Ka Wai Akua

Ao pua'a o Lono

Kii: Deposit photo

- Ao pua'a o Lono in the time of our makahiki season, Lono arrives in his cloud and rain form to announce his arrival over our islands.

Nā Ao: The Language of the Heavens

In Lua, we recognize that we live within the realms and energies of nature; they do not live within us. To master the art of kiawe (flowing), we must understand the origins of wai—the water that comes from the springs, the rivers, and most significantly, the ao (clouds).

The following classification, preserved by David Malo and studied deeply by ʻŌlohe Likeke Paglinawan, categorizes the clouds by their color, character, and the omens they carry.

1. Classification by Color

Clouds were often named for their specific hues, each carrying a different weight and "personality."

Name	Appearance	Significance
ʻEleʻele	Deep black	A standard dark rain cloud.
Uliuli	Blue-black	Often associated with deep ocean energy.
Hiwahiwa / Polohiwa	Glossy black	The most sacred, "choice" dark clouds.
Keʻokeʻo / Kea	Pure white	Light, airy clouds.
Maomao	Greenish tinge	Clouds reflecting the forest or ocean.
Lena	Yellowish tinge	Often a sign of changing weather or calm.
Ao ʻUla	Red cloud	Also called Onohi-ula (red eyeball) or Kiawe-ula.

2. Classification by Character and Form

The shape and height of a cloud told the poʻe lua (Lua people) what kind of energy was moving in the atmosphere.

• ʻŌpua: Long, narrow clusters hanging low on the horizon.

  • Leaves pointing down: A sign of approaching wind or storm.

  • Leaves pointing up: A sign of calm weather.

• Hoʻolewalewa: Clouds hanging low in the sky.

• Hoʻopehupehu: Swollen, billowy clouds.

• Newenewe: Plump, yellowish clouds low on the horizon; a sign of absolute calm.

• Hakuma: Thick, heavy clouds that "shut in" the sky.

3. Signs and Omens (Prognostication)

The clouds act as a map for the immediate future. Reading them allowed the kūpuna to prepare for the elements.

• Pā-uli: A blue-black western horizon at sunset, forecasting high surf (kai kō).

• ʻEna: An opening in the clouds resembling the jaw of an aʻu (swordfish); a sign of impending rain.

• Kāhea (A Call): Red patches in the eastern sky before sunrise; a sign of rain.

• Pala-moa: Blue-black clouds shutting in the mountains; a strong omen of rain.

• Kū-lani-hā-koʻi: Exceedingly black, heavy clouds believed to house the source of thunder, lightning, and violent storms.

The Lua Connection

Understanding these sources of wai is not merely academic. In Lua tradition, we study these signs to remain "in tune." If the sky is Poʻipū (shut up/overcast) or Hoʻohāhā, the energy is heavy and stagnant. If it is Hoʻokakaʻa (rolling together), the energy is kinetic and shifting.

By observing the clouds, we learn to adapt our own internal "weather." We learn when to be soft like the hoʻomalumalu (sheltering cloud) and when to strike with the intensity of Kū-lani-hā-koʻi.

Wai a Kane found in (Emerson, Nathaniel B. Unwritten Literature of Hawai‘i, the Sacred Songs of the Hula)

               (No Kaua‘i aku keia mele)     

He ui, he ninau:                             

E ui aku ana au ia oe,                 

Aia i hea ka Wai a Kane?                 

Aia i ka hikina a ka La,                    

Puka i Haehae,                                

Aia i laila ka Wai a Kane.                 

E ui aku ana au ia oe,                 :

Aia i hea ka Wai a Kane?         

Aia i kau lana a ka la,                  

I ka pae opua i ke kai,                

Ea mai ana ma Nihoa,              

Ma ka mole mai o Lehua;        

Aia i laila ka Wai a Kane.            

E ui aku ana au ia oe,               

Aia i hea ka Wai a Kane?            

Aia i ke kuahiwi, 

I ke kualono, 

I ke awawa, 

i ke kahawai;

Aia i laila ka Wai a Kane.

E ui aku ana au ia oe,

Aia i hea ka Wai a Kane?

Aia i kai, i ka moana,

I ke Kualau, i ke anuenue

I ka punohu, i ka ua koko, I

I ka alewalewa;

ia i laila ka Wai a Kane.

