Please find here two Hawaiian language resources developed by Hā Kūpuna. The first is a glossary of Hawaiian words and the second is a collection of ʻōlelo noʻeau (sayings) and nane (riddles) pertaining to ancestors, elders, aging, and elderhood.
These collections were compiled as part of a bigger effort to explore the large repository of digitized Hawaiian language newspapers for Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) perspectives on elderhood. In our preliminary research, two things jumped out at us that highlighted a need to develop the resources found on this page. For one, it struck the research team that common epithets like kanikoʻo (the sound of a cane), palalauhala (skin soft and yellowed as a pandanus leaf), and haumakaʻiole (blurred eyes of a rat), when translated into English, may appear unflattering, yet in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, they reflect desirable qualities that mark longevity that often appear in prayers for long life. Second, the research team realized that the most commonly used word pertaining to elders, kupuna, has shifted in use over time. Originally, the word kupuna applies specifically to elders with a familial relation to the speaker, whereas today it is used interchangeably to apply to any elderly person, even those who may not be related.
The Glossary contains 231 selected definitions of words and terms related to elders, aging, and elderhood as taken from the 1986 Pukui and Elbert dictionary and the 1865 dictionary created by Reverend Lorrin Andrews. The glossary includes an index that is divided into 33 themes (i.e. Aging & stages of life, familial terms, gendered terms, hair color, Physical strength and state, and more) and 27 subthemes to aid the reader in browsing for words by topic.
The ʻŌlelo Noʻeau collection contains 109 sayings and riddles relevant to ancestors, elders, aging, and elderhood. These sayings and riddles are derived from three sources: the 1997 publication of Mary Kawena Pukui’s ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, A 1978 publication of Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings by Henry P. Judd, and Handy and Pukui’s The Polynesian Family System in Kaʻū (1998).
It is our hope that these collections increase accessibility to Kanaka Maoli insights and perspectives pertaining to elders to facilitate responsible and thoughtful care for Kanaka Maoli elders today.
We are happy to provide this resource to our community at no cost. A limited number of hard copies are available. Please send inquiries to our Project Coordinator, Shelley Muneoka, at muneokas@hawaii.edu
Click here to download the glossary: E Ola ā Kau ā Kanikoʻo.
Click here to download the ʻōlelo noʻeau and nane collection: E Ola ā Kau Kō Kea.