The Importance of Place Names in Hawaii

¶ … Hawaiian culture, "each small patch of earth has its own reason for being, has a place in the grand scheme of geography, which needs to be remembered and dignified by a name of its own," (Kanahele 183). The practice of naming places is deeply embedded in Hawaiian culture. Place names anchor the human being and community to the earth. The relationship between human beings and the land is represented by the Hawaiian term aina, for which there is no direct translation in English because there is no similar concept. Literally, the word aina means "that which feeds." The "feeding" refers to the mundane quality of land as providing food, but also to spiritual sustenance that being connected to land can provide (Kahahele). Geography in Hawaiian culture has metaphorical and cosmological significance. Furthermore, Aina means more than just "earth," because it represents the deep relationship human beings have with the land, and the psychological and sociological importance of land.

During the process of colonization, Hawaiian place names sometimes became superseded by foreign names such as the names given by English-speaking Americans. English place names do not reflect the intimate ties between Hawaiian people and their land. Reverting to the indigenous place names in Hawaii has been an important part of the de-colonization process (Herman). Renaming places in Hawaii is therefore part of the process of returning Hawaii to its indigenous people out of respect and honor. Most local councils in Hawaii have passed laws mandating that street names are Hawaiian. Street names are not in English by law, and that law is rooted in the knowledge that place names are essential for preserving Hawaiian culture and thus, the unique character of the islands. Another reason for reverting to original Hawaiian place names is because of the importance of language to culture. In order to preserve Hawaiian culture, it has become essential to preserve and promote the language.

Place names in Hawaii can refer to specific aspects of the natural surroundings, such as places containing the name "wai" for water. Alternatively, place names may refer to social structures and hierarchies that link specific places with the tribes or families that inhabited them traditionally (Herman). When Western colonizers re-named places, they essentially claimed ownership of those territories and therefore stripped native Hawaiians of their spiritual connection to that land and also the power associated with it. Renaming places to their original Hawaiian, or in the case with modern roads, offering a new Hawaiian name, allows Hawaiian culture to flourish rather than wither. English place names also connote totally different aspects of the geography. For example, Hawaiian place names can be general, fluid, and ambiguous, referring not to one specific "street," but to the relationship of one zone to another due to the placement of certain trees or flowers, or due to the undulations of the earth. On the other hand, English place names are often more precise and exacting (Herman). Hawaiian place names are not as difficult to pronounce as they initially seem, and the diacritical marks and apostrophes aid the newcomer to the language in learning correct pronunciation of what had been a totally oral tradition.