Hawaiianology

The Call of the Deep: In the quiet and blue waters of Hawaiʻi’s coastal waters, a shadow stirs beneath a coral ledge. Two curious eyes rise from the sand. With a squishy, graceful, and moving slowly, the heʻe — the Hawaiian octopus — the one who glides into view, changing colors as it blends seamlessly into its surroundings. For many in Hawaiʻi, this isn’t just an encounter with marine life; it’s a meeting with a being steeped in cultural reverence, ecological importance, and culinary tradition all at the same time. In that moment there is a connection and a message that goes between a person and a sacred marine animal. Yet, today, these encounters are not as abundant as they once were, while not rare, they are growing more difficult as time goes on. As Hawaiʻi grapples with the twin pressures of ecological degradation and increasing demand for seafood, the future of the heʻe depends on a choice: follow a global trend of octopus farming, or embrace western ideals of conservation and c...

Octopus in Hawaii is known as "He'e", particularly the Hawaiian Day Octopus is known as he'e, he'e mauli, day octopus, day squid, or by its scientific name "Octopus cyanea". It is difficult to know if it is a Crescent Octopus as it is also known as "He'e" and by its scientific name "Octopus hawaiiensis". It is sometimes confused for the Hawaiian Night Octopus called the "He'e Mākoko" (Callistoctopus ornatus), or the Pacific Giant Octopus "He'e Pūloa" (Enteroctopus dofleini). In Hawaii they are a familiar presents as they are in dishes that take many forms like: Sash (Sliced Sashimi), Barbecue Octopus (Grilled), Squid Luau (Stew), Laikiku Rice (Steam Rice), Hawaiian Raw Tako, and the trendy Octopus Poke (Tossed Foods). Heʻe as a Aumakua "The Sagacious enigma" , the Heʻe is called a Aumakua of ancient wisdom and the eight-armed enigma of the Hawaiian Sea... It represents generational knowledge, ...

"The Oyster is a treasure that is longed for. But overtime its life with shine when the time is right. They can be better than any treasure you can hold, but one you can eat. It's a lot more ono." The older folks would talk story about going to look for the oysters from the waters of Puʻuloa Harbor (long hill) it was someplace people use to fish, go get shellfish and stuff, until the war broke out. The mountains were green and the water would be still in the harbor area where many ships were coming in. Along the corals there would be ocean life and as you go deeper there would be the shellfish. The oysters would be in the waters down there. There was a man in Aiea that would always be checking by the shores to see if the oysters were all right, but the feeling of darkness was around and it would be quiet and spots of black would be on top the waters. It wasn't the right time as things would become darker with the days to come, but he knew that the Harbor would one day...

Hawaiian Oysters or "Pipi Oysters" are made of the words "Pipi" that means oyster in Hawaiian and an "Oyster". It is a shellfish bivalve that were rich and fat in Hawaii due to the large oyster beds that once were cared for. When people refer to Hawaiian Oysters its the large variety of oysters that are in Hawaii, but also the more specifically the native oysters. The native oysters in hawaii are the Oahu Hawaiian Oyster (Dendostrea sandvicensis) and Black-lipped Pearl Oyster (pinctada margaritifera). The introduced oysters are Eastern Oyster (Atlantic.Crassostrea virginica) and the Pacific Oyster (Hiroshima. Japan. C. gigas) for its meaty flesh. Hawaii Oysters taste different and that is because of the specific area they are with the water, the marine life, the plants, and other factors as well. In the oyster world its called "Merrior" where a oyster is marked based on its taste difference from where it is grown. Its similar to wine's terroi...

[Updated 2024] Hawaii has a language of colors that are connected to the land in its passage of hues in the art, garments, architecture, and foods. As westernization happened in the islands it influenced the colors and their association especially in art and garments with a much brighter tone that was not as earthy; some of the traditional color meanings are followed and passed down from kupuna, there are. There are many colors which are considered as messages from what flower they come from or ingredient by the Hawaiian people. Certain colors are important to particular islands, hula halau, hui (groups), and their meanings. In 2008, there was an article from Imagine Hawaii that covered the regional importance of "Hawaii Colors" as something unique to the islands and connects time periods of the Ancient Hawaiians, the Hawaiian Kingdom as well as the Plantation Era, and that its ripe for rediscovery for modern day plantation architecture of today and tomorrow. ​Traditional Col...

  In the ancient times the Lau Lau would be wrapped with the ti leaf and the more practiced Lau Lau makers would wrap the leaf itself to knot the top of the leaf wrapping. But as time went on there were many families that were identified by their sort of knots and to move forward with the culture they identified with those knots. It would become a visual symbol for people to identify which family was making the Lau Lau knots naturally or which ones would use uncolored rope. Or those who would choose more artistic or family knots to show they practiced knot making or may have used colors as the way to identify the food. For example straight rope knot would be plain or the Maka'ainana Knot (commoner) or the rare and difficult Pupu'u Knot (ali'i). These sorts of visuals of knots and colors as well as food brought renewed interest in bringing forth the old ways with creative techniques. It was something that family members could touch with their hands, see with their eyes, and ...