The Large Island

I recently had an ongoing discussion with a friend about the "correct" way to refer to that rather large inhabitated island to the east of Maui.

Is it the Big Island? Hawai'i?

My friend insists that the "real" authentic term is Kona. "Nobody calls it the Big Island except for tourists and guidebooks," sez he. He pointed to several anecdotal examples of people saying things like "I'm going to Kona", and of course the widespread understanding that Kona coffee comes from that particular island.

I agree that I don't hear people say "Big Island" all that often. Still, I maintain that "Kona" is a coast, and that coast is synonymous with coffee because it grows well there. Giving the coffee a consistent name makes it that much easier to market. (This is similar to the marketing of Napa Valley wine.)

The Kona side of the island is also a little more developed, and has the island's main airport, so there are bound to be more people who are actually going to Kona than anywhere else.

But I can't imagine anyone using the word "Kona" to refer to Hilo, and that's where I guess I draw the line. I think most people have an imaginary map of the island in their head, and it's subdivided into "Kona" and "Hilo" (and, if you bother to think about it, "Volcano"). Or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, I thought I'd just open it up and see what other people think. Have you ever noticed a difference, one way or the other?

Comments

I've never heard of using "Kona" to define the entire island of Hawai`i... which is big enough to be two or three islands as it is! Sounds like just a Kona-centric island view, as I can just as easily see myself saying, "Going to Hilo" as a general way of saying, "Going to the Big Island."

I guess I've always used "The Big Island," or barring that, "The Island of Hawai`i" - because, of course, Hawai`i is an island and a U.S. state. The only other term I type now and then is "Hawai`i County."

Now that you've asked, of course, I'm wondering why, of all the islands in the inhabited chain, did the name of Hawai`i be adopted to describe them all? (Could you imagine U.S. mapmakers and schoolteachers trying to list Kaho`olawe between Iowa and Kansas?) At first I thought it was because it's the biggest, or the first one European explorers bumped into... but on second thought it might have been that little detail of a chief from Hawai`i uniting the rest of the islands into a kingdom.

Bill: is your friend from Hawaii? Local people don't say Kona when they're talking about the Big Island. I've read that some tourists never venture to Hilo; they stick to Kona...sorta like tourists who think Waikiki is THE only town on Oahu.

Here's an interesting neologism for you: the Sierra Club's Hawai'i Chapter refers to the Big Island as Moku Loa, which of course simply translates to "big island". A neat way to distinguish the island from the state and still use the Hawaiian language.

I, too, thought that there was no other way to refer to the island in question than as the Big Island.

Sure, I worked for a travel magazine there, but I thought it was just common knowledge and use anyways...

Great disucssion!

When I was living in Hawaii (the state) I never heard of the island referred to anything but "The Big Island". I half expected it to show up on maps as The Big Island sooner of later. That was a great way to communicate where you were headed. It was usually followed by the question, "which side?" and the ongoing debate as to which side was better to fly into if you were headed to the volcano for the weekend.

I really do like the Sierra Clubs idea of calling it Moku Loa.

Here on the mainland, I have the similar problem with communication. When asked where to visit, if tell people to "go to the Big Island", I usually get a quizzical look. I then have to explain the geography of the islands, which usually results in another quizzical look, with the question asked, "you mean Waikiki/Oahu/Honolulu isn't on Hawaii?".

Oops, my mistake. Moku Loa doesn't mean "big island", it means "long island". "Big island" would actually be moku nui. Anyway, the Sierra Club's using Moku Loa.

Bill, what is your friend smoking? My friends from the Big Island refer to it as the Big Island and so does everybody else in Hawaii. People on Maui call it the Big Island as well as those on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, etc, etc. Local papers and newscasts refer to it as the Big Island... what does he call it? Kona? Brah, my friends in Hilo would beg to differ.

Definitely agree that The Island of Hawaii is most commonly known in Hawaii as The Big Island. Kona side or Hilo side, it's all The Big Island.

And Bill, if your friend is smokin' pakalolo, tell him not to worry...he'll fit in on The Big Island just fine. But watch out for those sweeps!

*Disclaimer: This post does not reflect the desire to smoke pakololo by Beth or any other member or guest of HawaiiStories.com. The views in these posts do not necessarily reflect the views of any or all members or guests of HawaiiStories.com. No pakololo was harmed during the posting of this entry, nor was any malintent directed at smokers or friend's of pakololo smokers. [subliminal message]Pass the bong! [/subliminal message] Dude. Did I say that out loud?

Heh.. I've always refeer'd to it as Hilo.

Big Island, here. I can't remember ever hearing it referred to as anything else. I'll agree with Patrick about the inevitability of the subsequent question, too.

Where's Ali? If anyone ought to have an opinion here, she should! Grins...

I've used Big Island, Big Isle and Hawai'i island to describe where I'm from. More often than not I've also added "the island with the active volcano" in conversation with some mainlanders. Most Europeans I've met know that we are an archipelago with a rich history and culture, especially Britons.

