Colonization as Continuum

Abstract

The punctuation used in the word Hawai‘i (and many other Hawaiian words in the poem) looks like an apostrophe but is actually called an ‘okina. It is common in Pacific languages and indicates a glottal stop (like the sharp stop in the middle of the term “uh-oh”). The other notable punctuation mark is the horizontal line over a vowel, as in nēnē. It is called a kahakō and indicates that the vowel sound should be held slightly longer than usual. Hāpu‘u pulu (Cibotium splendens)—Hāpu‘u is a large tree fern that can grow to around twenty feet tall. Its fronds are covered with a silky golden-brown hair that was once used to stuff pillows. Before clearing and over-exploitation from harvesting, hāpu‘u was common on all the major Hawaiian Islands. Tree ferns are considered a threatened species (“Hāpu‘u (Hawaiian Tree Fern)”). Our front yard is a tree fern garden—hāpu‘u provide shade for anthuriums and orchids. We use the dead fronds as mulch in the garden and cover for weedy areas.