'O wai ka inoa ou?

Kii: Sam Low

Nānā I Ke Kumu

(LOOK TO THE SOURCE)

Volume I

Mary Kawena Pukui

E.W. Haertig, M.D.

Catherine A. Lee

Published by Hui Hānai

An Auxiliary of the

QUEEN LILIʻUOKALANI CHILDREN'S CENTER

What is in your name? Names or inoa are always assigned to one in pre-birth. Whether it is understood or not, we are entittled to a particular name which makes us who we are. We are all born with a intended inoa. 'O wai kou inoa ? who are you? what is your source of spring water? Who is your wai or water? many questions can be asked of our name, its origions and its mana.

Hawaiian dictionary reads ;

 1. Name, term, title. Inoa laula, inoa nui, general name. Ola ka inoa, the name lives [a family name is given to a child]. (PPN hingoa.)

 2. Namesake. E hele aku māua me Inoa, we'll go with Namesake [said only by one of his own namesake; the possessive may be omitted; also used in the vocative].

 3. An affectionate term for affinal relatives, or in-laws of in-laws, or relatives usually not related by blood; inoa may be followed by a kinship term indicative of generation (as moʻopuna, kaikamahine, keiki, makua, kupuna), or of the common relative (as puluna, hūnōna.) A grandchild's spouse's relatives united by affection to the speaker might thus be called inoa moʻopuna. Similarly the cousins of a puluna (parents-in-law of an offspring) might be inoa puluna, and the cousins or in-laws of a parent might be inoa makua. The relationship might also extend to close family friends.

 4. Name chant or song. He inoa no ka lani (chant), a name chant in honor of the chief.

inoa—personal name; in pre-missionary times no distinction was made between first name or names and family name.

Mary K. Puku’I co author of Nana I Ke Kumu vol 1 explains:

In the early days of Hawaii, personal possessions were few, but highly valued. Poi pounders, woven mats, a man's malo or loin cloth, the stone adze of a canoe maker, the bone hooks of a fisherman, the spear of a warrior—all these were prized. But even more precious was each man's most personal possession, his name. One's inoa was both owned property and a kind of force in its own right. Once spoken, an inoa took on an existence, invisible, intangible, but real. An inoa could be a causative agent, capable of marshalling mystic elements to help or hurt the bearer of the name. And, so went the belief, the more an inoa was spoken, the stronger became this name-force and its potential to benefit or harm. Names not mystically suggested, such as: inoa hoʻomanao, a commemorative name given to honor a person or record an event; inoa kupuna, the handed-down name of an ancestor; inoa kūamuamu, a "reviling name."

Three types of names carried the awesome seal of the spirit world. All were chosen by a god, usually a family aumakua. In an ʻohana (family clan) that awaited a baby's birth, someone would have a name indicated or pronounced in a dream. This was the inoa pō, literally "night name" or "name in darkness." Or a family member might have a vision, or see a mystic sign in the clouds, the flight of birds, or other phenomenon, that clearly indicated a name. This was the inoa hōʻailona or "name in sign or vision." Or someone might hear a mystical voice speaking a name directly or in an oblique message. This was the inoa ʻūlāleo, the "voice name." Seen, heard or dreamed, such a name was both a gift and a command from the aumakua. This name must be given the child. Says Mary Kawena Pukui:

"The name given by the aumakua shows a relationship between the god and the person named. The name need not contain the name of the god, but Hawaiians know who is referred to. A name that includes phrases that mean 'mountain dweller' or 'earth devourer' refers to Pele, for example.

"Such a name absolutely must be used. To refuse to give the name will result in either a crippled body or death for the child. The crippling of the body is a warning. If it is not heeded, death follows."

At the bottom of the list were the simple names that meant a rock, tree, stream or any natural object. These names, devoid of aumakua influence, scrupulously free from reference to god, to aliʻi (royalty) or famous event, were taken by the kauwā, Hawaiiʻs despised slave class.

Inoa kupuna- The name of a family kupuna is given to a child of the family lineage. Permission from the name’s owner is the proper way to attain the inoa. Names can carry kapu and these kapu are for the individual that carries the original name, so it is good to ask permission from the owner of the name so the owner can either grant permission or say aole. Giving any name to a child from one’s own genealogy without knowing the names history can have effects on the child, as the name carries a specific mana intended for the original soul. Never take name without permission from the owner!

If taking a family ancestor's name without clear-cut permission leads to trouble within the family, taking anyone's Hawaiian name without permission can precipitate a more wide-spread quarrel. The non

Inoa hoʻomana’o, a name that commemorates or remembers an event so that the events importance may live on in the child when his or her name is mentioned or thought of. Nana I Ke Kumu says “

In a society without a written language, history was a matter of human memory and human voice. Long olis (chants) told of great events and heroic sagas. But for a "verbal shorthand" reminder, the nimble-tongued Hawaiians used the inoa hoʻomanao. Let a grandmother call out to a child, "Come here, Ke-liʻi-paahana" ("the industrious chiefess") and everyone within hearing remembered Poʻoloku, the beloved chiefess who kept her people busy and prosperous, and even personally dug holes for planting bananas”.

Puku’I also states ”Some distortion of reality may exist when a child is named after a well-remembered deceased relative. In any culture, the child may be an emotional replacement for the dead. This possibility is strong among Hawaiian families where ties between the living and the dead are enduring.* Traditionally, a child was often hānai'd (early adoptive practice) as a consciously recognized replacement. As Mrs. Pukui outlines this, "A kupuna [in this case, grandparent] would say 'the child I dearly loved is gone. This child will be a substitute. And so the hānai keiki would represent to the grandmother all that the dead child used to be."

Giving names to commemorate events in the lives of aliʻi could have been a risky business. Nobody took another's name without permission, and names of royalty were especially kapu. The danger was nicely evaded by placing the emphasis on event and merely incorporating an aliʻi's name as one part of a many-syllabled phrase.

Inoa kūamuamu the reviling name given to perpetuate harm or insult directed at aliʻi or family. This had the quality of a commemorative name, but in a negative context. The ideal situation for such naming came when someone living close by had hurt or insulted another family. Then when the insulted family had a baby by birth or hānai (adoption-like practice), the child was named with a phrase that referred to the offense. Each time the youngster was called, the neighbor heard a reminder of her misdeed.

The name had a duality, though. Although it was used to ridicule someone else, it was also a protective coat for the child as the meaning could protect them from malicious spirits. 

It is important to note that people can receive a collection of names in their life based on events that may have happened, similar to how we each receive nicknames by different people at different points in our lives. Furthermore, it is important to understand the meaning of one’s name and the story behind it. so i ask again, He aha ko loko i kou inoa?