E ui aku ana au ia oe,

Aia i hea ka Wai a Kane?

Aia i luna ka Wai a Kane.

I ke ouli, i ke ao eleele,

I ke ao panopano

I ke ao popolohua mea a Kane la, e!

Aia i laila ka wai a Kane 

E ui aku ana au ia oe,

Aia i hea ka Wai a Kane? ?

Aia i lalo, i ka honua, i ka Wai hu, 

I ka wai kau a Kane me Kanaloa-

He waipuna, he wai e inu, ,

He wai e mana, he wai e ola,

E ola no, ea! Life!

Kii: Heidi Fickinger

A query, a question,

I put to you:

Where is the water of Kane?

At the Eastern Gate Puka in Ha'eha'e,

Where the Sun comes in at Ha'eha'e

There is the water of Kane.

A question I ask of you:

Where is the water of Kane?

Out there with the floating Sun,

Where the cloud-forms rest on Ocean's breast,

Uplifting their forms of Nihoa,

This side the base of Lehua;

There is the water of Kane.

One question I put to you:

Where is the water of Kane?

Yonder on mountain peak,

On the ridges steep,

In the valleys deep,

Where the rivers sweep:

There is the water of Kane

This question I ask of you:

Where, pray, is the water of Kane?

Yonder, at sea, on the ocean,

In the driving rain, in the heavenly bow,

In the piled-up mist wraith, in the blood-red rainfall

In the ghost-pale cloud form;

There is the water of Kane.

One question I put to you:

Where, where is the water of Kane?

Up on high is the water of Kane,

In the heavenly blue,

in the black piled cloud,

In the black black cloud,

In the black mottled sacred cloud of the gods;

There is the water of Kane.

One question I ask of you:

Where flows the water of Kane?

Deep in the ground, in the gushing spring,

In the ducts of Kane and Kanaloa,

A well spring of water, to quaff,

A water of magic power-

The water of life!

Life! O give us this life!

Ha'eha'e, Puna, Hawaii, where the sun first rises over all Hawaii.

Kii: Lehua House

Ao ʻōpua lani

Kii: Pxfuel

Ao ʻōpua lani- high opua clouds

Ao kamakaokalani

- cloud in the eye of the sun

Ao kāpae ʻōpua

Kii: Riley Walker

 Long cloud at the seas surface on horizon

1. vt. To set aside, turn aside, deviate from, eliminate, discard, remove, lay aside, delete, omit, spare, stow away, cancel, be perverted from; to disqualify, suspend. See noho kāpae and ex., pilipili 1. Hiki ʻole ke kāpae, unavoidable. Kāpae ʻia, disqualified. E kāpae aʻe ʻoe i kou manaʻo huhū, put away your angry thoughts. Ua kāpae ʻoia i ka ʻōlelo a ka makua, he disobeyed his parent's teaching. ʻAʻole e kāpae nei lāʻau iāʻoe (FS 95), this club will not spare you. Kāpae i ka ihe, set the spear down [do not fight any more, declare a truce]; throw a spear so that it will not strike a target, especially if the warrior wants to spare his foe's life. See Malo 203. hoʻo.kā.pae To cause to turn off, push aside, parry, thrust away, refute an argument.

2. (Cap.) n. Name of a trade wind at Hāna, Maui, and at Puna, Hawaiʻi. (PH 202.)

Ao ma'oma'o

Kii: Noaa- National Oceanic and Administration

-Ao ma'oma'o- greenish blue tinged clouds (ao) over the hālāwai.

-Applied to clouds, bluish green; he ao ma'oma'o.( Andrews dict).

Ao ʻōpua

Kii: Aaron Bookout

Ao ʻōpua- leaves or tips of ao pointing up ( i ka lewa lani). Day will be mālie.

- Kuhi a'e ka manamana o ka opua.

-The ends of cloud are poining upward, (a sign of clear weather ahead) .

Kualau

Kii: Brian Cook

-Shower accompanied by sea wind. (UL 258.) See ex., pāuli. ʻAuhea wale ʻoe, ē ke kualau, ka ua nū hele ma ka moana (chant), listen, o kualau shower, rain moaning over the open sea. ( P/E Hawaiian Dictionary).

 - ʻO Kualau kahi ua loku, i ʻike ʻia ma ke kai ākea.

