Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 10, 1 October 2016 — ʻAimalama [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAimalama

Kaulana mahina: The position of the moon

By Hui 'Aimalama 'O 'Ikuā i pohā kō'ele'ele, 'ikuā ke kai, 'ikuā ka hekili, 'ikuā ka manu. 'Ikuā is the month when the dark storms arise, the oeean roars, the thunder roars, the birds make a din. Aloha e gang, the lunar month that we are currently in (October 2 - November 1) is 'Ikuā, also spelled 'Ikuwā. As the 'ōlelo no'eau describes, this lunar month usually marks the beginning of the stormy season, and lots of aehon in the sky. Water spouts, sea squalls, strong winds and rough seas mark this time period, along with shooting stars

and meteor showers. Make sure to eheek out the Orionid Meteor shower whieh usually happens during this month, and will peak on the Lā'au moons from Oct. 18 to 21. Up to 20 meteors per hour may be visible during this time. Preparations for the Makahiki ceremonies also begin during this month. In recent years we have also noticed hlnano, the male hala flower, blooming during this month across the pae'āina. Follow your nose to the sweet smells from the hala groves. Limu 'ele'ele is also noticed growing near the shorelines, possibly due to the increased rainfall. If you are an oeean person, the rough seas will begin to arrive as well as the koholā (humphaek whales) and fisherman have noticed big kine he'e during this time too.

Enough of us talking about what we see, go out and describe what's around you ! Go to http://www.aimalama.org/resources/ and you will find a simple observation sheet that you ean use to help record your surroundings and observations, as well as other useful resources to help you heeome your own kilo. ■

j AIMALAMA v > LUNAR CALENDAR f

AB0VE: Some fisherman have found large he'e during this malama in the past. RIGHT: Limu 'ele'ele growing thick