Luna
I have had Karl here in the works for a few months… I wanted a Hawaiian name that was long and hard to pronounce. I did google the longest Hawaiian name on record… and decided that I would NOT use it: Kamakanaihounamaikalaniakeakua (“God’s Gift Sent From Above”). Instead, Keolakupaianaha (google and see) is more along the lines of what I was looking for. It sums up a life on the island.
reminds me of a tv commercial for a bank back in the early 1970’s with sandy duncan in the role of a teller. you see, she gets this customer named nikolas h. janopopolopolos. he guides her through the spelling of the last name and then she proceeds to make several attempts to pronounce it. after three or four attempts, she gives up and asks “you mind if i calll you nick?”
funny ad…
According to babynamesocean.com, it’s a girl’s name 😛
Like Japanese, Hawaiian names are not hard to pronounce. The alphabet has only 17 letters. (Back in the 80s, Honolulu city maps had only ONE listing for streets beginning with the letter “F”. And that was F Street, on the Pearl base.) One just has to get used to the flow of the language and the names become easy. We lived in Kahaluu, but a small town near us was name Kaaawa, which is pronounced “Ka-a-AH-va”.
Want to have fun, fellow squiddies? Take some time to work through the Hawaiian names Brig is putting up. After four or five tries, you’ll actually FEEL the flow and the entire name will sound like a song.
I did google it, the funny thing is that your cartoon is now the #2 hit for Keolakupaianaha!
Firedome… I don’t remember that commercial… but it makes me chuckle.
Chug… It’s a name that can go either way… Kinda like Randie/Randy
Pete… I’ve downloaded some songs from iTunes for FF… “The Polynesians” have some great Hawaiian songs… they have an early 50’s Hawaiian feel (because they are) … sort of nostalgic like old “fly to the island” posters of that time period… Some songs are in English and some are in Hawaiian. And some have drums… I love drums (they are more Tahitian).
JC… woo hoo!
The google translation does sum up a Hawaiian ideal and would make a great name for the tiki bar if only it was shorter and easier to say. Hawaiian names make me think of American Indian (Native American) ones. You take a name like, “Bigburlybearwhodancesinthemoonlightuntilhestubshisbigtoeandthengrowlsloudly,” and say it in a native indian dialect and holy cow, it becomes impossible to say, let alone remember. Some Indians also carved totem poles, their own version of tiki’s.
Out of curiousity, has anyone seen “The Descendants” with George Clooney? It features a local-to-Squid Row girl who lives in Pacific Grove (brig’s previous digs) as his youngest daughter. It shows the islands of Hawaii, Oahu and Kauai off the beaten (tourist) path. Mostly better non-tourist areas, but some gritty parts as well. It also won best drama and best dramatic actor Golden Globes (precursors to Oscar awards). It’s well worth going to see.
At least you didn’t name him Kamehameha, because then I wouldn’t be able to stop laughing … especially since I wonder how many Squiddies would *get* that reference …