Glossary

ahu altar

ahupua'a wedge-shaped portion of land stretching from mountains to the ocean

'ahu 'ula lit. "red garment," a feathered cape or cloak

'aikapu eating restrictions

akua deity

ali'i chief or chieftess, noble

hale house, structure

haole foreigner

heiau temple

ho'okupu offering; to cause to grow; to give freely, to make a present

hulu feather

'ie'ie a woody climbing plant, Freycinetia arborea

kaahili fly whisk, feather standard

kahuna priest (pl. kaahuna)

kapu sacred, ritually dangerous, taboo

ki'i wood image of a god

koa mahogany, Acacia koa

kuawa slave class

lei necklace

lei niho palaoa sperm whale-tooth necklace

lele sacrificial altar; a tall banana planted near altars

mahiole helmet

maka'aainana common people

mana spiritual force, divine power, authority

olonaa a shrub, Touchardia latifolia, the bark of which was used to make fiber

'oo'oo black honey eater, Moho nobilis

puulo'ulo'u kapu staff

wahi pana celebrated place, a location sacred or famous to Hawaiians