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Hookuaaina Rebuilding Lives From The Ground Up

ʻŌlelo Noeau: Relating to Kalo (Taro) & Mahiʻai (Farming)

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

Eia ua lani a Hāloa i pili ai ka hanu i ke kapu. #308
Here is a chief descended from Hāloa, whose kapu makes one hold his breath in dread.
[A complement to a chief. To be able to trace descent from Hāloa, an ancient chief, was to be of very high rank from remote antiquity.]

E kāmau iho i ka hoe a pae aku i ke kula. #315
Dip in the paddle till you reach the shore.
[Keep dipping your finger in the poi until you have had your fill.]

E kanu meaʻai, o nānā keiki i kā haʻi. #317
Plant edible food plants lest your children look with longing at someone else’s.

E piʻi ana kahi poʻe, e iho ana kahi poʻe. #372
Some folks go up, some go down.
[While the fingers of some are in the poi bowl, the fingers of others are at the mouth.]

He kalo paʻa. #666
Unpounded taro.
[A spinster or a bachelor.]

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.]

He kanu Māhoemua, he kalo pū’ali. #671
When one plants in the month of Māhoemua (Hilinaʻehu), they will have irregularly shaped taro.

He keiki aloha nā mea kanu. #684
Beloved children are the plants.
[It is said of farmers that their plants are like beloved children, receiving much love, attention and care.]

Hele nō ka ʻalā, hele nō ka lima. #752
The rock goes, the hand goes.
[To make good poi, the free hand must work in unison with the poi pounder. Keep both hands working to do good work.]

He māʻona ʻai a he māʻona iʻa ko ka noanoa. #806
The commoner is satisfied with food and fish.
[The commoner has no greater ambition than success in farming and fishing.]

He meheuheu mai nā kūpuna mai. #817
Habits acquired from the ancestors; such as fishing, farming – sciences that cultivate abundance.

He poʻo ulu ko nā mea kanu. #914
Plants have heads that will grow again.
[An assurance that if you break off the top of a plant, it will put forth a new one.]

I maikaʻi ke kalo i ka ʻohā. #1232
The goodness of the taro is judged by the young plant it produces.
[Parents are often judged by the behavior of their children]

Ke kalo paʻa o Waiahole* #1735
The hard taro of Waiahole.

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

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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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