In Hawaiian culture, mana is a spiritual quality that is considered to have supernatural origin, a sacred force. It is a form of a spiritual energy in addition to healing power, which can be found in places, objects as well as within people. Mana can be found in just about everything in existence and may either be good or evil, beneficial or dangerous.

Our kūpuna have taught us that there is a chance for us to gain or lose mana in everything that we do. Hopefully for us who work at PIDF, mana is often possessed or gained through our pono thoughts, words and actions, respecting the balance that exists in our lives and our kuleana to find and maintain that balance, being mindful that there is a proper time and place for everything.

Historically in Hawai‘i, there have been two paths to mana. Some have found that delicate balance between Kū and Hina; others have found it between Kū and Lono.

Figuratively speaking in English, using “kai nō” in this manner can be seen as a colloquial way of saying something like, “I thought we were supposed to work on Friday, but it was a holiday,” as compared to the more formal example, “I had no prior knowledge that there was a holiday last week.”

Our kūpuna had a way with words and idioms. If you looked deep enough, you could find a response, which created balance in such a conversation in Hawaiian. An appropriate response to “kai nō” would be “eia kā” (“At last!” or “There it is!”). These phrases may also present themselves in situations other than verbally. You might even see it in action at work with keiki or caregivers. There may be some times that they don’t quite give a correct answer to a question or they thought they found the right solution but didn’t succeed, you know that they’re still trying to figure it out. That can be seen as an example of the term, “kai nō.”

When they do finally figure it out and that ‘light bulb’ goes on, that could be seen as an example of “eia kā.”

In the time of our kūpuna (ancestors), their only source of communication was through the oral language. There was no written language in Hawaiʻi prior to the 1800ʻs. All our moʻolelo (stories), genealogies, commemoration of births or deaths, remembrance of historical events and all-important information was shared through the ʻōlelo, the oral language.

With this in mind we need to understand how important their chosen words were for our ancestors when they were communicating. A genealogical chant or the history of an important event could be altered if the ʻōlelo was misunderstood, misinterpreted or spoken (or chanted) incorrectly.

If a piece of information was to be passed on to ten people separately, it would not be uncommon to have the original message change at least five times if it went to ten different people on separate occasions (depending on each individual’s interpretation of what was heard). In today’s society, when a piece of information is passed verbally to someone, who passes it on to another, who then passes it on to someone else, it may possibly be referred to as gossip.

Although we may have many forms of communication in addition to oral language, such as text and email, which is very common now, the principle of ʻōlelo still remains the same. We must choose our words carefully whether spoken or written because misinterpretation, misunderstanding and incorrectly passing on information (written or oral) could “make or break” a situation.

Honi ihu (the touching of nose to nose) is a traditional form of greeting one another. It is the practice of hanu, taking in the essence of another, and respectfully acknowledging the presence of his/her ancestors.

Hanu can also be used as a technique to calm one self. Inhale and take in the “great breath,” then exhale. Practicing this can help us to become grounded and to center ourselves in times of adversity, aggravation, impatience and intolerance; especially those times when things just aren’t going your way.

When we hear the word patience we tend to think of situations in which we are actually impatient; having to stand in long lines, waiting for someone to finish eating so we can all leave the table after dinner or literally sitting at a stop light for five minutes watching all the cars go in the opposite direction.

Much more than merely being patient, ahonui literally means “great breath.” If we can just pause sometimes and take a “deep breath,” we would actually have the time to take a step back and reflect upon what’s happening around us. It is a reflection of our ability to practice endurance, tolerance and acceptance in situations that we find challenging. Practicing ahonui builds character.

Hold the breath! Be patient; persist!

This ʻōlelo noʻeau was traditionally a war cry to encourage the warriors to continue on, even when times were hard and it seemed like a never-ending struggle. There are days when our lives seem so full of trials and tribulations that we seemingly cannot overcome. If we heed to the words of our kūpuna and be diligent and press on, we will soon see the results of our endurance.

The message of Lili‘uokalani below is placed before us as a significant challenge, in the waning days of her life. Like the ʻōlelo noʻeau, it reminds us to be courageous in the face of change and uncertainty, to be discerning in the face of trials and tribulation, to stay committed in the face of circumstances and obstacles nearly insurmountable, and to remain clear thinking and focused for the long term with humble spirit and keen sensitivity and perspective.

“I could not turn back the time for the political change, but there is still time to save our heritage. You must remember never to cease to act because you fear you may fail. The way to lose any earthly kingdom is to be inflexible, intolerant and prejudicial. Another way is to be too flexible, tolerant of too many wrongs and without judgment at all. It is a razor’s edge. It is the width of a blade of pili grass. To gain the kingdom of heaven is to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable, that is Aloha. All things in this world are two; in heaven there is but one.” –– Lili‘uokalani 1917

Defined as character and being, ‘ano is the essence of a person. Our ‘ano is influenced by the values that have been instilled in us by our kūpuna (elders). It is the core of who we are and that guiding force that is reflected through our individual thoughts, attitudes and actions.

We are often challenged to make the right decisions and best choices based on what we know. We need to be purposeful and conscientious when faced with such challenges or at times, temptations. There are times when we make decisions and choices according to what we want, not what we need, and the result of those choices and decisions may not be what is best for our ʻohana, our organization or our community as a whole.

A chewed mass; food masticated by an elder and conveyed to the mouth of a small child.

The kaona (deeper meaning) of māna articulates that the chewed mass of food fed by mouth from adult to a small child is synonymous with knowledge that is passed from one generation to the next.

Our elders would never teach anything in its entirety or all at once, lest we be overwhelmed and not be able to handle such a vast amount of information. We would either give up altogether or create havoc with a limited understanding of so much powerful knowledge. They would instead provide this form of māna with a piecemeal approach, sharing just enough for us to practice and work with what we were just given until we understand enough to the point in which we would be ready to receive a little bit more.

The context of the word kū, as interpreted in this month’s ‘ōlelo no‘eau (kū i ka māna), implies that our existence tends to be attributed to those whom each of us was reared by.

This word kū is sometimes a prefix to words that exemplify or intensify the characteristics of what follows it. As we consistently practice these traits, we tend to pass on these same qualities to our children and grandchildren.

kūpono – standing up for the principles of fairness, and reason

kūnānā – puzzled, stumped (deer in the headlights)

kūnewa – to age, to pass (in time)

kūikawā – occasional, provisional, independent

If we look at this word paʻahana, it can be split into two separate words that can help us to realize the intensity of its meaning.  Paʻa means to be firm, fixed, durable and complete and hana means to work, labor and do. 

Our kūpuna were very hard working and industrious people. They made the time to accomplish just about everything. They were aware of the appropriate seasons to go fishing for different types of fish, or specific times to plant and harvest.

Each person within the ahupuaʻa had kuleana; men, and even keiki too. Our kūpuna built waʻa (canoes) and loko iʻa (fishponds). They constructed loʻi (taro patches) and heiau (religious structures) some larger than a football field without any modern day tools, all by hand. The work of our kūpuna still exists today. It is our kuleana to continue to preserve what they have done by continuing to work hard and persevere.

Each day we go to work. We see the same people and we usually perform the same job duties day in and day out. It can be easy to get caught up in the routine of things.  Sometimes we just do as we do each day but are we practicing this value of paʻahana (being industrious) or is it just hana (work, doing)?

A great visual for mālamalama is like that big “A-HA!” moment. It is the exact moment when we say, “I finally got it!” It is that feeling when you know that all the pieces fit together and everything makes sense.

“Hō mai lā kō mālamalama. Bestow upon us your radiant light.” This is a line from the oli, “Ua Ao Hawaiʻi.” The radiant light refers to the knowledge that our kūpuna have passed on to us.

‘ike literally means to see. When our kūpuna referred to the word ‘ike, it went deeper than just the literal translation. It was to see the truth, to know the inner most thoughts. It was the ability to understand, that which was being taught or shared. It was the ability to see, feel, and know the absolute truth with your entire being, from your na’au (gut).

The following phrases are summed up by this one Hawaiian word, ‘ike.

“I see your point”

“I hear what you are saying”

“I totally understand”

“I feel you”

“I get it”