Kaila Hawai'i

“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 [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is honua, or world, earth, or land. It may also mean fundamental.
There is a quite beautiful ʻōlelo noʻeau (traditional saying) that refers to this great earth of Kāne, the Hawaiian akua of fresh water and life.
Ka honua nui a Kāne i hōʻinana a ‘ahu kīnohinohi.
{The great Earth animated and [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]