moʻolelo
The Hawaiian word for history is moʻolelo.
The term moʻolelo is used broadly to cover both historical facts and traditional stories or myths.
Meaning: branch of knowledge that studies the past (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word moʻolelo literally refers to a story, legend or narrative, reflecting the oral tradition of recording history.
Did you know?
- The word moʻolelo is composed of moʻo, meaning 'a lizard' or 'a line', and lelo, meaning 'to utter' or 'to speak'.
- In traditional Hawaiian culture, moʻolelo were not just stories but acted as legal records to prove land ownership and genealogical rights.
- The 'okina in moʻolelo is a glottal stop, a consonant that is as essential to the word's meaning as any letter in the English alphabet.
Examples in context
- 'O ka mo'olelo o Pele kekahi o nā mo'olelo nui o Hawai'i.The story of Pele is one of the significant narratives of Hawaii.
- He moʻolelo kēia.This is a story/history.
- Makemake au e aʻo e pili i ka moʻolelo.I want to learn about history.
- He mea koʻikoʻi ka moʻolelo.History is important.
Example conversation
Malia and Keanu are talking about their favorite school subjects.
- MaliaHe mea i like ʻia naʻu ka moʻolelo.History is something I like.
- KeanuHe mea i like ʻia naʻu ka matematika.Mathematics is something I like.
- MaliaNo ke aha i like ʻia ai ka moʻolelo?Why do you like history?
- KeanuʻAʻole au i ʻike, akā he mea kupaianaha ia.I don't know, but it is amazing.
