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Hala Terms

NĀ HUA ʻŌLELO LAUHALA:  NO KA PŪHALA & KA ʻOHI ʻANA O NĀ LAU

Pū hala – Pandanus tree

Ulu hala – Pandanus Groves

Lau hala –  Pandanus leaves

Ule hala – Aerial root

Aʻa hala – Pandanus root

Hīnano / Hīnalo – Pandanus blossom (usually a male tree)

ʻĀhui hala – Pandanus fruit (usually a female tree)

Hua hala – Inividual key of the fruit

•Pua hala – Soft flesh of the hua hala

ʻEle lau – Thin part of leaf

Wele lau / Wēlau – Tip

Kua lau / Kumu Poʻolau – Thick part of leaf

Iwi kua –  Bone

Kōkala / Kuku – Thorn

Kīhae – Split, remove thorns

Pōkaʻa /Pōʻala – Roll

Kūkaʻa – Roll of leaves

Hoʻomohala – Flatten leaves

Pāki – Soften

Pūpū – Bundle

Pūʻā – Big bundle

 

NĀ HUA ʻŌLELO LAUHALA:  KA ULANA ʻANA

* Nā hua ʻōlelo ulana lauhala e hoʻohana i ka papa

Alo

Front, face

Hakahaka

Full of holes as in loose weaving

Hemo

To remove, open

Hiʻi

To finish edge

Hoʻokui

To join, stitch together

Keʻokeʻo

White, light shade of brown

Koana

Size of strips

Koe

To strip different sizes, Stripper

** Kū (i luna)

Stand; upright

Kū pololei

vertical

Kua

back

** Laka

lock

Maka

Row; mesh in plaiting; Marker

** Māka

Marker

** Maka moena

Single mat weaver, checkerboard

** (Maka) ʻoeno

Twill, double weave

Mauʻu

Strand

** Moe

Lie down, horizontal

Pelu

Fold; turn over or under, bend

       Pelu i lalo

Fold down

** Piko

Center of crown

Puni

Join, connect

**  Ulana / Unala /

Nala / Unana

To plait, weave, braid

ʻUlaʻula

Brown / red

Working moe

First mauʻu  used as moe

Inside kū

Kū on the inside right corner after moe has been pulled back

ʻŌlelo Noeʻau

These are just a few of the plethora of noeʻau regarding hala; these are some of my favorite.

ʻAʻohe hala ʻula i ka pō

No hala fruit shows it color in the darkness of night.

     Beauty must be seen to be enjoyed

He pū hala aʻa kiolea

A hala tree with thin, hanging roots

     Said of one who is not strong, like a tree with aerial roots not yet embedded in the earth.

Lālau aku ʻoe i ka ʻulu i ka wēkiu, i ke alo nō ka ʻulu, a hala

You reach for the breadfruit away at the top and miss the one in front of you.

     Sometimes one who reaches afar misses an opportunity that is right before him.

Puhalu ka ihu, nānā i ke kāʻao

When the scent reaches the nose, one sees the overripe fruit

     One only notices the many good things a person does when it is too late to show appreciation

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