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Winds

 

Ku ka liki o Nu'uanu i ka makani — "Nu'uanu draws her shoulders up in the wind." Said of a show-off (Pukui, ON #1891). The trade winds hit the windward side of the Pali and pile up clouds over Nu‘uanu's mountains.

 

Travellers to the Nu‘uanu, even today, experience the powerful winds that blow up the windward face of the pali. A Hawaiian expression refers to this as ka makani ka'ili kapa o Nu'uanu— "the garment-snatching wind of Nu'uanu." Pukui (1983, #1464) explains that "The gale that blows at Nu'uanu Pali, O'ahu, could whisk away the tapa garment of a traveler there." Elsewhere Pukui refers to ka makani kula'i kanaka o Nu'uanu—"The wind of Nu'uanu that pushes people over," as the strong gales at Nu‘uanu "were known to make travelers fall down" (1983, #1468).



 

Another proverb states, Ako Nu‘uanu i ka halau loa a ka makani; ‘ako Manoa i ka hale a ke ehu. "Gathered in Nu'uanu is the longhouse of the wind; gathered in Manoa is the house of rainy sprays" (Pukui 1983, #10). That the winds of Nu‘uanu evoked poetry is evident, and is even more apparent in a chant composed for Queen Kapi‘olani.

"He Lei no Kapi‘olani" ("The Lei of Kapi‘olani") is a name-chant (mele inoa) that describes Nu‘uanu Valley with its winds, its flowers, and its places. Ki‘owao is the name of the cliffs on the Kalihi side, and also the name of the wind at the Pali. It is a gentle land breeze and also, a stationery heavy fog that becomes a cloudburst.

Here we present one interpretation of this chant, from the Huapala website. As is typical of Hawaiian poetry, this chant will have many layers of meaning, and kaona (hidden meanings).

Queen Kapi‘olani

 

Ahihi

Flower of the Lehua ‘Ahihi.

 

Aia i Nu‘uanu ko lei nani
O ka `ahihi popohe i ka nahele

"There in Nu‘uanu is your beautiful lei
The shapely ‘ahihi flower in the woodland"

Ke hakua mai la e ke Ki‘owao
(*Haku ‘ia mai la e ke Ki‘owao)
Hoolawa i ka pua o ke Kamakahala

"That is woven by the Ki‘owao wind
(*alternate phrase)
Made plentiful by the flower of the Kamaakahala"

Notes:
Ki‘owao is a cool mountain rain accompanied by wind and fog sometimes associated with Alaka‘i swamp on Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale, Kaua‘i, as well as Nu‘uanu.
Kamakahala is a native genus of forest trees (Labordia), and three species with orange flowers were said to have been used in leis for chiefs.

 

Ua nani ka noho a Waipuhia
E hooma`u nei i ke oho palai

"Beautiful is the resting place of Waipuhia wind
That wets the palapalai fern"

Wehiwehi Lanihuli i ke kawelu
I puloku i ke alo a`o na pali

"Adorned is Lanihuli in the wind blown grass
Bright and sparkling on the face of the cliffs"


Notes:
Waipuhia is the "upside down falls."
Palai is short for palapalai fern.

The delicate lace of the Palapalai fern, often used in leis.

 

Hinano

Hinano, the male flowers of the pandanus.

 

Pau‘ole ke onaona o Kekele
Ka liko pua ‘a‘ala o ka hinano

"Endless is the fragrance of Kekele
The young fragrant flowers of the hinano"

Hanohanao Waolani i ke ‘Ehu wai
Ma ke kaka‘i pali o Maunawili

"Glorious is Waolani in the ‘Ehuwai wind
At the cliffs of Maunawili"

Notes:
Kekele is the stream and the area at Waipuhi, below the Pali lookout.
Maunawili is on the Kane‘ohe side of the Nu‘uanu Pali.

He aloha ia wai anu i ka ‘ili
Ka ualo a ka leo o ke kahuli


"Love to the water that is cold to the skin
The calling out of the voice of the land shell"

Ha‘ina ke ali‘i nona ka lei
O Kapi‘olani i ka ‘iu o luna

"Answering is the chiefess whose lei it is
Kapi‘olani at the highest point above."


O‘ahu land shells, called pupu in Hawaiian, are famous for the sound they made. The site Kaniakapupu is named for "The Singing of the Land Shells." These are now endangered species, and most are extinct.

 


 

As with the Ki‘owao, wind in Nu‘uanu is closely associated with rain.

 


 

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PILI

HCH

HGA

HGA