Pleasing the Dead (26 page)

A bit of history: Until the arrival of the missionaries around 1820, the Hawaiian language was completely oral. The Christian visitors began to record the language and teach the Hawaiian natives to read and write.

There are 12 Roman letters in the Hawaiian alphabet, plus two diacritical marks, the kahakÅ, which is a line over a vowel, and the âokina, which looks like a backwards apostrophe and signals a glottal stop. Because a word with an âokina can have an entirely different meaning than the same spelling without it, the âokina is considered a letter.

If you spend some time in the islands, you'll quickly pick up these terms. I've tried to use them so you can deduce the meaning from the context, but if you have any doubts or want further explanation, here are translations of commonly used words. Pidgin isn't Hawaiian; it's a combination of languages. When you're
pau
, you'll be ready for your next visit to the islands.
A hui hou aku
!

A hui hou aku
âgoodbye, or until we meet again

âaumakua
âa family totem, deified ancestors who assume the shape of plants or animals and helped the living

AuwÄ
âExpression of alarm. Alas, a wail to bemoan something.

hala
âthe Pandanus tree, whose leaves are woven into mats, satchels, hats, and other useful items

kahuna lÄâau lapaâau
âexperts who heal with medicines made from native plants

kekeface
âlocal pidgin slang for someone with bad acne, literally zit face

kukae
âpidgin for excrement, or shit

kolohe
âmischievous, naughty, full of fun

manÅ
âgeneral term for a shark

manÅ hae
âfierce shark or fighter

mauka
âtoward the mountains

omiyage
âtraditionally Japanese souvenirs, but now used to mean gifts that people take when they're visiting friends or business colleagues