He lanikuʻuwaʻa ko Kalalau - Kalalau has a wind named Lanikuʻuwaʻa. These words come from a chant done by Kuapākaʻa when he and his father, Pākaʻa, meet Keawenuiaʻumiʻs fleet of canoes at sea. It is one of over a hundred winds that Kuapākaʻa chants before opening the wind gourd of Laʻamaomao and unleashing a furious storm as part of an elaborate plan to force the chief and his party to land on Molokai. It is also one of over a thousand winds named by our kūpuna. Careful observation and the forging of deep relationships with the world around them yielded countless names for winds and rains, each with its own nature, belonging to a certain place that had also been denominated. Kalalau valley on Kauaʻi is one of the crowning emeralds of Hawaiʻi. Once home to Hawaiian people and kalo cultivation, Kalalau is now a state park. Many of the loʻi walls have been destroyed by cattle and invasive species such as Java Plum (Syzygium cumini). Feral goats have caused massive erosion problems and damage to the native flora (an unchecked population of thousands roams the Na Pali coast). Rogue campers and illegal residents contribute to the degradation of cultural sites and the ecological issues the valley now faces as a major tourist destination. Unceasing waves of change have modified Kalalau and most other places in Hawaiʻi. Our winds and rains remain, however, like voices of the past, reminding us of what came before, urging us to keep that knowledge alive.

The most popular flower in all of Hawaiian poetry must surely be the gorgeous and charismatic lehua. Sweetheart, beloved friend or relative, and expert are just a few of the figurative definitions of this word. The metaphorical uses are many and found in innumerable compositions both old and new. Can you even count how many songs you know or have heard that talk about the mist settling on the lehua blossom? And what about the variety of colors of the lehua, including the mysterious lehua kea (white lehua)? Do you think Lehua, the woman, was happy to be turned into the bright red blossom after jealous Pele turned the man who loved her into the ʻōhiʻa tree? Could you imagine arriving at the spring Koʻolihilihi to find the makaloa bedecked with lehua blossoms to tickle your cheeks as you partake in the cool water? Moʻolelo abound regarding lehua. The flower and tree (also called ʻōhiʻa lehua) are as ubiquitous in culture as they are on the ʻāina. They occur from mountains to ocean, wet to dry, in a variety of forms, earning them the scientific name Metrosideros polymorpha (polymorpha = "many forms"). The wood of the ʻōhiʻa has many practical uses from kiʻi (carved images) to house rafters to canoe parts (and much more). The lehua and the leaves of the ʻōhiʻa are also known to be medicinal. Ka pua nēnē hiwa - The beloved flower.

Kaulana ʻo Kainana Puakalani
Pelekikena nui hui holo lio
Nāna i noiʻi a pau pono
Nā kāhiko nani o nā hoa
He ʻeleu nō ʻoe ma ia hana
Ka pono ka ʻiʻini o ka makemake
I ke koʻiʻi koi a ka manaʻo
I ka noelo ʻia me ke akamai
Puka pono nā hana me ka hauʻoli
Lanakila ka wahine a mau loa
Ka hiwahiwa ʻoe a ka lehulehu
Ua kau pono hoʻi i ke kiʻekiʻe
Noho ana kō kino i ka hanohano
Ua sila paʻa ʻia kou kūlana
A ʻo ʻoe ē ka ʻoi a i ʻike ʻia
Ka helu ʻekahi o ke ao nei
Kāʻeʻaʻeʻa ʻoe na ke kupuna
He ʻike loea ua kaulana
Haʻina ka puana a i lohe ʻia
Kaʻōnohiokalā Hui Holo Lio

