Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 2, 1 February 2007 — Ola ka inoa the name lives [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ola ka inoa

the name lives

Hawai'i's towns and districts are named for their important geographical characteristics, historical events, mythical spirits or famous inhabitants. Sadly, most of Hawai'i's residents do not understand Hawaiian, so the significance of plaee names are overlooked, unappreciated, or even worse, forgotten. This is just another indication that we are slowly losing Hawai'i's unique cultural history. Do you know where Māmala is located on O'ahu? What about Pāhoa, Helumoa, Kalāwahine and Lē'ahi?

The song He Aloha nō 'o Honolulu, sung so beautifully by Teresa Bright, has one of the answers. As a matter of fact, the song names the characteristic winds and rains of several port cities in the islands. Māmala, or Ke Kai 'o Māmala, is the traditional name for the oeean fronting the entry to Honolulu Harbor. It was named for a shark woman who lived there. It is said that she liked to play kōnane. Māmala Bay extends from Honolulu Harbor to Pearl Harbor. Beside naming the harbor entrance, the song also names Honolulu's famous rain, Kūkalahale. Pāhoa is the area at the

entrance to Pālolo (clay) Valley around Wai'alae (mudhen water) Avenue. Pāhoa surrounds the site of the Long's Drug Store and Sacred Hearts School on 4th Avenue. Formerly, the King's Daughters' Home was located there. And Kekaha (the plaee) is a playfully gusty wind of the area. Mary Kawena Pūku'i tells us that Pāhoa was probably named for the mo'o Pāhoa, who fought with and was slain by Hi'iakaikapoliopele at that plaee. Helumoa (ehieken scratch) was an old land division near the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waiklkl. It was the site of the heiau upon whieh Kahahana, the last independent king of

O'ahu, was sacrificed. The explanation for the name is that chickens would scratch there searching for maggots to eat. Kalāwahine (the day of women) is a plaee above Roosevelt High School named for a kupua (supernatural being) who guarded the fresh water sources there. Lae'ahi (brow of the 'ahi), heeame known as Lē'ahi, and then in the 1800s was renamed Diamond Head or Diamond Hill (Kaimana Hila). An important heiau was on its slopes, and on the other side there was a plaee for hōlua sledding. Traditionally, a sense of belonging to an area was critieal to nā kanaka maoli. It provided a strong spiritual and psychological anchor to their past, present and future. Family and personal identities were strongly bonded to their homeland, their 'āina. Significant

events and activities of the 'āina were incorporated into personal chants and mo'olelo of the 'ohana. And through mo'olelo, kūpuna taught mo'opuna about the names of winds, rains and famous plaees in the area. Mo'olelo and mele perpetuated the names and significance of the āina, its people, events and mythology. This is the way names and history endured for hundreds of years. It is time to help the younger generation learn and understand family connections to the 'āina. Knowing the names of the winds, rains, streams, mountain ridges and the mo'olelo creates ties to the 'āina. Repeating the mo'olelo of the 'āina will establish and renew family bonds and pride in our homeland. This knowledge will create the comfort of belonging, a sense of plaee for the younger generation and the entire 'ohana. E

MO'OLELO • HIST0RY

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D.