“Onaona ke ‘ala o ka maile i ka līhau ‘ia e ka ua noe”
Fragrant is the scent the maile, kept fresh and moist by the misty rain.

“Ku‘u pua ponimō‘ī”

One of our absolute favorite fragrances is maile, the twisting, native vine so familiar at local weddings and graduations. But maile is much more than just a lei to be given at special occasions.

Its delicate fragrance is imbued with the divine. In Hawaiian mythology, the Maile (nā Maile) are four sister goddesses whose kinolau (body form) are the four different kinds of maile. Where ever the sisters had ventured, the maile vine was surely to be found.

Maile is also sacred to Laka, the goddess of hula. Consequently, maile was draped on the hula altar, or kuahu. Dancers, or ‘ōlapa, would traditionally wear maile for skill and inspiration.

Unfortunately, maile is nowadays far more difficult to be found. Its rarity and cost has made its beloved scent a thing for special occasions.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy ke ‘ala o ka maile, the fragrance of maile, everyday. Kaua‘i-based company Mālie Organics has captured the essence of the maile in a range of beauty products it has called Koke‘e, named after Kōke‘e State Park on Kaua‘i. Mālie’s Koke‘e line includes a soy candle, body cream, and body wash. But our favorite is the organic mist. Just one spritz, and the scent of maile gently hangs in the air—making it perfect for a room or bed linens. It just makes us think a hike in the uplands or one of our childhood vists to a lei stand.

Even better, Mālie Organics products are natural with no chemicals or additives. Mālie’s founders, Dana and Shaun Roberts, extract their fragrance from local, sustainably grown plants in a hydrosol distillation process that captures their essence. Plus, every time you purchase a product from the Koke ‘e line, Mālie makes a donation to the Kōke‘e Resource Conservation Program.

Where to buy

Mālie Organic’s Kōke‘e Organic Mist  and line is available for $40 on the company’s online store. For a list of retailers carrying Mālie Organics products, click here.

Learn more about maile

‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i speakers can read more about the Maile sisters in S. N. Hale‘ole’s Ke Ka’ao o Lā‘ieikawai, available here on Ulukau.org.

Credits

Photos used above are used in accordance with the Creative Commons License. For photo information, click here for maile image and here for picture of Kōke‘e State Park on Kaua‘i.

Tags: Hawaiian Mythology, Kaua`i, Koke'e, Kōke‘e State Park, maile, Mālie Organics

On this day, Kaila Hawai‘i would like to celebrate the birthday of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi. Prince Kūhiō was born on March 26, 1871 in Kōloa, Kaua‘i to High Chief David Kahalepouli Pi‘ikoi and High Chiefess Victoria Kekaulike Kinoiki. He later became the hānai son of King David Kalākaua and Queen Kapi‘olani. Prince Kūhiō is widely celebrated for his political expertise in post-annexation Hawai‘i, especially for the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. The day of his birth is now known in Hawai‘i as Kūhiō Day, while his name now honors places all over the Hawaiian archipelago.

But Prince Kūhiō also helped to spread traditional Hawaiian culture. In the 1880s, Prince Kūhiō, along with his brothers Prince David Kawānanakoa and Prince Edward Keli‘iahonui, attended Saint Matthew’s School in San Mateo, California. In the summer of 1885, Prince Kūhiō and his fellow young ali‘i visited family friends in Santa Cruz. During their time there, the young princes headed out into the waves to enjoy the royal pastime of he‘enalu, or surfing, at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. The people of Santa Cruz quickly took note.  The July 20, 1885 edition of Santa Cruz’ The Daily Surf comments:

The young Hawaiian princes were in the water, enjoying it hugely and giving interesting exhibitions of surf-board swimming as practiced in their native islands.

Unlike the surfers of today, these 19th century ali‘i headed out on massive 15 foot, 100 lb boards made out of local Californian redwood. Though it is still not widely known, these young ali‘i are now credited with introducing surfing to the United States.

And surfing was not the only physical art that Prince Kūhiō’s had mastered. He was also a skilled athlete, a marksman, and, a true rarity for his time, a practitioner of the traditional martial art of Lua.

Prince Kūhiō’s wide range of accomplishments still resound 139 years later and serve as a fine example to all Hawaiians and residents of Hawai‘i.

Tags: Kūhiō Day, Prince David Kawānanakoa, Prince Edward Keli‘iahonui, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole, Santa Cruz, surfing

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is uli, a word with a rich depth of meaning.

Uli can refer to any dark color from the black of dark clouds to the blue of the deep ocean to the verdant green of cliffs. Even the dark color of a bruise, such as a black eye, can be described as uli. The reduplicated word uliuli describes color more directly.

According to the Hawaiian Dictionary, uli is sometimes avoided in poetic compositions as Uli is also the name of a goddess of sorcery. Keeping in line with the metaphysical, uli is also short ʻōuli, or omen.

However, uli is not a negative word in the end. For instance, it forms part of the name Paliuli, or Green Cliff, literally, a mythical land of joy and home of Lāʻieikawai.

In more mundane matters, uli can also refer to the act of steering a canoe or a variety of Hawaiian sweet potato.

Source:

• Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary

Please note photos above are from the links below, under the Creative Commons license.

Tags: Hawaiian culture, Hawaiian language, Hawaiian Mythology, Paliuli, uli, uliuli, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi

A few weeks ago, I finally took a break from my typical weekend schedule of work, reading, writing, and more reading. When I used to be out in West O‘ahu and needed mental relief, I would head out at high speed on Farrington Highway to Keawa‘ula—commonly known as Yokohama—at the end of the road. There, in relative isolation and peace and quiet, I could watch the setting of the sun in the mythic landscape once walked by Kāne and Hi‘iakaikapoliopele. On a few lucky occasions, I was greeted by koholā, the whales, right at the time of sunset.