Haku ʻia e kekahi Puʻuwai Aloha - Nupepa Kuokoa 17 Aug. 1906

Lizzie Puahi & Kaʻōnohiokalā For their official debut at the 1906 Kamehameha Day parade, Lizzie Puahi’s pāʻū riding club came out radiant: loulu hats, lei ʻilima, white tops and pants, flowing yellow pāʻū, and black sashes emblazoned in gold lettering with their name: Kaʻōnohiokalā. The group splashed onto the scene and made a big impression. President and treasurer Lizzie Kainana Puahi was a talented and well-known member of the Honolulu community and always hosted the club (which included kāne) at her Waikīkī home, the site of lavish lūʻau, high society parties, and evenings of Hawaiian entertainment. Born in 1853 and trained in hula and mele (likely under royal patronage), Lizzie experienced life before and after the overthrow. In 1913, she ran her own group of hula dancers at her infamous Waikīkī “hula resort”, which anti-Hawaiian detractors tried to shut down. Hula and pāʻū riding were ways in which Lizzie persisted in being Hawaiian in the face of massive pressure to assimilate into American lifeways. Lizzie stood firm in her culture and her aloha for her Queen; the name Kaʻōnohiokalā recognised Liliʻu’s reign (“ka mea nona ia ʻōnohi”), as well as Kalākaua’s (“ka mea nona ka lā a me ka ua.”). The pageantry and parties didn’t preclude hard work either; Lizzie and her family, with their own sweat and dollars, fixed a mile of neglected road in Kalihi Uka. She was also known for the power of her pule, which was called upon on several occasions. A true renaissance woman, Lizzie did it all. We are keen to know more. Please email us if you are ʻohana to this amazing wahine!

Ou kino, e Kāne i ka ʻōlapa o ka uila, i ka lapa mauna e kū ai ka ʻohe niolo, i ka lapa ʻohe miu e hoʻonani ai i ka ʻaʻahu o ke aliʻi! ʻO ko mākou wahi kānaenae e kau aʻela i luna, he aloha a he mahalo ia i ke akua nona ka ʻohe. ʻO ka lāʻau nō ia a nā loea e hoʻolilo aku ai i mea hana no ke kaha hoʻonaninani ʻana i ke kapa, ʻo ia hoʻi ka lapa. Lapalapa ke ahi o loko ke ʻike aku ka maka i nā lau kuapapa a kupanaha a nā kūpuna i hana aku ai me ua mea hana ʻohe nei, a pēlā i ulu aʻe ai ka ʻiʻini haku lau i loko o mākou. ʻO ka mea hilu loa, he wahi ʻāpana ʻohe ka lapa akā he kini a lehu nā nani a ka lima mikiʻoi e hana aku ai ma o nei kinolau nohea o Kāne. ʻAʻole naʻe e poina a hoʻohemahema i ka inoa o Laʻahana, kekahi o nā kaikamāhine o Maikohā i lilo i ʻaumakua no ka poʻe hoʻonoʻenoʻe a kāpala i ke kapa. Iā ia paha ke kalokalo ʻana i nani kūpono kahi lau, i maiau a maʻemaʻe nō hoʻi ka hana a ka lima. A pēlā nō nā kūpuna nāna nā kapa nani ʻoi kelakela e waiho nei ma nā hale hōʻikeʻike o ka honua. Ma laila nō e ʻike ai i ke kūlana kiʻekiʻe o ka hana lapa, a he hōʻike nō ia i ka noʻeau a me nā ʻano nani i mahalo ʻia e nā kānaka ma mua o ka hiki ʻana mai o ko waho. Ke ʻike kākou i ia mau kapa kahiko, he mea paha ia e hoʻākea aku ai i ko kākou manaʻo no ia mea he kapa, a no ka mea ma mua o ka laha ʻana o ka ʻohe kāpala, ʻo ka lapa ka mea i hoʻohana nui ʻia.
If we look back to the earliest roots of kapa designs, we find the visually stunning aesthetic our kūpuna created with lapa. Lapa are bamboo tools (aka “liners”) used to decorate kapa. Some resemble a knife and are used to make a single line. Others look like forks with anywhere from two to eight “tines” (prongs), or possibly more, for making multiple lines at once. They are dipped into printing ink then pulled across the surface of a kapa. The tines also vary in thickness and spacing, allowing for endless combinations of lines. The oldest surviving kapa show us this was the prominent technique for applying design before any outside influences and prior to ʻohe kāpala becoming predominant. Some pieces were decorated exclusively with stripes of varying widths and colors. Other times an artist used a straight edge (also bamboo) to lay down bold geometric shapes, then filled them with more lines (straight and wavy), dots and other hand-accents. These techniques produced a spectacular array of designs, many of them several layers deep. The sophisticated compositions of these early pieces challenge our perceptions of Hawaiian aesthetics and show us just how intricate and imbricate design was prior to western contact. Unfortunately, many of the best examples of designs made with this simple, but elegant technology now live in overseas museums and photographs are our only point of access.

