Pono

Pono (pronounced [ˈpono]) is a Hawaiian word commonly rendered as "righteousness". For instance, the Hawaii state motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono or "The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness".[1]

For Neil Young's music service, see Pono (digital music service).

Pono is a notably polysemous term. Mary Kawena Pukui's and Samuel Hoyt Elbert's Hawaiian dictionary gives six meanings and 83 English translation equivalents.

  1. 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.
  2. vs. Completely, properly, rightly, well, exactly, carefully, satisfactorily, much (an intensifier).
  3. n. Property, resources, assets, fortune, belongings, equipment, household goods, furniture, gear of any kind, possessions, accessories, necessities.
  4. n. Use, purpose, plan.
  5. n. Hope.
  6. vs. Careless, informal, improper, any kind of (preceding a stem).[2]

The word has strong cultural and spiritual connotations of "a state of harmony or balance", and is the aim of the Hoʻoponopono practice. Pono is often used as in affirmative prayers, especially within Kanaka Maoli healing arts and the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement.

Footnotes
  1. Merriam Webster Online
  2. Pukui, Mary Kawena & Elbert, Samuel H. (1986).Hawaiian Dictionary. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 340–1. Note that usage examples are omitted.
gollark: Oh, and their official case has terrible cooling.
gollark: The micro-HDMI outputs are kind of bad.
gollark: My main problem with it is the bad video output and their continued DRM-y cameras.
gollark: 🇪
gollark: My RTL-SDR is getting used... mostly to listen to FM radio. I mean, I have something like three different hardware radios, but meh.

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.


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