Hawaiian History Terms

ka 'ohana

family; all people who are related

poi

food made from pounded and watered taro; it is sometimes made from breadfruit or sweet potato.

limu

fresh or saltwater seaweed

Kāne'āluka

god of the canoe maker; a form of the god Kāne.

Laka

goddess of the hula and hula dancers

villages

groups of houses

kahu hānai

guardian; special helper or teacher.

konohiki

headman of an ahupua'a

kõkua

help

kālaimoku

high chief who helped manage the island for a chief.

ha'aha'a

humility

ki'i

image; doll; picture

moku

island or large section of an island

kahuna

kāhuna (plural) expert; priest

kupuna

kūpuna (plural)

'āina

land or earth.

Māpūlehu

land section on the island of Moloka'i. perhaps Mapulehu means "the smell of broiling carried through the air."

luakini

large heiau. the largest were for the war god Kū. there was on in Māpūlehu, another at Kawaihae. there were many luakini on each island. they were big platforms made of thousands of stones. every Hawaiian had to work to carry the stones to make the platform.

kapu

law about what is forbidden -often because it is sacred.

spawning

laying eggs

lau hala

leaf of the hala tree, used in making mats

aloha

love

haku

master or leader

'ama'ama

mullet

ka po'e huaka'i põ

night marchers

Kāne

one of the four main gods in old Hawai'i; god of creation. Taro and sugarcane were forms of Kāne.

Lono

one of the four main gods in old Hawai'i; god of farming, weather, and peace. Pigs and sweet potatoes were forms of Lono.

Pele

one of the lesser gods. goddess of fire and volcanoes. She often took the form of a old woman or a beautiful, young woman.

Kū

one of the main Hawaiian gods; the god of war, to whom humans were given as sacrifices.

kahuna kilo hõkū

person who studied the stars

pua'a

pig

pu'uhonua

place of refuge or safety.

kula

plains; the middle area of an ahupua'a

altar

platform used in worship

kāhili

pole with feathers at the top, a sign of royalty.

mana

power from the gods

kahuna kilo lani

priest or expert who looked at the sky and weather for signs of what might happen.

kahuna 'anā'anā

priest who put evil spells on people

'alaea

red dirt mixed with a mineral

hõ'ihi

respect

kuleana

responsibility

honu

sea turtle

kai

sea; the lower area of an ahupua'a

ahupua'a

section of land going from the mountains to the sea

kuleana

small piece of land within an ahupua'a where a family had its houses.

ko'a

small shrine near the shore used by fishermen

ka 'ili

smaller land divisions

makahiki

special 4-month holiday season during which there were religious programs, feasts, sports, and no work. Time to thank the god Lono for the harvest of food.

nā kini akua

special akua/ gods. there were thousands of lesser gods. Many were different forms of Kāne, Kanaloa, Lono, and Ku. there were special akua for different crafts.

hālau hula

special building for training hula dancers

pule ipu

special program held when a boy became old enough to eat with the men.

pili

tall grass used in making houses

kapa

tapa; bark cloth used to make clothing

ka 'auhau

taxes

heiau

temples or stone platforms that were places of worship.

ka po'e make

the dead

kinolau

the form of something else. Hawaiians believed that the gods could take many forms. Each god had their forms or "bodies," on earth.

kahanu nui

the highest chief's main priest.

ka 'āina

the land

Hõnaunau

the most famous of pu'uhonua on the island of Hawaii. It was part of a heiau: Hale o Keawe, where bodies of many ali'i were put after they died. Their bones were safe from their enemies at the pu'uhonua.

pono

to be moral and proper

'imi na'auao

to see knowledge

lõkahi

unity

uka

uplands; the upper area of an ahupua'a

Ka ho'omana akua 'ana

worshiping akua

'aumakua

'aumākua (plural). family god. in each home there was an altar. Hawaiians believed their 'aumakua was an animal from someone in their family who had once lived on earth.

outrigger canoe

canoe with a float attached that makes the canoe less likely to tip over.

mālama

caring

ali'i 'ai moku

chief who ruled a moku, or large section of land.

ali'i

chief; a class of people in old Hawai'i

laulima

cooperation

Kamapua'a

demigod: man + pig

kahuna lapa'au

doctor of medicine

ka ho'ona'auao 'ana

education

kahuna kū'auhau

expert who knew the histories of chiefs

maka'āinana

Class of Hawaiian people who worked and lived off the land, but were not chiefs.

Kū'ula

God of fishermen.

Makali'i

Group of stars called the Pleiades

hula

Hawaiian dance

ki'i akua

Hawaiian god images

nā kumu mana'o'i'o

Hawaiian values

Kamehameha

High chief who became ruler of all the Hawaiian islands. Kamehameha means "the lonely one."

Kawaihae

Land section and bay on the west side of Hawai'i. Kawaihae means "water of great anger." (People once fought for water from a pool there.)

'Aiea

Land section on O'ahu named after a kind of tree. Keāiwa is a heiau for healing. or heiau ho'õla.

Kanaloa

One of the four main gods in old Hawai'i; god of the sea.

kauā

Outcast; the lowest class of Hawaiian people, who had to live apart from others.

ho'oponopono

To make right; to talk things out; to make feelings right in a group.

māpele

agricultural heiau for the god Lono. Different types of crop foods were offered here during harvest time. some heiau changed from mapele to luakini and vice versa.

ahu

altar