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
