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Olelo No'Eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings
Considered the finest ines compendium of traditional Hawaiian insight and lore handed down through generations of oral tradition. This book is a treasure of more than 3,000 proverbs and sayings displaying the knowledge, compassion, foibles, humor, morality, and beliefs of the Hawaiian people.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 4, 2017
This is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in Hawaiian culture, language, music, art, worldview, geography, weather, family systems, ethnobotanist-- heck, anything at all. The proverbs are arranged beautifully, the index is comprehensive, the literal and figurative translations are spot on-- yes yes yes.
May 31, 2023
`Ōlelo No`eau: Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings, collected, translated, and annotated by Mary Kawena Pukui (1895-1986), Illustrated by Dietrich Varez, 1983, Library-of-Congress GN 670 B44 71 (Memorial Library), ISBN 0910240922
Nearly three thousand Hawaiian sayings, all in Hawaiian and English, nearly all with an explanatory annotation. A life's work of Mary Kawena Pukui: she collected, translated, and annotated these sayings from about 1910 to 1960.
The time to catch anything is in the early morning.
(When you want to do something, don't wait. Get at it as early as possible.)
O ke `ehu kakahiaka no ka wā loa`a. #2457 p. 268.
Small sins are weak in the creeping stage, changeable in childhood, unchanging when an adult, and firmly fixed in age.
(Bad habits can be changed in the early stages but eventually become firmly implanted.)
He palupalu na hewa li`ili`i i ka wā kolo, lolelua i ka wā kamali`i, loli `ole i ka wā `o`o, `oni pa`a i ka wā `elemakule. #883 p. 95.
The plant has become a tree.
(Said of a habit that might once have been easily overcome but has now gained a good stronghold.)
Ua ho`omakua ka lā`au. #2790 p. 307.
Ideas run wild without discussion.
(Discussion brings ideas together into a plan.)
Hili hewa ka mana `o ke `ole ke kūkākūkā. #993 pp. 106-107.
Be of one clump.
(Be united in thought.)
E pūpūkāhi. #376 p. 46.
A chief is like a drum; there is no sound unless played upon.
(Chiefs seldom stir to action unless incited by others.)
He paepae wāwae ko`u `ili no kona kapua`i. #877 p. 95.
Such hinting!
(Said to a person who hinted his liking for another's possessions; one was obliged to say, "Take it, I give it to you." Such a hinting person was disliked, and favorite possessions were hidden away when he approached.)
He keu a ka ho `omaoe! #690 p. 77.
Rains always follow the forest.
(The rains are attracted to forest trees. Knowing this, Hawaiians hewed only the trees that were needed.) [There are many sayings about undercooked food due to scarce firewood.]
Hahai no ka ua i ka ululā`au. #405 p. 50.
Try it and rid yourself of illusions.
E ho `ā`o no i pau kuhihewa. #283 p. 35.
A wonder child.
(Said of a child whose father is unknown--people wonder who the sire is.)
He keiki kāmeha `i. #687 p. 76.
The home without a ridgepole.
(A prison, ship, or any place that is occupied but is not actually a home.)
Ka home kaupoku `ole. #1315 p. 143.
What parents do, children will do.
Ka hana a ka mākua, o ka hana no ia a keiki. #1295 p. 141.
I came on a double canoe with ten prows.
(I walked.)
Maluna mai ne au o ka wa`a kaulua, he `umi ihu. #2131 p. 232.
At Kahauale`a, where the dung sprouts.
(The people of Kahauale`a, Puna, were said to eat noni fruit, seeds and all. The seeds would sprout wherever the people excreted.)
Kahauale`a i ke kūkae kupu. #1300 p. 142.
The rear is covered with a malo [loincloth].
(Said of a boy about five or six years old. Prior to this age, a boy ate with the women in their eating house and wore no clothing, but when he was old enough to join the men in theirs, he wore a malo, just as they did.)
Pa`a kāhi hope i ka malo. #2557 p. 281.
