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Ka Pūnohu
(The low lying rainbow)

Wahi a nā puke wehewehe Hawaiʻi-Pelekane, ʻo kēia ka wehewehe ʻana o kēia ʻano ānuenue:

 

According to the Hawaiian-English dictionaries, this is the definition o this type of rainbow:

Pukui/Elbert:      1. nvi., To rise, as smoke, mist; to billow out, as a ship's sail; to spread out,                                     as a shrub with low branches or as a cloud, to whiffle; such rising.

                           2. n., Rainbow lying close to the earth.

picfair-013150129-rainbow-over-hawaii.jp

Photo By; Brian Dzyak | Picfair.com

Kekahi kiʻi i hōʻoia ʻole ʻia:   Kuhikuhi kēia mau kiʻi i kēia ʻano ānuenue ma muli o ko ka mea kākau maopopo ʻana i nā wehewehe ʻana o nā puke wehewehe, ka pōʻaiapili ma loko o kekahi mau kaʻao, kekahi ʻatikala nūpepa, a me kekahi hoʻopaʻa leo Hawaiʻi.  ʻAʻole panina lākou.

Unverified Photos:  These photos demonstrate this type of rainbow based on the authorʻs understanding of the dictionary definitions, context within some Hawaiian legends, newspaper articles, and Hawaiian language recordings.  They are not definitive.

Nā hōʻailona a me nā ʻōuli:
(Signs and omens):

ʻIke pinepine ʻia kēia ʻano ānuenue nani ma Hawaiʻi.  He hōʻailona a i ʻole he ʻōuli no kekahi mea like ʻole a hōʻike ʻano ʻia i lalo iho:

This type of beautiful rainbow is often seen in Hawaiʻi.  It can be a sign or omen for a variety of things as described below:

Wahi a nā kaʻao   ʻŌʻili kēia ʻano ānuenue i kekahi manawa he 21 ma loko o nā kaʻao he 4 i kālailai ʻia i kēia papahana.  Kuhikuhi ʻo ia i 9 hōʻailona/ʻōuli like ʻole, a hōʻike ʻia i ke kiʻi i ka ʻākau:

According to the legends  This type of rainbow appears on 21 different occasions in the 4 legends analyzed in this study.  It represents 9 different signs/omens as shown in the table to the right.

I ka wā hea ʻo ia e ʻōʻili ai?:
(When does it appear):
Punohu & ula tab 3.png

ʻIke pū pinepine ʻia ka pūnohu a me ka uakoko i ka manawa like.  Hiki ke ʻike ʻia lāua i kekahi ānuenue kaʻawale a i ʻole i hoʻokahi ānuenue ʻula e kokoke i ka honua.  Hiki ke maopopo kēia pilina ma o ka mahele o ka ʻatikala o lalo iho:

"He nani ke kulana o kēia punohu ua-koko a ke anuenue e pio iho ana ma luna pono iho ke nana aku".

The pūnohu and the uakoko are often seen at the same time. They can be seen as separate rainbows or as a singular red rainbow lying close to the earth.  This relationship can be understood via excerpt of the article below:

The position of this low lying red rainbow and the rainbow that was arching directly above was beautiful when seen.

References:   

1.  Unknown author. (1894, October 9). Punohu Uakoko. Ka Leo o ka Lāhui, page 1.

Photo By; Brian Dzyak | Picfair.com

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