‘Ula

by Maxalia Maxwell

ka ‘ula [ki‘a] 1) short for koaʻe ʻula, red-tailed tropic bird: As in: Before making the kāhili, he gathers feathers from dead­­­ ‘ula, plucking them before they rot.              2) sacredness: The sunrise fills the house with ‘ula, pouring warmth through the windows, a wave, touching even the dark kitchen. 3) blood: The hospital encourages you to donate ‘ula. 4) agate: The ‘ula fills the empty space left by volcanic rocks. 5) same as ʻula ʻai hāwane: Ciridops anna, the ‘ula’s scientific name, shrouds a bird last seen one year before the Overthrow. 6) ghost, spirit: ‘Ula scatter footprints by the pond.

ka ‘ula [kāhulu] 1) red, scarlet: Haole try to take the ‘ula light home with them, hoarding photographs of lava in their hands. 2) brown, as skin of Hawaiians: Māmā says that she’ll be another hour, sweetie—says she’s not ‘­­ula enough just yet—says she’ll swim tomorrow. 3) sacred: What offering have you brought to this ‘ula place? 4) regal, royal: ‘Iolani Palace stores its ‘ula jewels in the basement.

ka ‘ula [painu] 1) to appear red: Your mouth ‘ula in steps: liner, lipstick, setting powder; you kiss off a layer before you leave the house. 2) to blush, flush: Kumu tells you that your ‘okina still sound wrong; like always, you ‘ula in papa ‘ōlelo.   3) (of ears) to ring, as due to rising in altitude, believed by some to be a sign that one is being talked of: You yawn, you sneeze, you blow gum into bubbles until it loses all its flavor; still, your ears ‘ula by the time AS 801 lands.

Author’s Note:

A note on the ʻokina: ʻ. ʻOkina is a letter in Hawaiian and represents a glottal stop. It's often mistyped as a single closing quotation mark. You'll know the mark is appearing correctly if it looks like an upside down six (use smart quotes if possible).