The sayings are in alphabetic order in Hawaiian. There's a useful subject index (all in English)--though an English thesaurus may be needed to find what you're looking for: There are no such helpful entries as, "droppings/dung/filth: see excrement." None of the former words appear in the index; sayings using those words are listed under the latter entry. There are also indexes of names of places, people, fish, birds, and plants. Most of these names are in Hawaiian, and they do have "goose--see Nēnē" entries.
Google translate doesn't necessarily come close to Mary Pukui's translations.
Mary Kawena Pukui also co-wrote the Hawaiian-English/English-Hawaiian dictionary, and Hawaiian Grammar. She wrote about the Polynesian family system, the Hula, and collections of folk tales, legends, beliefs, customs, games, and songs. p. xx.
More of her books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...
Author's wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ka...
Nearly three thousand Hawaiian sayings, all in Hawaiian and English, nearly all with an explanatory annotation. A life's work of Mary Kawena Pukui: she collected, translated, and annotated these sayings from about 1910 to 1960.
The time to catch anything is in the early morning.
(When you want to do something, don't wait. Get at it as early as possible.)
O ke `ehu kakahiaka no ka wā loa`a. #2457 p. 268.
Small sins are weak in the creeping stage, changeable in childhood, unchanging when an adult, and firmly fixed in age.
(Bad habits can be changed in the early stages but eventually become firmly implanted.)
He palupalu na hewa li`ili`i i ka wā kolo, lolelua i ka wā kamali`i, loli `ole i ka wā `o`o, `oni pa`a i ka wā `elemakule. #883 p. 95.
The plant has become a tree.
(Said of a habit that might once have been easily overcome but has now gained a good stronghold.)
Ua ho`omakua ka lā`au. #2790 p. 307.
Ideas run wild without discussion.
(Discussion brings ideas together into a plan.)
Hili hewa ka mana `o ke `ole ke kūkākūkā. #993 pp. 106-107.
Be of one clump.
(Be united in thought.)
E pūpūkāhi. #376 p. 46.
A chief is like a drum; there is no sound unless played upon.
(Chiefs seldom stir to action unless incited by others.)
He paepae wāwae ko`u `ili no kona kapua`i. #877 p. 95.
Such hinting!
(Said to a person who hinted his liking for another's possessions; one was obliged to say, "Take it, I give it to you." Such a hinting person was disliked, and favorite possessions were hidden away when he approached.)
He keu a ka ho `omaoe! #690 p. 77.
Rains always follow the forest.
(The rains are attracted to forest trees. Knowing this, Hawaiians hewed only the trees that were needed.) [There are many sayings about undercooked food due to scarce firewood.]
Hahai no ka ua i ka ululā`au. #405 p. 50.
Try it and rid yourself of illusions.
E ho `ā`o no i pau kuhihewa. #283 p. 35.
A wonder child.
(Said of a child whose father is unknown--people wonder who the sire is.)
He keiki kāmeha `i. #687 p. 76.
The home without a ridgepole.
(A prison, ship, or any place that is occupied but is not actually a home.)
Ka home kaupoku `ole. #1315 p. 143.
What parents do, children will do.
Ka hana a ka mākua, o ka hana no ia a keiki. #1295 p. 141.
I came on a double canoe with ten prows.
(I walked.)
Maluna mai ne au o ka wa`a kaulua, he `umi ihu. #2131 p. 232.
At Kahauale`a, where the dung sprouts.
(The people of Kahauale`a, Puna, were said to eat noni fruit, seeds and all. The seeds would sprout wherever the people excreted.)
Kahauale`a i ke kūkae kupu. #1300 p. 142.
The rear is covered with a malo [loincloth].
(Said of a boy about five or six years old. Prior to this age, a boy ate with the women in their eating house and wore no clothing, but when he was old enough to join the men in theirs, he wore a malo, just as they did.)
Pa`a kāhi hope i ka malo. #2557 p. 281.
