AHU—Pile, cairn, altar, shrine. Often a small or large pile of stones erected as a trailmark or landmark. Ahu were sometimes put up by passing parties as monuments or evidence that they had been there, even as mountain climbers do to this day. To be assured of a safe journey, an ahu of three stones was made as tribute to the god of the locality.
ALII—Ali’i, chief, chiefess, sovereign, ruler. One of the upper class.
HALALII—Hala-li’i, fun-making, from the name of a traditional chief of Ni’ihau.
HALEAKALA—Hale-a-ka-la is usually interpreted as “house of the sun,” a simple translation of the Hawaiian name given us for the mountain. It assumes vague reference to the Maui legend. An old explanation converted the translation to “house built by the sun.” Rev. A. O. Forbes[27] says that the name is a corruption of Alehe-ka-la, “snarer of the sun,” in reference to Maui’s deeds. Still another version would have it Ahale-ka-la, to be interpreted as “rays of the sun.”
HALEMAUU—Hale mau’u is grass hut; hale ma’u’u signifies damp house.
HANA—Bay or valley, when used in a place name.
HANAKAUHI—Hana-ka-uhi, the mist-maker; yam valley.
HAOLE—A foreigner, one of foreign extraction; today, usually in reference to a Caucasian; adj., foreign.
HEIAU—Pre-christian place of worship, hence, usually translated temple. This was often a stone platform or an earth terrace.
HOLUA—A course used for the ancient royal sport of sliding down steep slopes; also the sled itself.