by Lehua Parker | Jul 7, 2013 | Learning ‘Ōlelo
crack seed
(KRAK-seed)
(n) Pickled, preserved, or dehydrated fruit snacks; can also refer to other local island snacks typically sold at a crack seed store.
Example
Jay’s favorite crack seed was rock salt plum. Char Siu loved lemon peel, but my favorite was candied ginger. ~ Zader, Niuhi Shark Saga
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on
by Lehua Parker | Apr 2, 2013 | Adult Fiction, Book Reviews & Announcements, Pacific Literature
Being a kid is complicated. There are rules, most of them unwritten, unspoken even, and heaven help you if you can’t unlock the secret code. Darrell H.Y. Lum not only has the key to the boy’s room in his collection of short stories in Pass On, No Pass Back!, he also has the contraband cigarettes.
And maybe a little something else.
The title refers to a kids’ game I remember well: somebody punches you in the arm, yells, “Pass on, no pass back!” and you have to find someone else to slam and pass it on. The playground politics in who you hit and how hard would make the UN weep. And Lum gets it.
Better yet, he helps us get it.
To anyone who grew up in Hawai‘i, Lum’s characters feel real. There’s tales of da Bag Man, karate class, scouts, toads, and mongooses from hell that still give me chicken skin. The stories are written in Hawaiian Pidgin English, a welcome sound of home for native speakers that adds another layer of authenticity to his words. Non-Pidgin speakers will have a tougher time, but it’s worth the work.
As a bonus there are also the comic strip adventures of Booly, Bullette, and Burrito by Art Kodani.
If you’re looking for authentic island writing, Pass On, No Pass Back! is fantastic.
Pass On, No Pass Back! by Darrell H.Y. Lum is published by Bamboo Ridge Press and available as a trade paperback from the publisher, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
by Lehua Parker | Feb 25, 2013 | Learning ‘Ōlelo
Holoholo
(HOH-loh-HOH-loh) (v) Pidgin for going out and finding some fun.
Example
English: “Lilinoe, let us get in your car and drive up and down main street and see what others are doing. Perhaps we can meet young men with whom we can converse.”
Pidgin: “Lili! We go holoholo!”
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on
by Lehua Parker | Feb 13, 2013 | Character Haiku
Talk story time, pau
for now. Sun sets on Piko
Point. Aloha pō.
~Uncle Kahana
For more character haiku click here.
by Lehua Parker | Feb 11, 2013 | Learning ‘Ōlelo
junkalunka
(juhn-KAH-luhn-KAH) (adj) Pidgin description of something that is old, broken down, used up.
Example
English: Perhaps we should borrow your mother’s car since the road is steep and winding and your car tires are bald and the brakes are soft.
Pidgin: Pali road? In that junkalunka thing? No way!
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on