-Kualau is a heavy localized rain shower found out in the sea.

Ao panopano

Kii:

Ao panopano

-Redup. of pano. A o panopano, thick cloud. ʻO pano ia, ʻo panopano ʻo Kāne i ka pō panopano i hānau (KL. line 386–7), a darkness, a dark darkness, Kāne born in the deep dark night. hoʻo.pano.pano Redup. of hoʻopano. ʻEleʻele Hilo ē, hoʻopanopano i ka ua, Hilo is black, darkened in the rain. Fig., unapproachable as the unknown, said of very high chiefs believed to be of divine descent. (PCP pangopango.) (P/E Hawaiian Dict).

- Thick, dense, as a cloud; black; glossy black. Syn: Papano. Dark blue; hence, Beautiful; grand; splendidly attired;

   excellent (Parker Dict).

- Blackness; a deep blue color; shining jet blackness (Andrews Dict).

-A dark, purple cloud of Kane

 - He ao pōpōlohiwa a Kāne.

Ao pōpōlohua

Kii: Alexey Demidov

Ao pōpōlohua -adj. Blue; dark, as the sky above on a clear day:

Puka mai kona hemolele mai loko mai o na ao popolohua, His glory appears in the dark clouds.(Parker Dict. Hawaiʻi).

-I ke ao popolohua mea a Kane lā, e!

-In the dark sacred clouds of Kane!

Ao hākumakuma

Kii: Nick Fewings

Ao hākumakuma

vs.

1. Pock-marked, as by smallpox; ravaged, as by leprosy; coarse, rough, lumpy, pitted; mossgrown.

2. Dark, thick, as clouds. Fig., intense, as love. Cf. mākuma. (P/E Dict.)

Ominous; dark; lowering, applied to cloud assemblance.

1. To lower; to frown; to look threatening, as clouds portending a storm.

2. To be rough or pitted, as from the scars of the smallpox: hakumakuma ka ili.

4. To be thick, as a board.( Parker Dict.)

adj. Lowering, as clouds threatening a storm.

2. Pitted, as the skin with disease.

3. Thick; set close together. (Andrews Dict.).

Ao Kūlanihākoʻi

Kii: Johannes Plenio

Ao Kūlanihākoʻi– sky exceedingly black, the place whence came thunder and lightning, wind violent storms when it rains. If it was with wind, thunder, lightning and perhaps a rainbow the rain storm would not continue long.

agitated; paraphimosis. See Kū-lani-hākoʻi. Hākoʻi ka wai a ka neki, water agitated among the rushes [one in love]. hoʻo.hā.koʻi Caus/sim.

Mythical pond or lake in the sky; its overflow comes to the earth as rain. Lit., like heaven agitated. See ex., haukawewe, kiʻo 1. ʻEloʻelo i ka wai o Kū-lani-hākoʻi, drenched by the water of Kū-lani-hākoʻi [soaked by a heavy rain]. ( P/E Dict.)

-Ina i nui ke ao eleele ma ua poipu la, ua manao ia aia ma loko o laila o Kūlanihākoʻ, no laila mai ka hekili, ka uila, ka makani, ka ua, ka ino nui.

Ao po'ipu

Kii: Carlos Elrojo

Ao po’ipu-“ shut up” sky entirely over cast, almost no wind. poʻi.pū

1. nvt. To cover over entirely, as of clouds or engulfing waves; to attack, overwhelm; onslaught, attack (For. 4:53).

Ua ʻpoʻipū i ka mana o ke kahuna, entirely under the influence of the priest.

2. n. A kind of tapa.

Ao newenewe

Kii: Federico Burgalassi

Ao newenewe - yellowish and hanging low in the horizon, plump indicate calm weather.

1. vs. Plump; filled out, full, as a pregnant woman; billowy, as a cloud; moving, as a current.

To suffer; to be in pain from fullness of the stomach. (P/E Dict.)

2. To be large, round and full, as a child's abdomen.

3. To be full, as one who has eaten too much.

4. To be fickle-minded. ( Andrews Dict.).

-'A'ohe newenewe o ka hua, he mālili no ho'i.

The fruit is not full grown, it is indeed stunted.

Ao kiawe’ula

Kii: Dynamic Wang

Kii: Ao kiawe’ula- A species of red; applied to the clouds; ina he ulaula ke ao, ua ula ia. he kiaweula. ( Andrews Dict.).

