Glossary

Note: Many words in Hawaiian have multiple, seemingly disconnected meanings. The definitions below are how I have used them in 'The Punatics'. Most of them are fairly common, and most I try to define in the story, either overtly or through context.

Hawaiian Words and Phrases in 'The Punatics'

Aikane
An intimate male friend of lower rank involved with a man of ali'i (noble) rank. (i.e, "It's complicated". Read your E.M. Forster for a western view on aikane.)

ʻĀina
The land. Note: Watch your spelling. Without the diacritical marks, aina can mean sexual intercourse.

Aloha
Yes, it is used for saying Hello and Goodbye. But it's much more than that. Aloha is spoken with the heart as well as with the tongue.

Halau
A hula school / troupe. A hula halau is led by a hula kumu

Haole
a foreigner; generally a caucasian

Holomua
To move forward positively. Accept things as they are and keep moving on, despite the difficulties.

Imu
A pit for roasting pork

Kama‘āina
A local person

Kanaka maoli
Full-blooded Hawaiian person

Kane
Man

Kipuka
A patch of land that is surrounded by lava. For whatever reason, Pele went around this patch of land and left it alone.

Kukui
A type of nut tree. The tree has many uses. See: http://www.canoeplants.com/kukui.html

Kumu
A teacher. Of hula or of any discipline. To get its full flavor, think also of the terms foundation, model, root, trunk, origin...

Kupuna
Ancestor, grandparent.

Laulau
Meat and fish wrapped and steamed in ti leaves. See this article: Bundle of Joy (Hana Hou). Not to be confused with Lau Lau, Uncle Billy's son. Lau Lau the person is beef wrapped in muscle and tattoos.

Mahalo
Thank you

Mahu
A man who lives outwardly as a woman

Makai
adj. A direction: towards the ocean.

Makamaka
From wehewehe.org: "An intimate friend with whom one is on terms of receiving and giving freely." I'ilani the cook has an intimate friend in the hot male hula dancer Kamoku.

Malo
A loincloth.

Malo'o
adj. Dried up.

Mau’ka
adj. A direction: towards the mountain.

Namaste
Not Hawaiian. Sanskrit. Or Hindu. Colloquially it means 'thank you' but technically it's more like 'I bow to you'.

Nui loa
Generally speaking it means 'very much', as in 'mahalo nui loa' = 'thank you very much'

'Ohana
Generally speaking it means 'family', including blood relatives and non-relatives equally. It is commonly used to denote a guest house.

On'na
Japanese. Woman. Violet refers to herself that way in episode 4.4: "Do an old on'na a favor."

Pono
adj. It means what is "right", as in 'do what's right'.

Paka lōlō
Marijuana. Literally, numbing tobacco.

Puna
A district in the east/southeast part of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Punatic
A play on the words Puna and lunatic. There are various and unflattering definitions of Punatics. (Go to UrbanDictionary.com.) Prudence and I prefer our definition of what a Punatic is: http://thepunatics.com/episode-2-6.html

Pupule
adj. Crazy.

Rinpoche
Not Hawaiian. According to Google: "(In Tibetan Buddhism) an incarnate lama or highly respected religious teacher (often used as an honorific title)."

Ti
A very common and intrinsically important part of Hawaiian life. Chop it off, stick it in cinder rock and watch it grow. See this summary for a primer: "The Ti Plant Called Ki".

Wahine
Woman