Features of the ʻōnohi

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According to the Hawaiian-English dictionaries, this is the definition o this type of rainbow:[1]

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Pukui/Elbert:  2. n., Patch or fragment of a rainbow.

 

Parker:  4. A small cloud which reflects the colors of the spectrum: Ike aku la oia e ku ana ka onohi iluna pono o Maunalei. Laieik. p. 25.[2]

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Primary trait:            A rainbow patch or fragment

Secondary trait:       A rainbow associated with a cloud 

 

ʻŌnohi in Hawaiian also means eyeball or center. Perhaps another secondary trait is the resemblance of the ʻōnohi to something circular like an eyeball (ʻōnohi maka), the center of a ring (ʻōnohi apo), and the center of a circle (ʻōnohi pōʻai).[4]

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An ʻōnohi (na Mike Klug)

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               An ʻōnohi (na Hoaloha Westcott)                                                                 An ʻōnohi (na Hoaloha Westcott)

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In the view of one source, every rainbow fragment should be called an ʻōnohi.[5] However, a second source for this view has not been found at this time.​

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The strata in which the ʻōnohi appears ​

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As a result of the close association of the ʻōnohi with clouds, it typically appears in the strata that the clouds reside. Namely, the lewa lani lewa, the lewa nuʻu, and the lewa lani lewa. In the photographs above an ʻōnohi appears low in the lewa lani lewa, and in another photo it appears high in the lewa nuʻu or perhaps the lewa lani lewa. The ʻōnohi can appear over both the land and the sea.

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The times in which the ʻōnohi appears

 

From the scientific perspective, the times in which the ʻōnohi appear are the same as that of the arching rainbows, and dependent also on the size of the water drops. From the Hawaiian perspective, the ʻōnohi can appear at various times of the day, it is within control of the supernatural.​

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The signs/omens of the ʻōnohi​

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There were 5 signs/omens found within the sources analyzed for the full arching rainbow. There are 13 occurrences of these signs/omens, and the signs concerning a presence were the most numerous (8). 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 presence since it is the most numerous.​

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Translation Key

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Examples for each of the signs/omens for the ʻōnohi are shown on the Hawaiian pages and are not available in English at this time. However, there is an example of a Hawaiian poetical saying concerning the ʻōnohi below.

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​ "Kau ka 'ōnohi ali'i i luna."[6]

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"The royal eyes rest above."

A rainbow-a sign that the gods are watching the chiefs-is now visible.

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[1]  n.d. Wehewehe Wikiwiki. Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo. https://hilo.hawaii.edu/wehe/.

[2] n.d. Wehewehe Wikiwiki. Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo. https://hilo.hawaii.edu/wehe/.

[3] Collette Leimomi Akana. Hānau Ka Ua. Honolulu, HI: Kamehameha Publishing, 2015: ʻaoʻao like ʻole.

[4] Theodore Kelsey. 1933. "The Chants of James Pālea Kapihenui Kuluwaimaka." Lalani Village Waikiki, HI: Unpublished Manuscript. ʻaoʻao 84. Ua kaha wale ʻia nō kekahi o nā huaʻōlelo me ka ʻokina a me ke kahakō ma loko o kēia palapala.

[5] Kimokea Keaulana., ua nīnauele ʻia e Hoaloha Westcott. 2021. (ʻApelila 19).

[6] Mary K. Pukui. (1983). ʻŌlelo Noʻeau. Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press. #1614, ʻaoʻao 174.