Over the years writers, poets and artists of all mediums have strived to express the feeling of the inspiring beauty of Maui. This has resulted in many famous quotes starting in 1866 with Mark Twain and is still ongoing today with famous entertainers, mostly who live or are from Hawaii.
NĀNĀ I KE KUMU: Look to your Sense of Place and sources of spirit, and you find your truth.
Proverbs of ancient Hawaii are wise words that are still relevant today and give us a glimpse of the Hawaiian culture loved so much around the world. These proverbs are the ways of Aloha and are still taught to local children just as the ancient peoples of this land once taught their children.
Since there was no writing in ancient Hawaii the role that the spoken Hawaiian language played in the daily life of ancient Hawaiians was huge. All things in their life, from birth to death and beyond was explained and described. From tiny bits of bone and shell found outside an octopus burrow (‘ahilu) to a narrow channel running along a tide pool (‘amio) to the chill from being in a particular kind of wind (huehu) the Hawaiian language guided every facet and detail of their world. There chants and prayers were part of most every activity in the course of a day. From fishing to farming to eating to building and medicine, the language was used with much mana (spirit or power) to bring about wellbeing and balance.
They had many proverbs and one of the most well known and used is “i ka olele no ke ola, i ka olele no ka make. (in language there is life, in language there is death) This proverb has many meanings and points to the huge importance and respect Hawaiians have for their language. This is why it is important to learn some of the language and meanings if you’re visiting…it will go a long way in creating some Aloha with the locals you’ll meet.
