5 Things NOT to do when choosing a Hawaiian name

Aloha e kuu poe heluhelu,

We don’t know what we don’t know. But once we learn, we can do better. 

This could be a really long email, and there are definitely more conversations to be had around this topic, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet. 

Here are 5 things not to do when choosing a Hawaiian name:

1. Don't just pick a sentence from the Hawaiian dictionary and slap it on a birth certificate. If you look up the word liko in the dictionary, you’ll find this example, “Ke liko ae la ka ua i ke kai”. I have a family member who was given this sentence as a name. Suffice it to say, it’s a very strange name because of the way it was given and the sentence structure itself.

2. Don’t pick a Hawaiian word just because it sounds good. This is common in English. Make sure you understand the meaning(s) of the name. Many words can have multiple meanings so do your research and choose accordingly.

3. Don’t be picky about the length of the name. If you want a particular meaning, it might be a long name - sometimes there’s no way around that. Length is the list of our worries.

4. Don’t transliterate. This is when we use the Hawaiian alphabet to adopt a foreing word, or in this case, a name like David - Kawika. The reason why we have these names is because English was once a foreing language to Hawaiians. Pronouncing English words was very difficult for them so they transliterated words to make it easier. That’s no longer a problem. If you like the name George, just use the name George. 

5. Don’t just pick an ancestral name. If you don't know the ancestor whose name you want, do your research. You want to know as much about the individual as possible. Traditionally, we know to ask for the name. This is not always an option. (More on ways names were given and received next week.)

Disclaimer: these are not hard and fast rules, and there are exceptions. But I hope this gives you something to think about. I really want to encourage you to do the research and learn the cultural process BEFORE giving a name. 

Lastly, learning Hawaiian has proven to be the best way to know how to give names. Continue to make that the priority and all cultural practices will come with ease. 

Me ka leo aloha,

Malu

ka-alala.mykajabi.com