Hawaiian Riddles: Nâ Nane

Hawaiian Riddles
He Mau Nane

Nane. Riddle, puzzle, parable, allegory;
to riddle, to speak in parables.

Before conversion into a written, literal type of language by the missionaries, the Hawaiian language was riddled with riddles. Spoken in riddles, Hawaiian conversation was rich in metaphor and flowed like poetry. This use of riddles in the language nearly vanished, but Hawaiian wit, a vibrant part of Hawaiian identity, endures and now thrives in the imagery of Hawaiian music.

"…my grandfather and I were walking along the beach, a little boy came running after us, saying , "E kupuna, kali mai ia`u." Grandfather, wait for me! Finally he caught up with us and walked along until he said, "E kupuna, make wai ia'u." Grandfather, I am thirsty. Grandfather said, "He pûnâwai kau i ka lewa, figuratively referring to a coconut as a fountain of water hanging in the air. The little boy understood the metaphor and, without a word climbed a nearby coconut tree, gathered some coconuts, broke them open, and drank happily of their water."

~ Nânâ Veary, My Hawai`i

My fresh water spring

Hung up in the air.

Ku`u pûnâwai

Kau i ka lewa.

A coconut.

He niu.

My little fish;

Cut off my head,

Cut off the tail,

Return to the water,

It lives again.

Ku`u wahi i`a

Moku ke po`o,

Moku ka hi`u,

Ho`iho`i i ka wai.

A ola hou.

The taro.

Ke kalo.

Red above,

Red below,

How shrill his song!

`Ula o luna,

`Ula o lalo,

Kani mai ke oli !

A rooster.

He moa kâne.

A container, a lid.

A container, a lid.

He ipu no, he po`i,

He ipu no, he po`i.

The bamboo.

Ka `ohe.

Holes many, many,

Holes many, many,

But no hole

To go out.

Puka kinikini,

Puka kinikini,

`A`ole ona puka

E puka aku ai.

A fish net.

He `upena.

A fish in the sea,

A tree in the upland.

He i`a ko ke kai,

He lâ`au ko uka.

A grouper (fish).

A tree fern.

He hâpu`u.

Hunchbacked one in the

presence of chiefs.

Kuapu`u hele i ke alo

o nâ ali`i.

A lei with whale bone ivory pendant worn by the chiefs.

He lei palaoa.

"One day at my grandparents', I was watching my grandmother quilting on the lânai while my grandfather raked leaves in the yard. My grandmother told me, "I don't hear the rake. Go to the railing and see what your grandfather is doing.

I saw him leaning on the rake, looking at a group of girls passing by. I reported this to my grandmother.

After awhile, she went up behind him and said softly, "E nânâ ana `oe iâ wau? Who are you looking at?

Startled he said, "E nâna ana ho`i au, i ka mâla pua e mâ`alo ala. I was looking at a garden of flowers passing by."

~ Nana Veary, My Hawai`i

Sources:

Pukui, Mary Kawena Pukui & Winne, Jane Lathrop,
`ÔLELO NO`EAU A KA HAWAI`I, privately printed in Honolulu, 1961.
"To the children of Hawai`i glimpses of the Hawaiian heritage."

Veary, Nana, CHANGE WE MUST, Water Margin Press, Vancouver & Honolulu, 1989.

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