[Jack Owens. Source One night, in 1948, the composer was suffering aches and pains after attending a hukilau at Laie. He wrote this song, introduced it publicly at a Methodist lu`au in Honolulu and it became an instant success.

This is an old Hawaiian way of fishing, involving casting a long net from the shore, then enlisting a large group to help to pull the net to shore. The net is lined with ki (ti) leaves which help scare fish toward the middle of the net.

Huki = pull lau = leaves, specifically

'Ama'Ama mullet, Mugil cephalus, a very choice indigenous fish, at the stage that it is 20 cm long.

Everyone knows what a lû`au is -- that Hawaiian feast or party with lots of food. But did you know that it means the leaf of the kalo (taro) plant in Hawaiian ?

A laulau is an authentic Hawaiian entree. Made with chunks of pork, chicken, fish (salt salmon or sablefish) and/or vegetables, wrapped in taro leaves. Once bundled, it is firmly wrapped with ki (ti) leaves to form a pouch that seals the moisture and marries the flavors of the fillings and seasonings. Laulau are cooked in a pressure cooker or in an imu (underground oven).

In the 1940s, the town of La'ie, on Oahu's North Shore, held weekend fundraisers at this bay, featuring a hukilau followed by a lû`au and hula show. This popular event, which drew hundreds of tourists from Waikîkî, would eventually evolve into the present day Polynesian Cultural Center.

La'ie refers to the leaf of the `ie`ie, a woody, vining plant." It is the traditional birthplace of the sacred princess Lâ`ieikawai (`ie`ie leaf in the water), who was taken to the the mythical paradeise Paliuli (green cliff) on Hawai`i. ]