Culture
Culture is very important to Hawaii and Kauai. Find out why we take our shoes off at the door, learn about the Hawaiian language, how directions are given in Hawaii, the story of the aloha shirt, what is a heiau?, and much more.
If you really want to dive into your vacation trying the food that the locals eat is the best way. Sit down with a plate lunch and talk story or attend a luau and watch fire dancers as you sample some poi and kalua pork.
The Hawaiian Language
| Hawaiian and English are the official languages of the state of Hawaii. King Kamehameha III established the first language constitution in 1839 and 1840. The Hawaiian alphabet has twelve letters with five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and seven consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w). In Hawaiian, a consonant is always followed by a vowel and thus all Hawaiian words end in a vowel.
Speaking Hawaiian was discouraged and the number of native speakers gradually decreased from the 1830s to the 1950s. There was a worry that the language was going to disappear and it had become endangered. Public Hawaiian language immersion preschools called Punana Leo were first started in 1984 and there has been tremendous growth in Hawaiian speakers and the language is taught in the school system and at the colleges in Hawaii.
The Island of Niihau is the only place in the world where Hawaiian is the primary language and English is considered to be a foreign language.
In the Hawaiian language, a symbol directly over a vowel called a kahako indicates that the vowel sound is to be elongated. An apostrophe-like symbol called an `okina indicates a quick pause in the word, as in "ah-ah" for the word a`a. The language is consistent so it is easy to pronounce the words, although their length can be daunting, as long as you memorize the rules.
a is ah, as in far
e is a as in day
i is ee as in see
o is oh as in so
u is oo as in spoon
The most common words used are aloha (a greeting), mahalo (thank you), e komo mai (welcome, come in), hana hou (one more time), often used when watching entertainment and similar to encore. Visitors are familiar with Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) and Hauoli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year). Mauka (mountain) and makai (ocean) are referenced when giving directions. |
One of the Wettest Places on Earth
| To say that Kauai is one of the wettest places on Earth can be misleading because people believe that it rains a lot on Kauai, which is true, but it really depends on where you are on the island. Kauai has many climates including deserts, with beautiful cacti growing all over, with only ten inches of rain annually, and a few miles away from Waialeale, which is one of the wettest places on Earth.
Mount Wai?ale?ale stands at 5,148 feet and averages more than 452 inches of rain a year with a recorded high of 683 inches in 1982. On a clear day, if you are in the right place, you may be lucky enough to see this beautiful mountain in its green glory. It is usually in cloud cover though. Its name literally means "rippling water" or "overflowing water." ? Deep faulting and water erosion have carved canyons in the mountain. Wainiha, Lumahai, and Hanalei valleys dig into Waialeale. To its west is Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, 16 miles (26 km) long and 1 to 2 miles (1.6 to 3.2 km) wide and as much as 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) deep. Mount Waialeale supplies numerous waterfalls visible from many parts of the North Shore of Kauai. It also feeds the only navigable rivers in the State of Hawaii. The main rivers are Waimea, Wailua, Makaweli, and Hanapepe.??
The summit of Waialeale features a rainforest with heavy rainfall throughout most of the year. Several factors give the summit of Wai?ale?ale the ability to create precipitation than the rest of Hawaii. Its northern position relative to the other Hawaiian Islands provides more exposure to frontal systems that bring rain during the winter and it has a relatively round and regular conical shape, exposing all sides of its peak to winds and the moisture that they carry. Mt. Waialeales peak lies just below the so-called trade wind inversion layer of 6,000 feet (1,800 m), above which trade-wind-produced clouds cannot rise. Its steep cliffs cause the moisture-laden air to rise rapidly over 3,000 feet (910 m) in less than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) and drop a large portion of its rain in one spot, as opposed to spreading the rain out over a larger area if the slope were more gradual.
The great rainfall in the area creates the Alaka?i Wilderness Preserve, a large boggy area that is home to many rare plants. The ground is so wet that although trails exist, access by foot to the Wai?ale?ale area is extremely difficult.
A number of rare local plant species are named for this mountain, including Astelia Waialeale, Melicope Waialeale, and the endemic Dubautia Waialeale. |
The Early Settlers
| Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and legend says that the Menehune were the first settlers, followed by the Marquesas in around 400 A.D. The Polynesians arrived around 500 A.D. Other early settlers included dogs, chickens, pigs, and rats, as well as coconuts and bananas that were introduced to the island by the canoe voyagers.
Waimea Town is Kauai`s oldest settlement and capital from ancient Hawaiian days. A statue of Captain Cook stands today in Waimea Town to commemorate the explorers first landing in Kauais Waimea Bay in 1778. Cooks discovery of what he called the Sandwich Isles, named after the Earl of Sandwich, introduced Hawaii to the world.
Whalers and missionaries made Waimea a port of call, and the growth of the agricultural industry in the 19th century brought plantation workers from many nations to the island.
In 1835, Old Koloa Town opened its first sugar mill on the South Shore. Sugar plantation owners contracted immigrant labor from China, Japan, Korea, Spain, Germany, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Norway, and the Philippines. Many of these immigrants settled on Kauai and, as a result, Kauai enjoys a fascinating multicultural society and ethnic diversity. From Tahiti fetes to Bon Dance Festivals, Kauai celebrates and preserves its diverse culture through food, music, dance, mele, and crafts. |
Meanings of Names
| Hawaiian belongs to the Polynesian family of languages and is related closely to Tahitian, Marquesan and Maori.
There are only twelve letters to the Hawaiian alphabet, courtesy of the Missionaries who phonetically rendered the Hawaiian language. The consonants are h,k,l,m,n,p and w. The consonants are pronounced the same as in English; however, the w is often pronounced as a v.
The State of Hawaii consists of eight major islands: O?ahu, Hawaii Island, Maui, Kaua?i, Moloka?i, Lana?i, Ni?ihau and Kaho?olawe.
The State of Hawaii is made up of five counties: Hawaii County, Honolulu County, Kalawao County, Kaua?i County and Maui County which includes Maui, Lana?i, most of the island of Moloka?i and the island of Kaho?olawe.
All of the Hawaiian Islands have various nicknames:
Ni?ihau - The Forbidden Isle
Kauai - The Garden Isle
O?ahu - The Gathering Place
Molokai - The Friendly Isle
Lanai - The Pineapple Island
Kaho?olawe - The Target Island
Maui - The Valley Isle
The Island of Hawaii - The Big Island
Most visitors have trouble pronouncing the names of places in Hawaii. Thatss ok!
Below is a list of meanings for some of the place names on Kauai.
Kekaha - The Place
Waimea - Reddish Water
Pakala - The Sunshine
Hanapepe - Crushed Bay
`Ele`ele - Black
Kalaheo - Proud Day
Lawa`i - Village
Koloa - Long Sugarcane
Po`ipu - Crashing
Maha`ulepu - Falling Together
Puhi - Blow
Lihu`e - Cold Chill
Wailua - Many Waters
Kapa`a - The Solids or the Closing
Anahola - Easily Broken
Kilauea - Spewing, much spreading
Hanalei - Crescent Bay
Ha`ena - Red Hot
Hanakapi`ai - The Sprinkling Food
Kalalau - The Straying
Polihale - House Bosom |
