Swimming Sideways (Cantos Chronicles Book 1)
Page 25
b) Makaha: Located on the Leeward Coast of Oʻahu, just West of Waianae. It is known as one of the greatest surfing beaches in the world; home to world class surfers.
c) Kai: Hawaiian word for salt water. Fresh water is wai.
d) Overthrow/Annexation: Hawaiian history is complicated and layered with nuance of racism and political manoeuvring for power and control. A very interesting history which can be researched in a variety of sources, the “overthrow” refers to the capture, imprisonment and signing of the territory to US interests under duress by the last queen of the monarchy Queen Liliuokalani. Recognized by the World Court as an independent nation, the Annexation of Hawai’i by the United States is considered an act of war making Hawai’i an occupied nation.
2) Chapter Two:
a) Tita: (pronounced Tee Tah) it is a term of endearment for a female, usually of a younger age than the speaker. This word also has a second usage (pronounced Ti Tah) and refers to a tough female of any age. In regards to this text, when a characters refer to Abby as “Tita” they are using it as a term of endearment mentioned in the initial explanation.
b) Haole: this word means foreigner or strange but over time became specific to “white” foreigner. It can be used in a derogatory manner, but isnʻt always.
3) Chapter Three:
a) Naʻau: traditionally means “guts” in Hawaiian. Pig naʻau is a delicacy in Hawaiian culture. Naʻau can also refer to how one feels in the “gut” or the “gut feeling” or instincts. Abby’s reference to “naʻau” in Swimming Sideways is to the idea of her instincts.
b) ʻOno: this means delicious or to crave. While it is traditionally used in reference to food, the word has also been used in other ways with pidgin (see Hawaiian Creole) – to be ʻono for something or to crave it.
c) Makuakane: father
d) Moʻolelo: a story – oral tradition.
e) Niuhi: a tiger shark or a man-eating shark
4) Chapter Four:
a) Kumu: There are several different meanings to this word (foundation, the source) but for the sake of this story, it means “teacher.” Kumu would be like saying “Mr. Smith” or “Kumu Smith.”
b) Ike: (pronounced Ee kay) can be a name and if used like ʻike, can mean wisdom or to witness.
5) Chapter Five: None.
6) Chapter Six:
a) Pele: In Hawaiian mythology, Pele is a very important demi-goddess. She is the goddess of fire, dance, lightening and wind; she is associated with the volcano and the formation of land. Revered in Hawaiian culture, she is often the focus of Hula, especially in the ancient Kahiko style.
b) Piko: specifically, the navel, or the umbilical cord. Hawaiian beliefs explore the idea of the body have three piko: the top of the head, the traditional belly piko and the genitals. These three piko represent the connection to the past, the present and the future.
7) Chapters Seven:
a) Moʻokūʻauhau: specifically, means genealogy, or one’s ancestors.
8) Chapter Eight:
a) Kalo: is Taro, or the staple food of Hawaiians.
b) Paʻiʻai: kalo pounded into a very thick paste with very little water.
c) ‘ōlelo: Hawaiian language
9) Chapter Nine: none
10)Chapter Ten: none
11)Chapter Eleven:
a) Hawaiian Creole, pidgin: With the advent of the Plantation Lifestyle (1820’s through the 1990’s) workers immigrated to Hawaii from all over the world. Workers came from Portugal, China, Japan, and the Philippines, in addition to the Hawaiians who were indigenous to the islands. In order to communicate, a creole developed that used words and variations of words from many of the different languages. This became known as pidgin.
12)Chapter Twelve: none
13)Chapter Thirteen:
a) ‘Aina: land
b) Nalu: waves
14)Chapter Fourteen: none
15)Chapter Fifteen: none
16) Chapter Sixteen: none
17) Chapter Seventeen:
a) Waianae: a place on the island of Oʻahu on the west side of the island’s Leeward coast.
b) DeCambra: Hoopio DeCambra’s poem “I Come from a Place” is featured in the Bamboo Ridge Press Anthology Growing Up Local (1998). She is known for her work during the Hawaiian Renaissance, or a reawakening of the Hawaiian Culture in light of the atrocities suffered such as the acquisition of land and the banning of language.
