Noke nō, noke nō!
Aunty Nona Beamer, revered Hawaiian cultural expert (1923-2008)
“Aunty Nona, my hānai mother, my adopted mother, used to often say “Noke nō, noke nō!” Which means persevere, persevere. Always keep going, keep moving forward despite any adversity, lumps, and bumps that occur in life. Things that may be difficult for you to overcome but persevere, keep on going. Noke nō, noke nō! This came from one of the things that was related to Pele, the fire goddess here on Hawaii island who was flowing down the hill of the Puna district and chewing up all the land and was continuing on and persevering. Noke nō, noke nō! She was working her way through the forest, all the way down to the sea. Nothing would stop her. She was a strong woman and it was the same with Aunty Nona, she was a strong woman, nothing would stop her. You know lots of lumps and bumps came in the pathway in front of her but she always surmounted them and so that’s why noke nō, noke nō, persevere, persevere.”
Kaliko Beamer-Trapp the hānai (adopted) son
of respected Hawaiian cultural expert Aunty Nona Beamer (1923-2008)
and creator of Ōlelo|Online an online Hawaiian Language Classroom
