TheBanyanTree: Useful Hawaiian Phrases

[Julie Anna Teague]

Quoting Dee <dee.cee at verizon.net>:

> A friend is leaving for Hawaii so, in the spirit of aloha, I hunted up 
> some helpful Hawaiian words and phrases to make her visit more 
> enjoyable. 

Dearest Dee,

I am one of those fortunate tree dwellers who is scoring a trip to Hawaii in mid
March.  We are staying on the island of Kauai, the "garden island", supposedly
one of the most pristine of the islands, the oldest of the islands, and the
least populated.  I am excited, to say it mildly.  Unfortunately, dearheart, we
may not need help with the language unless we stumble into an over-zealous
tourist shop.  The islands' ethnic makeup these days is largely un-Hawaiian.  I
was curious as to how un-Hawaiian they are and found these facts: Honolulu's
ethnic makeup is 8.9% native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.  Granted,
more native islanders may live in areas outside the $15-mixed-drink zone, but
even on Kauai, it appears that only %23.9 percent of the population is Hawaiian
or part-Hawaiian.  I don't know that anyone cares about these facts, it just
never fails to amaze me how, once an island paradise is discovered, the rest of
us are quick to overrun it.  The Caribbean is worse off, of course.  The native
Caribs were all killed off.  (Actually, there are a few on a reservation in
Dominica, I think.)  

What they do have a lot of in Kauai, to tie this whole thing back to our earlier
thread, is chickens.  Yes, they have a well-documented chicken problem on the
island.  Frommer's mentions that you will be awakened each morning by roosters.
 And a well-meaning bed and breakfast owner on the island also alerted me to
this.  She explained that domestic chickens were blown out of their pens in a
hurricane some years ago, and doing what chickens do, began to reproduce all
over the island, going wild in the process.  At times they send out chicken
hunting posses.  

So I'm in good shape, now, because I'll know some key Hawaiian phrases, just in
case, and I am also fluent in Chicken. 

Okole maluna (but don't forget to sunscreen first),
Julie

> OKOLE MALUNA means "Bottoms up!" This can be a cheerful toast while 
> drinking or a commentary on scuba divers in action.