Now that I’m right in the middle of Honolulu, it’s a bit harder to find that kind of quiet escape. Luckily, on the day I went out to take a break, I arrived on a mellow day at Kaimana Beach, by the old natatorium and Kapi‘olani Park. The tradewinds, the Moa‘e, were blowing, rustling the leaves of the niu, the coconut trees. As sunset approached, the sky turned to a series of soft pinks and purples. The experience was simply transcendent.

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Tags: 'ehu ahiahi, Diamond Head, dusk, Hawaiian Mythology, Kaimana Beach, Kanaloa, Kāne, Kapua, O'ahu, Sans Souci, twilight

I’ve been hooked to Māori spin doctor Tiki Taane since I first caught a glimpse of his mindblowing video clip “Tangaroa”, off his debut album album Past, Present, Future. For those unfamiliar with Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is the Māori god of the sea, corresponding to the Hawaiian akua Kanaloa. The track is a shock to the system, combing traditional Māori chant with a raging dancehall-style beat. (more…)

Tags: Aotearoa/New Zealand, god of the sea, haka, Hawaiian Mythology, Hawaiian religion, Hawai‘i, Kanaloa, kinolau, Māori, Māori mythology, Mele / Music, spirituality, Tangaroa, Tiki Taane

I’m not certain if anyone has kept a journal relating to Makahiki, the traditional Hawaiian New Year, but as the clouds started to sweep in over Mānoa Valley, darkening the sky. It somehow felt appropriate to do so.

A few years ago, when I was living in New York, I had almost entirely forgotten what Makahiki even was until I came across its Māori cousin, Matariki. After having finally purchased my first laptop and joining the modern age, I began to devour everything online that had to do with Polynesia. I had been living in New York for four years during the post-9/11 era and was feeling burnt out. Seeing what my Polynesian cousins were doing with new technology was uplifting and inspiring, making me feel connected to a long genealogy that stretched across the oceans. One particular site of inspiration was Māori Television, all the way from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Seeing a full-fledged, professional Polynesian news broadcast, streamed from thousands of miles away, was amazing. (more…)

Tags: akua/gods, Aotrearoa/New Zealand, Hawaiian New Year, kupua/demi-gods, kūpuna, makahiki, Māori, Māori Television, New York

Now that the Kaila teams move into Honolulu proper is now settled, we have finally have a chance to share some pictures of our lā‘ī skirt that this Kaila editor wore in a recent hula competition in June. This was my first competition and the first time having to dance in a skirt. The process was long and intensive. First, there was cleaning the leaves of the kī (Cordyline terminalis), trimming, and deboning. Then, the hours of tying leaf after leave to the main cord.  In all, the whole experience was deeply humbling, showing me the talent of our ancestors to transform simple leaves into an organic costume.

One integral part to the crafting process was the mindset one has when making the skirt. Thought and emotions are carried directly into the garment that will be worn. Despite the few hours of sleep I had after cleaning the leaves, I was ready to go the following morning. The freshness of the morning, I’ve realized, is the best time for me to do this kind of work. By the time night comes, my thoughts are too scattered to do anything this concentrated. (more…)

Tags: dance, hula, hula kahiko, lā‘ī, ti leaf, traditional hula

Kahi (The Place) : Kualaka‘i, Honouliuli, ‘Ewa, O‘ahu-a-Lua

In a traditional Native Hawaiian perspective, the region now occupied by Kapolei and Kalaeloa (Barbers’ Point) is part of the ahupua‘a of Honouliuli, the largest land division of O‘ahu’s ‘Ewa district. Honouliuli stretches down from the Wai‘anae mountains to Līhu‘e (yes, O‘ahu has one too), the area now occupied by Schofield Barracks, all the way to the Pu‘uloa estuary, now known as Pearl Harbor. The ocean boundary was O’ahu’s southern shore, from Kahe Point to the area near the new Hoakalei development. While much of the Honouliuli region was transformed because of cattle ranching and sugar cane and continues to change from extensive development, we are still fortunate to have access to our kūpuna’s knowledge on the region through their mo‘olelo (stories) and their writings. And by reading their accounts, we can learn of the names of Honouliuli and those who have passed and lived there.

One particular place I have only recently discovered was traditionally known as Kualaka‘i. This is the shoreline area in front of the Barbers Point military base. Once one makes through the former military roads under the hot sun, one discovers the beauty of Kualaka‘i. Two particular stretches of beaches (White Planes and Nimitz) are now known by English names. But let’s return to the name Kualaka’i, which resounds in the legends of time past.

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Tags: Barbers Point, Hawaiian Mythology, Hi'iakaikapoliopele, Honouliuli, Kahakai / Beaches, Kalaeloa, Kapolei, Kualaka'i, Nā Wahi Pana / Storied Places

Many in Hawai‘i are already familiar with makahiki, the period of time that lasts from roughly late October to the end of April. In pre-contact times, makahiki was a time of peace and tranquility, filled with festivities dedicated to the god Lono. But many are not entirely familiar with the other traditional Hawaiian season, kauwela-the word that also corresponds to the Western summer.

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Tags: heiau, ka ho‘omana Hawai‘i / Hawaiian religion, kauwela - summer, Kona - O'ahu, Ku, Kūpalaha, Lono, makahiki