Synopsis: Many businesses in Hawaiæi 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 æiæo mai nö käua e ke hoa puni æölelo kanaka. Ua puka mai nei kekahi moæolelo nühou i këia pule e pili ana i kahi papahana a ka Hawaiæi Air National Guard (HIANG) e lawelawe ana i këia mahina, a i kapa æia hoæi kona inoa æo Sentry Aloha. I papahana këia e hoæoikaika ai i ka HIANG ma kona kiaæi æana i ka lähui ma o ke kaupale æana i ka æenemi inä e hoæouka mai i ke kaua mai luna mai o ka lewa. He kaua kio këia papahana e mälama æia ana i luna o ka lewa o Hawaiæi nei ma ke æano he hoæomaæamaæa no ka wä e hahana mai ai kahi kaua maoli. æAuhea æoe, e ka makamaka, pehea ke kaua kio a me ke kaua æiæo paha, aia lä i hea ke “aloha”?
Eia hou kekahi mau huaæölelo no käua e kälailai ai ma loko o këia moæolelo. I æole naæe e holo wale aku ka noæonoæo i Kalalau, e nänä mua æia ka mea koæikoæi loa, æo ia nö këlä hua e kau maila i luna o ke poæo manaæo, æo “aloha”. He hua waiwai a koæikoæi loa ia no ka poæe æölelo Hawaiæi, a no käkou nö hoæi a pau, a he minamina kona æapakau wale æia a pono hoæohana wale æia hoæi ma ke kapa inoa æana i kahi polokalama hoæomäkaukau mea kaua. Pehea lä e pili ai ka huaæölelo aloha i nä hana kaua? Noæu iho, he hana aloha æole ia. Me he mea lä, æaæohe o läkou lä æike i ka manaæo maoli o ia mea he aloha. I hua wale ia no läkou e hoæopilipili Hawaiæi ai, ma o ka hoæopili æana mai i kä läkou papahana iä Hawaiæi nei. æO ia hoæi, i höæailona wale nö ka huaæölelo “aloha” no këia paemoku. Ke lohe æia ua hua nei, e noæonoæo aæe ka mea hoæolohe he papahana ia no Hawaiæi. Mea æole hoæi kona manaæo maoli!
Eia hou mai kekahi manaæo pili no ka inoa “Sentry Aloha”. æAæole wale nö e hoæomäkaukau æia ka püæali kiaæi lewa no ke kaupale aku i nä æenemi näna e hoæouka kaua mai. E hoæomäkaukau pü æia hoæi no ka lele aku i ka æäina æë e kaua ai. He hoæokamani nö paha ke kapa æana i ia HIANG he “Guard”. He mea hoæouka kaua kekahi. A no laila, he mea hoæohuikau manaæo kona kapa æia æana i ka Hawaiæi Air National Guard. Kohu mea lä, he aupuni küæokoæa æo Hawaiæi inä he “National” Guard kona. Inä nö i küæokoæa æiæo nö, inä hoæi ua pale aku i ka æonou poæo mai o æAmelika, ke aupuni mïæoi mai i loko o ko haæi koæa!
æEä, e ka makamaka, he mau æatikala kaæu i käkau ai i loko o këlä mau makaiki aku nei, e pili ana no ka æapakau æia mai o nä hua Hawaiæi e laæa æo “aloha” me “mahalo”, a me ko läkou hoæohana wale æia nö e hoæowalewale ai i ka lehulehu e küæai i kä läkou mea e küæai mai nei, no ka mea, e kuhi wale æia ana ua mea küæai nei, he mea Hawaiæi ia. Eia mai nö kauwahi laæana. æO Aloha Poke Co. æoe, he hui küæai poke ma Kikako. æO Mahaloha Burger æoe, he hale æaina ma ke kikowaena küæai æo Ala Moana a ma Kailua nö hoæi. æO Mahalo Motors LLC, he kahua küæai kaæa ma Honolulu. æO Aloha Stadium nö hoæi, ka hale haæuki ma Hälawa e wäwahi æia ana no ke kükulu æana i kekahi kaona hou, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku.
Kohu mea lä, i kapa æia këia mau wahi a æoihana paha i ke aloha a i ka mahalo paha i mea e hoæonui ai i ke kälä e loaæa mai ana. Ke manaæ nei au, æaæole paha he hana aloha ka hoæohana wale æia nö o nä hua æölelo Hawaiæi ma muli o ke ake kälä. E aho ka hoæohana æia o nä hua Hawaiæi i mea e kamaæilio maoli ai. A he mau mea waiwai e loaæa mai ana, æaæole wale nö æo ke kenikeni.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ä leka iä mäua, ‘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 Mänoa.