2. nvi. Kiawe- A streak; to stream gracefully, as rain in the wind; to sway, as branches. Ka ua kiawe i luna o ka lāʻau, the rain streaming down on the tree. hoʻo.kiawe Caus/sim (P/E Dict.)

2. Faint colors of the rainbow. (Parker Dict.)

-Ua kiawe, ke ao kiawe'ula aKane

-flowing gracefully is the red cloud of Kane.

Ao ho’olewalewa 

Kii: Jeremy Bishop

Ao ho'olewalewa

-To suspend; to swing back and forth.

adj. Moving; flying, as clouds that fly low; ina e kokoke mai ke ao, he ao hoolewalewa. ( Andrews Dict).

- low hanging cloud

-kind of fish net suspended from a canoe in the deep sea. (P/E Dict.).

Ao ho'okaka'a

Ao ho'okaka'a- ho’oka’a- rolling together, sky overcast with  wind. Starting up rolling together.( P/E Dict.)

v. See KAA, to roll. To roll; to turn this way and that.

2. To stare or gaze with wonder; to strain the eyes with looking.

3. To turn aside from; to deviate from a right line; to sail in a zigzag manner.

4. To squint. ( Andrews Dict.).

'Ohu

Kii: Jose Casal

'Ohu- nvs. Mist, fog, vapor, light cloud on a mountain; adorned as with leis. Hui ʻia ke ʻala me ke onaona i lei ʻohu nou, ē Ka-lani (name song for Liliʻu-o-ka-lani), combined are fragrance and sweetness into a lei to adorn you, O Queen. hōʻohu To form mist; misty, etc. (PNP kofu.) ( Hawaiian Dict.).

Ao ʻōpiopio,

Kii: Lucas Meneses

  Ao 'ōpiopio- white cloud. ho.ʻō.pio.pio Redup. of hoʻōpio. (P/E Dict.)

v. See OPIO. To be young; tender, as a plant or tree; as a child or animal. 1 Sam. 1:24.9 (Andews Dict.)

Ao 'ele'ele

Kii: Pawel Nolbert

Ao 'ele'ele- black , dark cloud.

Ao paeki'i

Kii: Public domain

Low clouds; clouds lying on the horizon. (Andrews Dict.)

Lit., row of images. (P/E Dict.)

Ao pōpuakiʻi

Kii: Trip Ad.

n. Clusters of cloud banks.(P/E Dict.).

s. The place where pointed clusters of clouds arise out of the ocean; kahi e puka mai ai na ao opua mai ka moana.

( Andrews Dict.).

Ao ko'i'ula

Kii: Deborah Laughlin

Ao koʻiʻula

n. Rainbow-hued rain, mist, cloud. Ua wili koʻiʻula ka lepo i ka lani mehe puahiohio lā (FS 169), the dirt twirled into the sky like a red cloud in a whirlwind. Hala i ke ala koʻiʻula a Kāne, passed on along the rainbow-hued trail of Kāne [death].9 P/E Dict.).

Ao ka'apeha

Ao ka'apeha

1. nvs. Large mass of clouds; impressively big, large, even corpulent in a distinguished manner; influential and important.

2. vi. To spread wings or tail feathers. (For. 6:381.)

3. vt. To fold over, as a bundle. (For. 6:381.) ( P/E Dict).

The name of a large sized person—also of great influence.( Anfdrews Dict.)

Ao lalahiwa

Kii: Engine Akyurt

 Dark, as of a cloud.

Ka ua Aiwaaiwa

He āiwaiwa ka ua na Puna

A kāua e hele'i i ka wai hu’ihu’i o uka,  

Kū ‘oni ‘ole i lewa lani,                

Ka hoapili o ke Ko’olau

Ke pūʻali, i kau i ka la

E kau i ka pūloʻuloʻu welo ‘ula o ke ari’I

Pūʻali ka hau nui i ka hau ‘iti

E ho’omoe wale ana i ka ua o Lono

Liua no ho’i na maka, i ka nalo ana.

E komo i ka hale kumu ka’aha

Mysterious are the rains of Puna.

The cold water of the uplands through which we journeyed,

Standing without movement in the firmament above,

My companion of the Koolau

All of whom are stretched out under the sun.

