Ua mau, ka ea o ka aina i ka pono
That is the Hawaii state motto. The official translation is this: The life (sovereignty) of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. While they are definitely referring to the land here (aina) the words life and sovereignty are very different. Sovereignty implies independence and strength. That is probably the correct translation and conveys what the Hawaiian's meant with they saying. I'm guessing that to avoid any confusion back in the days of the overthrow and with the coming of statehood some decades later, officials (who were not Hawaiian) opted to used 'life' instead. 'Sovereignty' was likely added back in parentheses to appease the Hawaiians who found the previous translation inaccurate and insulting. But to state officials, to put 'sovereignty' into the state motto might have fueled some flames the officials were still trying to dowse. Of course, this is all really just conjecture on my part. So don't use this information in a research paper on the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy, kay?
Pono is a Hawaiian word that has many meanings. In the motto they translate it as "righteous" which is technically correct. Depending on context, pono can mean proper, honorable, moral, correct, living up to one's kuleana (responsiblity)... all sorts of meanings but with a common essence. It means "the right thing to do." Strictly translated, I guess that's what righteousness means, but to me, righteousness conveys a bit of a holier-than-thou, moral high ground kind of feeling. Pono, I believe, is a more humble word.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole wrote a song some years ago entitle Hawaii 78. It quickly became a hallmark of the sovereignty movement in Hawaii. There are debates on the meaning of the title. Some say it refers to 1778 and Captain Cook's landing here, changing the islands forever. Others say it refers to 1978 when the Hawaiian sovereignty movement was reborn. Either one works. The song is eerie, sad and powerful. Yesterday, driving home from town, I heard it on the radio. It was instantly recognizable, though the voice was not that of Bruddah Iz. It was a great voice, mournful and sincere, and it was giving me all kine chicken skin. Chills, brah! Chills! I listened a second more, then I knew. Eddie Vedder! It was recorded at Peal Jam's recent concert with U2 in Honolulu. Whew! It made me wish I'd been there. I'd love to see Pearl Jam live. I've seen U2. They are awesome, to be sure and Bono is one of those performers I find I can't take my eyes off of when he's on stage. That said, the first time I heard Vedder's voice and saw him roll his eyes back in his head in that weird, fluttery way that he does, I became a fan of his too. Not to mention the fact that both bands find something to sing about besides sex, drugs, drugs and sex. Not that there's anything wrong with that. That is, after all, what rock and roll is all about. But for bands like Pearl Jam, it can also open people's eyes to society's - and humanity's - shortcomings.
Anyway, I've attached these links to both the Bruddah Iz version of Hawaii 78 and Pearl Jam's somewhat abbreviated but no less powerful version. Ua mau, ka ea o ka aina i ka pono...... o Hawai'i.
Have a listen. a hui hou. Aloha!
That is the Hawaii state motto. The official translation is this: The life (sovereignty) of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. While they are definitely referring to the land here (aina) the words life and sovereignty are very different. Sovereignty implies independence and strength. That is probably the correct translation and conveys what the Hawaiian's meant with they saying. I'm guessing that to avoid any confusion back in the days of the overthrow and with the coming of statehood some decades later, officials (who were not Hawaiian) opted to used 'life' instead. 'Sovereignty' was likely added back in parentheses to appease the Hawaiians who found the previous translation inaccurate and insulting. But to state officials, to put 'sovereignty' into the state motto might have fueled some flames the officials were still trying to dowse. Of course, this is all really just conjecture on my part. So don't use this information in a research paper on the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy, kay?
Pono is a Hawaiian word that has many meanings. In the motto they translate it as "righteous" which is technically correct. Depending on context, pono can mean proper, honorable, moral, correct, living up to one's kuleana (responsiblity)... all sorts of meanings but with a common essence. It means "the right thing to do." Strictly translated, I guess that's what righteousness means, but to me, righteousness conveys a bit of a holier-than-thou, moral high ground kind of feeling. Pono, I believe, is a more humble word.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole wrote a song some years ago entitle Hawaii 78. It quickly became a hallmark of the sovereignty movement in Hawaii. There are debates on the meaning of the title. Some say it refers to 1778 and Captain Cook's landing here, changing the islands forever. Others say it refers to 1978 when the Hawaiian sovereignty movement was reborn. Either one works. The song is eerie, sad and powerful. Yesterday, driving home from town, I heard it on the radio. It was instantly recognizable, though the voice was not that of Bruddah Iz. It was a great voice, mournful and sincere, and it was giving me all kine chicken skin. Chills, brah! Chills! I listened a second more, then I knew. Eddie Vedder! It was recorded at Peal Jam's recent concert with U2 in Honolulu. Whew! It made me wish I'd been there. I'd love to see Pearl Jam live. I've seen U2. They are awesome, to be sure and Bono is one of those performers I find I can't take my eyes off of when he's on stage. That said, the first time I heard Vedder's voice and saw him roll his eyes back in his head in that weird, fluttery way that he does, I became a fan of his too. Not to mention the fact that both bands find something to sing about besides sex, drugs, drugs and sex. Not that there's anything wrong with that. That is, after all, what rock and roll is all about. But for bands like Pearl Jam, it can also open people's eyes to society's - and humanity's - shortcomings.
Anyway, I've attached these links to both the Bruddah Iz version of Hawaii 78 and Pearl Jam's somewhat abbreviated but no less powerful version. Ua mau, ka ea o ka aina i ka pono...... o Hawai'i.
Have a listen. a hui hou. Aloha!
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