Traditional Sayings or ʻŌlelo Noʻeau

If you have read After Dawn, you've probably noticed that the Dream Talkers in the story often speak with 'ōlelo noʻeau, or traditional words of wisdom in the Hawaiian language. Some of these sayings are still in common usage today in Hawai'i (at least among speakers of the Hawaiian language), others are more rare. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, by Mary Kawena Pukui, is a fabulous book where these traditional sayings are collected. It was my primary resource for finding traditional sayings that were relevant to the story in After Dawn. If you don't have that book in your personal library yet, I highly recommend you get it. It is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Hawaiian language and traditional wisdom.

At the bottom of my Home Page you can find English language translations for the various ʻōlelo noʻeau that were used in After Dawn.