Rice — Hazvaiian Legends 133 



GLOSSARY 



It is the purpose of this glossary to give the meaning of the Hawaiian 

 words used in the text and to serve as a guide to pronunciation. The vowel 

 sounds in Hawaiian — with a f "w exceptions — are as follows : 



a (ah), as in father, alms, 

 e (eh), as in obey, prey. 

 i (ee), as in sheet, meet. 

 o (oh), as in open, bone, 

 u ( 00), as in loot, too, fool. 



Although each vowel is generally pronounced separately, the following combi- 

 nations are sometimes pronounced together in a single syllable: 

 ai, as i in quiet, or as y in fly. 

 au, as ow in cow. 

 ei, as ay in day. 

 iau, as yow in yowl, 

 oi as oy in boy. 



A-a (a'-a') : Rough lava stones. 



Akua (a-ku'a) : The name of any supernatural being, the object of fear or wor- 

 ship — a god, a ghost, a demi-god, a spirit. 



Aloha (a-lo'-ha) : A word expressing different feelings or emotions such as: love, 

 affection, gratitude, kindness, pity, tenderness, compassion, grief; also the 

 common salutation at parting or meeting for greeting or farewell. 



Apau (a-pa'u) : Beware. 



Auamo (au-a'-mo) : A lifting or carrying stick, like a yoke; a staff or pole for 

 carrying a burden; [au: a handle, and amo: to carry]. 



Awa (a'-wa): 1. Kava (Piper methysticum), a bitter, acrid tasting plant from the 

 root of which an intoxicating drink is made. 2. The liquor expressed from the 

 root of the plant. The drinking of awa causes the skin to crack and flake off. 



Day of Kau (Ka-u'): The longest day in the year. Midsummer Day. 



Hala (ha'-Ia): The puhala or screw-pine tree (Pandanus odoratissimis) from the 

 dried leaves of which mats are woven. Puhala really means a group or 

 clump of hala trees. As they usually grow together, puhala is the word gen- 

 erally used. 



Halemaumau (Ha'-Ie-mau-mau) : The crater of Kilauea volcano — "the home of 

 enduring fire." [Hale: house, home, habitation, and maumau: constant, 

 enduring.] 



Heiau (hei'-a'u): A sacred place or temple for the worship of one or more of the 

 Hawaiian gods. [The three principal gods were Ku, god of the land; Lono, 

 god of the sea; and Kane, the supreme god.] The large public heiaus were 

 usually enclosed with stone walls. One of the six houses of every chief's 

 regular establishment served as a private heiau. A heiau was sometimes 

 called an nnu,. 



Hula (hu'-la): 1. To dance; to play an instrument and dance; to sing and 

 dance. 2. The dance itself. To be proficient in the art of the hula meant a 

 long and arduous training in the various dances, as well as a knowledge of 

 inele and musical instruments. The novice was subject to a number of strict 

 rules as to diet, habits, etc. For instance, a pupil was not allowed to eat 



