Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 November 2009 — Leningrad Elarionoff, the issue of place names [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Leningrad Elarionoff, the issue of place names

Ai a member of OHA, I get to attend a number of diverse meetings that deal with Hawaiian issues. While attending a Hawai'i Island Burial Council Meeting in Kona one day, I casually listened to the discussion (on Ane Keohokalole Highway) as I waited my turn to testify. My ears perked up when a friend I have known for 40-plus years began to question a consultant on his interpretation of the Hawaiian plaee name Kahawai'ole.

The consultant quoted his source as saying that the name Kahawai'ole means "a plaee without rain." In my limited comprehension ofthe Hawaiian language, that sounded reasonable. However, my friend was adamant that it was not a proper interpretation. This exchange got me thinking and is the basisfor this article written by Leningrad Elarionojf, myfriendwho is Hawaiian, Russian andmuch more, father, husband, grandfather, arborist (grows the most beautiful 'ōhi'atrees), cousin to Sonny Kaniho and a walking history book on the events whieh led to the oeeupaūon ofthe Lands of Pauahi in May 2004 leased at that time by DHHL to the Parker Ranch. Leningrad in fact was the arresting officer. He is a retired Poliee Captain, ser\>ed three terms on the Hawai'i County Council and is a very, very active member of our Hcrwai'i Island Burial Council. I want to thank Leningradfor writing this pieee on Plaee Names for our edification anel enjoyment.

We all know that Kahawai is the term used for streambeds or streams and Kahakai is the term used for the oeean shoreline, or heaeh. The explanation given by my friend was that, if one were to look at the name closely, Kaha means to scratch or erode, wai would be fresh water and 'ole means no or without. When the old folks referred to that area as Kahawai'ole, they were saying that this area was without evidence of erosion caused by flowing water. It says nothing about rainfall. The implication here is that this area may have received its fair share of rain but the excess water seeped through the porous surface then flowed to the oeean under ground as evidenced by the large amount of brackish water entering the oeean to this day. This explanation caused me to reflect back to some of the eommon plaee names I was familiar with. I live in one of the five Waimea communities in the State. Eaeh Waimea is called such for a different reason and my Waimea received its name from the reddish stain that leaches into the rainwater as it flows through the fronds of the hāpu'u fern to the

ground and into the water system. As a child, the toilet water in every home in our eommunity had the appearance of not being flushed after use. There is a Kahawai that runs through our town of Waimea named Waikoloa, or more properly called Kaha Wai Koloa. The maps refer to it as the Waikoloa Stream. There is also a Waikoloa Village a few miles away and some of its residents refer to their village as the "duck" village. The Hawaiian Duck is known as Koloa. The sound that rocks make when they tumble down stream is also called Koloa. When a duck pokes his head underwater and clicks his beak searching for food, the sound generated is called Koloa. With this information, what would you say is the meaning of Kahawai Koloa? Obviously the stream was called Kahawai koloa because of the sound of the tumbling rocks. This stream does not go through or even near the eommunity of Waikoloa. Everybody is familiar with the name Kawaihae. 01d timers say that the name comes from the only spring of fresh water in the area, whieh was covered when the highSee LINDSEY ūū pagE IG

Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. TrustEE, Hawai'i

LINDSEY

Continued from page 16

way was built. Because it was the only source of fresh water for miles around, it caused a lot of strife and complaints among those waiting their turn to gain access. Others say that the spring itself made the sound referred to as hae in the name Kawaihae. I suppose the true meaning is lost to us forever. On the other side of the Big Island along the Hāmākua Coast between the 21- and 22-mile markers, there sits a little church on the makai side of the road. A sign beside the church identifies the area as Pōhaku Puka. According to an old, now deceased, friend who worked on building the Belt Road, the State refused to spend any funds to retrieve that boulder with a hole through it and from whieh that area was named. That boulder was left in plaee and buried as fill material for

the highway. Now, let's take the simple word Aloha. It is comprised of two Hawaiian words, Alo and Hā. Alo is a description of one person facing another and Hā as we all know refers to breath or life and the ability to feel and express feelings. Although Aloha is a salutary term, its meaning goes far beyond the simple hi or goodbye as it is eommonly associated with today. To eall out "Aloha" to someone in greeting is to say, "I face you as a friend." If the feeling were mutual, a response of a prolonged "Aloha" would be in order. Now supposing that the feeling was not mutual, then respond in English with a polite "Hello." The few words that I mention to you are examples of how we are losing or are on the verge of losing our cultural heritage by not maintaining the true meanings of the names that were onee a vivid description of places our ancestors cherished. Aloha, Leningrad Elarionoff ■