Omens Associated with Hala Lei.
Cover Image: From cover page of Ka Buke Moolelo Hawaii Aloha published on July 22, 1905.
Graduation season is upon us, when lei is given in celebration of a student’s accomplishments. A lei typically given to the graduate is the hala lei, made of the keys of the pandanus fruit, not only because of its fragrance and striking color, but because the lei signifies the hala (elapsing) of time and the completion of a student’s journey.
Image: Pandanus fruit and leaves, Postcard Collection. Bishop Museum Archives, SP 241558.
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Image: “Uluwehi Waipao i ke ala o ka hala, i puia maila e ka makani koele papa.” Hawaiʻi. Photo courtesy of He Aupuni Palapala staff, 2026.
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Today’s post features a portion of the series “Oihana Kilokilo Hawaii” (Hawaiian Divination Profession) that appears in the story book1 Ka Buke Moolelo Hawaii Aloha. It talks about omens, both good and bad, that are associated with wearing and seeing the hala lei.
Image: “Oihana Kilokilo Hawaii,” Ka Buke Moolelo Hawaii Aloha, July 22, 1905, p. 54-55.
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Hawaiian Divination Profession.
The Hala Lei—Some people knowledgeable in omen reading say, the hala lei is a bad-luck omen and deprives one of good luck, because the word “hala” refers to the loss of luck and becoming needy. Thus, some omen readers say, do not wear hala lei, lest you go without; and if you see a hala lei, it is a mākole,2 of the lacking type. (See earlier in the section about mākole.) As for others, according to their understanding of divination, it is said that the hala lei is something auspicious, because it wards off bad luck, misfortune, and disaster that are thought to obstruct one’s path. It is said in the story of Hiʻiaka3, it is a sign associated with Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. Here is one of Hiʻiaka’s mele:ʻO ʻoe ia e Wailua-iki
E ka Lā uli pali o Uli
Ua hele ʻia e Liʻa Wahine
E ka Wahine kūhea pali
Kui pua lei o Hoakalei—ē!
E lei au—
E lei hoʻi au i nā hala pala ʻīloli o Hanakahi
Ua maka ʻeleʻele wale i ke anu
Ua ʻāhaʻi ʻia e ke Kīnaʻu iʻa o Mahamoku i Waiʻoli4
Thou art she, O Wailua-iki,
Of the dark cliff of Uli,
Where Liʻa the woman travelled,
The woman who calls out on the cliffs,
Who strings the flowers of Hoakalei,
For you [me] to wear,
Let me wear the dark overripe hala of Hanakahi
Bruised and blackened by the cold
Bitten by the kīnaʻu eel of Mahamoku at
Waiʻoli5
1Ka Buke Moolelo Hawaii Aloha, is an example of a non-newspaper, story-book type publication, similar to a journal or magazine, that He Aupuni Palapala includes within the scope of our project goal. Edited by Joseph Mokuʻōhai Poepoe and published by the Ahahui Moolelo Hawaii Lani-Honua, it was also known simply as Hawaii Aloha. It did not publish news in the same way that other newspapers of the time did, but it contained stories and serials that appeared in the newspapers. For example, Hooulumahiehie’s “Ka Moolelo o Hiiaka-i-ka-poli-o-pele” originally appeared in part in Hawaii Aloha until the periodical ceased publication. The story was republished in Ka Na’i Aupuni at the request of its readers.
2If you meet up with mākole (inflammed eyes) on an actual person, or perhaps see a rainbow, a hala lei, or a red scrap of cloth, it is [a mākole] an omen signifying lack and denial, there will be no success, you will not get what you desire. “Oihana Kilokilo Hawaii,” Ka Buke Moolelo Hawaii Aloha, Buke I, Helu 1, July 15, 1905, p, 26.
3“Ka Moolelo o Hiiaka-i-ka-poli-o-pele,” was published alongside “Oihana Kilokilo Hawaii” in Ka Buke Moolelo Hawaii Aloha, from Buke 1, Helu 1, July 15, 1905, to Buke 2, Helu 6, November 24, 1905.
4This mele is one of two taught by Hi‘iakaikapoliopele to the father of the three young girls (‘ula pa‘a) seen by Hiʻiaka as she strung hala lei. It was mentioned as a response to Hiʻiaka asking one of the girls if her father had any mele when presenting or wearing a hala lei. Hooulumahiehie, “Ka Moolelo o Hiiaka-i-ka-poli-o-pele,” Ka Na’i Aupuni, Buke I, Helu 32, January 3, 1906, p. 4.
5Translation of mele by Mary Kawena Pukui, Bishop Museum Archives, MS SC Roberts 3.7, pp. 8a–8b.
Image: Hala tree, Hawaiian Islands, Meck Postcard Collection. Bishop Museum Archives, SP 241559.
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org
This post is part of He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers, a partnership between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu with assistance from Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority for their support. Learn more about this project here.
