It's Not a "Huma Huma"

[tankyou]

Aaargh! Why do so many people in this forum keep referring to humuhumunukunukuapu'a'a as "huma huma's"? If you contract the name it's humu humu (long u's sounds like hoomoo) not "huma huma". If you can't say or write humu humu then just call it a picasso trigger instead please, cause this is driving me batty... kind of like when Bush says nucular instead of nuclear... it's just wrong.

I know its no big deal and I should probably lighten up, but I guess on this I just have no sense of huma.

 

[poniegirl]

Originally Posted by Tankyou
Aaargh! Why do so many people in this forum keep referring to humuhumunukunukuapu'a'a as "huma huma's"? If you contract the name it's humu humu (long u's sounds like hoomoo) not "huma huma". If you can't say or write humu humu then just call it a picasso trigger instead please, cause this is driving me batty... kind of like when Bush says nucular instead of nuclear... it's just wrong.

I know its no big deal and I should probably lighten up, but I guess on this I just have no sense of huma.
Thank you, Tankyou! Was getting to me, also. You have a right, it is your state fish!
Let's say it together, now, phonetically...hoomoo hoomoo nookoo nookoo ah poo ah ah.

 

[xdave]

I'm totally confused now. I Googled humuhumunukunukuapuaa and it showed Rhinecanthus Rectangulus

I thought that was actually the Huma, and that the Rhinecanthus aculeatus

was the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa. Is this what you think too? At least thats what every species reference I've ever used said.(used quite a few as I worked many years as a marine species indentification specialist for a large distibutor) I did find a lot of articles stating that humuhumunukunukuapuaa refers to either species. I also found articles about it's reinstatement as state fish and apparently the state officials aren't sure either.
P.S. sense of huma

 

[lion_crazz]

I agree with you, Dave. I think you have it correct as far as the latin names go.
Regardless, it is humu humu, and not huma huma. I hear that a lot too, Tankyou.

 

[poniegirl]

Had to share..
I bought this TShirt for my oldest daughter when we lived there in Maui about, oh, 20 years ( :scared: ) ago. I had no idea that the fish had fallen out of favor as the "State Fish"! And, consequently, no idea it had been reinstated.
I find it funny the coloring this artist chose, but I guess that was the eighties for ya.

 

[poniegirl]

Also just googled the meaning of humuhumunukunukuapua'a and it means "trigger fish with a pig like snout". Perhaps that name applies to any trigger native to the Hawaiian waters?

 

[tankyou]

Originally Posted by xDave
I'm totally confused now. I Googled humuhumunukunukuapuaa and it showed Rhinecanthus Rectangulus
I thought that was actually the Huma, and that the Rhinecanthus aculeatus was the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa. Is this what you think too? At least thats what every species reference I've ever used said.(used quite a few as I worked many years as a marine species indentification specialist for a large distibutor) I did find a lot of articles stating that humuhumunukunukuapuaa refers to either species. I also found articles about it's reinstatement as state fish and apparently the state officials aren't sure either.
P.S. sense of huma

Weellll... On consultation with my Hawaiian dictionary the Rectangulus and the Aculeatus are both Humuhumunukunukuapu'a'a which literally means triggerfish with a snout like a pig, whereas Humuhumu is a generic term for all triggerfish (it also means to sew).
You gotta realize the Hawaiians were a stone-age culture, and thus not too fussy about their taxonomy. Also words customs etc. varied to a certain extent from island to island as each represented their own kingdoms till Kamehameha the Great unified or rather conquered the other islands.
All that being said, I always thought the Aculeatus was the Humuhumu myself, at least that's how it is always represented around these parts. Learn something new everyday!

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Tankyou
Aaargh! Why do so many people in this forum keep referring to humuhumunukunukuapu'a'a as "huma huma's"?
Same reason people call Ocellaris Clownfish - False Percs.

 

[tankyou]

My wife who is half-Hawaiian just berated me for calling the Hawaiian culture "stone age" reeling off a list of Hawaiian accomplishments in the process. Ultimately though she did have to admit it was a stone-age culture in the literal sense.
Bearing that in mind I offer this disclaimer... By using the word "stone-age" I in no way mean to disparage the Hawaiian culture which I admire or my wife who I definitely admire... and fear.

 

[nakadoc]

I would also like to add that Kamehameha never made it to conquer Kauai! Braddah wen try couple times no victory, Au rai.