Synopsis: Many businesses in Hawai‘i are using the word “aloha” (and even “mahalo”) in their names in order to enhance goodwill and maximize profit. In many cases, it is clear that the person or persons who came up with the names were unfamiliar with the ways in which Hawaiian phrases are constructed. This reveals a disregard for the language as representative of a people’s worldview. Such important words should not be used capriciously.

Aloha ‘i‘o mai nō kāua e ke hoa puni ‘ōlelo kanaka. Ua puka mai nei kekahi mo‘olelo nūhou i kēia pule e pili ana i kahi papahana a ka Hawai‘i Air National Guard (HIANG) e lawelawe ana i kēia mahina, a i kapa ‘ia ho‘i kona inoa ‘o Sentry Aloha. I papahana kēia e ho‘oikaika ai i ka HIANG ma kona kia‘i ‘ana i ka lāhui ma o ke kaupale ‘ana i ka ‘enemi inā e ho‘ouka mai i ke kaua mai luna mai o ka lewa. He kaua kio kēia papahana e mālama ‘ia ana i luna o ka lewa o Hawai‘i nei ma ke ‘ano he ho‘oma‘ama‘a no ka wā e hahana mai ai kahi kaua maoli. ‘Auhea ‘oe, e ka makamaka, pehea ke kaua kio a me ke kaua ‘i‘o paha, aia lā i hea ke “aloha”?

Eia hou kekahi mau hua‘ōlelo no kāua e kālailai ai ma loko o kēia mo‘olelo. I ‘ole na‘e e holo wale aku ka no‘ono‘o i Kalalau, e nānā mua ‘ia ka mea ko‘iko‘i loa, ‘o ia nō kēlā hua e kau maila i luna o ke po‘o mana‘o, ‘o “aloha”. He hua waiwai a ko‘iko‘i loa ia no ka po‘e ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, a no kākou nō ho‘i a pau, a he minamina kona ‘apakau wale ‘ia a pono ho‘ohana wale ‘ia ho‘i ma ke kapa inoa ‘ana i kahi polokalama ho‘omākaukau mea kaua. Pehea lā e pili ai ka hua‘ōlelo aloha i nā hana kaua? No‘u iho, he hana aloha ‘ole ia. Me he mea lā, ‘a‘ohe o lākou lā ‘ike i ka mana‘o maoli o ia mea he aloha. I hua wale ia no lākou e ho‘opilipili Hawai‘i ai, ma o ka ho‘opili ‘ana mai i kā lākou papahana iā Hawai‘i nei. ‘O ia ho‘i, i hō‘ailona wale nō ka hua‘ōlelo “aloha” no kēia paemoku. Ke lohe ‘ia ua hua nei, e no‘ono‘o a‘e ka mea ho‘olohe he papahana ia no Hawai‘i. Mea ‘ole ho‘i kona mana‘o maoli!

Eia hou mai kekahi mana‘o pili no ka inoa “Sentry Aloha”. ‘A‘ole wale nō e ho‘omākaukau ‘ia ka pū‘ali kia‘i lewa no ke kaupale aku i nā ‘enemi nāna e ho‘ouka kaua mai. E ho‘omākaukau pū ‘ia ho‘i no ka lele aku i ka ‘āina ‘ē e kaua ai. He ho‘okamani nō paha ke kapa ‘ana i ia HIANG he “Guard”. He mea ho‘ouka kaua kekahi. A no laila, he mea ho‘ohuikau mana‘o kona kapa ‘ia ‘ana i ka Hawai‘i Air National Guard. Kohu mea lā, he aupuni kū‘oko‘a ‘o Hawai‘i inā he “National” Guard kona. Inā nō i kū‘oko‘a ‘i‘o nō, inā ho‘i ua pale aku i ka ‘onou po‘o mai o ‘Amelika, ke aupuni mī‘oi mai i loko o ko ha‘i ko‘a!

‘Eā, e ka makamaka, he mau ‘atikala ka‘u i kākau ai i loko o kēlā mau makaiki aku nei, e pili ana no ka ‘apakau ‘ia mai o nā hua Hawai‘i e la‘a ‘o “aloha” me “mahalo”, a me ko lākou ho‘ohana wale ‘ia nō e ho‘owalewale ai i ka lehulehu e kū‘ai i kā lākou mea e kū‘ai mai nei, no ka mea, e kuhi wale ‘ia ana ua mea kū‘ai nei, he mea Hawai‘i ia. Eia mai nō kauwahi la‘ana. ‘O Aloha Poke Co. ‘oe, he hui kū‘ai poke ma Kikako. ‘O Mahaloha Burger ‘oe, he hale ‘aina ma ke kikowaena kū‘ai ‘o Ala Moana a ma Kailua nō ho‘i. ‘O Mahalo Motors LLC, he kahua kū‘ai ka‘a ma Honolulu. ‘O Aloha Stadium nō ho‘i, ka hale ha‘uki ma Hālawa e wāwahi ‘ia ana no ke kūkulu ‘ana i kekahi kaona hou, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku.

Kohu mea lā, i kapa ‘ia kēia mau wahi a ‘oihana paha i ke aloha a i ka mahalo paha i mea e ho‘onui ai i ke kālā e loa‘a mai ana. Ke mana‘ nei au, ‘a‘ole paha he hana aloha ka ho‘ohana wale ‘ia nō o nā hua ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma muli o ke ake kālā. E aho ka ho‘ohana ‘ia o nā hua Hawai‘i i mea e kama‘ilio maoli ai. A he mau mea waiwai e loa‘a mai ana, ‘a‘ole wale nō ‘o ke kenikeni.

E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:

>> kwong@hawaii.edu

>> rsolis@hawaii.edu

a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:

>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)

>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)

This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.