Set up the sacred sign of the chief.

The small hau irritates the skilled one.

He is put to sleep in winter rains,

Dim were my eyes [in looking] for he had disappeared.

Enter the house of braided sennit!

Kia ao

Kii: Mark Silva

Pillar cloud

Ao Kalaniʻōpua

Ao kalaniʻōpua- A cloud up above horizon

Ao ʻālaʻapapa

1. v. To tell publicly, as of the past

2. n. Type of ancient dramatic hula. (UL, chapter IX.)

3. n. Long cloud formation.

Ao hiwahiwa

Kii: Pexels/Josh Sorenson

hiwahiwa- glossy black cloud

nvs. Precious, beloved, esteemed, petted, darling, indulged; favorite. See ex., luxury. Ka Mesia, ka hiwahiwa a ke Akua (Luka 23.35), the Messiah, the chosen of God. hoʻo.hiwa.hiwa To honor, adorn, decorate; to display, as the flag; to treat as a favorite; festive. He mea hoʻohiwahiwa i ke akua, a thing to honor the gods. ʻO ka mea hoʻohiwahiwa i kāna kauā mai kona wā ʻuʻuku mai (Sol. 29.21), he who delicately brings up his servant from his childhood. ( P/E Dict.)

1. nvs. Entirely black, as of pigs offered to the gods, a desirable blackness contrasting with uli and ʻeleʻele, which have pejorative connotations. See polohiwa and its associations with the god Kāne. (PCP (f,s)iwa.)

2. vs. Choice. See hiwahiwa.

3. A term qualifying coconuts and kava; see niu, ʻawa.

4. See ʻAeʻae-a-hiwa. (P/E Dict.).

Ao lena

Kii: Ron Cogswell

lena - yellowish tinge cloud

1. nvs. Yellow, yellowish; jaundice; bile. (PPN renga.)

2. n. Var. name for the ʻōlena or turmeric plant. (PPN renga.)

3. vi. To stretch out, as to dry; to draw tight, as a belt; to sight or aim; to bend, as a bow. Lena ka maka, to stare threateningly. Lena nō lākou i kō lākou mau alelo, e like me kō lākou kakaka, no ka wahaheʻe (Ier. 9.3), they bend their tongues like their bows for lies. hoʻo.lena To stretch, pull back, as a bow.

4. vs. Lazy, idle, indolent. Cf. lē, lolena.

5. (Cap.) n. Name of a star, perhaps Sirius.

6. (Cap.) n. Name of a yellow-tinted rain famous at Hanalei, Kauaʻi, and on Maui. (P/E Dict.).

v. To bend; to strain, as a bow; to make ready to shoot, as with a bow. Nal. 22:34, 8.

2. To take sight or aim, as in shooting with a bow; he poe lena i na kakaka.

3. To bend or use the tongue for false-hood. Ier. 9:3.

4. To pull out straight and iron, as clothes; e hoomohala a e hoopalahalaha ae; to stretch out, as cloth or kapa to dry.

5. To squint; to strain the eyes. ( Andrews Dict).

Ao ʻōnohi'ula

Kii: Dewang Gupta

n. Cloud with rainbow (ʻōnohi) colors.

n.

1. The eyeball; center; setting, as of a ring. Fig., eyes. See ex., hehelo. ʻŌnohi kaimana, set diamond. ʻŌnohi kau maka, beloved one; lit., eyeball placed in the eye. ʻŌnohi uliuli, dark pupil of the eye. Kahi mea iāia ka ʻōnohi o ka pahu hula, the one who has the central [role] among hula drummers. He paʻakai poepoe liʻiliʻi, he ʻōnohi awa ka inoa, small round-grained salt is called milkfish eyeball. (PNP kanofi, PCP ko(a)nofi.)

2. Patch or fragment of a rainbow. (Laie 351.) ( P/E Dict.)

Ao ho'opehupehu

Kii: Ivan L

Ao ho'opehupehu- to brag, swollen.

Redup. of pehu 1. hoʻo.pehu.pehu Redup. of hoʻopehu; to brag; braggadocio; swollen, billowy, as a cloud. (P/E Dict.).

Ao kāheʻa

Red stains or streaks, as at dawn; bloody. (Malo 13.)

Pāpala

Kii:

 Pāpala- cloud lay smooth over the mountains in the morning sign of rain to follow.

