Anahulu Hoʻonui 6/7 – 6/16/24

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.