Hawaiian Language

The Big Island is still very much authetically Hawaiian, esecially the Eastern side (where Hilo is.) Some quick facts about the Big Island:

• The island of Hawaii is considered to be its own county. According to a 2010 census cited on Wikipedia: "The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White, 0.7% African American, 22.6% Asian, 12.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 29.2% from two or more races; 11.8% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race."
• The population of the three largest cities on the island are: Hilo, at just over 40,000; Kona, at almost 12,000 people; and Waimea, at just over 9,000.
• According to Newsmax, Hilo is the third largest city in Hawaii, and the only of the big Hawaiian cities not found on Oahu: "Of all cities on this (5 Biggest Cities of Hawaii) list, Hilo has the largest concentration of people of only 'native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander' heritage."

With all of that knowledge now available at your fingertips, you might better understand why I felt this post might be apt; the Big Island in general, and Hilo in particular, has a real sort of tangible attitude of it being first and foremost Hawaii...The fact that it is a state in the United States of America is a distant second in determining its identity. Hawaiian is spoken frequently, often in the form of some sort of pidgin, and the language is a notable part of Hilo's character. 

Now to the real meat of this post: the words that we hear often around us in our daily lives on the island. This will be a list of true Hawaiian words in combination with some pidgin. I'll start off with the most common ones:

• Aloha--This one will be familiar to most; it works as a greeting, as a form of thanks, as a goodbye, and just in general an expression of friendliness. There is a real emphasis on the "aloha spirit" here on the island, which essentially means being laid back, going with the flow, being friendly and giving and kind. The "aloha spirit" in many ways is what shapes the culture of the island.
• Mahalo--Thank you. This is used often as well, even in chain businesses that exist elsewhere besides the island (for example, it said "Mahalo" on the trash bins at Burger King instead of "Thank You.")
• Keiki--Child. This is also fairly common. Pretty much any instance when the term "your child" would be used, it is instead "your keiki" (pronounced "cakey".) The "baby on board" signs that hang in the back windshields of peoples' cars will often instead say "keiki on board."
• Wahine--Woman. Bathroom signs will oftentimes say "wahine" instead of "women." (Pronounced "wa-hee-nay".)
• Kane--Man. The male wild cat who lives up near our house is named Kane. (Pronounced "kah-nay.")
• Pau--Done/finished. Waiters and waitresses will sometimes ask if you're "pau" with that instead of finished. This is often incorporated in pidgin expressions as well; a common one is "pau hana," which means "done with work" (for the day.) (Pronounced "pow.")
• Mana--The energy of the island and its people. Mana had huge importance in the traditional Hawaiian religion. Sanji's oldest daughter is named Mana. (Pronounced "ma-na".)
• Haole--white people/foreigners. This I suppose is somewhat derogatory, if you take offense to it, which I think would be a silly thing to do, as that is what we are. (Pronounced "hay-oh-lay.")
• Da Kine--A pidgin phrase that means "the kind/that kind." It gets dropped by locals a lot in their conversations (at least by the locals I've been around.) Sometimes I don't understand the context in which the phrase is used. 
• Paniolo--a cowboy/rancher. Surprisingly common, but most often associated with steaks/burgers on restaurant menus. We learned from Sanji that a fair amount of Mexican cowboys immigrated to the island to work as cowboys here. Sometimes local music has a definite Mexican flavor to it (such as heavy tuba.)
• Tutu--grandparent. Sanji's daughters call his mother, Mala, tutu.
• Aina--The land (Hawaiian land in particular;) Technically means "That which feeds us" (isn't that sort of lovely?) There is a pretty prominent environmentalist culture on the island, and this word is often associated with their movement. A common phrase around here (on bumper stickers and such) is "Aloha Aina," which I believe means "Love the Land." (Pronounced *I think* "ay-ee-nah," although it might possibly be "ah-ee-nah.")
• Pono--Righteousness. Associated, I believe, with the movement for Hawaiian sovereignty. It is also used in the Hawaiian state motto: "Ua Mau ke Ea o Ka Aina i ka Pono" or "The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness."
• Mauna--Mountain. The two largest volcanoes on the Big Island are Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. I thought it was interesting that the Hawaiian word for "mountain" is so close to our own.
• One--Sand. I don't really have an anecdote for this one.
• Kai--The sea/tide/ocean, etc. 

There are obviously many many more Hawaiian words not mentioned here; these are just the ones that I noticed with any sort of consistency. 

Hawaiian is a language that places an emphasis on the vowels to express meaning. It is common for every vowel in the word to have its own prominent pronunciation, which actually makes pronouncing never-before-seen (to me) Hawaiian words rather easy to pronounce, once you get the hang of it.