He aliʻi ka ʻāina; he kauwā ke kanaka

Meaning

The land is a chief; man is its servant. This proverb emphasizes the sacredness and authority of the land over humans.

Example sentences

• Ma mua o koʻu hele ʻana e mahiʻai i ka laulā, ua hoʻomanaʻo au i ka ʻōlelo kahiko, 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina; he kauwā ke kanaka,' no laila, ua mālama pono au i kaʻu hana.

  Before I went to cultivate the taro patch, I remembered the old saying, 'The land is a chief; man is its servant,' so I took good care of my work.

• I ka wā e kūkākūkā ana mākou no ke kūkulu ʻana i hale ma kahakai, ua hoʻomaopopo ʻia ka manaʻo ʻo 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina; he kauwā ke kanaka,' no laila, ua koho mākou i wahi kūpono ʻole e hoʻopōʻino i ka ʻāina.

  When we were discussing building a house on the beach, the meaning 'The land is a chief; man is its servant' was understood, so we chose a suitable place that wouldn't damage the land.

• Ua aʻo mai koʻu kupunawahine iaʻu i ke ʻano o ka mahalo ʻana i ka honua, e ola ana i ka ʻōlelo 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina; he kauwā ke kanaka,' a ua hoʻohana au i kēlā aʻo i koʻu ola ʻana.

  My grandmother taught me the way to respect the earth, living by the saying 'The land is a chief; man is its servant,' and I have used that teaching throughout my life.

About this word

“He aliʻi ka ʻāina; he kauwā ke kanaka” is a Hawaiian phrase 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.