Anahulu Hoʻonui 6/7 – 6/16/24
UHM NH Updates: Anahulu Hoʻonui June 2024 Friday 6/7 - Sunday 6/16
Aloha mai kākou,
Dear readers, in the light of this new lunar month, we will continue our journey following the names of the winds of Oʻahu as printed in The Wind Gourd of Laʻamaomao by Moses Kuaea Nakuina and translated by Esther T. Mookini and Sarah Nākoa. The following excerpt features the winds of ʻEwa, Waiʻanae, and Waialua, three moku on the leeward side of this island:
Moaʻe-ku is of Ewaloa
Kēhau is of Waiopua
Waikōloa is of Līhuʻe
Kona is of Puʻuokapolei
Māunuunu is of Puʻuloa
Kaiāulu is of Waiʻanae
Kumumaʻomaʻo is of Kamaile
Kumaipo is of Kualele
Kopiliehu is of Olopua
The wind of Kaʻena turns in two directions
Hinakokea is of Mokulēʻia
The winds of Waialua blow
Moving silently at the cape of Kaʻena
Puʻu-kaʻala blows at Kaʻala
Kēhau is of Kapo (43)
Some of us might be more familiar with these winds than others, yet there are many resonances for us to follow and explore. While the famous Kaiāulu wind of Waiʻanae is often mentioned in mele and songs, there are many winds that are distinguishable by other features or characteristics.
For example, Māunuunu is the wind name of Puʻuloa in ʻEwa, and if we recall from one malama ago, Māunuunu is also the name of the wind of Waiʻalae in Kona. Being from ʻEwa, I have experienced the wind of Puʻuloa more frequently and intimately than that of Waiʻalae, yet my pilina to this wind extends beyond just a single place. Based on my experiences, Māunuunu is a sea wind that arrives from the southern shores, and there are likely similar complex weather and geographic patterns that form in both Puʻuloa and Waiʻalae as a result of this wind’s path.
Anahulu Reflection:
What does it mean for two places to share a wind? Or for two people to share a name? In turn, how might these winds and names shape us? For those of us who share a sea wind, perhaps we are familiar with the taste of salt carried onto shore by the sea spray.
For others of us who are perhaps still building pilina with winds or are seeking threads and resonances with the above names and places, are there names that are catching your attention and inviting you to learn more? Next anahulu hoʻonui, we will continue our journey to the Koʻolau side of the Oʻahu, where we’ll continue to celebrate our winds that keep us cool during these long summer days.