what is the hawaiian word for dog
Hawaiian Poi Dog Hawaiian Poi Dog. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Not to be confused with Poi Dog Pondering. The Hawaiian Poi Dog or Ê»Ä«lio (Ê»Ä«lio mÄkuÊ»e for brown individuals) is an extinct breed of pariah dog from HawaiÊ»i which was used by Native Hawaiians as a spiritual protector of children and as a source of food. The original Hawaiian poi dog derived its name from poi, a Hawaiian staple food made from kalo or taro root. Poi was used to fatten the dogs for use as food because meat was too valuable to be used as dog food.