Do you know these 6 ways Hawaiians traditionally gave names?

Aloha mai e ka poe hoihoi i ka olelo,

To understand how Hawaiian names were traditionally given, I encourage you to read pages 94-98 of Nana i ke kumu Vol 1. It’s fascinating and worth your time. 

“The inoa of a new child must be chosen only after careful thought, family consultations, and ideally with the supernatural advice of a family aumakua (ancestor god).” (Nana i ke kumu Vol 1. Pg 95) 

Some thoughts on this quote, “Ideally with the supernatural advice of a family aumakua”. There are nearly no Hawaiian families left that have maintained aumakua knowledge and practices. This is largely due to the loss of the language in Hawiian families and the conversion to Christianity. So unfortunately, this isn’t entirely applicable to us Hawaiians as it was 50-60 years ago.

To highlight points in the book, here are 6 ways Hawaiian names are traditionally given:

Inoa kupuna – ancestral name

Inoa po – name received in a dream 

Inoa hoailona – name received in signs/omens

Inoa ulaleo – name received by voice through an aumakua

Inoa hoomanao – name of remembrance

Inoa kuamuamu – name to cause insult

Remember that this is from one source so always be open to other sources you may find.

Now that you have resources at your fingertips for learning the language, and understanding how Hawaiians traditionally gave names, you have the tools you need to make better informed decisions regarding giving and receiving Hawaiian names.

Do you have someone in mind that you could share this email with? Sharing this accurate information from experts promotes knowledge and limits the amount of misinformation we are currently seeing. 

Na'u no,

Malu

ka-alala.mykajabi.com