Kauilanuimakaʻehaikalani Nani ka pōhihihi o ke kālailai ʻana i ke ʻano o nā akua Hawaiʻi. ʻO kahi mea akāka leʻa a nā kūpuna i hōʻike noʻeau mai ai ma nā mele koʻihonua, ua māhele ʻia ua mau akua nui nei i loko o nā mea like ʻole. Pēlā hoʻi ʻo Kāne, ke akua nona nā kinolau he nui manomano e piha ai ka lani (a me ka honua): ʻO nā hōkū kapu a Kāne, ʻo ka mahina nui a Kāne, ʻo ka lā nui a Kāne i hoʻolewa ʻia i ka lewa nui a Kāne. He mau kinolau kēia e pili ana i ke ahi hulili a me ka wela okooko. Pēlā nō hoʻi ke kinolau e hāpaimemeue ʻia nei ma ka lau nei, ʻo ka uila hoʻi. ʻO Kauilanuimakaʻehaikalani kekahi o nā kinolau uila o Kāne (ʻo kekahi inoa ʻo Kauilanuimākēhāikalani a me Kauilanuiʻoakaikalani). ʻO ka hōʻeu, ke kukupu, a me ka ʻīnana nā hana a Kāne, a ua like paha nā hana a kēia kinolau nei ona, ʻo ia hoʻi, he lalapa, he ʻoaka, a he ʻanapa mai nō i nā wā ʻano koʻikoʻi paha (e laʻa ka hānau ʻia mai o kekahi aliʻi). Ma mua o ka hehi ʻana o ka wāwae i ke ala hou, ma ka hoʻomaka ʻana i kekahi hana hou, ma ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā mea hou e holomua ai ʻo kānaka, ma ia mau wā nō e kāhea aku ai iā ia. Pēlā ʻo Kamiki mā i ka wā e ʻailolo ana no ka paʻa mai o ka ʻike lua. Pēlā nō hoʻi ʻo Pele i ka wā i haʻalele ai ʻo Hiʻiaka i kona huakaʻi, kāhea ʻo ia i kēia kaikunāne o lākou e “pili i ka pāʻū” o kona lei i hiʻia i ka poli. He laʻana nui kēlā e maopopo ai, ua mana wale ka uila ma ka pale ʻana i ka ʻino a me ka wehe ʻana i ke ala hou. Ma kona ʻano he mea e pili ai ko ka lani me ko ka honua, he hōʻailona nō hoʻi no ka mana kuʻuna o nā aliʻi a me ka ʻike kuʻuna o nā kupuna nui o kākou iō kikilo loa. E hoaka mai nō ka miu o kou ʻihi lani, e ke akua ē!

Our akua, in all their splendor, are numerous, often tangible, and threaded throughout our living world, enlivening its fabric and constantly shaping our human experience. Kāne’s presence is ubiquitous; the incredible heat of his kapu radiates from the sun and animates the moon, stars, and all the celestial bodies we see in the sky, which he also created. He breathes the light of life into earth’s vegetation, sustaining us at a fundamental level. His myriad kinolau (physical forms) delight and often inspire awe, like the one being honored here: uila (lightning). Uila is one of Kāne’s most powerful manifestations, reaching temperatures hotter than the surface of his sun. This akua is recognized by several names including Kauilanuimakaʻehaikalani and he is summoned when we begin new endeavors, embark on new paths, and innovate to improve. He keeps pernicious influences at bay and protects our efforts as we launch off in new directions. This is perhaps why Pele called this brother of theirs to come and put his mana into Hiʻiaka’s “lightning skirt” before she set off on her journey. Hiʻiaka summons him herself when faced with foes and uses the power of her skirt to defend herself against them. Together with Kānehekili, their storms cleanse and remove obstacles through fire and water. Uila is a common motif seen on some of the oldest surviving kapa in museums today, pieces that likely belonged to chiefs whose divine inheritance is symbolized by this beautiful form.

