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Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

ʻŌlelo Noeau: Hana Pono (working hard)

Aia ke ola i ka hana. #57
Life is in labor.
[Labor produces what is needed.]

Aia nō ka pono, ʻo ka hoʻohuli i ka lima i lalo, ʻaʻole ʻo ka hoʻohuli i luna. #71
That is what it should be–to turn the hands palms down, not palms up.
[No one can work with the palms of his hands turned up. When a person is always busy, he is said to keep his palms down.]

ʻAi nō i kalo moʻa. #83
One can eat cooked taro,
[The work is done; one can sit at ease and enjoy himself.]

ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia. #142
No task is too big when done together by all.

ʻAʻohe loaʻa i ka noho wale. #173
Nothing is gained by idleness.

ʻAʻohe mea nāna e hoʻopūhili, he moho no ka lā makani. #189
There is no one to interfere, for he is a messenger for the windy day.
[Said in admiration of a person who lets nothing stop him from carrying out the task entrusted to him.]

ʻAʻohe puʻu kiʻekiʻe ke hōʻāʻō ʻia e piʻi. #209
No cliff is so tall that is cannot be scaled.
[No problem is too great when one tries hard to solve it.]

ʻAʻohe ʻulu e loaʻa i ka pōkole o ka lou. #213
No breadfruit can be reached when the picking stick is too short.
[There is no success without preparation.]

E ala! E alu! E kuilima! #258
Up! Together! Join hands!
[A call to come together to tackle a given task.]

E ala, e hoa i ka malo. #259
Get up and gird your loincloth.
[A call to rise and get to work.]

E hana mua a paʻa ke kahua ma mua o ke aʻo ʻana aku iā haʻi. #276
Build yourself a firm foundation before teaching others.

E hōʻike mai ana ka lāʻau a ke kia manu. #287
The stick of the birdcatcher will tell.
[We will know how successful one is by what he produces. One knew whether a bird catcher was successful by counting the birds on his gummed stick.]

E hoʻokanaka. #290
Be a man.

E hume i ka malo, e hoʻokala i ka ihe. #299
Gird the loin cloth, sharpen the spear.
[A call to prepare for war or to prepare for the project at hand.]

E kanu i ka huli ʻoi hāʻule ka ua. #316
Plant the taro stalks while there is rain.
[Do your work when the opportunity affords.]

E kaupē aku nō i ka hoe, a kō mai. #319
Put forward the paddle and draw it back.
[Go on with the task that is started and finish it.]

E kuahui like i ka hana. #323
Let everybody pitch in and work together.

E kuʻi ka māmā a loaʻa ʻo Kaʻōhele. #326
Let your fastest runners run in relay to catch Kaʻōhele.
[Let us make every effort to attain our goal. Kaʻōhele was a chief and warrior and in his day, there was none swifter than he. Is was only by running in relay that he was caught and killed.]

E lauhoe mai nā waʻa; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ʻāina. #327
Everybody paddle the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore is reached.
[Pitch in with a will, everybody, and the work is quickly done.]

E mālama o pā i ke leo. #350
Be careful lest you be struck by the voice.
[Be careful not to do something that will lead to a scolding.]

E pūpūkahi. #376
Be of one clump.
[Be united in thought.]

E waikahi ka pono i mānalo. #384
It is well to be united in thought that all may have peace.

Hāʻawe i ke kua; kiʻi i ke alo. #401
A burden on the back; a babe in the arms.
[Said of a hard-working woman who carries a load on her back and a baby in her arms.]

Hana a lau a lau ke aho, a laila loaʻa ka iʻa kāpapa o ka moana. #446
Make four hundred times four hundred fish lines before planning to go after the fighting fish of the sea.
[Be well prepared for a big project.]

Hana a mikiʻoi, lawe a ʻauliʻi. #447
Be deft ad dainty.
[Said to young people: Be neat, sweet, and clever — not crude and blundering.]

Hanuʻu ke kai i Mokuola. #473
The sea recedes at Mokuola.
[Now is the opportune time to venture forth.]

He ʻai e kāhela ai ka ʻūhā. #515
An eating that spreads the intestines.
[The enjoyment of a good meal when labor is finished and all is at peace.]

He lani i luna, he honua i lalo. #718
Heaven above, Earth beneath.
[Said of a person who cultivates harmony on his property, he is sure of his own security. The sky is above him and the Earth is the foundation beneath his feet.]

Hele nō i ka hola iʻa i ka lā. #751
Fish poison should be used in the daytime.
[Greater efficiency is achieved in the daytime.]

He ola na ka ʻōiwi, lawe aʻe nō a ʻai haʻaheo. #860
A life made by the native, [one can] take and eat proudly.
[When one has earned his own livelihood he can take his food and eat it with pride.]

He pūkoʻa kani ʻāina. #932
A coral reef grows into an island.
[A person beginning in a small way gains steadily until he becomes firmly established]

He pūkoʻa kū no ka moana. #933
A large rock standing in the sea.
[Said of a person who is unchangeable and very determined.]

Malia paha he iki ʻunu, paʻa ka pōhaku nui ʻaʻole e kaʻa. #2125
Perhaps it is a small stone that can keep the big rock from rolling down.

O ke kahua mamua, mahope ke kūkulu. #2459
The site [foundation] first, and then the building

‘U‘uku ka hana, ‘u‘uku ka loa‘a. #2884
Little work, little gain.
[You reap what you sow. If you give a little do not expect a large return.]

Akahele (being cautious)

E ʻau mālie i ke kai pāpaʻu, o pakī ka wai a pula ka maka. #267
Swim quietly in shallow water lest it splash into the eyes.
[A cautioning where one is not sure of conditions.]

Source: Pukui, M. K. (1983). ‘Ōlelo No‘eau Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press.

ʻŌlelo Noeau compiled by Johanna Kapōmaikaʻi Stone and Danielle Espiritu

Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

Hoʻokuaʻāina is located in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua at Kapalai in Maunawili on the island of Oʻahu. Get Directions.

For more information about our programs or how you can get involved please contact us.

916E Auloa Rd.

Kailua, HI 96734

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P.O. Box 342146

Kailua, HI 96734

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Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

Hoʻokuaʻāina is located in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua at Kapalai in Maunawili on the island of Oʻahu.

For more information about our programs or how you can get involved please contact us.

visit us

916E Auloa Rd.

Kailua, HI 96734

mail us

P.O. Box 342146

Kailua, HI 96734

email us

Reach Us At:

info@hookuaaina.org

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Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization

© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site By Created By Kaui

Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization

© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Site By Created By Kaui

Hoʻokuaʻāina is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization

© Hoʻokuaʻāina 2020 All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions | Privacy

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