'O wai kou inoa? (What is your name?)

I am taking another Hawaiian cultures class from the A'o Makua series entitled Mo'olelo - He Inoa Ala - A fragrant name – said of a chief whose reputation is good. (Pūku'i, 637). In this class we discover who we are and where we come from through the origin of our names and family names.

I think it is so much fun learning about yourself by researching your name. The Hawaiians named their children carefully because they believed the child grows into his or her name. Also, they did not like to shorten or give nicknames. As I am told, it retracts from the pureness of the name. Also, one must be careful not to place too much emphasis on one syllable or segment of a person's name because there could be negative connotations and repercussions when that part of the name is over-emphasized.

Our assignment was to create a message to the group by adding a new thread. We are to share the story behind our name. What does your name mean? Who named you? Are you named after someone? We could also tell the story of our last name or a family name or even the story behind choosing a name for someone else. This is my story...

Aloha Kakou.
My name is Camilla Grace Fusae Ka'iuhono'onālani Wengler-Vignoe. I just go by Cami.

I think this is a wonderful papa (class) and ha'awina (lesson). Mahalo Kumu Brandy for the opportunity to research our inoa and to share our mo'olelo with nā haumana.

My first name Camilla is of Latin origin and means "ceremonial attendant" or "attendant at a sacrifice". Camilla is also a swift running Warrior Princess the famous Roman poet Virgil writes about.

My middle name Grace is also of Latin origin meaning "God's favor". Grace refers to Blessed Mother - the mother of Jesus whom we honor in the Roman Catholic tradition - which is one our family celebrates. I wish I was more graceful!

My Japanese name Fusae refers to a beautiful delicate ornament. My mother told me to imagine a whimsical Japanese ornament, hanging high on a far branch of a cherry blossom tree. No matter how hard the rain falls or the wind blows, the ornament that appears so delicate is actually quite sturdy. It sways in the wind, weathers the elements; after the mightiest of storms, the ornament remains dangling from the tree branch, beautiful and seemingly undamaged.

My maiden name Wengler, is supposedly a common German family name. It is related to the Winkler and Wrangler families. The Wengler clan I am told lived in the hills in Germany somewhere. Interesting. I would like to find out more. Growing up in Honolulu, we were the only Wengler family in the phone book, in the whole state! This is because our dad was the first Wengler that migrated to Hawai'i; he is originally from Missouri.

My married name - Vignoe - is Italian, as my husband is a third generation Italian American. The story they tell is that my husband Dave's grandpa arrived from Italy in the early 1900s, their families were from Florence and Naples. Their last name was actually Vignali, but they shortened it to Vignoe so that it would sound more American, so that they would not be treated like third class citizens.

This is the mo'olelo of my Hawaiian name Ka'iuhono'onālani:

inoa pō - n. Dream name, as in a name for an infant believed received in a dream; it was thought that if such a name were not given, the child would be sickly or die. (wehewehe.org)

These types of names carried the seal of the spirit world. All were chosen by a god, usually a family ‘aumakua. In an ‘ohana (family) 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 the darkness”…such a name was both a gift and a command from the ‘aumakua. This name must be given the child. Says Mary Kawena Puku’i, “The name given by the ‘aumakua shows a relationship between the god and that person,” (p. 95 Nana I ke Kumu – Puku’i, 1972)

On a balmy Mānoa (a valley in Honolulu) evening in June 1965, Tutu Kawena awoke from her nap, distinctly remembering a specific name she was to gift to her next mo’opuna (grandchild; great-niece or nephew; relatives two generations later, whether blood or adopted). At the very same time in another part of town, my mother was laboring to bring me into this world. In the wee hours of that Sunday morning, I was born to Charlotte and Harry Wengler and received my Hawaiian name: Ka’iuhono’onalani, which means “one who is held in high esteem with the chiefs”.

In this lifetime, my quest is to find out who the chiefs are. Who am I supposed to serve? I have a feeling that I am to serve Keiki 'o ka 'aina (the children of the land)... and attaining my PhD is definitely going to help me to be more effective in service to our people. I am so grateful for all the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me. I have been given so much. I can humbly say that I have been blessed with health, vitality, passion, some brains and a big heart, as well as much privilege...God gives us these things, along with the gift of life, a guardian angel to keep us out of trouble, and many resources - such as fortunate opportunities and the ability to think - to do good works. It is my privilege and honor to serve our communities and our people to the very best of my ability.

My first Hawaiian words...

My Hawaiiana classes are paying off. I received an invitation from my brother Ka'umi and his wife Leimaile on the Big Island. The invitation was written completely in Hawaiian, and I translated it into English for Dave - "You are invited to a lu'au in honor of our daughter Leimailehiehie's first birthday". Dave and I looked at each other, eyes wide in wonder and surprise as I first sounded out the words slowly and correctly in Hawaiian, and then translated it perfectly in English. I cannot tell you how very cool that was! It's like learning to read your very first words without being coached. Hooray!!!!

Today I posted for my Ku'u wahi noho (Where I live) online class, offered through Kamehameha Schools Distance Learning program. Our classmates are from all over the country. In my last class, we had students from all over the world! Anyway, our Kumu (teacher) wants us to introduce ourselves and tell what were the first Hawaiian words we learned and also, what were the circumstances. This was my contribution:

Aloha e Kumu Luana a me haumana, (Greetings Teacher Luana and fellow students,)
'O Cami ko'u inoa. (My name is Cami.)
Noho au i Santa Barbara, CA. (I am from Santa Barbara, CA.)

It is so wonderful to take another papa ʻōlelo (language class) and to reconnect with nā haumana (the students).

I grew up in the ʻāina haina area, on the east side of 'O'ahu. Only proper English was allowed in our house growing up, with dialogue heavily sprinkled with Hawaiian words... When out of earshot of our parents, we'd speak Pidgin so the other kids would play with us. Funny how these memories come back after all these years.

I meditated and asked my ʻAumākua what my first Hawaiian word was. I initially thought it might have been Aloha, but I got a strong message of two words: poi and honi. Poi, I guess, pretty obvious. Probably baby's first "solid" food, made from pounded kalo (taro). Honi, not so obvious unless you were brought up in the islands. In Hawai'i, we give and receive kisses all day, every day from the day you were born. It is a beautiful tradition that doesn't happen very often here on the mainland, unless you meet other Hawaiians, in which case when we do recognize one another as Kama'aina (children of the land), we immediately kiss instead of shaking hands.

If you were not brought up in the tradition of Aloha, imaging receiving and giving kisses and hugs all day, every day. As a child, I always felt loved. I do remember, however, in the keiki days, going to parties and being expected to honi everyone, and I mean EVERYONE - the aunties, uncles, cousins old and young, their friends and people we didn't know - "Honi!" on command - and we performed. Even when feeling shy about meeting other people, that feeling quickly dissipated after the first honi... and then of course, when the party was over and it was time to go, we'd make our rounds again and have to honi the same people, only this time around, it wasn't so terrifying.

I love all the resources the A'o makua papa offer, and have been writing papers on my research. It is time consuming but very necessary to look up the Hawaiian words for accuracy and to be sure they are spelled correctly - otherwise I might not be talking about the right word. Does anyone know if there is there an easier way to write a Hawaiian word with the kahako (one you already know how to spell) besides going to Ulukau and typing in the word, copying and pasting to the document? I tried downloading the software, but I think my computer doesn't like it...
Anyway, I look forward to reading everyone's posts! Have a great week.
Aloha, Cami

Communicating in the Dream World

It is Saturday, and we leave for our Vermont trip tomorrow. We are visiting Dave's family - my in-laws. There is a lovely celebration planned for Uncle Joe, and his life (he was a servant of God, a Catholic priest). Dave's parents are also marking their 50th wedding anniversary. They are a very sweet couple, and have always been so supportive of Dave, and of me as well.

I am so excited…but I wish I had more time to finish my studies now that I’m on a roll, I don’t want to stop. I have been writing around the clock. The moment I wake up, all day, evening, and late evening. The journey is a lot of fun right now, because I'm in the thick of things, and I have reduced the turn-around time between the time I feel stuck and the time my fingers hit the keys. All I have to do is take a time out, take deep breaths, meditate and clear my head, my heart, release the tension in my body, and then ask ‘aumakua for help. It works every time. I am learning faith. I am actually starting to believe I can do this thing with my higher spirit guiding me, by reading courage to change book, by going to Al-Anon meetings, and by being authentic and real. Now I usually start every writing session with prayer. The most amazing thing I that the words start flowing. If I get stuck I go back for help, and then I read or watch something inspiring and my tank is full again.

Dave wants to learn Hawaiian, so I am going to teach him one phrase a day. Yesterday was "Pehea ‘oe"? Which means "How are you?" Today is “Maika’i no au, Mahalo.” or "I am well, thanks." By the time we go back, we’ll have a few phrases down and be able to share language with our nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters.

I had a dream last night. In my dream, Dave and I were conversing in Hawaiian. Then we agreed to try an experiment. We went into the dream world and began speaking to one another there, getting comfortable speaking the language there, telepathically… and then the possibility opened up to speak to our ‘aumakua and to the spirits there! It was really cool!!! Then I woke up. It was such a cool dream. I can see it really happening. It is definitely a possibility. The Hawaiians did it since the beginning of time, and those who are in deep connection with their a'aumakua - well this is a naturally occurring phenomenon. And little children whose hearts are pure and who have not lose the connection to God and to their guardian angels - they do it naturally with out thinking.

The veil is lifting for me, and I am beginning to see clearly, beginning to claim my cultural heritage and all the beautiful, wonderful, and delightful gifts that come with it. I will be able to connect with my husband, with my Mom, with Gram, with Grandpa, and with Tutu in the spirit world, in the dream world. What a gift this dream was! I am honored to share it.

The Story of Hāloa

The story of Hāloa is part of the Kumulipo, and has been told over and over throughout the centuries. I discovered several different versions of the Hāloa story (Wilson, 1988; Lee, 2005; Kame’eleihiwa, 1992). While minor details vary, the mo’olelo itself and the lessons it imparts remain the same. Essentially, this is a re-cap of the Hāloa story:

Papa (Mother Earth) and Wākea (Father Sky) unite, and Papa gives birth to the islands in this order: Hawai’i, Maui, and Kaua’i. The afterbirth is thrust aside to form Molokini. Papa then gives birth to a daughter, Ho’ohōkūkalani. Once Ho’ohōkūkalani grows up to become a beautiful young woman, Wākea falls in love with his daughter, and consults his kahuna (priest, sorcerer) to devise a sneaky plan to spend time away from Papa. Wākea returns to Papa and tells her of the new set of kapu (taboo; laws) his kahuna commanded him to instill. The new ‘ai kapu (rules around eating) were as follows:

1. Men and women will eat in separate hale (house, building).
2. Men will prepare the food for the community; women are relieved from the food preparation due to cleanliness regarding a woman’s cycle of the month.
3. Women may no longer eat certain foods which are considered to be representation of male gods.
Additionally, four nights a week will be dedicated to worship Kū (ancient Hawaiian god of war).

Wākea uses the new kapu to steal time away from Papa and seduces his daughter Ho’ohōkūkalani, who eventually becomes hāpai (pregnant). She tells her mother what happened, and Papa becomes very angry with Wākea and leaves. Later in the story, Wākea takes other lovers and fathers Lāna’i and Moloka’i. Papa finds another husband and gives birth to ‘Oahu. In the end, Papa and Wākea reunite, and the islands of Kaua’i and Ni’ihau are born.

Back in the story of Hāloa, Ho’ohōkūkalani give birth to a son, who is stillborn, deformed, and gnarled like a root. Grieving, the parents receive a message to bury him in the ground on the east side of their hale (house), on the side where the sun rises in the morning. After the baby was buried, a plant grew from his body. This was the first kalo, or taro plant. They name their taro baby Hāloanakalaukapali’i (or Hālo for short, which kind of sounds like kalo). His name means “the long stalk of the quivering leaf” because it has a long stalk with had a large fluttering leaf on top.

Ho’ohōkūkalani later gives birth to a second son who lives. Wākea and Ho’ohōkūkalani call him Hāloa after his older brother; he is the first Hawaiian, the Kupuna (ancestor) of the Hawaiian race.

In the Hawaiian tradition, the elder siblings take responsibility for the younger ones, while it is the duty of younger siblings and keiki (children) to honor, love, and respectfully service their elders. This tradition is modeled through the story of Hāloa. The older brother Hāloanakalaukapali’i, the root of the kalo plant, provides Hāloa with kalo or taro which is the staple food of the Hawaiian people. Hāloa respects to his older brother by taking care of the lo’i, (taro patch), creating irrigation systems, harvesting the plant and replanting to continue the cycle…and by teaching his keiki (children) and mo’opuna (grandchildren) to mālama ‘āina as well. This behavior of interdependence between brothers – between man and kalo – is what the Hawaiians mean when they malama (to care for, respect) ‘āina (land), and live with hearts filled with aloha (love, compassion, kindness), and this I have come to believe, is truly the basis of Hawaiian epistemology.

Performing with HAPA for a crowd of 3,000 people at Chase Palm Park 7/22/10

As part of the summer concert series, Cami and Hula Anyone? performed with Hapa, an internationally known Hawaiian band at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara for an audience of approximately 3,000 attendees. You can view the video here (copy and paste to browser): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCZRdrX6Tps

The Kumulipo - Hawaiian story of creation

Consisting of over 2000 lines, the Kumulipo – which translates into “the dark source” – is a mele ko’ihonua, an oli (chant that was not danced to) of genealogy that was originally composed by Keaulumoku, an ancestor of Queen Lili’uokalani in the 1700s (Hare, 2005). Memorized and passed down in oral tradition from generation to generation, the Kumulipo was chanted by the kahuna (priests) at special events, such as the birth of great ali’i (chiefs), and at the festival of the god Lono, the makahiki (Cua, 2005). It is believed that the Kumulipo was chanted at the arrival of Captain Cook in 1776, as he was thought to be the god Lono.

Genealogical chants were performed on rare occasion, and ali’i court chanters were specifically trained to perform these ‘oli perfectly, so that the integrity of the chant remained intact. According to Kelly Cua, Distance Learning Instructor, a select few individuals today have learned to chant the entire Kumulipo from memory. I actually witnessed Samuel Kaleikoa Ka’eo, Hawaiian Philosopher and Professor at Maui Community College, perform the creation chant at a lecture. It was quite impressive.

The chant was eventually penned by King Kalākaua (ruled1874 – 1891), who used the opportunity to trace his lineage back to the gods through the Kumulipo, to prove his chiefly right to the throne. Later, during her house arrest at ‘Iolani Palace, Kalākaua’s sister Queen Lili’uokalani (ruled 1891 – 1893) translated the Kumulipo, which was then published in 1897. “The most massive part of the chant is a genealogy which enumerates thousands of ancestors of the Hawaiian royal family”. (Hare, 2005). The complete Hawaiian text, as well as the Queen’s translation can be found online at http://www.sacred-texts.com .

The Kumulipo is divided into 16 phases covering two time periods. The first is the Time of Pō, the time of night/darkness. During these eight phases, different life forms begin out of primordial slime:
• Phase 1 – stars, reef and reef dwellers, limu (seaweed)
• Phase 2 – fish and forest
• Phase 3 – birds and insects
• Phase 4 – creepers
• Phase 5 – pigs
• Phase 6 – nibblers
• Phase 7 – dogs and bats
• Phase 8 – the first gods are born

The second time period is called the Time of Au, the time of light. During this period the following were born in this order:
• Phase 9 – the first humans
• Phase 10 – more gods born
• Phase 11 – lineage of mo’o (lizard) 800 generations
• Phase 12 – lineage of Wākea (Father Sky)
• Phase 13 – Palikū
• Phase 14 – stars and desire
• Phase 15 – mythical lands and children of Hāloa (son of Wākea)
• Phase 16 – descendents of Māui (demigod who snared the sun)

Kumu hula (master hula teacher) Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, Professor at the University of Hawai’i, National Living Treasure, and daughter of Aunty Edith Kanaka’ole (one of the “keepers of the flame”), wrote a beautiful poem naming the Kumulipo as “the organic inception of all family systems”, articulating the inter-relationship with sky, earth, ocean, land, animals, man and gods.

She describes how the moon cycle “was the principle motivator of the earth”, how the sun and rain nourish the earth, while the wind, oceans and rivers “provided mobility for things and objects incapable of movement”, and how the Hawaiian were most appreciative and respectful, as they understood themselves to be “beneficiaries of this primal cadence and flow with the rhythm of the universe…”


"The KUMULIPO is the reality of our dim past, the foundation for our present and the pathway into the future. It is a cognizant reminder of our ancestors, their intelligence, failure, defeat and conquest. This chant is a gift which encourages the warrior within us to awake to the contests and challenges, which continue to confront us today, by using ancestral intelligence and experiences with our own intelligence. It is the genealogy which connects the Native Hawaiian to land, sky and ocean".
Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele

Hawaiian Epistemology

In these next set of posts I discuss Hawaiian epistemology, the Kumulipo, and mo‘okū‘auhau (genealogy). Through the oral tradition of ‘ōlelo (language, poems, songs) and mo’olelo (stories, myths, folklore), Hawaiians were able to pass information from generation to generation for centuries, about who their ancestors were and where their ‘ohana came from. It is said that the ali’i (chiefs) were able to trace their roots back to the gods. Through mo‘okū‘auhau, we can discover our own roots and the contributions our kupuna (ancestors) made as members of their respective communities. I also address the essential concept of reconnecting to the three piko (navel): piko ma’i, (genitals), piko ‘ōpū (belly, stomach, abdomen) and piko po’o (head).

epistemology n. – The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and origin of knowledge. Epistemology asks the question “How do we know what we know?”
Hawaiian epistemology is based upon the Kumulipo, the story of creation that speaks about the creation of the islands and the inhabitants, the birth of the gods, how humans came to be, and the relationship of man to the ‘āina.