How many place names are there in the Hawaiian Islands? Even a rough estimate is impossible. Hawaiians named taro patches, rocks, trees, canoe landings, resting places in the forests, and the tiniest spots where miraculous events are believed to have taken place. And place names are far from static--names are constantly being given to new houses and buildings, streets and towns, and old names are replaced by new ones.

It is essential, then, to record the names and the lore associated with them now, while Hawaiians are here to lend us their knowledge. And, whatever the fate of the...

Without question, this is the definitive grammar of the Hawaiian language. Indeed it is the first attempt at a comprehensive treatment of the subject since W.D. Alexander published his concise Short Synopsis of the Most Essential Points in Hawaiian Grammar in 1864. This grammar is intended as a companion to the Hawaiian Dictionary, by the same authors.

The grammar was written with every student of the Hawaiian language in mind - from the casual interested layperson to the professional linguist and grammarian. Although it was obviously impossible to avoid technical terms, their use...

Haina ia mai ana ka puana. This familiar refrain, sometimes translated Let the echo of our song be heard, appears among the closing lines in many nineteenth-century chants and poems. From earliest times, the chanting of poetry served the Hawaiians as a form of ritual celebration of the things they cherished--the beauty of their islands, the abundance of wild creatures that inhabited their sea and air, the majesty of their rulers, and the prowess of their gods. Commoners as well as highborn chiefs and poet-priests shared in the creation of the chants. These haku mele, or composers, the...