Hawaiian, just like any other language, contains proverbs, or short pieces of advice on topics ranging from work and family to life in general.
BYU–Hawaii students, when presented with a list of Hawaiian proverbs, selected some of their favorites and shared why. One proverb that was particularly popular was “‘U‘uku ka hana, ‘u‘uku ka loa‘a,” which translates to English as “Little work, little gain.”
This proverb means precisely what it says: If one doesn’t put in much work, they won’t get much out of whatever it is that they are doing.
The straightforwardness of Hawaiian proverbs is something Kryssa Stevenson appreciates. Stevenson was born in Hawaii, but grew up in Utah, and is a sophomore majoring in TESOL. She said, “They’re simple. Other proverbs can have some kind of metaphor a lot, but with Hawaiian proverbs, and other Polynesian languages as well, the approach is more ‘say what you mean and mean what you say.’”
Stevenson also expressed the Hawaiian proverb “E aloha kekahi i kekahi,” which mean “Love one another,” is among her favorites because, “Sometimes it’s easy to be irritated with people, but it’s important to remember to love one another, because like the hymn says, when we love one another we’re showing our love for the Lord.”
Jacob Gold, a sophomore computer science major from Laie, also liked the proverb “‘U‘uku ka hana, ‘u‘uku ka loa‘a.” Gold related, “I’m a tutor and so I see the concept a lot. People will come in and often ask ‘How do I do this, it’s not working,’ which is fine, but sometimes people don’t put very much effort into it and then they continuously ask how I become so good at what I do, but it’s because I do almost nothing other than that. I put so much time into it.”
The other proverb that Gold enjoys is, “A‘ohe mālama, pau i ka ‘iole,” which translates to, “If you do not take care of possessions, it will be stolen by rats.”
The proverb holds the meaning one suffers a loss when they don’t care for their belongings. Gold appreciated this proverb both comically for the mention of rats but also because he isn’t prone to losing things, so he agreed with the message the proverb says about caring for one’s belongings.
Senior business management major Brighson Tolentino from Hawaii Kai felt the proverb, “I maika‘i ke kalo i ka ‘ōhā,” which means, “The goodness of the taro is judged by the young plant it produces” has a profound meaning. The proverb references the concept that parents are often judged by the behavior of their children.
Tolentino thought, “The analogy of the taro and how its success is judged off of the plant is kind of like the school. It judges its success off of the students that graduate from here.”
The Hawaiian language has many more proverbs perfect for a variety of situations and continue to carry the life, culture, and tradition of Hawaii. Proverbs courtesy of ahapunanaleo.org