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 The Aloha Spirit
My father, Gil Sr., getting ready to hit the surf on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii circa 1960.
The Aloha Spirit is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the Self. Each person must think and emote good feelings to others. In the contemplation and presence of the life force, Aloha, the following unuhi laulâ loa (free translation) may be used:
- Akahai, meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness;
- Lôkahi, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;
- `Olu`olu, meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
- Ha`aha`a, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;
- Ahonui, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.
These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii's people. It was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaii.
- Aloha is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation.
- Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return.
- Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence.
- Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.
Pa'ahana, my great grandmother, as a young woman ran away from home to live in the mountains of Wahiawa. She survived by living off the fruits of the land and whatever she could catch in the streams. A paniolo, Hawaiian cowboy, named Ambrose heard about this woman and went to seek her out. He found her, fell in love, married her, then brought her back to the city to live. The song "Pa'ahana" was written about her and is also in the book "Na Mele o Hawai'i Nei 101 Hawaiian Songs" collected by Samuel H. Elbert and Noelani Mahoe.
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Pa'ahana
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| He inoa keia no Pa'ahana
Kaikamahine noho kuahiwi
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
Na'u i noho aku ia wao kele
Ia uka 'iu'iu Wahiawa
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
'Opae 'oeha'a o ke kahawai
'O ka hua o ke kuawa ka'u 'ai ia
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
Mai kuhi mai 'oe ka makuahine
A he pono keia e noho nei
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
'O kahi mu'umu'u pili i ka 'ili
'O ka lau la'i ko'u kapa ia
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
Pilali kukui kau la'au
Lau o ke pili ko'u hale ia
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
I hume iho au ma ka puhaka
I nalo iho ho'i kahi hilahila
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
I ho'i iho ho'i au e pe'e
'Ike 'e 'ia mai e ka 'enemi
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
Lawa 'ia aku au a i Manana
Maka'ika'i 'ia e ka malihini
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana
He mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
Mele he inoa no Pa'ahana
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This is a name song for Pa'ahana
The girl who lived in the hills
Namesong for Pa'ahana
I lived in the rain forests in
The distand uplands of Wahiawa
Namesong for Pa'ahana
Clawed shrimps of the streams and
Guava fruits my food
Namesong for Pa'ahana
Don't think about the mother
I live here and am glad
Namesong for Pa'ahana
A single mu'umu'u clings to my skin
My blankets are ti leaves
Namesong for Pa'ahana
Kukui gum on the trees
And pili grass my home
Namesong for Pa'ahana
I bind my loins
And hide my private parts
Namesong for Pa'ahana
I came and hid but was
Seen by the enemy
Namesong for Pa'ahana
I was taken to Manana
And visited by strangers
Namesong for Pa'ahana
Tell the refrain
A song, a name for Pa'ahana
Namesong for Pa'ahana
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| Source: Na Mele o Hawai'i Nei by Elbert & Mahoe, University Press of Hawaii, Library of Congress Catalog Card #72-113938 - This hula tells the story of a young girl mistreated by her stepmother. She ran away from home to the hills above Wahiawa where she lived on river shrimp and guava until she was found by a cowboy. She was taken to Manana, the present site of Pearl City. |
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