Kii: Pietro De Grandi

1. n. All species of a native genus (Charpentiera), shrubs and small trees, belonging to the amaranth family. Formerly on the north coast of Kauaʻi, Hawaiians used the wood, which is light and inflammable, for fireworks, throwing burning pieces from cliffs. (Neal 332.)

2. n. Firebrand, as hurled from the cliffs in the famous Kauaʻi sport, so called because pāpala wood was often used. Ke ahi pāpala welo i Makua (chant), the streaming pāpala firebrand at Makua.

3. nvs. Haze, fog; hoarse, as the voice. Rare.

Ao pali’uli

Kii: Wolfgang Hasselmann

Clouds in western horizon are blue black at sunset, high surf expected; kakoo.

Pali-uli -n. A legendary land of plenty and joy, said to be on Hawaiʻi, where chiefs' children were raised; now a place name on several islands. Lit., green cliff. See chant, pulelo and saying, glory. Hanohano Pali-uli i ka ua noe, majestic is Pali-uli in the misty rain [said in admiration of a person].( P/E Dict).

Ao hoʻohaha

Kii: Paul Hanaoka

Overcast, calm.

Ao akua

Kii: National Weather Service

n. godly cloud. fig., rainbow. (P/E Dict.).

Ao ki'ikau

Kii: Ce Photo, Shutterstock

Aokiʻikau -drifting clouds of different colors, including black and white. Pertaining to clouds divided into strips black or white; he ao nohi opua kiikau.

Ao ʻīlio

Kii: Alexander Ludwig

Kii: Keller M. services1. n. Dog (brought to Hawaiʻi by early Polynesians, considered an ʻaumakua by some). Cf. ʻapowai, hula ʻīlio, nūkea, Gram. 2.9, Titcomb 1969, Hal. 22.16, Hoik. 22.15. Many types of dogs are listed below. ʻĪlio moʻo, ʻīlio peʻelua, brindled dog. (PPN kulii; The Hawaiian term may have come from Tuamotu kurio, with replacement of -u- by -i-.)

2. A generic term for foreign quadruped. See below and Gram. 2.9.2.

3. Cloud (poetic, or cloud with an omen). ʻĪlio ʻehu, cloud with a ruddy tint. ʻO ʻīlio uli, ʻo ʻīlio mea, ʻo Kū ke ao iki, ʻo Kū ke ao loa, ʻo Kū ke ao poko (PH 144), dark dog-cloud, reddish dog-cloud, Kū the small cloud, Kū the long cloud, Kū the short cloud. See kū 11, the god.

4. Tie beam in a house, brace that holds rafter to crossbeam.

5. A seaweed, same as some of the hulu ʻīlio 5.

1. n. Dog (brought to Hawaiʻi by early Polynesians, considered an ʻaumakua by some). Cf. ʻapowai, hula ʻīlio, nūkea, Gram. 2.9, Titcomb 1969, Hal. 22.16, Hoik. 22.15. Many types of dogs are listed below. ʻĪlio moʻo, ʻīlio peʻelua, brindled dog. (PPN kulii; The Hawaiian term may have come from Tuamotu kurio, with replacement of -u- by -i-.)

2. A generic term for foreign quadruped. See below and Gram. 2.9.2.

3. Cloud (poetic, or cloud with an omen). ʻĪlio ʻehu, cloud with a ruddy tint. ʻO ʻīlio uli, ʻo ʻīlio mea, ʻo Kū ke ao iki, ʻo Kū ke ao loa, ʻo Kū ke ao poko (PH 144), dark dog-cloud, reddish dog-cloud, Kū the small cloud, Kū the long cloud, Kū the short cloud. See kū 11, the god.

4. Tie beam in a house, brace that holds rafter to crossbeam.

5. A seaweed, same as some of the hulu ʻīlio 5.

Ao kawele lau ʻōpua

Kii: Earth Sky

-highest clouds in the sky.

kawele -vi. To work or act slowly and in moderation, as in paddling a canoe or farming; slow, lingering, as disease.(P/E Dict.)

Lau-1. nvi. Leaf, frond, leaflet, greens; to leaf out. Lau is sometimes contracted to lā-, as lāʻī, lāʻie, lāʻō. hoʻo.lau To grow leaves; to leaf out. (PPN lau.)

