ʻŌhiʻa
Ke Koʻikoʻi
ʻO kekahi o nā lāʻau pūlima ʻia, pana ʻia, a aloha ʻia ka ʻōhiʻa lehua. He lāʻau kēia i paʻa ma ka moʻokūʻauhau a me nā moʻolelo. Hiki ke ʻike ʻia i loko o nā mele oli he nui wale, mele hīmeni, ʻōlelo noʻeau, a me nā moʻolelo e hōʻike ʻia ai kona pilina i ka ʻāina a me nā akua.
ʻIke ʻia ka ʻōhiʻa ma nā mele oli, nā mele hīmeni, nā ʻōlelo noʻeau, a me nā moʻolelo he nui wale, e hōʻike ʻia ai kona pilina i ka ʻāina a me nā akua. ʻIke ʻia ka ʻōhiʻa ma ka Wā ʻAono o ke Kumulipo, he koʻihonua o Hawaiʻi.
ʻŌhiʻa is also vital to our everyday lives as it is critical to our watersheds as it comprises 80% of Hawaiʻi’s native forests and provides 50% more effectiveness of retaining moisture, feeding streams, and recharging aquifers. This tree also prevents erosion from occurring.
Manaʻo ʻia, he kino lau ka ʻōhiʻa o ke akua wahine o ke ahi ʻo Pele. ʻOiai ʻo ia ka mea mua e ulu ana ma hope o ke kahena pele, ʻo ka neʻe ʻana hoʻi o Pele a me ka mohala ʻana o ka lehua, ʻo ia ka mea e paʻa ai ka wai ua; a ma ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻōhiʻa e mālama ʻia ai ko kākou mau kūpuna e like hoʻi me ko lākou mālama ʻana mai iā kākou.
'Ōhiʻa a me nā ʻŌlelo Noʻeau
Aia ma lalo nei kekahi mau ʻōlelo noʻeau no ka ʻōhiʻa lehua. No loko mai kēia o ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings na Mary Kawena Pukui (Bishop Museum Press, 1983). He ʻōlelo akamai ka ʻōlelo noʻeau are kaʻana ʻia ai ka ʻike, manaʻo hoʻomākeʻaka, a kuanaʻike o ko kākou mau kūpuna.
He kai lū lehua ko Panaʻewa.
Panaʻewa shakes down the lehua fringes into the sea.
Once, when the forest of Panaʻewa extended to the sea, fringes of the lehua blossoms were seen floating about in the water.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #659
Hilo i ka ua Kanilehua.
Hilo of the Kanilehua rain.
The Kanilehua rain, or the rain that patters in the lehua forest, is frequently referred to in the chants and songs of Hilo.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1000
Hilo, nahele paoa i ke ʻala.
Hilo, where the forest is imbued with fragrance.
Hilo’s forest is fragrant with hala and lehua blossoms.
‘Ōlelo Noʻeau #1005
Hoʻonuʻa Hilo i ka lehua.
Hilo produces the lehua in abundance.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1105
Ka ʻōhiʻa hihipeʻa o Kealakomo.
The entwining ʻōhiʻa branches of Kealakomo.
Kealakomo, in Puna, Hawaiʻi, where ʻōhiʻa trees grow thickly together.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #1511
Welehu ka malama, liko ka ʻōhiʻa.
Welehu is the month [when] the ʻōhiʻa trees are putting forth leaf buds.
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #2932
He kumu lehua muimuia i ka manu.
A Lehua tree covered with birds.
An attractive person. A lehua tree in bloom attracts birds as an attractive person draws the attention of others.
'Ōlelo Noʻeau #713