Hānau ka Ua: Hawaiian Rain Names

By Collette Leimomi Akana
Illustrations by Sig Zane

Winner of the 2017 Samuel M. Kamakau Award for Hawai‘i Book of the Year

Winner of the 2017 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Award of Excellence in Text or Reference

Rain names are a precious legacy from our kūpuna, who were keen observers of the world around them and who had a nuanced understanding of the forces of nature. They knew that one place could have several types of rain, each distinct from the other. They knew when a particular rain would fall, its color, its duration, its intensity, its path, its sound, its scent, and its effect on the land and their lives.

Whether you belong to Puna, Hawai‘i, like the delicate Alanilehua rain, so rare it is visible only during certain times of the morning, or to Ni‘ihau, like the unpredictable Nāulu rain that wraps the spirit in a downpour, you will find a rainy companion for cold nights and humid days. Hānau ka Ua reintroduces us to these cherished companions, giving new life to their names and their stories. Ola!

About the Author
Collette Leimomi Akana has been teaching social studies at Kamehameha Middle School since 1983. She has taught Hawaiian language at Windward Community College and Kapi‘olani Community College.

Hardcover. 2015. 6 x 9". 328 pp.