`Ilima- When I am naming somebody, first of all, if it's a child that is about to born, I take into account what the parents want for the child, you know, their desires and their hopes. Also if they say ,oh, that they can't come up something, I take in what is going around me at the time, or in Hawai`i at the time, or where the parents live at the time. Then I sit down and think about it and I might do some research. This one lady lived in Waimea on the big island so I looked in `Olelo No`eau for Waimea sayings that had good connotations. The other thing is sometimes I just feel it. That is the way to explain. It has to come either from the parent, or what is going on at the time, or from inside me, or something that I pick up and read, and research that I do. Then it all comes together in my gut and then I give the name.

Haunani- What about the power of the name? Talking about the fact that words have power, we are talking about written language. But remember that Hawaiian was not a written language, so now we are talking sound and the only way you can create sound is to give it breath, yeah? Breath creates sound and breath has power. So, the Hawaiians were very firm believers in the power of the spoken word. Now how does that relate to a name?

`Ilima - When I am thinking about a name for somebody, I want to choose words that have good meanings. If it's a child, it should be a name that the child can grow into. If it's an adult that I am naming, the name should speak about what I see in that person or what that person does or feels. So it's important to connect the meaning of the word or the words that I put into the name with that person. Sometimes people want to pick a name just because of how it sounds, and then it doesn't have any true meaning. I will try to discourage that because it doesn't make sense to me to choose something just because it sounds good or it's something that you hear out in space that has no connection to the person. It may have no meaning in Hawaiian. It's important to choose a name that has a good meaning, a good connotation and that will lead that person in the right direction.

Haunani - For example?

`Ilima - For example, my friend asked me for a name for her son. When he was born, it was kind of Kona weather. There were southerly winds, and you know, kind of yucky weather. But I said, "Let's say this wind that has been blowing is a good wind." The wind blew this child into her life at a time when she was not expecting to have a child. So this was a good thing for her, so I named him Kamakanihinale`a which means "the favorable wind". I have met him. He is now a year out of high school and in an apprenticeship program. He is a loving, nice kid, so he has fulfilled what his name meant for him to be.

His sister, who is just a year younger, was another unexpected addition to the family. I gave her the name Nainoaolamau, which means “the names that live on”. I gave her that name because when I was talking with her mom about a name for her, the mom mentioned that her own sister died very young of leukemia, and her daughter, this child was going to carry the sister's name and also the mother in law’s name. So there were two English names that were going to be given to this child. So that is why I gave her then the Hawaiian name Nainoaolamau which means “the names that live on,” because the names of her aunt and grandmother live on in her.