ZOE LIU

Located at James & Abigail Campbell Library, University of Hawaii- West Oahu

Link: Nā Keiki Puni Moʻolelo: Noio #1

The goal of the Noio (Free) Library is to gift re-purposed newspaper stands to schools, companies, and other interested parties in the community.

What is a Noio? What is its significance to the Library?

The noio is a black noddy bird. The noio is found in the Hawaiian Islands and across the Pacific. Used by fishermen and navigators to signal land or schools of fish, the bird represents a spatial transition since it tends to frequent the area in between land and the deep sea. “He noio ʻaʻe ʻale no ke kai loa” [A noio that treads over the billows of the distant sea] is used as an expression to describe someone who has outstanding wisdom and skill. We think the students of UHWO represent the characteristics of the noio thus the library’s motto is, “He wahi e ulu pono ai ka noio ʻaʻe ʻale kai,” or, a place where the sea-faring noio thrives. The noio is further connected to UHWO through the legend of Nihooleki [Nihoalaki], a proficient fisherman who lived at Puuokapolei in the district of Waiʻanae.