If there is any iʻa (marine life form) that just screams out sexy, it is the gorgeously feminine leho (cowry). Hawaiʻi boasts 35 species of leho, nine of which are endemic. It is debatable which part of the shell is more attractive, the beautifully plump and round decorated top, or the toothed slit on the bottom side (a feature unique to cowries). Some feel the most stunning aspect is the soft fleshy mantle that comes out of the shell's opening and wraps around it, secreting a substance that forms a protective enamel and gives cowries the glossy sheen they are so famous for. If that is not enough, the "hula ʻālaʻapapa" that the lūheʻe (octopus lure) performs, via the skilled hand of the fisherman, to entice the heʻe (octopus) has to be one of the most romantic fishing traditions ever. The male pōhaku (stone) and the female leho, locked in a lover's embrace, dance to seduce the octopus who becomes so aroused that it must "honi" (kiss) the shell. When it does, the fisherman yanks firmly upward, lodging the kākala (hook) into the heʻe. Prized lūheʻe were often named for an ancestor in a family and handed down. Auē kou popohe, kou ʻauliʻi ē! My goodness how shapely, how exquisite you are! Though leho are some of the most stunning shells to be collected, over-harvesting of live shells has caused their overall size to decrease and their populations to dwindle. Let's mālama our leho by leaving the living treasures alone and taking only empty hale (houses) home with us.

The most popular flower in all of Hawaiian poetry is surely the gorgeous and charismatic lehua. Legend says that Lehua, a woman, was turned into the bright red blossom after jealous Pele turned her lover into the ʻōhiʻa tree. So, sweetheart, beloved friend or relative and expert are just a few of the figurative definitions of this word. Metaphorical uses of lehua are found in innumerable stories and songs both old and new. Can you even count how many mele you've heard that talk about the mist settling on the lehua blossom? And what about the many colors of lehua, including the mysterious lehua kea (white lehua)? Imagine arriving at the spring Koʻolihilihi to find the makaloa bedecked with lehua blossoms to tickle your cheeks as you partake in the cool water! The lehua flower and the ʻōhiʻa tree are as ubiquitous in our culture as they are on the ʻāina. ʻŌhiʻa occurs from mountains to ocean and wet to dry in a variety of forms, thus the scientific name Metrosideros polymorpha (polymorpha = many forms). Its wood was used for images, house rafters, canoe parts and much more. The lehua and the leaves of the ʻōhiʻa are also known to be medicinal.

E kiliʻopu ana nō me ka lehua kilipohe - Absorbed in pleasure with the moist and shapely lehua.

