are the oeean divisions. The entire oeean is "kai." " 'Ae kai" is the strip of heaeh that breaking waves cover. "Po'ina kai" or "pu'e one" is just offshore, where the waves break. However, if the shoal extended a great distance, like at Waikīkl, it's called "kai kohala." Beyond po 'ina kai is an area called "kai hele kū" or "kai pāpa'u" or "kai 'ōhua." That's water that one ean stand in,

shoal water. "Kua au" is where the shoal water ends, and beyond that is "kai au," "ho au" and "kai o kilo he'e," translated as swimming deep or sea for spearing squid, or "kai he'e nalu," or surf-swimming region. Another name for this belt of the oeean is "kai koholā." Our ancient Hawaiian ancestors detailed every aspect of nature . . . land, oeean, space, plants and foods. They gave a lot of thought and study to their world. They knew and understood a great deal about every aspect of life. ■

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Niu (eoeonul) was given a Hawaiian name for eaeh of its seven stages of ripeness.