n.
1. Name of a pleasure-loving chief of Niʻihau in ancient times. His name became synonymous with fun-making. E hele mai i ka pō leʻa o Halāliʻi, come to the joyous night of Halāliʻi [an invitation to a party].
2. (Not cap.) A variety of sugar cane, vigorous, large, of the Lahaina type, perhaps named for Halāliʻi, Niʻihau, where a famous sugar cane once grew in the sand dunes. This cane was used in ceremonies for remission of sins (uku hala, wehe hala). Also pakaiea. See saying, kō 1.
Cinder cone, Hale-a-ka-lā Crater, East Maui. Land section and lake, south central Niʻihau, named for its owner and famous for sugarcane growing in the sand with only leaves protruding. (See PE, kō; UL 101.) Hālāliʻi is the name of an Oʻahu trickster demigod (HM 430)
All these names refer to the top of the cane, like a small hala tree (Pandanus odoratissimus). Niihau natives saw it growing in the dunes when shifting sands covered the stalks except for the green tops. Lately called puaʻole after its red, yellow, and green stripes.
E huli iā “halāliʻi” ma Ulukau.
Search for “halāliʻi” on Ulukau.