He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka

Meaning

The land is a chief, man is its servant. This proverb expresses the deep reverence Hawaiians have for the land and their role as its stewards.

Example sentences

• I ka wā i hoʻomaopopo ai nā kānaka i ka ʻōlelo a nā kupuna, ua ʻike lākou, 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka,' a mālama pono i ka honua.

  When the people understood the words of the ancestors, they knew, 'The land is a chief, man is its servant,' and took good care of the earth.

• Ma mua o ko lākou hoʻomaka ʻana i ka hana mahiʻai, ua hoʻomanaʻo ʻo ia i ka manaʻo nui o kaʻu moʻopuna, 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka,' no laila, ua hana ʻo ia me ka mahalo i ka ʻāina.

  Before they began farming, my grandson remembered the important sentiment, 'The land is a chief, man is its servant,' so he worked with respect for the land.

• I ka wā o ka ʻahaʻaina o ka lā ʻApōpō, e hoʻomanaʻo kākou i ke ʻano o ka ʻōlelo kahiko, 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka,' a hoʻomaikaʻi i ka ʻāina i hāʻawi mai i nā mea a pau.

  At tomorrow's feast, let us remember the meaning of the old saying, 'The land is a chief, man is its servant,' and give thanks to the land that provides everything.

About this word

“He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka” is a Hawaiian proverb meaning The land is a chief, man is its servant. It is part of the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) vocabulary in the category of Culture. Definitions are based on the Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary.