Ambivalently understood, the phrase “Hawaiian sense of place” is heard everywhere from the tourism industry to design sector. The islands’ traditional place names, however, often remain silenced. Can one truly honor places without acknowledging the importance of inoa ‘āina?
He mea pohihihi paha ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ka ʻōlelo he “Hawaiian sense of place”, he hopunaʻōlelo e lohe hele ʻia ana mai ka ʻoihana hoʻokipa malihini a ka ʻoihana hakulau. I ka hapa nui naʻe o ka manawa, he hoʻohāmau ʻia ke ō ʻana mai o nā inoa ʻāina kuʻuna. Ua hiki anei ke hoʻohanohano maoli i ka ʻāina me ka ʻike ʻole ʻana i nā inoa ʻāina?