Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 5, 1 May 2016 — Naming the rain [ARTICLE]

Naming the rain

May 7 event will showcase rain names found in song, chant and proverb

ByTreenaShapiro Hawaiian ancestors were so attuned to the environment that they could tell what hours of the day it would rain, where the rain would eome from, what path it would take and even how it would look and smell. Sometimes they named rains for how they affected people. For example, po'o lipilipi means head like an adze, so Po'olipilipi rain refers to a heavy rain that lasts so long people's heads take on the chiseled shape of an adze as they lie down to wait it out. Or the Klpu'upu'u rain is a hard and chilly rain, with pu'upu'u referring to the bumps it raises on the skin. Subtle differences the kūpuna observed among the rains would elude most people today, but the 'ike has been preserved and perpetuated in mele,

mo'olelo, 'ōlelo no'eau and kanikau, or chants of lamentation, many of whieh were published in Hawaiian-language newspapers. Collette Leimomi Akana spent 11 years collecting names kūpuna gave the various rains, now compiled and recently published in "Hānau ka Ua," a beautiful Sig Zane-illustrated volume that recalls more than 200 rain names and how they were used. It's the only reference book of its kind, described as a mix of dictionary, history, proverb and song. "The most rewarding thing is that we are able to bring the voices of our kūpuna to everybody because it's both in Hawaiian and English, so those who don't understand Hawaiian still have access to this 'ike, this knowledge, so they ean see the genius of our kūpuna," says Akana, who teaches social studies at Kamehameha Middle School and is kumu hula of Hālau Hula o Nā Momi Makamae. "We are helping people be more like kilo by being more observant," she points out. "We're helping people connect to our environment." Anyone who is interested in the history, poetry and lore of Hawai'i would appreciate "Hānau ka Ua," as well as anyone who wants to have a stronger connection to the 'āina. Akana herself found meaning and revelation through the content, whieh enriched her study of hula and Hawaiian culture. "In my hula training, we eome across chants

and songs that mention wind and rain names. I always thought it was so unique that our kūpuna named these natural elements," Akana says. "As I researched, I realized that our kūpuna didn't look at the winds and rains as just natural elements. They had a more personal connection to the winds and rains and therefore they named them." Akana has actually been collecting wind and rain names simultaneously and plans to follow up with a second, larger volume called "Hānau ka Makani," whieh will include more than 600 wind names. "What's eool is that in 'Hānau ka Ua,' and then in 'Hānau ka Makani,' she includes not just the names themselves but also examples of their use in mele and mo'olelo," says Kiele Gonzalez, a Hawaiian-language publishing specialist at Kamehameha Publishing, a collaborator on "Hānau ka Ua," and Akana's daughter. "I think that could be really helpful to people who are trying to understand their rains and their 'āina, and also those who are haku mele, composers, to see how their 'āina and their rains were talked about by haku mele from before." On May 7 at 10 a.m., Akana and Gonzalez will be giving a puhlie presentation on wind and rain names at Nā Lama Kukui, an event that will include XI RAIN ON PAGE 21

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a book giveaway to 30 lucky attendees. "We'll get to present hula pertaining to these wind and rain names, including some hula that are not very eommon today," Akana says. "The wind book is not out yet, so we're going to give them a sneak preview and some juicy information about Hawaiian wind names." Gonzalez adds, "We'll be going across the pae 'āina sharing the winds and rains from Hawai'i to Ni'ihau, so bring your holoholo slippers and a jacket!" Nā Lama Kukui is located at 560 N. Nimitz Highway and the presentation will be on the second floor. To attend the event and be eligible for the book giveaway, please RSVP with Kaimo Muhlestein at 594-0232 or kaimom@oha.org. "Hānau ka Ua: Hawaiian Rain Names" is available at booksellers throughout the islands and at www.kamehameha publishing.org. ■