Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 1990 — "Hawaiian Street Names" is fun and useful [ARTICLE]

"Hawaiian Street Names" is fun and useful

By Ann L. Moore

People who have asked what the name of their street means in the Hawaiian Language will find an answer in a new bōok by Rich Budnick and Duke Kalani Wise. The book is very readable and offers interesting insight into the people, places, gods, stars, food, flowers, plants, trees and fish for whieh many Hawaiian streets are named. More than 90 community names are also translated. The book intrigues. The street and plaee names are easy to find in the alphabetical listing. The areas where the streets are located are noted. The temptation to look up the meanings of the names of streets where friends live is irresistible. It may be that a friend who loves flowers lives on a street named "fragrant, as air scented with the perfume of flowers" (Kolopua Plaee) or that the street a teacher lives on is "to heed, give attention, listen" (Maliu Street). Kept in the car, the book would take care of those long waits when a eompanion asks for "just a minute" to run an errand. When the poliee officer comes over to ask you to move along just ask what street he or she lives on and you'll be there long enough for your friend to get back. The book ean give the reader a quick appreciation of Hawaiian history and culture, language and legend as they read the meanings of the street names. "Hawaiian Street Names" focuses on O'ahu but many of the same names are used on the other Hawaiian islands. For those who quickly become addicted (like the reviewer) the good news is Budnick is already at work on books focus-

ing on neighbor islands' streets and places. "Hawaiian Street Names" is a reasonably priced gift for any occasion. The book is recommended reading by many people well versed in the Hawaiian language including A. Grove Day, Gordon Pi'ianai'a, Rev. Abraham Akaka, Samuel Elbert and OHA's Maui liaison officer Stanley Kiope Raymond. Translations of the street names are by Duke Kalani Wise, a lecturer at the University of Hawai'i. Wise spent long hours researching old land records and documents in the book's preparation. His great-grandfather, John Wise, was the first teacher of the Hawaiian language at both Kamehameha School and at the University of Hawai'i, in the 1920s. "Hawaiian Street Names" has a preface by The Rev. Abraham Kahikina Akaka, pastor emeritus of Kawaiaha'o Church, and a foreward by Samuel H. Elbert who wrote "Plaee Names of Hawai'i"and the "Hawaiian Dictionary." In his introduction, the author notes that it was in 1850 when the privy eouneil of King Kamehameha III adopted 35 street names of whieh just 17 survive. Budnick says the early street signs were printed in English and Hawaiian but most people ignored the English and used the more familiar Hawaiian name. More than 120 streets on O'ahu are named for the original land-grant-awardees, Budnick says. Extensive research by Wise uncovered old maps and laqd documents with the land awards and grants noted on them. Many streets in communities carry out a theme.

For example Hawai'i Kai has island place-names, Kahala has bird names, Mililani has stars, days and nights, Waimanalo has plaee names and fish, and Waikiki has the names of ali'i (Hawaiian royalty) and other people-names. Part of profit helps students Author-publisher Budnick is donating a portion of the profits from "Hawaiian Street Names" to the scholarship fund of the O'ahu District Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. For eaeh book purchased asa result of reading this article in Ka Wai Ola O OHA, the eouneil will receive $1 to help young Hawaiians attend college. Concerning the donation Budnick says, "The • O'ahu District Council of the Association of * Hawaiian Civic Clubs is an important community and cultural organization. We are proud to donate a portion of the profits to provide Hawaiian young people with the opportunity to receive college scholarships. Like any book publisher, we want to sell books, but we also want to give something to the community and help raise money for a worthy goal." Readers may order "Hawaiian Street Names" at $6 per copy plus $1.25 postage and handling (total $7.25) from Aloha Publishing, P.O. Box 4183OHA, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 9681 For multiple or bulk orders, buyers may eall 3950674 for information. Anyone who orders "Hawaiian Street Names" may wish to note they read about the book in Ka Wai Ola by noting it on the front of the eheek or money order.