Ngā Tohutohu
Ka Pilina ʻŌlelo “No”
Place of origin is a very important aspect of Hawaiian cultural identity, and is often discussed even before one’s name. The above ʻōlelo noʻeau demonstrate the ways in which Hawaiians connect place identity with personality traits.
Today, we often see this identity of place manifest itself among people who first meet each other as a discussion of high schools and years of graduation. This is so that the recently introduced individuals, who are perhaps not familiar with one another, can move quickly to a feeling of comfort and familiarity through the identification of common family and friends.
In this mokuna (chapter) , we will learn the grammatical structure that is used to relate where things are from or to whom they belong. In this chapter, however, we will only learn how to identify where things and people are from. This pilina ʻōlelo (grammatical structure) will begin with the word No, which indicates the ownership of some object. In Hawaiian, the statement No Mānoa mai au means “I am of Mānoa,” “I belong to Mānoa,” or “Mānoa is where I was born and/or raised.” This is the equivalent of the English “I am from Mānoa.”
No Kapolei mai au. I am from Kapolei.
No Waialua, Oʻahu mai ʻo ia. He/she is from Waialua, Oʻahu.
No Koʻolauloa mai ʻo Tūtū Manu. Tūtū Manu is from Koʻolauloa.
No Kauaʻi mai ʻoe? Are you from Kauaʻi?
No kēia mokupuni mai ʻo ia. She is from this island.
No Waimea, Hawaiʻi mai ʻo Momi. Momi is from Waimea, Hawaiʻi.
No ka mokupuni ʻo Maui mai koʻu tūtū. My grandpa is from the island of Maui.
No Kalihi Uka mai kēia keiki. This child is from Kalihi Uka.
Grammar
In Hawaiian, the Manaʻo Haʻi is the main idea of the sentence and the Kumu Haʻi is the source of our discussion, who (or what) weʻre talking about.
Manaʻo Haʻi Kumu Haʻi
No Kapolei mai au. No Kapolei mai au.
No Waialua, Oʻahu mai ʻo ia. No Waialua, Oʻahu mai ʻo ia.
No Koʻolauloa mai ʻo Tūtū Manu. No Koʻolauloa mai ʻo Tūtū Manu.
No ka mokupuni ʻo Maui mai koʻu tūtū. No ka mokupuni ʻo Maui mai koʻu tūtū.
Nīnau a Pane
When you want to ask where someone is from, the word hea follows the word No. This word hea is a question word, which is replaced by the answer when responding. In the examples below, note how the Hawaiian word order does not change between questions and answers. Note, however, how the word order changes significantly in English.
For example:
Nīnau: No hea mai ʻoe? Where are you from?
Pane: No Kapolei mai au. I am from Kapolei.
Nīnau: No hea mai ʻo ia? Where is she from?
Pane: No Pauoa, Oʻahu mai ʻo ia. She is from Pauoa, Oʻahu.
Nīnau: No hea ʻo Tūtū Manu? Where is Tūtū Manu from?
Pane: No Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi mai ʻo ia. He is from Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi.
Because Hawaiian word order does not change between questions and answers, when you ask someone if they are from a specific place (rather than “where” they are from), the same word order is used and only your voice inflection changes.
Nīnau: No Mānoa mai ʻoe? Are you from Mānoa?
Pane: ʻAe, no Mānoa mai au. Yes, I am from Mānoa.
Nīnau: No Maui mai ʻo ia? Is she from Maui?
Pane: ʻAʻole, no Oʻahu mai ʻo ia. No, she is from Oʻahu.
Nīnau: No Kauaʻi mai ʻo ia? Is he from Kauaʻi?
Pane: ʻAe, no Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi mai ʻo ia. Yes, he is from Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi.
Ka Haʻawina
E unuhi i nā hopuna ʻōlelo o lalo nei. Translate the sentences below.
