Ke Ola Pono: Ka Wai Ola
By Leilehua Yuen
Back in the 90s, when I was a cultural demonstrator at Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, we sometimes used to enjoy mildly teasing visitors who asked us if there was a place they could find traditional Hawaiian beverages. “Oh, yes,” we’d tell them. “It’s even free! The water fountain is right over there!” Indeed, water, wai, is the most widespread traditional Hawaiian beverage and is so important that it is extolled in chants and offered to the gods.
| E ulu, e ulu kini o ke Akua Ulu Kāne me Kanaloa Ulu ‘ōhi ‘alaukoa me ka ‘ie‘ie A‘e mai a noho i kou kuahu Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola E ola nō e! |
O, grow, O grow multitude of Gods Grow Kāne and Kanaloa Grow forest forms of of the gods Dwell here in your altar Here is the water, the water of life Life, indeed! |
Our bodies are 60 percent water, and we use it in many ways. We use it to regulate our body temperature; lubricate joints, tendons, and muscles; dissolve minerals and other nutrients so they may be transported throughout the body, along with oxygen, to our cells; carry waste products, toxins, and gasses from our cells to our lungs, kidneys, liver, and skin for removal from the body; moisten tissues of our eyes, lips, mouth, and digestive system; and remove waste products from our digestive tract. We drink water, we clean ourselves and our environment with it, and we even breathe small amounts of it as vapor in the air. Dehydration, the lack of water, can lead to fatigue, impared thinking, and other problems. Human life is dependant on water.
In ancient Hawai‘i, this dependance on water was recognized in a number of sayings. The folk etymology that waiwai, (wealth), is a reduplication of the word for water is probably inaccurate, with the word being more closely related to wai meaning “retain,” as retaining goods or property. However, it is a good mnemonic to remember the importance of water to our kino, our bodies.
Mary Kawena Pukui recorded a number of sayings about water in her book, ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings:
Ola i ka wai a ka ‘ōpua
There is life in the water from the clouds.
Uē ka lani, ola ka honua
When heaven cries, the land lives.
Hu‘ea na kai i piha‘ā moe wai o uka
Washed to the sea is debris of upland streams.
Ka lepo ke kumu wai, e hua‘i ana ka lepo kai
When the source of water is dirty, the dirt is carried to the sea.
What lessons do these things have for us today? Just as the earth must have adequate clean water to maintain the health of the land, rivers, and sea, we must drink adequate clean water to maintain the health of our bodies.
On the macro scale, we must all work for the health of the land by supporting the health of the water. On the micro scale, we can support our own health by drinking clean, pure water.
Just as we can tell the health of a stream by how much silt and contaminents are spilling into the ocean from it, we can look at our own mimi (urine) to get some gauge of our health. It should be clear or pale yellow. If it is dark or cloudy, we need to adjust our intake of water, and if that does not clear it up, see a doctor.
How much water does a person need to drink? That varies a great deal. In general, six or more eight ounce glasses of water per day are recommended for adults. However, if a person is doing activities that cause heavy perspiration, more water will be needed. Pregnant and nursing women need more water. People who are ill also need more water.
While vitamin water is popular, doctors are starting to express concerns that we are overdosing on vitamins, which can lead to a variety of symptoms, depending on the overabundant vitamin. For example, overdosing on B1 (thiamine) can cause weakness, headache, irregular heartbeat, and low blood pressure. Overdosing on vitamin E can cause symptoms ranging from nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fatigue, weakness, headache, blurred vision, rashes and even bruising and bleeding. A bottle of vitamin water every so often probably won’t cause problems, but frequent consumption, especially when taking vitamin supplements, can add up. Many of these drinks also have a lot of sugar, or have artificial sweeteners.
As long as we eat a variety of foods, unless we are working our muscles to fatigue on a regular basis, tasty as they are, we probably don’t need supplemented beverages.
Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola. E ola nō e! ❖
Contact writer Leilehua Yuen
Sources:
Mayo Clinic
Riverside Online
Hawai‘i Dept. of Health
Pukui: ‘Ōlelo No‘eau.
