The Blood Rain
The Uakoko
Features of the uakoko
According to the Hawaiian-English dictionaries, this is the definition of this type of rainbow:[1]
Pukui/Elbert: 1. n., A low-lying rainbow. Literally, blood rain.
3. n., Reflection of rainbow colors in the clouds.
Andrews: s. See KOIULA, Kam., PUNOHU, &c. A cloud standing erect and having different colors, somewhat like the rainbow.
Parker: A cloud reflecting the colors of the rainbow; a rainbow shaft. Syn: Koiula.
The dictionary definitions for this type of rainbow are very broad. The Andrews dictionary indicates overlap with the definitions of the koʻiʻula and the pūnohu with the uakoko. Perhaps the reason for this is the overlap of the secondary traits of these rainbows, and some scholars differ in their views of when the uakoko appears. For the purposes of this project, the traits of the uakoko are as follows
Primary trait: A low-lying rainbow
Secondary trait: A predominantly red rainbow
A rainbow associated with a cloud
An uakoko (na Manuel Balesteri | (Dreamstime.com) An uakoko (na Na Manuel Balesteri | Shutterstock.com)
"Lei Mahiki i ka ua koko'ula."[2]
"Mahiki wears a wreath of rainbow-hued rain."
The kōkō ʻula is a network of red color, like a rainbow that is falling. Is the uakoko the same as a kōkō ʻula? In the view of one source they are not the same. The uakoko, it is a rainbow that is very close to the observer who can reach out and touch it. As for the kōkōʻula, it is just a color.[3] There are many sisters of the goddess Pele. Hiʻiakanoholani is one of these sisters. The ʻonohi ʻula and the uakoko are her signs.[4]
The strata that the uakoko appear
Although the evidence points to the uakoko being low-lying, according to Nāwahī (translated quote), ..."the uakoko often appears in the morning and the evening, posed inside the delicate misty clouds; or perhaps on the extremities of the fine misty rain clouds suspended in the upper atmosphere at a distant location."[5] Nāwahīʻs opinion runs counter to other sources.[6] 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.
The times when the uakoko appear
From the scientific perspective, the correct geometry and drop size are what leads to the formation of the uakoko.
The signs/omens of the uakoko
There are many sisters of the goddess Pele. Hiʻiakanoholani is one of these sisters. The ʻonohi ʻula and the uakoko are her signs.
The research results for the uakoko are shown below. There were 14 signs/omens found within the sources analyzed. There are 34 occurrences of these signs/omens, and the signs concerning a movement were the most numerous (15). The Chi-square goodness-of-fit test was performed on the data, and the result is that the data varies significantly from an equal distribution and therefore one or more of the groups is significantly different than the others from a mathematical perspective. Which group(s)? Perhaps it is the group of signs concerning a movement since it is the most numerous.
Translation Key
Examples for each of the signs/omens for the uakoko are shown on the Hawaiian pages and are not available in English at this time.
[1] Ua unuhi ʻia nā wehewehena o nā ʻano ānuenue i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no kēia papahana laeoʻo. E nānā ʻia ka māhele 1.1.1 no kekahi hoʻākaaka ʻana.
[2] Mary K. Pukui. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau. Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press (1983): #1972, ʻaoʻao 213. Print
[3] Kimokea Keaulana, ua nīnauele ʻia e Hoaloha Westcott. 2021. (ʻApelila 19).
[4] Hoʻoulumāhiehie, 1906,2006. Ka Moʻolelo o Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. Edited by Puakea Nogelmeier. Honolulu, HI: Awaiaulu. ʻaoʻao 1.
[5] Joseph Nawahi, "Ke Anuenue a me Ka Luakalailani." Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Mei 24, 1893: 2-3.
[6] Mary K. Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert. 1986. Hawaiian Dictionary (Revised and Enlarged Edition). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi Press. ʻaoʻao 362.
Manuel Balesteri | (Dreamstime.com