Kamakawi Word of the Day

awitipo

• (v.) to be sweet, to taste sweet
• (adj.) sweet, sweet-tasting
• (n.) sweetness

Owe: E awitipo! E feya i’i kau!
“Ahhh, the sweetness! It knocks me down!”

Notes: I’m back from my sojourn up to Northern California, where I was able to get a taste of some Shubert’s ice cream. Here’s what I had:

For those not in the know, Shubert’s was voted the second best ice cream store in America awhile back. And since the number one ice cream store got its title because it offers a $1,000 sundae (that’s how much you pay. What a joke!), I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to say that Shubert’s is the best ice cream shop in America.

And it just so happens to be in my wife’s hometown. Not bad!

Anyway, whenever we go up, I make sure to get some Shubert’s. I only made it out once this time, but man, was it good! That’s three scoops of ice cream: mocha chip, chocolate chip and cookies and cream. I love their mocha chip. Will not touch coffee (the drink), but when it comes in ice cream form, it’s pretty darn good.

Today’s word derives from the word uitipo, the word for “mango”. While “mango” is pretty incredible, I think the word awitipo doesn’t quite cover what “sweet” covers in English. That is, awitipo still has the “mango” right in it, so you get a certain type of “sweet” with it. Of course, in the era I’m thinking of, things like “ice cream” are completely unknown to the Kamakawi (reason enough for staying put here in 21st century Southern California), so the taste sensation doesn’t really need to be described by the language. Some day, though, far in the future…

Oh, by the way, this is what Shubert’s ice cream looks like when it’s gone:

aeiu

• (v.) to enter, to go into
• (prep.) into

Aeiu ia, talima!
“Enter, human!”

Notes: HAPPY CATURDAY!!!

Here’s another shot of Keli enjoying the tower she got from her auntie Sylvia Sotomayor:

She loves the top, loves the middle (which is where she is in this picture), loves the little ball toy, loves the rope-wrapped pole—just loves every little bit of it! Christmas came early for her this year.

My hope is that familiarity with this new piece of cat furniture will soften her to the other one we got for her that she won’t touch. We’ll see…

i’avava

• (n.) feast
• (v.) to have a feast

I’avava uia eyana!
“Have a good feast!”

Notes: Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone who’s having Thanksgiving! I’m enjoying a great one today. If you’re not celebrating Thanksgiving, then have a splendid non-holiday! Hopefully you eat something nice today.

pe’aka

• (n.) clothes, clothing (general term)

Matai pe’aka li’ia.
“Your clothes are pretty.”

Notes: I absolutely cannot think up any good example sentence using “clothing”. This is the best I can do. What is there to say about clothing, anyway? It’s good when it’s cold; vile when it isn’t. Watching a Japanese movie set in the Edo period right now. Kimonos everywhere. They seem comfortable, actually… Much more so than blue jeans and a belt. What is one to do…

epelupelu

• (n.) hide (of an animal)

Fule to epelupelu ti’i.
“I need four hides.”

Notes: I’m going to be on autopilot during the Thanksgiving holiday, so forgive me for just putting up words without much explanation. Today’s word derives from…oh criminy. I could’ve sworn I’d already done epelu! And so the trend I started way back when continues…

kamelaye

• (v.) to wander, to walk around aimlessly (slowly)
• (adj.) wandering
• (n.) wandering

Ka kamelaye lea ie falele.
“He wandered through the forest.”

Notes: From yesterday’s word, kamelaye is, in my mind, onomatopoeic. That was how I created it, and that was the intent. I’m not sure quite how to describe how it’s onomatopoeic, but to me it evokes an image of someone walking around through a forest—perhaps with their hands clasped behind their back. The image in my mind is quite clear, but realistically, I don’t think the sounds of the word lend themselves to the actual sounds of the endeavor at all. For some reason, it just sounds like the activity.

Anyway, but as kamelaye is to wander without aim, nekamelaye is to search without a specific end in mind—hence, to explore. That’s how yesterday’s word derives from today’s.

nekamelaye

• (v.) to explore, to search through
• (adj.) explored
• (n.) exploration

Pale lapa i nekamelaye!
“A new house to explore!”

Notes: HAPPY CATURDAY!!!

The next couple of Caturdays will feature photos of Keli on her new adventure hut:

Isn’t it fantastic?! Keli loves it! And she has Sylvia Sotomayor to thank! She recently moved, and realized she didn’t want to take her cats’ house, so she gave it to me. I installed it last Saturday, and after a few moments initial hesitation, Keli took right to it, and it’s become her new spot. She climbs all over it and has had a good time playing with the little toy at the top (video forthcoming).

Today’s word is a pretty cool word, I thought, but you need to see the word it’s derived from to make sense of it, and that’ll have to way. Enjoy this fabulous Caturday!

taketuli

• (n.) girlfriend

Iko i taketuli oi’i.
“This is my girlfriend.”

Notes: The counterpart to yesterday’s word is today’s word for “girlfriend”. I like this word. It’s kind of funky, kind of bouncy. I think it’s just right.

takevotu

• (n.) boyfriend

Ai takevotu oi’ia i emi ai?
“And who’s your boyfriend?”

Notes: The past couple words have been fotu and tuli: words for “husband” and “wife”, respectively, that don’t enjoy much regular use. Today’s word does, though.

This is the basic word for “boyfriend” and it means, literally, something like “pretend husband” or “practice husband” or maybe even “trial husband”. And that’s how the Kamakawi see it. The “dating” or “courtship” phase is trying people out: Seeing how they might fit as a spouse, and, at the same time, learning how to be a spouse, in a non-permanent, non-binding way.

Incidentally, in Kamakawi it’s bad luck to marry your first ever boyfriend or girlfriend. It happens, certainly (what society is uniform?), but it’s regarded with suspicion (perhaps something like a Hollywood marriage, where everyone wonders when it will end). The idea is that your first sees you before you’re ready—before you become who you’re going to become—and general consensus is that such marriages can never last.

oaoa

• (v.) to be shy
• (adj.) shy
• (n.) shy person

Kanekoi oi’i i oaoa kiko!
“My kitty’s being shy today!”

Notes: HAPPY CATURDAY!!!

Ordinarily, Keli is quite the poser, but today she didn’t feel like being photographed. In fact, she went and hid behind her stool:

It’s very hard to scoop her up while holding the iPhone at the same time (especially since it’s case is open, in order to take pictures. It’s gone sliding out before, and we have tile, not carpet!).

Today’s word reduplicates the iku for oa, which itself isn’t a word (or is no longer a word). Aside from this word, oa appears in other words as a phonemic glyph.