ʻO ka launa mua ʻana o Hinaʻaiulunui lāua ʻo Kūʻaikauaakama, nā mākua o Haʻinakolo, aia nō ma ka wailele ʻo Hiʻilawe. Aia ʻo Kū i luna o ka pali a hoʻolei iho ʻo ia i ka lei lehua a me ka pōpō i lalo o ke kiʻowai, kahi e ʻauʻau nei ʻo Hina. Luʻu iho ʻo Hina a aea aʻe, kau ana ka lei ma kona poʻo. Eia kā Hoʻoulumāhiehie: “He aha lā hoʻi nei mea i pā iho nei i luna o koʻu poʻo?” A ma ia wā i piʻi koke aʻe ai kona mau lima e hāhā aʻe i ka mea kamahaʻo i pā iho ai i luna o kona poʻo. Ma ia lalawe ʻana aʻe o kona mau lima, aia hoʻi, pā aʻela kona mau manamana lima i nā lihilihi pua lehua, a lelehune ihola ka heleleʻi ʻana a ia mau lihilihi nani a lana ihola i luna o nā ʻaleʻale wai; a hoʻomaopopo ihola ia, he pāpahi lei lehua ka i hēkau iho ma luna o kona poʻo. “He keu kā hoʻi ka mea kupaianaha!” wahi āna i hoʻōho aʻe ai iā ia iho, “He pāpahi lei lehua kā paha hoʻi kēia i kau iho nei i luna o koʻu poʻo? Na wai lā hoʻi i hoʻolei iho nei i kēia lei ma luna oʻu?”...Me he mea lā i ʻoā ʻia aʻe ko ia nei mau maka, pā hou ana ko ia nei poʻo i kekahi mea, a hāʻule ana ma ko ia nei alo, he pōpō lehua. Lālau ihola kēia i ua pōpō lehua nei a honi ihola. ʻOiai kēia e hoʻomaumau ana i ka honi ʻana i ua pōpō lehua nei āna, ʻo ka wā ia i ʻō mai ai kekahi wāwae o kekahi ānuenue kupaianaha mai luna mai o ka wēlau pali, mai kahi mai o ke kanaka uʻi āna i ʻike aku ai, a poʻipū ihola i ke kiʻowai a ia nei e ʻauʻau ana. A ia manawa nō hoʻi kēia i ʻike aku ai i ka iho ʻana mai o ua kanaka malihini nei a ke kupaianaha ma loko o ke ānuenue.

Before Haʻinakolo could even become a twinkle in Hinaʻaiulunui’s eye, Kūʻaikauaakama had to ignite the spark of love in her. His first act of courtship is one that should never fade from the record of Hawaiian romance. It took place at the famous and beautiful waterfall known as Hiʻilawe, where the young chiefess would often bathe. One fine, clear day, Hina arrived at the pool and just as she was about to disrobe and enter the cool waters, she saw the reflection of a very attractive man in the pond. She looked up at the pali on the Hāmākua side of Waipiʻo and saw a man standing there, waving at her. Butterflies rose up in her as she waved back to him, then bravely removed her pāʻū and entered the water, knowing he could see her from afar, but thinking he would just continue on his way. She dove down and when she came back up, a lei lehua was sitting on her head. Amazed, she touched it and lehua stamens fluttered down onto the rippling water around her. Then she felt something else touch her head and a bouquet of lehua flowers fell in front of her. As she grabbed the beautiful bunch and inhaled its fragrance, she saw a rainbow come down from the top of the cliff and cover the pool and rocks nearby. Riding down in this rainbow came the incredibly handsome man, who touched down next to the pool and greeted Hina warmly. This first meeting of the young lovers lit a fire within Hina that immediately burned hot. For a fuller translation of this part of Haʻinakolo, visit Kealopiko Moʻolelo and look for the piece entitled Ka Pāpahi Lei Lehua.

Though the native species of the genus Lysimachia (many of them rare or endangered) are small and sort of inconspicuous shrubs that are easily missed by the untrained eye, the beauty of their blossoms is forever burned into the mind of those lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Their petals are a deep wine to purple red with beautifully prominent veins. The design on the garment you are holding is a tribute to two of the endemic species in this genus: Lysimachia filifolia, an extremely rare species which clings to the faces of waterfalls in windward Oahu, and Lysimachia remyi, which dwells in the wet cliffs or rock walls of mid-elevation habitats on both Molokai and Maui. It is our hope that these species and their habitats will be protected and cared for for generations to come. Each unique species we lose is a small part of ourselves that is forever gone. Ka pua ʻula hiwa i ka ʻohu o ka pali, me ʻoe nō kuʻu aloha - Precious deep red blossom adorned by the mist of the high cliffs, with you dwells my affection.

Our kūpuna intricately divided land and sea, naming each division for activities done there, certain characteristics, or for things that swim, grow, or otherwise exist there. They did the same with the space around us, forming a complex 3D map. Highlighted here are two sets of divisions. The lani, or sky spaces, begin with the kumulani (horizon), upon which the paiakualani (walls of the sky) rest. Above that are other sky spaces including the lani paa, the track along which all celestial bodies travel. We can think of these lani as forming a dome shape over us, under which are the lewa or airspaces closer to humans. The lewa closest to earth is the lewa hoomakua, the space formed when we lift one foot off the ground. When we hang from a tree, we hang in the hakaalewa. Birds fly in the lewa nuu. The highest lewa is the lewa lani, the closest one to the lani. When we look into these lewa and lani today we observe the same incredible celestial phenomena that our kūpuna did, the same beings and elemental powers they acknowledged as their lifelines and guidance in maintaining a thriving society and culture here in Hawaiʻi. *Spellings and divisions of words are as they appear in the Hawaiian-language newspaper article by Samuel Kamakau. Additional sets of terms can be found in the writings of other authors.

The lines full of motion that make up this design are our interpretation of the much sought after limu ʻeleʻele (Enteromorpha prolifera). People describe the way this limu sways and moves with the flow of the water, like emerald strands of hair. Nā maʻawe māewa o ka wai kai - The swaying strands of the brackish water - is an ʻōlelo that speaks to the way this species moves as well as where it is found. ʻEleʻele only grows where fresh and sea water are allowed to mingle. Thus, the diversion of streams and other waterways has reduced the overall amount of habitat where ʻeleʻele can grow. Poor water quality also hampers the ability of this species to flourish. These are reminders that how we care for both our oceans and fresh water resources affects our ability to enjoy this particular food long loved by our ancestors. It is still enjoyed by people today, especially with beef stew. Our kūpuna also used ʻeleʻele as a poultice on the skin to treat boils, or mixed it with limu pālāwai and salt and applied it to cuts.

Hawaiʻi has 22 endemic species of palms belonging to the genus Pritchardia. They occur on Nihoa and throughout the main Hawaiian islands from the sea to the mountains (as high as 6,500 ft. in Kohala). Approximately half of these species are threatened, rare or endangered, due to habitat loss as well as the fact that their seeds, called hāwane or wāhane, are delicious to rats. Mamo birds and people of old also dined on these delicious nuts. From the wood of the trunk our kūpuna fashioned a spear called an ʻauʻau that had shark's teeth at one end. They used the large, fanlike leaves as roof thatching and to weave hats with (paʻaoloulu are the young leaves used for this). Nā ʻēheu o Kana - the wings of Kana - is a reference to a legend about a man named by this name who strapped the leaves of the loulu palm to his arms and flew from Molokai's north shore cliffs down onto Huelo islet. There, he dropped his wings (ʻēheu) and the loulu forests grew up. Today, Huelo and neighboring islet Mōkapu are the main habitats for Pritchardia hillebrandii (a.k.a. loulu lelo), one of four species endemic to Molokai (P. forbesiana, P. lowreyana, and P. munroi are the others).

