Anahulu Hoʻonui 5/8 – 5/17/24

Since we’ve been discussing some of the waters of Mānoa in these anahulu hoʻonui, let us now look a little more at the winds of this area that will help ease us through another finals week and into the summer. My first place of reference for wind names is in The Wind Gourd of Laʻamaomao, by Moses Kuaea Nakuina and translated by Esther T. Mookini and Sarah Nākoa. Below I have an excerpt from a chant of Oʻahu’s wind names across the moku of Kona: 

Puuokona is of Kuliʻouʻou

Ma-ua is the wind of Niu

Holouhā is of Kekaha

Māunuunu is of Waiʻalae

The wind of Lēʻahi turns here and there

ʻŌlauniu is of Kahaloa

Waiʻōmaʻo is of Pālolo

Kuehu-lepo is of Kahua

Kukalahale is of Honolulu

ʻAoʻaoa is of Māmala

ʻŌlauniu is of Kapālama

Haupeʻepeʻe is of Kalihi

Ko-momona is of Kahauiki

Hoʻeʻo is of Moanalua (43)

We might notice that there is no one name for the wind of Mānoa, so our points of reference will be other, more specific place names of this ʻāina. If we recall Makanikeoe’s travels in He Moʻolelo Kaʻao No Laukaʻieʻie from one mahina ago, we might remember that Kahaloa is a name of the shoreline of Waikīkī. The name of the wind there is ʻŌlauniu and might refer to how the wind pierces the lau niu, or coconut leaves. Certainly during our Aloha ʻĀina Fridays workshop, we felt the strength of this wind high in the canopies of the palm and coconut trees, reminding us to breathe. Kahaloa is known for the fragrance of limu līpoa, so perhaps that’s why we were all breathing a little easier.