Barbara Smith '42 Spring 2001, Volume 37, No. Pilgrims' Progress Hawaiian is an emotional and spiritual language.
Words have multiple meanings depending upon the emotion or feeling being conveyed.
Commonly thought of as a simple greeting or salutation, it actually suggests a deeper meaning. For those who use it often, it conveys a strong emotion, similar to joy and love. With such intense beauty all around, this type of aloha quickly overcomes even the casual visitor to the Hawaiian Islands. For those who live in Hawaii, the love of the land takes on a different, very personal meaning. Perhaps, for some, the spiritual connection to the land comes from living on an island.