Glossary of Hawaiian Terms

Hana Noʻeau

Imagine not having any stores--no places to purchase food, household goods or appliances, games and the other things we need to enjoy life as well as to survive. Hawaiians of old lived in this environment. They were extremely self-sufficient, and skillful in using natural materials to create all the things needed in their daily lives.

The expert crafts person of old Hawaiʻi had devoted many years in training under the guidance of a master. Hawaiians were trained in great powers of memory, aiding the learning process. Having no writing system they relied on oral tradition.

Hana noʻeau (art, craft) were used to test the knowledge and skills of a master. Today, we can still appreciate the high level of skill shown in the excellent crafts work of the early Hawaiians. These crafts included the construction of canoes, feather work on such symbols of the aliʻi and many more. An ipu is a bottle gourd and our kūpuna would use them for transportation, fishing, hula, etc.

e a makou.mp3

Eia Mākou by Kamuela Kaʻahanui
(Kamehameha Schools ʻ67)

Click on the box above if your device does not play the mele right away

These online learning activities will take you on a step-by-step journey through the process of making a ipu heke ʻole.

Through watching a video and following the step-by-step instructions, you will learn how our kūpuna were innovative people who created various tools to make their lives much easier.

You will learn many traditional uses of the ipu, the importance of taking pride in every work you do, and how doing the work of our kūpuna enhances our own sense of belonging. Our learning will be done in the traditional manner through observation, careful listening and lengthy practice. Through this process, we will be able to access Hawaiian knowledge of our kūpuna and pass these traditions down to the future generations.