c) Wahi Pana: Legendary Place, or a place of belonging
d) Kamapuaʻa: a demigod, Kamapuaʻa is the shape-shifting pig god that roamed the island of Oʻahu. A trickster, the antics of Kama (as he is affectionately known) was known for his exploits for the good of the “common” man. He could shift between a handsome man, a pig, a special kind of grass, and a fish (the humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa).
e) Waʻa: canoe
f) ʻOhana: family
18)Chapter Eighteen:
a) Aku: an important fish, bonito.
b) Pipi kaula: a preparation of beef that is cured and dried like jerky
19)Chapter Nineteen: none
20)Chapter Twenty:
a) Hoʻailona: signs
21)Chapter Twenty-One:
a) Pele and Kamapuaʻa: The love story of these two demigods is more war torn that love lorn. Two strong wills, their romance is a tempering of two stubborn forces of nature. In Hawaiian culture, Pele represents the volcano, fire and the creation of land, while Kamapuaʻa represents water and the sea. Their ill-fated love affair – more a conquering than a acquiescence - meant the death of one of them if the other were to submit, so it was never meant to be.
b) Kilauea: Volcano on Hawaiʻi Island; it is still erupting.
22)Chapter Twenty-Two: none
23)Chapter Twenty-Three:
a) Hawaiian beliefs about elders: Abby mentions that she would never be able to call Gabe’s father by his first name. This is linked back to the Hawaiian belief of moʻokūʻauhau and the importance of ancestors. This respect for elders is showcased in the address of those who are elder by honoring that status with a title (Aunty, Uncle, Tutu).
24)Chapter Twenty-Four: none
25)Chapter Twenty-Five: none
26)Chapter Twenty-Six:
a) Helen Desha Beamer is a celebrated writer of music and lyrics in Hawaii.
b) Makua: parents
c) Kūpuna: grandparents
d) Language in Hawaii: While not outlawed, the Hawaiian language was banned from being taught in schools with annexation in 1893. This ban was practiced in homes as well – children often punished to push English acquisition- in order to allow for Hawaiian children to assimilate and find success. This nearly eradicated the language, but in 1978 it was reinstated as the official language of Hawaii. Now, there are Hawaiian immersion charter schools and a resurgence of Hawaiian language speakers.
e) ʻŌlelo noʻe au: a Hawaiian proverb
f) Haʻahaʻa: humility
27)Chapter Twenty-Seven: none
28)Chapter Twenty-Eight: none
29)Chapter Twenty-Nine:
a) Hauʻoli Lā Hānau: Happy Birthday
b) ‘Ae: Yes
30)Chapter Thirty:
a) Portagee: is a pidgin term for Portuguese
31)Chapter Thirty-One:
a) Aloha: greetings/salutations but also love, compassion, fondness.
b) Papahānaumoku: Mother Earth, the Creator from the Hawaiian Creation Story called the “Kumulipo” also known as “Papa”
c) Ali’i: a chief in ancient Hawaiian History – the leader of a division of land. In recent Hawaiian history, the royals.
d) Surfing: The sport originated in Hawaii especially with the aliʻi by using planks of wood to ride waves.
e) Wākea: God of light and the heavens. In the Kumulipo, Wākea and Papa mated to bring forth the earth and sky.
f) Hāloa: the first son of Wākea was still-born and buried – this is the origin of kalo and is the reason Kalo is so revered in Hawaiian culture; the second son, als
o named Hāloa, was the first Hawaiian person.
32)Chapter Thirty-Two: none
33)Chapter Thirty-Three: none
34)Chapter Thirty-Four: none
35)Chapter Thirty-Five: none
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a kid, my world revolved around two things: stories and make believe. I have built a real life around those two things as well: I am a teacher of stories and a writer of make believe.
While I went to high school in a small town in Oregon and college in a smaller town in Oregon - both gifted me with treasures to fill my creative reservoir and most importantly, my husband. We got married, I followed him from Oregon to Hawaii (it was that or forgo the marriage).
We have two children, and several furry kids.
I read and write every day.
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[1] DeCambra, Hoopio. “I Come From a Place.” Ed. Chock, Harstad, Lum, Teter. Growing Up Local: An anthology of poetry and prose from Hawaii. 1998. Print.
[2] Songs of Helen Desha Beamer, Copyright Harriett Beamer Magoon 1953. Composed for Helen Elizabeth Kawohikukapulani Beamer, the youngest daughter of Helen and Pete Beamer, on the occasion of her wedding to Charles William Dahlberg, April 3, 1941