Muku nei, Muku ka malama; Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka

Our Hawaiian New Year began this past Friday, November 5, 2010.  It's arrival was signified by the rising of the constellation Makaliʻi (Pleiades) on the horizon at sunset, and on the night of the new moon.  This event ushered us into not only the new lunar month of Welehu, but also the Makahiki season.

I write about this now because I, like the vast majority of Hawaiʻi's population, didn't realize it happened.  And I think that's a shame.

Much of Hawai'i's population doesn't know that there even is a Hawaiian New Year.  In fact, Chinese New Year is a much bigger deal around here than the new year that is inherently tied to these islands.  That just seems wrong somehow. 

As for me missing it...it was my own fault.  In order to understand when our new year begins, one must pay attention to the lunar cycles.  Our traditional Hawaiian months go by the moon, not by a date on some calendar.  I do pay attention to the lunar months, but lost track recently and neglected to keep it up.  (It's easy to lose track of the lunar month when you live in a place with so much light pollution that you can hardly ever see the moon!)  And, although I was invited to go to the east side on Friday night to greet the rising of Makali'i, I did not realize at the time that it was the most significant night of the year...so I didn't go.  I finally comprehended everything tonight, when I saw the slim fingernail of a moon beginning its procession into the new month...and then my mind put all the pieces together.  Auē!   

Finally understanding what I had missed is what inspired me to start this blog.  I have lived in Hawai'i my whole life, but only within the past few years have I been educated enough about my culture that I can recognize significant events like the one this past Friday.  And yet I still missed it.  But I am determined not to miss it again. 

I kept a moon journal once (and I encouraged others to do the same, but I don't know that anyone ever took my advice).  I wrote in it almost every night, and made observations about the day.  Most of it was weather-related, but sometimes there were other characteristics to note.  And then I compared all of my observations to some archival sources on what our ancestors knew about the moon phases and the ways these phases affected daily life.  Although my little journal could hardly have been considered a work of scholarly achievement, I can say with certainty that I found our kūpuna's observations to still hold true...even in the concrete jungle. 

So this is where everything has led me to.  I figured this blog can help me find my way in my efforts to learn something that was common knowledge 200 years ago.  And if I can share with and maybe even inspire others to do their own learning, then great!   

In fact, that's what the blog title is all about.  It is the second half of an 'Ōlelo No'eau (Hawaiian words of wisdom):  Kamali'i 'ike 'ole i ka helu pō; Muku nei, Muku ka malama; Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka.  The entire phrase is a way of saying someone is ignorant by comparing that person to children who do not know the phases of the moon.  In Hawaiʻi 200 years ago, even children knew all the nights of the moon.  It was considered a knowledge essential to life and taught to children when they were very young.

The second half of the saying, however, speaks of someone in ignorance coming into a state of understanding and clarity.  That's why I chose it for my title.  That's what I hope to do by writing this blog.  I am on a constant exploration to learn what was common knowledge to my kūpuna.  And I'll post whatever I find here...because in sharing, one truly learns.

Aloha!