Rice-Hazvaiiaii Legends 137 



Pikoi (pi-koi) : A weapon used in warfare and in robbing or plundering. It 

 was made of a piece of hard wood about two feet long, to which was attached 

 a long rope, the other end of which was tied to the wielder's wrist. When 

 the pikoi was thrown, the rope entangled the victim. 



PHi grass (pi-li) : Andropogon contortus, a long, coarse grass used in thatching 

 houses. 



Poi: A paste-like substance, generally made of the gray root of the kalo or 

 taro, but is sometimes made of sweet potato or breadfruit. Poi made from 

 taro was the chief food of the Hawaiians. 



Poi board: A board on which poi was pounded or prepared. 



Pola (po'-la): The high seat or platform between the canoes of a double canoe 

 or a platform built across a single canoe. 



Poopaa (po-o-pa'-a) : [Literally: hard heads.] An Hawaiian fish, very easy to 

 catch. Sometimes called oopu-kai (Cirrhitus marmoratus). 



Puhala (pu-ha'-la): The pandanus; a group of hala trees. 



Punei mats (pu-ne'i): The mats of a punei or bed, serving as springs and mat- 

 tress. 



Tapa (ta'-pa) or kapa: 1. The cloth beaten from the bark of the wauki, or paper 

 mulberry, and other similar trees. 2. Clothes in general; a cloak or shawl. 



Taro (ta-ro) or kalo: (Colocasia antiquorum v. esculentum.) A well-known 

 starchy vegetable of the Hawaiian islands, of which there are at least thirty- 

 six varieties. It is a species of arum esculentum, cultivated in artificial 

 water-beds and also on high, mellow, upland soil. It is commonly made into 

 a food by baking and pounding Into a hard paste. After fermenting and 

 slightly souring, it is diluted with water, then becoming poi. 



Tl or ki: (Cordyline terminalis), a plant, growing to twelve feet in height with 

 long, shiny green leaves, often used in cooking and in carrying bundles of 

 food; sometimes also for thatching roofs. 



Ukiuki (u'-ki-u'-ki) : A shrub or plant, braided into a strong rope, often used to 

 bind the thatching of houses. 



Ulua (u-Iu'-a) : A large Hawaiian fish of the genus Carangus,, very much prized 

 for eating. In the dedication of a new heiau an ulua was the preferred sacri- 

 fice. If one could not be caught, the moo (executioner) took the first man he 

 met, for the sacrifice. A hook was placed in the victim's mouth, as if he had 

 been a fish. 



Uniki (u-ni'-ki) : A secret sign; a religious ceremony for initiation. 



Uwau (u-wa'u): A water fowl. 



Wl (wi) : Neritina granosa, a fresh water snail or shell fish. 



Wiliwili (wi'-li-wi'-li) : Erythrina monosperma, a large tree, the timber of 

 which is, for its buoyancy made into outriggers for canoes. In former times 

 the best surf-boards were also made of wiliwili. The tree has a handsome 

 flower, generally scarlet, but more rarely orange, yellow, or white. 



