HAWAIIAN TERMINOLOGY

Morning Ritual Language: Mālama E ku'u Aloha!

Glossary of Hawaiian Terms for Outrigger Canoeing

  • ʻĀina - Land or earth

  • Alakaʻi - Leader or guide

  • Aloha - Love, hello, or goodbye; a term embodying the spirit of the community

  • ʻAma - The outrigger float

  • ʻEleu - Agile or lively, often describing a canoe's movement

  • Hāpai - To lift or carry, as in lifting the canoe

  • Haʻaheo - Pride or to be proud

  • Heʻe Nalu - Surfing, sometimes done with outrigger canoes

  • Hoʻolauleʻa - Celebration or festival, often held after races

  • Hoʻomākaukau - To prepare or get ready

  • Hoʻoponopono - To make things right, often used in resolving team conflicts

  • Hōe - Paddle

  • Huki - To pull or paddle together

  • Huli - To flip or capsize the canoe

  • ʻIako - The wooden spars connecting the ama to the canoe

  • ʻĪmua - Forward, often used as a command to move ahead

  • Kāhea - Call or chant, often used during ceremonies or races

  • Kahakai - Beach or shoreline

  • Kai - Sea or ocean

  • Kaiāulu - Community

  • Kākou - Inclusive term for "we" or "us"

  • Kapu - Sacred or restricted, sometimes areas near races

  • Keiki - Child or children, often referring to junior paddlers

  • Kīhei - A type of garment worn during ceremonies

  • Koʻa - Coral reef, often a point of navigation

  • Kōkua - Help or assistance

  • Kuleana - Responsibility or role within the team

  • Kū - To stand, often a command to rise in the canoe

  • Laulima - Many hands working together

  • Lōkahi - Unity or harmony

  • Mākaukau - Ready

  • Mahalo - Thank you or gratitude

  • Mālama - To care for or preserve

  • Mana - Spiritual power or energy

  • Mele - Song or chant

  • Moku - Island or district, often used in the names of races

  • Nalu - Wave

  • Nāwahī - A crack or flaw, often referring to a canoe's condition

  • ʻOhana - Family, often used to describe the close-knit nature of a canoe team

  • ʻŌlelo - Language or speech, often referring to Hawaiian language

  • ʻŌpū - Stomach or core, important for paddling strength

  • Pae - Crew or team

  • Paʻa - Firm or solid, often describing a team's unity

  • Pali - Cliff or steep slope, sometimes seen on paddling routes

  • Pilina - Relationship or bond, often within a team

  • Poi - A Hawaiian food staple, often consumed by paddlers for energy

  • Pono - Righteousness or balance, often in the context of sportsmanship

  • Wā'a - Canoe

  • Wahine - Woman or women, often referring to female paddlers

  • ʻEkahi - One

  • ʻElua - Two

  • ʻEkolu - Three

  • ʻEhā - Four

  • ʻElima - Five

  • ʻEono - Six

  • ʻEhiku - Seven

  • ʻEwalu - Eight

  • ʻEiwa - Nine

  • ʻUmi - Ten