The sayings are in alphabetic order in Hawaiian. There's a useful subject index (all in English)--though an English thesaurus may be needed to find what you're looking for: There are no such helpful entries as, "droppings/dung/filth: see excrement." None of the former words appear in the index; sayings using those words are listed under the latter entry. There are also indexes of names of places, people, fish, birds, and plants. Most of these names are in Hawaiian, and they do have "goose--see Nēnē" entries.
Google translate doesn't necessarily come close to Mary Pukui's translations.
Mary Kawena Pukui also co-wrote the Hawaiian-English/English-Hawaiian dictionary, and Hawaiian Grammar. She wrote about the Polynesian family system, the Hula, and collections of folk tales, legends, beliefs, customs, games, and songs. p. xx.
More of her books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...
Author's wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ka...
June 9, 2013
This is a collection of some of the greatest pieces of wisdom ever contained within the Hawaiian culture…
The author grew up in the middle of two worlds... New England and Old Hawai'i.
Because of this, she was able to faithfully reproduce the words, ideas and wisdom that the Hawaiian culture has known for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and channel all of that into the English language. This is quite a remarkable task in and of itself.
The life of this woman, Mary Pukui Kawena, is fascinating to say the least and I do recommend that you look into her life. Her work has done so much to preserve the knowledge, wisdom and mana of old Hawai'i!
The author grew up in the middle of two worlds... New England and Old Hawai'i.
Because of this, she was able to faithfully reproduce the words, ideas and wisdom that the Hawaiian culture has known for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and channel all of that into the English language. This is quite a remarkable task in and of itself.
The life of this woman, Mary Pukui Kawena, is fascinating to say the least and I do recommend that you look into her life. Her work has done so much to preserve the knowledge, wisdom and mana of old Hawai'i!
June 9, 2013
This is a collection of some of the greatest pieces of wisdom ever contained within the Hawaiian culture…
The author grew up in the middle of two worlds... New England and Old Hawai'i.
Because of this, she was able to faithfully reproduce the words, ideas and wisdom that the Hawaiian culture has known for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and channel all of that into the English language. This is quite a remarkable task in and of itself.
The life of this woman, Mary Pukui Kawena, is fascinating to say the least and I do recommend that you look into her life. Her work has done so much to preserve the knowledge, wisdom and mana of old Hawai'i!
The author grew up in the middle of two worlds... New England and Old Hawai'i.
Because of this, she was able to faithfully reproduce the words, ideas and wisdom that the Hawaiian culture has known for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and channel all of that into the English language. This is quite a remarkable task in and of itself.
The life of this woman, Mary Pukui Kawena, is fascinating to say the least and I do recommend that you look into her life. Her work has done so much to preserve the knowledge, wisdom and mana of old Hawai'i!
June 9, 2013
This is a collection of some of the greatest pieces of wisdom ever contained within the Hawaiian culture…
The author grew up in the middle of two worlds... New England and Old Hawai'i.
Because of this, she was able to faithfully reproduce the words, ideas and wisdom that the Hawaiian culture has known for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and channel all of that into the English language. This is quite a remarkable task in and of itself.
The life of this woman, Mary Pukui Kawena, is fascinating to say the least and I do recommend that you look into her life. Her work has done so much to preserve the knowledge, wisdom and mana of old Hawai'i!
The author grew up in the middle of two worlds... New England and Old Hawai'i.
Because of this, she was able to faithfully reproduce the words, ideas and wisdom that the Hawaiian culture has known for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and channel all of that into the English language. This is quite a remarkable task in and of itself.
The life of this woman, Mary Pukui Kawena, is fascinating to say the least and I do recommend that you look into her life. Her work has done so much to preserve the knowledge, wisdom and mana of old Hawai'i!
March 17, 2009
an incomparable reference book. one that i return to for knowledge and inspriration. 'da best!!
May 13, 2024
Such a gift. Really beautiful. So much wisdom.
January 16, 2025
If you dont have an annotated copy of this wyd?
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews