Hawaii Place Names

How many place names are there in the Hawaiian Islands? Even a rough estimate is impossible. Hawaiians named taro patches, rocks, trees, canoe landings, resting places in the forests, and the tiniest spots where miraculous events are believed to have taken place. And place names are far from static--names are constantly being given to new houses and buildings, streets and towns, and old names are replaced by new ones. It is essential, then, to record the names and the lore associated with them now, while Hawaiians are here to lend us their knowledge. And, whatever the fate of the Hawaiian language, the place names will endure. The first edition of Place Names of Hawaii contained only 1,125 entries. The coverage is expanded in the present edition to include about 4,000 entries, including names in English. Also, approximately 800 more names are included in this volume than appear in the second edition of the Atlas of Hawaii.

In his latest book, John Clark, author of the highly regarded "Beaches of Hawaii" series, gives us the many captivating stories behind the hundreds of Hawaii place names associated with the ocean--the names of shores, beaches, and other sites where people fish, swim, dive, surf, and paddle. Significant features and landmarks on or near shores, such as fishponds, monuments, shrines, reefs, and small islands, are also included. The names of surfing sites are the most numerous and among the most colorful: from the purely descriptive (Black Rock, Blue Hole) to the humorous (No Can Tell, Pray for Sex). Clark began gathering information for the "Beaches" series in 1972, and during the years that followed interviewed hundreds of informants, many of them native Hawaiians, and consulted dozens of Hawaiian reference books, newspapers, and maps. A significant amount of the oral history he collected was unrecorded and remained only in his notebooks and memory. Hawaii Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites is the final result of those years of research, and like its popular predecessors, it benefits substantially from Clark's having spent a lifetime surfing and swimming Hawaii's beaches. Presented in the same convenient format as Pukui, Elbert, and Mookini's Place Names of Hawaii (UH Press, 1974) this rich compendium of information on Hawaii's surf, shore, and beach sites will satisfy visitors and residents alike.

From the green and fertile lands of Kauai Kuapapa (ancient Kauai) came the most beautiful chiefesses, the bravest heroes, the strongest warriors, and the fiercest giants. It was a land of dauntless raiders who boldly sailed out to sea while others crept cautiously from island to island. Gods and demi-gods participated in the everyday life of the people, and the places where they lived, fought, and loved were remembered and celebrated. Gathered here for the first time are the delightful stories behind the place-names of ancient Kauai. Over a period of almost two thousand years, each ridge, mountain, valley, and stream was named, as were unusual rocks, groves of trees - every corner of the island on which people lived and worked. The names tied people to the land and to places where mauli ola, the sacred essence of life, was to be found. Today these names serve as colorful windows on the past, telling of the rich and wondrous heritage of the people of Kauai Kuapapa.

This is a history of the North shore of Oahu as told through Hawaiian place names. The author has tapped into the over 125,000 pages of Hawaiian language newspapers now made available through the efforts of the Hoolaupai online repository. This book will be an invaluable tool for anyone researching Hawaii and brings to life the names, places, and events of the historic north shore community.

In Kalaupapa Place Names, John Clark presents a unique history of the leprosy settlement on Moloka‘i, based on his meticulous research of more than three hundred Hawaiian-language newspaper articles. He first assembled an extensive list of familiar and long-forgotten place names associated with the Kalaupapa peninsula and then searched for them in the online repository of Hawaiian-language newspapers. With translation assistance by Iāsona Ellinwood and Keao NeSmith, he discovered articles that show a community of Hawaiians from every island except uninhabited Kaho‘olawe. Their stories reveal an active community with its members trying to live their lives as normally as possible in the face of a debilitating disease. The first section of the book contains newspaper articles arranged under an alphabetical listing of place names. The second section organizes the material into chronological segments, from before the establishment of the Kalaupapa Settlement to the death of Mother Marianne Cope in 1918. These two sections are followed by a collection of kanikau or lamentations, interviews with Kalaupapa residents, and a list of Hawaiian language newspapers. Introductory paragraphs for groupings of newspaper articles assist the reader in visualizing the physical landscape and understanding the history and significance of a particular location. The poetry of the Hawaiian language is evident throughout the translations, especially in the kanikau.

Pronounce and understand Māori place names with the new fourth edition of A.W. Reed's classic guide to meanings and origins of names across New Zealand. From Ahaura to Whitianga, this handily sized book is the definitive guide to the most common and notable Māori names in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Included are maps on the inside covers showing principal names, and reproductions of the illustrations from the 1950 edition of the book by renowned artist James Berry.

Soon after moving to Maui in 1983, Michelle Anderson met Maui County historian Inez Ashdown, who was then 83 years old. They hit it off immediately and Michelle became Mrs. Ashdown's close companion for the remainder of her life. She took Mrs. Ashdown holo-holo all across Maui and escorted her to many events and to her weekly show at the old Kapalua Bay Hotel. Michelle developed a deep appreciation for the wahi pana (storied places) of Maui during these outings with Mrs. Ashdown, who regaled her with stories of the distant past in every district they visited. Michelle came to realize that many of her Hawaiian friends had never heard these stories, so she promised Mrs. Ashdown that one day she would write about Maui's wahi pana to safeguard it for future generations.