Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 2000 — Meaning of pono [ARTICLE]

Meaning of pono

The Kingdom of Hawai'i's motto, its national anthem and even the music written in the past and written now use the word "pono." I understand its meaning is also a deeply entrenched lifestyle, passed down through the many generations. One of its meanings, righteousness, was practiced and taught in the Bible. That alone speaks highly of the generations of those days. Now there are mixed opinions of the generations who seem to be carbon copies of the eolonial establishment. We see no understanding, no respect for their own kind, and that's what keeps the many that should be included in these open discussions from attending. Where is the wisdom that made the old legends seem alive and well today? "Pono" today is used like a tool, one like all the rest, whieh is put away when different ideas or opinions are mentioned. "Pono" is the center of the kanaka maoli being, its practice in its true and complete form by all, regardless of blood quantum. Then what was coined as manifest destiny has truly happened. Have your ancestors raised the bar of achievement too high for their descendants' duplication in time? Wayne A. Brown Kāne'ohe