Where does “aumakua” come from?
aumakua (English) comes from Hawaiian ʻaumakua, from Hawaiian ʻau, from Proto-Polynesian kau, from Proto-Oceanic kayu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw — wood; tree.
aumakua (English): In Hawaiian mythology, a personal or family god that originated as a deified ancestor, and which takes on physical forms such as animals to watch over descendants
Definitions
- In Hawaiian mythology, a personal or family god that originated as a deified ancestor, and which takes on physical forms such as animals to watch over descendants
Ancestry of “aumakua”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | ʻaumakua | family god |
| 2 | Hawaiian | ʻau | handle, stem, stalk; long bone of arm or leg; a... |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | kau | wood; tree |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | kayu | wood; tree |
| 5 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | kayu | — |
| 6 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | kayu | — |
| 7 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | kahiw | wood; tree |
| 8 | Proto-Austronesian | kaSiw | wood; tree |