Aina

Aina - 'the land', is a large part of the cultural makeup of the Hawaiian people. Places such as Diamond Head, Haleakala and Mauna Loa not only have history but also play a large part in the legends of Hawaii. The islands of Hawaii have windward as well as leeward sides. The windward side faces the trade winds which come out of the Bearing Sea and cool things down for most of the year. The windward side is the lush, tropical side because the rain gets dumped on its slopes. The leeward side can be like the desert, with cactus and kiawe (mesquite-like) trees.

Interestingly, directions are most often given with the reference to mauka (towards the mountain) or makai (towards the sea). Trying to explain things in the points of the compass gets you totally lost because the island are kapakai (crooked) to the path of the sun.

Fresh off the Boat
Aunti Heidi says: Our move to Hawaii first took us to Kahalui, Maui. This is the business district populated mostly by locals (kamaaina - man of the land). We were excited just to be in Hawaii but it brought some harsh realities very quickly. I was a 'houle' or a white mainlander. Because the stores have to import everything they only stock what sells. I quickly found out I was in the minority. Trying to buy personal things like nylons, lip stick or nail polish was impossible. They only had 'sun tan' or darker. No pink or peach lipstick, only browns and dark reds.

So what do you do? Go natural. No bada (forget it), no need da stuff anyways.


Video
This video is about Akaka Falls on the windward side of the island of Hawaii. Kaola Beemer writes about Akaka Falls:

Akaka Falls is a real place outside the little town of Hilo, along the Hamakua coast on 

the Island of Hawaii. I used to visit this area with my grandfather and we'd eat our bento box lunches, watching the water cascade down the rocky precipice. Beneath us, beautiful, dark currents of water seemed to move mysteriously through the verdant foliage. I still remember the sound of the first drops of summer rain, splattering on the broad green leaves.

from "Learn to Play Hawaiian Slack-key Guitar"

This rendition of the song is preformed by Nathan Aweau, using a falsetto voice that is very popular in the islands. His performance is interpreted in a beautiful hula by Kelehua Kawi. One can see the falling water and the movement of the plants and birds around it in the movement of her hands. The words to the song in both Hawaiian and English can be found here: Akaka Falls