'ape (AH-pay)~ A large-leaf plant that superficiously looks very much like taro, but has a noxious sap
'avapuhi or 'awapuhi (AH-vah-POOH-hee) ~ yellow ginger
ceviche (Mexico) (say-VEE-chay)~ raw fish "cooked" in lime juice and mixed with onions, tomatoes and other veggies. hale (HAH-lay)~ hall; any official building; a large house; also, a canoe shed, either modern or traditional
hana pa'a! (HAH-nah PAH-ah)~ (lit: hard work!) exclamation meaning you've just hooked up to a big fish, and you're going to be busy for a while...
haole (how-lay)~ Caucasian person, often used as a pejorative; often mispronounced hauli
heiau (HEY-ee-ow)~ "temple" or structured area of traditional worship, usu. incl. stone terraces; often extended to mean any "sacred" ruins
hui (HUU-ee)~ a group , club, cartel or other association
huli (HU-LEE)~ (lit: to turn) to roll over; capsize
hulihuli~ (lit: to turn many times) smoked meat, usu. chicken; rotisserie chicken
ika (Japanese)(ee-kah)~ small inshore squid; bought frozen as bait for papio, also dried, shredded and spiced as a local (Japanese-derived) snack
'iwa (EE-vah)~ Frigatebirds
kaukahi (kow-KAH-hee)~ alone; by oneself; also: a one-person canoe.
kaulua (kow-LU-ah)~ a two-person canoe (see above)
keawe (kay-AH-vay)~mesquite tree (intr. from Mexico), common in shoreline campgrounds, drops frightenly long and sharp thorns all over
limu (LEE-mu)~ technically, it's any kind of alga (even pond scum), but usually used to mean various seaweeds used as a condiment in Haw'n food like poke.
maika'i (my-KAH-ee)~ well-being; health; righteousness
makai (mah-KAH-ee, mah-KAI)~ towards the sea; also downhill
mauka (mah-OO-kah)~ towards the land; also uphill
poisson cru (French)(PWA-sahn crew)~ a Tahitian version of ceviche that includes coconut milk
puka (POOH-kah)~ lit.: hole; gap; cave entrance
pupu (POOH-POOH)~ really unfortunate name, but it means tasty finger-food eaten before or instead of a regular meal.
poke (PO-kay)~raw fish mixed with various flavorings like onions, soy sauce, limu (seaweed), sesame seeds, chile peppers, etc. A uniquely Hawaiian delicacy. Often mispronounced poki.
sashimi (Japanese) ~ raw fish slices usu. served with wasabi and shoyu, best consumed within minutes of catching the fish!
tako (Japanese)~ small reef octopus, small ones are sold as bait for trolling, larger ones (can reach 5 lbs or more) usu. made into a chewy poke. Often erroneosly called "squid" by locals, but don't confuse with ika
wa'a (VAH-ah)~ canoe, watercraft; or in our case used to mean a paddled boat.
wasabi (japanese)~ very strong Japanese green horseradish, mixed with shoyu (soy sauce) as a dip for sashimi