Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

1. n., Laysan albatross (Diomedia immutabilis).

• References:
  • KL. line 312.

2. n., Any straight line separating designs in tattoo pattern.

3. n., Bone made into a tattooing needle, hence a tattooing needle.

4. Same as kīwaʻa #3.

Laysan albatross (Diomedea immutablis), also called gooney or white gooney. Breeds on most of the leeward islands of the Hawaiian chain. It cannot avoid unfamiliar trees and buildings, often crashing against such obstacles. The flesh is edible. The Japanese formerly killed these birds for their feathers, but this ended with the Theodore Roosevelt 1909 National Wildlife Act.

Instrument fashioned from bone for tattooing.

Sharp, bone instrument used to print on the skin; tattooing needle. (A.) Straight line separating tattoo patterns. (PE.)

Tattooing needle made of albatross bone, used to print on the skin. Hahau iho la ka mōlī, pahukū ae la ke koko, the mōlī is struck on and the blood flows out. (A.)