Ke Kā o Makaliʻi

Ke Kā o Makaliʻi, meaning "The Canoe-Bailer of Makaliʻi," is a special Hawaiian constellation. It has five bright stars that form a curved shape, like a bailer used to scoop water from a canoe. This group of stars appears in the night sky. It rises in the east like a cup and sets in the west.

It is closely linked to the western constellation Orion, but it does not use any of Orion’s stars.

The five stars of Ke Kā o Makaliʻi are Capella, called Hoku-lei, meaning "Star-Wreath." Another star is Beta Aurigae, named Na Mahoe, meaning "The Twins." This group also includes Castor, named Nana-mua, and Pollux, called Nana-hope. The other two stars are Procyon, known as Puana, and Sirius, called ‘A‘a.

These stars were very important to ancient Hawaiians. They used them for navigation and to know the changing seasons. Ke Kā o Makaliʻi helped people decide when to plant crops. Today, learning about Ke Kā o Makaliʻi shows us the smart ways ancient Hawaiians watched the stars.