'ape (AH-pay)
A large-leaf plant that superficiously looks very much like taro, but has a noxious sap
'avapuhi or 'awapuhi (AH-vah-POOH-hee)
yellow ginger
ceviche (Mexico) (say-VEE-chay)
raw fish "cooked" in lime juice and mixed with onions, tomatoes and other veggies. See also poisson cru
hale (HAH-lay)
hall; any official building; a large house; also, a canoe shed, either modern or traditional
hana pa'a! (HAH-nah PAH-ah)
(lit: hard work!) exclamation meaning you've just hooked up to a big fish, and you're going to be busy for a while...
haole (how-lay)
caucasian person, often used as a perjorative; often mispronounced hauli
heiau (HEY-ee-ow)
"temple" or structured area of traditional worship, usu. incl. stone terraces; often extended to mean any "sacred" ruins
honu
sea turtle
hui (HUU-ee)
a group , club, cartel or other association
huli
(lit: to turn) to roll over; capsize
hulihuli
(lit: to turn many times) smoked meat, usu. chicken; rotisserie chicken
ika (Japanese)(ee-kah)
small inshore squid; bought frozen as bait for papio, also dried, shredded and spiced as a local (Japanese-derived) snack
'iwa (EE-vah)
Frigatebirds
kaukahi (kow-KAH-hee)
alone; by oneself; also: a one-person canoe.
kaulua (kow-LU-ah)
a two-person canoe (see above)
keawe (kay-AH-vay)
mesquite tree (intr. from Mexico), common in shoreline campgrounds, drops frightenly long and sharp thorns all over
limu (LEE-mu)
technically, it's any kind of alga (even pond scum), but usually used to mean various seaweeds used as a condiment in Haw'n food like poke.
maika'i (my-KAH-ee)
well-being; health; righteousness
makai (mah-KAH-ee, mah-KAI)
towards the sea; also downhill
mauka (mah-OO-kah)
towards the land; also uphill
poisson cru (French) (PWA-sahn crew)
a Tahitian version of ceviche that includes coconut milk
puka (POOH-kah)
lit.: hole; gap; cave entrance
pupu
really unfortunate name, but it means tasty finger-food eaten before or instead of a regular meal. Kayakers live on this stuff...
poke (PO-kay)
raw fish mixed with various flavorings like onions, soy sauce, limu (seaweed), sesame seeds, chile peppers, etc. A uniquely Hawaiian delicacy. Often mispronounced poki.
sashimi
Is there really anyone left in America who doesn't know what this is? Okay, it's raw fish slices usu. served with wasabi and shoyu, best consumed within minutes of catching the fish!
tako (Japanese)
small reef octopus, small ones are sold as bait for trolling, larger ones (can reach 5 lbs or more) usu. made into a chewy poke. Often erroneosly called "squid" by locals, but don't confuse with ika
wa'a (VAH-ah)
canoe, watercraft; or in our case used to mean a paddled boat.
wasabi (japanese)
very strong Japanese green horseradish, mixed with shoyu (soy sauce) as a dip for sashimi