Hawaiian Thought of the Week April 21, 2014

mālamalama: light of knowledge, clarity of thinking or explanation, enlightenment; shining, radiant, clear.

A great visual for mālamalama is like that big “A-HA!” moment. It is the exact moment when we say, “I finally got it!” It is that feeling when you know that all the pieces fit together and everything makes sense.

“Hō mai lā kō mālamalama. Bestow upon us your radiant light.” This is a line from the oli, “Ua Ao Hawaiʻi.” The radiant light refers to the knowledge that our kūpuna have passed on to us.