Iā Mailekaluhea lā e lāhai ana i luna, e naʻi ana i ka pōʻiuʻiu o ka lewa, ua walea wale ʻo ia i ka ʻīnikiniki ʻana mai o ka huʻi miki a ka ua ʻawa i kona ʻili. ʻIlihia lā hoʻi ke anaina o lalo i ka hana a nei kupua e linohau ana i ka ʻahuʻula hoʻokalakupua, e lanakila ana hoʻi ma luna o ke kaikamahine koa o ka hoʻolele lupe ʻana, a pēlā i ola ai kona hoa paio i pili i kona mau iwi ma ua hoʻokūkū hoʻolele lupe nei. Mai kēlā mua aku, ua kapa ʻia ka inoa o ia ʻāina, kahi o kēia hoʻokūkū kaulana, ʻo Wailupe. He wai hoʻi ia e hoʻohāliʻaliʻa mai ana i ka mōkila lʻu wai o Wailua, ʻo Kaweloleimakua hoʻi, ka mea nāna i hoʻowiʻuwiʻu i ka lupe a ke keiki aliʻi, a Kauahoa, a moku ihola ke kaula, a lilo akula i ka makani. Kani ka pihe o kānaka i ka ʻike ʻana i ke akamai a me ka maʻalea o Kawelo. ʻO ia maʻalea like paha ke ʻano o nā kahuna ma ko lākou kāhea ʻana iā Lōlupe, ke akua kino lupe, ka mea e alakaʻi i nā ʻuhane e ʻimi ana e hōʻino i ke aliʻi i ka make. ʻO nā ʻuhane maikaʻi hoʻi, alakaʻi ʻia akula i ke ola. Ola mau ʻo Heʻeia iā Lupe Kiaʻi Nui, ka hīhīmanu hanohano, kaulana hoʻi i kona lele maoli ʻana aʻe i ka lewa, i mea e e alualu a e hoʻokuke aku ai i nā iʻa kūpono ʻole i komo hewa i ka loko iʻa. ʻEhia nō naʻi ʻana o nā kūpuna i nei mea noʻeau ʻo ka hoʻolele lupe!

Pā mai, pā mai ka makani o Hilo! ʻO ka ipu nui, lawea mai! ʻO ka ipu iki waiho aku! Blow, blow, wind of Hilo! Bring the big gourd and leave the small one! That is how to raise the wind for kite-flying, which was a fun activity in olden times, but also a way to fish and a tool used by kahuna. Lōlupe is the god whose form is a kite. He was called upon to ensnare spirits trying to harm chiefs and to transform the ruling chief into a deified ancestor after death. Death could have been the outcome for the girl who bet her bones in a kite-flying contest, but her newfound friend, Mailekaluhea, donned a magical feather cape and flew high in the sky like a kite. This won the bet, saved the girl's life, and Wailupe became the new name of the land where this famed contest took place. Kites were made from kapa and light woods (like ʻohe and hau) and the string was made of olonā. Mary Kawena Pukui identifies certain main kite shapes (lupe lā, lupe mahina, lupe manu, lupe maoli) and specific names for the hānai (body shape) of kites are found in the stories of our kūpuna.

E nai ana i ka pōʻiuʻiu - Reaching the highest heights.

These shells, known by the common name cowries, are some of the most beautiful iʻa (marine life forms) in our islands. Hawaiʻi boasts 35 species of leho, nine of which are endemic, and many species belonging to the genera Cypraea and Lyncia. Leho have a decorated top and a toothed opening on the bottom side (a feature unique to cowries). It has a soft fleshy mantle (part of the animal that lives inside) that comes out of the shell's opening and wraps around it, coating the shell's outside in layers of protective enamel. This is what gives cowries the glossy sheen they are so famous for. These gorgeous shells come out at night to feed. Some eat limu, or seaweed (using their radula - a band of tiny scraping teeth), while others also consume sponges and various organisms. The female leho sits on her eggs, much the way a bird does, till they hatch and enter the planktonic stage. Eventually they settle somewhere and grow. Hawaiians eat leho and use the shells as scrapers. They also use them for lūheʻe (octopus lures). Back in the day, certain leho were smoked over a fire to achieve the right color for catching heʻe at a particular time of day. Though leho are some of the most stunning shells to be collected, over-harvesting of live shells has caused their overall size to decrease and their populations to dwindle. Let's mālama our leho by leaving the living treasures alone and taking only empty hale (houses) home with us. Auē kou popohe, kou ʻauliʻi ē! My goodness how shapely, how exquisite you are!