I have to throw in my $0.02 in response to Bill's comment that "The Kona side of the island is also a little more developed, and has the island's main airport, so there are bound to be more people who are actually going to Kona than anywhere else." If your idea of development means tearing up lava flows and digging up archaeological sites to construct luxury resorts or strip malls filled with bars and ABC stores than yes, the Kona side of this island is more developed. My recollection from intermediate school Hawaiian History class is that Hilo was the main hub of transportation, government and social events for hundreds of years. It's due to marketing by the tourism industry that more exposure is given to Kailua-Kona than any of the other towns on this island. They usually just mention that Hilo is a stopping point to fill gas or use the bathroom on the (long roundabout) way from Kailua-Kona to Volcano - going north through Kamuela, past Honoka'a, through Laupahoehoe, whizzing by Onomea and Papaikou and so forth. The fact that the east side receives more rain than the west side is why most visitors find it more attractive but we do receive a good share of visitors interested in the scenery, history or laid-back pace of the windward side. Customers that I meet commonly state that they find Kailua-Kona to be too much like Waikiki and find Hilo refreshing.

Frankly, I usually just go to Kailua-Kona to visit Costco, Kmart and Mrs. Barry's. It's a beautiful town but the vibes I get there are less hometown Hawaii than tourist playland.

ok, that was $0.25 worth...

I'm with you, Raevyn, give me the Hilo side anyday. Kona is dry and the air is too still for my taste. I'm like a little orchid. I need misting and a gentle breeze to be happy. Give me a rainforest, and a charming old downtown with buildings that were there before I was born. Give me hot pools and let me marvel at Waipio Valley, and catch a movie in a little theatre on my way back to town. Give me green everywhere or send me back to the mainland!

I'm here, Linky!

I don't of anyone who uses Kona (or Hilo) to refer to the whole island. Amongst people who live here it's usually "Big Island" and then a clarification of district coupled with "side" (Hilo side, Kona side, Ka`u side, Waimea side, etc.). If I'm speaking with someone from the "mainland" (continental U.S.), I tend to say that I live on the "island of Hawai`i" in the State of Hawai`i cause if they look it up on a map, "Big Island" isn't there.

A related question--what do you call people who live here? I didn't really hear the term "local" used a lot until I was an adult but now it seems to be the norm.

Hi, Ali!

"Local" is the word I use, but I was a grown-up (well, age-wise) when I got here. I admit to cringing when I hear mainlanders use the term "Hawaiians" for all residents, not so much because it bothers me (what are residents of Kansas but Kansans?) but because I can imagine how it sounds to those who really are Hawaiian.

Depending on who I'm referring to, I'll use "Hawaii residents" to include all of us currently living and paying taxes here; "local" I use when referring to people who've been here at least a couple of generations (although if you speak pidgin, I'll count you as local regardless).

I will sometimes use "local" more boradly if I'm saying something about tourists vs locals.

I definitely correct people who say "Hawaiian" to refer to everyone.

As someone who was raised on the Big Island and consider the Big Island my home, we have always referred to it as "The Big Island." Why would we call it Kona? Kona is Kona and Hilo is Hilo, but the whole island is The Big Island.

Also as someone who has lived on the Mainland for 9 years, I have been asked numerous times what island I grew up on. For the Mainlanders I always say "Hawaii island, also known as The Big Island." It's too confusing to explain why there is an island called "Hawaii" and that the state is also called "Hawaii."

I also digress to the point that people on the Mainland refer to me as Hawaiian though my ethnicity is Japanese. I have to then explain that there are really people with the Hawaiian ethnicity and that it's different calling someone a Nevadan or a Californian since those aren't ethnicities.

I hope you won't mind a comment from a Mainlander. Over here on the East Coast, anyone who has any knowledge about Hawaii (the state) refers to the island on its eastern end as "the Big Island." Those who have been there know about the Hilo side/Kona side thing, and invariably they have a favorite side. (For what it's worth, my favorite by far is Hilo; no offense to any Kona-philes out there.)

My question is this: what do residents typically call the large town on the western side? Is it Kona? Kailua? Kailua-Kona? During my travels there, I've asked around, but I always get different answers.

Glenn, it's called "Kailua-Kona" because there are actually two adjacent towns, Kailua and Kona, that have sprawled into one. (It's like "Minneapolis-St. Paul", only with lava fields instead of snow.) When you just say "Kailua" it's ambiguous, as there is also a Kailua on O'ahu. And when you just say "Kona" you might mean the entire Kona coast. So to be precise, you say "Kailua-Kona" and no one misunderstands you.

Originally born and raised on the The Big Island of Hawaii, I refer to my favorite island as "The Big Island." When I say that just about everyone I know means that I am talking about the island with the towns of Kona and Hilo on it. It is just so obvious to call it "The Big Island" to differentiate it from the "State of Hawaii."

As for Kona, when I am on the Big Island (I stay in Honokaa 99.9% of the time I'm there), we always say we are "going to Kona" meaning we're going to Kailua-Kona... usually Costco or Walmart... still we refer to the entire experience of going to Kona even though we know we are going to be mainly in Kailua-Kona... we rarely say that. Like if I am going to the Keahole-Kona airport, I simply say I'm coming in through Kona.

Most people get it.

I can't believe that someone would refer to the Big Island as Kona. That has to be one of the most stupid and haole things i have ever heard. That is simply a put down to us local people.

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