Notes

“Origins.” Lehua: is the flower of the ohia lehua tree; Metrosideros polymorpha. The trees and flowers were believed to be sacred to Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of Volcanoes. Pahoehoe and aa are types of lava. Pahohoe is smooth, glassy and ropelike while aa has a rough and stony surface

“Voices: Kalihi.” Pikake: is the Hawaiian name for a jasmine, Jasminum sambac. The name is said to come from the word “peacock,” because the Hawaiian Princess Ka’iulani reportedly loved both the bird and the flower.

“Nu’uanu Valley Upside-Down Falls.” Waipuhia translated literally means “blown water.”

“Photograph of a Girl (Hilo, 1923).” The hau tree is a small tree with hibiscus like flowers that are yellow in the morning but turn red during the course of the day. Hibiscus tiliaceus.

“Kahuna.” A kahuna is a Hawaiian doctor and/or magician.

“Molokai.” Kalawao, Molokai, was the site of a leper colony established in 1873 by the Belgian Catholic priest, Father Damien, who later died of the disease.

“Photograph of Eleanor as a Hula Girl, 1943.” Yadwigha is the name attached to the female figure in Henri Rousseau’s 1910 painting, The Dream.

“Shark God.” A heiau was a sacred Hawaiian temple, usually including a stone platform.

“Lucky Luck.” Robert “Lucky” Luck was a well-known Hawaiian entertainer, radio and TV star; he hosted, “The Lucky Luck Show” on KONA TV.

“Gorgeous George in Honolulu.” Gorgeous George was the name adopted by the wrestler George Wagner, who became a celebrity known for his bleached blonde curls and his flamboyant behavior and clothing in the ring. His career spanned the mid-1930s to 1962.

“Illapa in the Hawaiian Islands.” Illapa was also said to keep the Milky Way in a jug and use it to create rain.

“Kilauea.” Isabella Bird, 1831-1904. She published an account of her travels to the Sandwich Islands, called The Hawaiian Archipelago (1875).

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Contents | Mudlark No. 33