What does papa lauae mean in hawaiian?

Answer 1

I don't know the context in which you saw this phrase, so I can only answer this way. As I have seen it, the phrase, "papa lauae," has been used to refer to a particular hula class, either a graduating class or a current group of hula dancers.

"Papa" has many meanings and one of them is "class" such as a class of students. "Laua`e" is used to refer to two different sweet-scented ferns. It's a long story, but the laua`e name was originally used to refer to a native fern that has become rare today and the name laua`e is now used to refer to a common, introduced fern. Both have importance to hula because the common one is used in place of the rare one. This is a very good cultural practice, because the rare native one needs to be protected and not over-picked, and the common one is very easy to find and harvest. I will soon be putting up a web site on laua`e if you want to read more.

As for Papa Laua`e. In 1983, kumu hula Auntie Maiki Aiu Lake graduated a hula class and named it, "Papa Laua`e," the "laua`e class." This name refers to just ONE of her hula "graduating" classes. Other classes were papa `ilima, papa kukui, papa lehua -- to name just some of them. They are all named for plants.

Later, Kumu John Lake graduated a class from his halau, in 2003, and it was named Papa Laua`e, it was his (Kumu John Lake's) one "laua`e class." Recently, Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine has started a group called Papa Laua`e o Makana. This is NOT a graduating class, but a halau, a hula school. In this case the name laua`e o Makana refers to the laua`e of Makana, an area in Kaua`i. There's more to it, but this answers your question, I think.

I am Puanani Anderson-Fung and I am a native Hawaiian ethnobotanist. I have been doing research on laua`e in Hawaiian language and culture and I hope to soon have a web site available within the next year (by the end of 2012) for people to read more about laua`e and its history in our culture. Today is 9/23/2011.

Answer 2

"Papa lauae" in Hawaiian refers to a type of seaweed known as Limu Lipoa. These seaweed strands are commonly found in coastal areas and are sometimes used in Hawaiian cuisine.