Pono () is a Hawaiian word commonly rendered as "

righteousness Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable. It can be considered synonymous with "rightness" or being "upright". It can be found in Indian religions and Abrahamic traditions, among other religions, as a theologi ...

". For instance, the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

state motto Most of the United States' 50 states have a state motto, as do the District of Columbia and 3 of its territories. A motto is a phrase intended to formally describe the general motivation or intention of an organization. State mottos ca ...

: '' Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono'' or "The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness". ''Pono'' is a notably

polysemous Polysemy ( or ; ) is the capacity for a sign (e.g. a symbol, a morpheme, a word, or a phrase) to have multiple related meanings. For example, a word can have several word senses. Polysemy is distinct from ''monosemy'', where a word has a single ...

term.

Mary Kawena Pukui Mary Abigail Kawenaulaokalaniahiiakaikapoliopele Naleilehuaapele Wiggin Pukui (20 April 1895 – 21 May 1986), known as Kawena, was a Hawaiian scholar, author, composer, hula expert, and educator. Life Pukui was born on April 20, 1895, in her ...

's and

Samuel Hoyt Elbert Samuel Hoyt Elbert (8 August 1907 – 14 May 1997) was an American linguist who made major contributions to Hawaiian and Polynesian lexicography and ethnography. Born on a farm in Des Moines, Iowa, to Hugh and Ethelind Elbert, Sam grew up riding h ...

's Hawaiian dictionary gives six meanings and 83 English

translation Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

equivalents. # ''nvs''. Goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper procedure, excellence, well-being, prosperity, welfare, benefit, behalf, equity, sake, true condition or nature, duty; moral, fitting, proper, righteous, right, upright, just, virtuous, fair, beneficial, successful, in perfect order, accurate, correct, eased, relieved; should, ought, must, necessary. # ''vs''. Completely, properly, rightly, well, exactly, carefully, satisfactorily, much (an intensifier). # ''n''. Property, resources, assets, fortune, belongings, equipment, household goods, furniture, gear of any kind, possessions, accessories, necessities. # ''n''. Use, purpose, plan. # ''n''. Hope. # ''vs''. Careless, informal, improper, any kind of (preceding a stem).Pukui, Mary Kawena & Elbert, Samuel H. (1986
''Hawaiian Dictionary''
Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 340–1. Note that usage examples are omitted. The word has strong

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

and spiritual connotations of "a state of harmony or balance", and is the aim of the

Hoʻoponopono Hooponopono () is a traditional Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness. The Hawaiian word translates into English simply as ''correction'', with the synonyms ''manage'' or ''supervise''. Similar forgiveness practices are performed on ...

practice. Pono is often used as in

affirmative prayer Affirmative prayer is a form of prayer or a metaphysical technique that is focused on a positive outcome rather than a negative situation. For instance, a person who is experiencing some form of illness would focus the prayer on the desired state o ...

s, especially within

Kanaka Maoli Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

healing arts and the

Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement The Hawaiian sovereignty movement ( haw, ke ea Hawaiʻi), is a grassroots political and cultural campaign to re-establish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom of Hawaii due to desire for sovereignty, self-determination, and self-gove ...

Footnotes

References

*Chun, Malcolm Naea. 2006. ''Pono: The Way of Living''. University of Hawaii. *Fuchs, Lawrence H. 1961. ''Hawaii Pono: A Social History''. Harcourt, Brace & World. Hawaiiana Hawaiian words and phrases {{Hawaii-stub