The lines full of motion that make up this design are our interpretation of the much sought after limu ʻeleʻele (Enteromorpha [Ulva] prolifera). People describe the way this limu sways and moves with the flow of the water to be like strands of waving emerald hair. Nā maʻawe māewa o ka wai kai - The swaying strands of the brackish water - is an ʻōlelo that speaks not only to the way this species moves, but also where it is found. Limu ʻeleʻele only grows where fresh and sea water are allowed to mingle, a perfect example of why streams are meant to flow uninterrupted to the ocean. Diversion and de-watering of streams and other waterways has reduced the overall amount of habitat where limu ʻeleʻele can grow. Poor water quality also hampers the ability of this species to flourish. These are reminders that how we care for both our oceans and fresh water resources affects our ability to have access to this particular food long loved by our ancestors. Despite its decreasing availability, those who can still get it today savor its wonderful flavor, whether alone or with modern foods such as beef stew. Our kūpuna also used limu ʻeleʻele as a poultice on the skin to treat boils and mixed it with limu pālāwai and salt to treat cuts.

Ke paʻa ka mole o ke aloha ʻāina i loko nōkī o kākou, ʻaʻohe mea nāna e kulaʻi. He nui nā hiʻohiʻona o ia mea, a ʻo kekahi nō ka hilinaʻi ʻana i ko loko. Ke kākou paipai i nā kānaka o Hawaiʻi, a kahu i nā kumu waiwai ponoʻī o ka ʻāina, he holomua maoli ka loaʻa, ʻaʻole ʻo ka loaʻa paiālewa o ke kaukaʻi ʻana i nā waiwai a me nā kānaka no waho mai. Pēlā ka naʻauao o kekahi mea kākau nāna kēia mau huaʻōlelo (Ke Au Okoa, 26 December 1872): “ʻO ke kūlana paʻa, a me ko kākou mau ʻano maoli, e ka lāhui Hawaiʻi, ua maopopo nō iā kākou, he poʻe kākou i kanu ʻia i loko o ka mahina ʻai o ka lōkahi, i kīpulu ʻia me nā hau o ka noho maluhia, a i ulu a ohaoha, me ka pipili mau ʻana aku o ko kākou mau puʻuwai i ka hiʻipoi aloha aliʻi a me ke aloha ʻāina pumehana! ʻAʻole kākou he lāhui lana wale ma luna o ka lewa o ka wai, e like me kahi poʻe limu kala ʻāhiu o ke kai, i pae wale mai ma ko kākou nei mau kapakai, a lilo no lākou ke ao a me ka hoʻoulukū manaʻo kalalea ʻana mai, e hoʻāʻo ana e ʻōʻū i ka muʻo o ko kākou mau aloha aliʻi a me ke aloha ʻāina!” A no laila, e ka hū o ka ʻāina hoʻokahi, e paʻa ka lima i ka ʻōʻō, a e kala aku i ke au o ka manaʻo e kō ʻauana aʻe ana iā kākou e ʻimi i ka holomua ma nā mea o waho ala. Mai maliu i ka leo o ka manu kōlea a me ka ʻala o ka limu pae. Aia nō ka pono ʻo ka huliāmahi ʻana ma ka mahina ʻai o ka lōkahi.

Of the many types of limu (seaweed) that grow in the waters of Hawaiʻi, limu kala (comprising four endemic species of Sargassum) is the main kind used in rituals involving forgiveness and release, which are meanings of the word kala. In hoʻoponopono, or the process of setting things right, individuals in a family sit together to cleanse their hearts and forgive one another, then spiritual and symbolic closure are reached through the act of eating limu kala. As part of the steps in releasing dis-ease from the body, some practitioners make a lei of limu kala that the patient wears into the ocean. When the water releases the lei from the person’s neck, the disease leaves their body. Some kūpuna applied limu kala to eel bites or coral cuts. These spiritual and medicinal applications are the most powerful uses of this particular limu, as there are many other species of limu that are preferred for eating. It is a food much loved by the kala fish, however, and still used as bait by some lawaiʻa (people who fish) today. Mary Kawena Pukui talks about lei limu kala also being worn by hula dancers performing hula waʻa, dances that petitioned the gods of the sea to bless a fishing expedition. Integral to reef ecology, limu kala is found throughout the pae ʻāina (island chain) on reef flats and intertidal areas, but has been seen as deep as 600 ft.