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KIHI

For the purpose of this project, "Kihi" refers to organisms that have a sharp point or angular in appearance.

Iʻa

Kihikihi

Kihikihi

Zanclus cornutus

Moorish Idol

Image Credit: WhistlingKite24, ZooChat

Ulua Kihikihi

Ulua Kihikihi

Alectis ciliaris

Threadfin Jack

Image Credit: Jon McIntyre

Manō Kihikihi

Manō Kihikihi

Sphyrna lewini

Scalloped Hammerhead

Image Credit: Hidetoshi1, Deviant Art

Kihikihi

Zebrasoma veliferum

Sailfin Tang

Image Credit: Saltwater Aquarium

No picture available.

Ahi Kihikihi

Thunnus albacares

Yellowfin Tuna

Image Credit: 

Lāʻau

No picture available.

ʻUala Kihi

Ipomoea batatas

Sweet Potato

Source Credit: Aurora Kagawa-Viviani

There are at least 7 names for ʻuala cultivars related to kihi: ʻUala Kihikihi, ʻUala Kihi Lau Poepoe, ʻUala Kihi Lau Manamana, ʻUala Kihi Lau Nui, ʻUala Kihi Poʻipoʻi, ʻUala Kihikihi Poepoe, and ʻUala Kihi Lau Liʻi. It is unclear as to whether or not some of these names are synonymous (Kagawa-Viviani, 2018)

Manu

ʻAmakihi

ʻAmakihi

Chlorodrepanis virens

Common ʻAmakihi

Image Credit: Jeff Stacey

ʻAkihikeʻehiale

ʻAkihikeʻehiale

Oceanodroma tristrami

Tristram's Storm Petrel

Image Credit: USFWS

Wahi Inoa (Place Names)

Kihi (Oʻahu, Kona, Pālolo) - ʻIli ʻĀina

Kihinui (Kauaʻi, Kona, Koloa) - ʻIli ʻĀina

Pākihi (Lānaʻi, Kona, Kaunolu) - ʻIli ʻĀina

Pākihi (Maui, Kīpahulu, ʻAlae) - Boundary Point/Puʻu

Wahi (places) were very much considered as alive, with unique phenomena and characteristics encompassing the "placescape. Hence, the naming of places in Hawaiʻi was a very thoughtful, sensuous process, as are all other naming practices in Hawaiʻi. Place names were considered cultural reference points, often named for the resources present, historical events and genealogies (Louis 2011). Can you deduce why these wahi were named/partially named "Kihi?"

Scalloped_Hammerhead_Shark_Sphyrna_Lewini_(226845659)_edited.jpg

Kihi

Corner, edge, tip, extremity, apex, and more!

Cultural Uses

ʻUala Kihi

In general, ʻuala was a highly valuable crop, cultivated for many purposes. Tubers, stems, and leaves were commonly eaten in addition to tubers being used as bait for herbivorous reef fish. ʻUala is also considered one of the kinolau, of Lono, the akua of fertility, agriculture, rainfall, music and peace. 

ʻUala was also used medicinally, in a myriad of ways. ʻUala Kihi was used to treat nae (shortness of breath) and nae ʻāʻīkū (croup). The tubers of ʻUala Kihi would be pounded and blended with ʻŌhiʻa ʻAi (Syzygium malaccense), Hinahina Kū Kahakai (Heliotropium anomalum var. argenteum), the tap root bark of ʻUhaloa (Waltheria indica), and Kō Honuaʻula (Saccharum officinarum). This mixture would then be strained, cooked, and drunk (Chun 1994).

Iʻa Kihi

Several forms of iʻa kihi were eaten, including Kihikihi (Zanclus cornutus and Zebrasoma veliferum), Ahi Kihikihi (Thunnus albacares), Ulua Kihikihi (Alectis ciliaris) and Manō Kihikihi (Sphyrna lewini). Click here for a comprehensive list of all iʻa that were eaten!

Unlike the other iʻa kihi listed above, manō kihikihi does not have a threadlike dorsal fine. Another definition of kihikihi is "zigzag," in reference to the swimming pattern of manō kihikihi. 

 

Manō in general are highly revered in Hawaiʻi, often serving as ʻaumākua (deified ancestors). Because of this, manō often had a unique name, and at times, was unclear what type of shark an ʻaumakua was. As an example, Kaʻahupahau is a kiaʻi (protector) of Puʻuloa, an estuary in central Oʻahu. Similar to many other manō ʻaumākua it is unclear what type of shark Kaʻahupahau is, though it is definitely possible that manō kihikihi represent several of these ʻaumākua. Generally though, because manō ʻaumākua had specific names, the term manō kihikihi is only applied when the manō was used for a particular purpose, such as a food source (Puniwai 2020). 

