Hawaiian History Unit 1 Vocab

Hulihia

Complete upheaval, transformation, or change.

Mo’olelo

Story, history, or traditional narrative.

Moʻokūʻauhau

Genealogy, lineage, or family history.

Kuleana

Responsibility, privilege, or obligation.

Akua

God, deity, or spirit.

Papa

Earth mother in Hawaiian genealogy and mythology.

Wākea

Sky father in Hawaiian genealogy and mythology.

Hānau

To give birth, be born, or produce offspring.

Kumulipo

Hawaiian creation chant that describes the origins of life.

Hoʻohōkūkalani

Daughter of Papa and Wākea, mother of Hāloanakalaukapalili.

Hāloanakalaukapalili

The first stillborn child of Hoʻohōkūkalani and Wākea, from which the kalo (taro) plant grew.

Hāloa

The younger sibling of Hāloanakalaukapalili, considered the first ancestor of Native Hawaiians.

Kalo

Taro plant, a staple crop in Hawaiian culture with deep spiritual significance.

Hawaiʻi

The largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, named after the legendary navigator Hawaiʻiloa.

Maui

Hawaiian island named after the demigod Maui.

Kahoʻolawe/Kanaloa

Smallest main Hawaiian island, associated with the god Kanaloa.

Lānaʻi/Lānaʻi-Kaʻula

Island traditionally associated with the legend of Lānaʻi-Kaʻula.

Molokaʻi/Molokaʻi-nui-a-hina

Known as 'Molokaʻi of the great Hina,' associated with the goddess Hina.

Oʻahu/Oʻahu-a-lua

Hawaiian island, 'Oʻahu of the two.'

Kauaʻi/Kamawaelualanimoku

Hawaiian island, sometimes referred to by its poetic name.

Kāne

Hawaiian god of creation, life, and freshwater.

Lono

Hawaiian god of peace, agriculture, and fertility.

Kū

Hawaiian god of war and politics.

Kanaloa

Hawaiian god of the ocean, navigation, and healing.

Kino lau

The many body forms of a deity, representing their different manifestations in nature.

Heiau

Hawaiian temple or place of worship.

Ahu

A stone altar or shrine.

ʻAi kapu

Sacred eating laws in ancient Hawaii that separated men and women during meals.

Mokupuni

Island or land division.

Moku

Large land division within an island.

Ahupua’a

Traditional Hawaiian land division stretching from mountain to sea.

ʻIli ʻāina

Smaller land division within an ahupuaʻa.

Waiwai

Wealth, often measured in natural resources.

Kapu

sacred or forbidden practices

Mana

Spiritual power or energy.

Aliʻi

Hawaiian chiefs or rulers.

Makaʻāinana

Common people or working class.

Kauwa

Social outcasts or slaves in ancient Hawaiian society.

Paʻao

Legendary priest who is said to have introduced new religious practices and social structures to Hawaii.

Makahiki

Hawaiian season of peace and harvest dedicated to the god Lono.

Noa

things that are free from restriction.