2. REVIEW
• As is typical in Hawaiian myths and
legends, names have a lot of mana
• They can provide insight into the
characters’ attributes and personality
• The meanings are often symbolic
– ie: a child can be a flower or a bud, regardless
of its sex
3. HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE
• As we learned earlier in the semester, it is
important to spell Hawaiian words correctly.
• Proper use of the ʻokina and kahakō are very
important
• Failure to include and/or extraneous ʻokina
and/or kahakō can change the meaning of the
word from something pleasant to something
unpleasant.
• Names could also have kaona (hidden
meanings), so it was important to know the
meaning that was intended.
4. INOA (Names)
Names were of great
importance to the
Hawaiian people
Careful thought was
given to the meaning of
the name
Hawaiian names have
specific meanings and
were usually given at
birth by a kupuna, or
elder of the family
5. INOA KUPUNA
• A name handed down, as of an ancestor
• Traditionally, the hiapo (first born) is given a
name belonging to the genealogy
• Children could be named after relatives, but
names were not copied from other families
• It is still customary to give the names of
ancestors for identification and
commemoration purposes
6. INOA HOʻOMANAʻO
• Children were sometimes named for an event
that happened at or near birth to commemorate
the event
– The name Ka ʻahaʻainaakaHaku, meaning “The
Lordʻs Supper” was given to a woman who was
born on the day when the Lordʻs Supper was first
administered in Kona, Hawaiʻi by the missionaries
– The name “Kahakuhulualiʻi,” meaning “Worker of
royal feathers” was given to a child whose mother
made many of the kāhili (royal standards) for the
Missionary Centennial Celebration in 1920.
As taken from “The Polynesian Family System in Kaʻū” by Handy & P ūku ʻi
7. INOA PŌ
• Dream name, as a name for an infant believed
to have been received in a dream
• It was believed that if such a name were not
given, the child would be sickly or die
• Many also believed that such a name belongs
to the individual to whom it was given and
could not be given to another
8. INOA
• Names were also given based on a child’s
traits or personality, due to some kind of
natural phenomenon, or to honor a person
• A person might be given a different name if
their circumstances changed as they went
through life
– At birth, Kamehameha was given the name, Paiʻea
(hard-shelled crab) because he would cling to his
guardian. It was later prophesized that he would
stand alone as a leader and he was given the name
Kamehameha (The Lonely One).
9. MODERN DAY NAMES
• Today, phonetic
renderings of Western
names are popular
– Malia (Mary)
– Keoni (John)
– Keoki (George)
10. INOA
• Sometimes a name was not befitting for a child and the child
would fall ill. In those cases, the name would be changed
and the child would get well.
• If a mother experienced several stillbirths, it was believed
that she was cursed. As such, the next baby was given a
name such as “Kūkae” (excrement) or Pupuka (ugly) so that
the evil spirits would find the baby repulsive and leave
him/her alone. The dangerous period was from birth to
about 7 years of age. After that a better name was given to
the child.