2. n. Dragnet, seine, so called because formerly made of ti leaves (lau) tied to a rope. Cf. hukilau, lauahi, lauʻapoʻapo, laukō. hoʻo.lau

a. To use a lau.

b. A bundle of grass or ferns set in water to attract shrimps or ʻoʻopu fish; a net was placed under this bundle, and the fish shaken into it. (PPN rau.)

3. n. Sheet; surface; blade, as of grass. Cf. lā- 2; lauahi, lauhoe, laulā, laumania, moena lau.

4. num. To be much, many; very many, numerous; four hundred. Cf. kini, mano. Ahe lau makani, gentle winds, caressing. Lau ā lau nā hōkū o ka lani, hundreds and hundreds of stars in the heaven. Lau lena ka pua o ka māmane, the māmane is yellow with blossoms. hoʻo.lau To make numerous; to assemble, as of numerous persons or animals; numerous. (PPN rau.)

5. n. Pattern, as for quilts; design; print of a cloth. Pāhoehoe lau, brocaded satin.

6. n. Thatched mountain hut, as used by farmers, canoe-makers, birdcatchers.

7. n. Tip, as of the tongue; top (probably related to wēlau and ʻēlau, tip). Lau make, death-dealing tip, as of a weapon. Moe … i ka lau o ka lihilihi (Kep. 115), to doze; lit., sleep by the tip of the eyelash.

8. n. Sweet-potato slip or vine.

ʻopua -nvi. Puffy clouds, as banked up near the horizon, often interpreted as omens; cumulus or billowy cloud, cloud bank; to form such clouds. See sayings, clouds, proud. ʻO Kona kai ʻōpua i ka laʻi, ʻōpua hīnano kau i ka mālie (chant), Kona with its cloud billows and sea in the calm, puffy clouds white like hīnano blossoms resting in the quiet. (PEP ka(a)pua.).

Ao ‘opua noho mai

Kii: Anna Severson

- resting clouds

Ao ’opua aumoe

Kii: Kyle Johnson

- night clouds

Pulelehua kea

Kii:

The Large Magellanic Cloud is visible in Hawaii for a short period of time. T

Ao pōhai’ula

Kii: Milad Kiyan

Pōhai -nvi. Circle, group, as of people, trees (For. 5:287); gathering; to gather about in a circle. Also pōʻai. Pohai-nani (name of a retirement home, Oʻahu), beauty surrounded. He pōhai aliʻi, a group or circle of chiefs, people constantly in a chief's circle of companions.

 Pōhai ʻula, red cloud, as of dust. ( P/E Dict.).

Ao melemele

Kii: Photoholgic

Golden clouds

Ao ali’i

Kii: Cosmo girl

- cloud chief Ke ao ʻōpua ola- sharp pointed living cloud.

Ao ʻōpua ahiahi

Kii: Matt Benson

Evening clouds

Ao ’ōpua kiʻei

Kii: Maridav

 Peeking clouds

1. Look. Kiʻei, hālō; hāʻei (rare). ( P/E Dict.).

kiʻei -vt. To peer, peep, as through a door or crevice; to look at slyly; to protrude forth. Kekē nā niho kiʻei, the protruding teeth were exposed.

Ao Ho'omalumalu

: Nandor Szotak

malumalu

Redup. of malu; shelter or protection of any kind, often humble; shady. Malumalu akua, shelter or protection of the gods. ʻA ʻole maikaʻi loa ʻo kēia hale akā he malumalu, this house is not very good, still it is a shelter. He malumalu hele lā, it's protection [for] going in the sun. hoʻo.malu.malu To overshadow, cast a shadow; shade; darken, as by a cloud. Nā kerubima nani e hoʻomalumalu i ka noho aloha (Heb. 9.5), the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.

Ao ‘ōpua hālō

Hālō peer, as with the hands shading the eyes; to peep. He ao hālō (Malo 146), a peering cloud.(P/E Dict.).

Ao kea

Kii: Jose Mizrahi

White clouds

Aokū

Kii: Sadan Ekdemir

A cloud which quickly condenses, as it rises, and forms into rain; a cloud foreshadowing a short or light shower, usually accompanied with sunshine.

Pūlehu, Waikōʻihi, Waipuʻilani

Water funnel from clouds