In the early days of Hawaiʻi, personal possessions were few but highly valued. A personʻs most precious possession was also the most personal: his or her inoa (name.) Renown Hawaiian historian Mary Kawena Pūkuʻi writes that once spoken, an inoa took on an existence, invisible and intangible but real and capable of marshaling supernatural forces.
In her poems, Birthright and Koʻu Inoa (My Name), Denise ʻAkaloka Rivers explores her feelings about not having been given a Hawaiian name when she was born, something that happened to many Hawaiians of her generation.
Meet the author: Denise ʻAkaloka Rivers
Birthright
Mother,
you denied me
ancestors. Mother tongue
deflated in my mouth, teeth stained
haole.
Ko’u Inoa
‘O Wai Kou Inoa?
I want to peel back
history-rich lineage
layers of legacy
an homage to
my ancestors
I want to embody
rare beauty
e like me ka mamo
o na liko lehua
i ka Mauna ‘O Kumukahi.
I want to be blessed
to give good fortune
a chance to commence
jade green and vital
as fresh bamboo shoots
coaxed to coil for luck
I want to reveal
kaona thick as poi
and pa’i ai pure
but my given name is empty
and the koko my father provided
mother diluted with another man’s name
But two decades postpartum
and not a moment too soon
kupuna made me her namesake
negating my false sense of identity
deeming me, full of laughter
‘O ’Akaloka ko’u inoa.
Credits: Video by Robert Delim and Kat Camit, post photo feature courtesy of Kahoʻolemana Naone