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau

116. ʻAmakihi ʻawaʻawa.

Hoʻopukakū: A sour ʻamakihi.

Kaona: Applied to a person with a sour disposition. The ʻamakihi is a Hawaiian honeycreeper.

441. Hāmākua kihi loa

Hoʻopukakū: Hāmākua with a long corner.

Kaona: One corner of Hāmākua touches every district of Hawaiʻi except Puna. Also, a play on kihi loa. A native of Hāmākua is said to avoid meeting strangers. Because of bashfulness or disinclination to share his possessions, he will turn aside (kihi) and go a long way away (loa).

1058. Honuaʻula, e pāluku ʻia ana na kihi poʻohiwi e na ʻale o ka Moaʻe.

Hoʻopukakū: Honuaʻula whose shoulders are pummeled by the Moaʻe wind.

Kaona: A poetical expression for a person being buffeted by wind. Honuaʻula, Maui, is a windy place.

1086. Hoʻokolo aku i ka nui manu.

Hoʻopukakū: Go inquire of the other birds.

Kaona: Go and consult others. From the following story: One day a man went up to a mountain spring for water. On the way down he paused to rest, then fell asleep. An ʻelepaio lighted and, seeing the manʻs gourd bottle, pecked a hole in the gourd. The sound of the pecking woke the man, who saw the water running out. In anger he threw a stone at the ʻelepaio and injured its leg. It flew away and met an ʻio. “O! ʻIo, I was stoned by a man,” ʻElepaio cried. “What did you do?” asked ʻIo. “Pecked the manʻs bottle.” “Then the fault is yours,” answered ʻIo. ʻElepaio flew on and met Pueo. The same words were exchanged between them. So it was with ʻIʻiwi, ʻŌʻō, and all the others. ʻElepaioʻs disgusts grew greater with ʻAmakihi, who laughed at him in derision. Receiving no sympathy, ʻElepaio sat and thought and finally admitted to himself that he, indeed, was to blame.

1503. Kano ke kihi poʻohiwi o Honokōhau.

Hoʻopukakū: Hard are the shoulder muscles of Honokōhau.

Kaona: The people of Honokōhau, Maui, were said to be hard workers.

1540. Ka pōhaku kihi paʻa.

Hoʻopukakū: The solid cornerstone.

Kaona: A reliable, dependable person.

2066. Mai ka piko o ke poʻo a ka poli o ka wāwae, a laʻa ma na kihi ʻehā o ke kino.

Hoʻopukakū: From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, and the four corners of the body.

Kaona: An expression used in prayers of healing. The four corners are the shoulders and hips; between them are the vital organs of the body.

2183. Mō ke kī la - make!

Hoʻopukakū: Cut is the kī - it is death!

Kaona: Used in riddling contests of old, when persons who failed to guess correctly were often tortured or put to death. A wicked Puna chief once invented a riddle that no one could solve: He kī e, he kī e, mō ke kī - make! (It is the kī, it is the kī, (when it is) cut (there is) death!). The answer? The parts of the body whose names include the word kī, such as kīkala (hip), and kihi poʻohiwi (shoulder). Many people tried and failed to guess the answer and so were put to death. Finally, an old woman took pity on a youthful contestant and secretly told him the solution. In addition, she told the youth about an additional kī that the chief himself had forgotten. On the day of his contest, the youth answered the chiefʻs riddle. Then he challenged the chief with the same riddle. A dispute arose when the chief denied that there were any other body parts with kī. The youth pointed to the chiefʻs fingernails (mikiʻao) and was declared the winner. The wicked chief was put to death as he had put others to death. 

Mele and Oli

Ka Hanu o Hanakeoki

This mele is one of many notable works composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani and arranged by Eddie Kamae. Ka Hanu o Hanakeoki is a mele hoʻoipoipo, a song about lovemaking. The imagery of this mele is eloquently concealed by the description of a sweet-smelling Lehua forest, filled with forest birds such as the ʻIʻiwi and the ʻAmakihi. Although the exact location of Hanakeoki is uncertain, this mele likely refers to one of the Queenʻs properties in Pālolo.

I Aliʻi No ʻOe

Like many Hawaiian songs, this mele exhibits several layers of kaona. Birds, such as the ʻamakihi, are commonly utilized as metaphors for lovers, and in this case, is mentioned as an enticer, but yet, the wife is still subservient to her husband. 

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