A Hilo Wau E Hoʻolulu Ka Lehua
[Photo: Sailing vessel in Hilo Bay with Coconut Island at right and canoe in the foreground; Hilo, Hawaiʻi. SP 205196] A Hilo Wau E Hoʻolulu Ka Lehua Happy Mele Monday!Today’s featured composition is performed as a hula paʻi umauma, or a chest-slapping hula. Starting in Hilo, this mele journeys through various scenic points across the […]
Huli Hālawa i ka ua o Wahiawā
[Photo: School house; Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.; ca. 1880s. SP_96549.] Huli Hālawa i ka ua o Wahiawā Todayʻs mele was contributed to the collection by a man named William Kualu of Makaweli Valley, Kauaʻi. According to Lahilahi Webb this mele was written for the district of Waiʻanae and parts of ʻEwa. (Mele translation by Mary Kawena […]
Mele Ku‘i Lua
[Photo: Pīkoi; Tripping cord used as a weapon in battle. SP 30143.] Mele Ku‘i Lua Mele Ku‘i Lua Today’s featured composition is a mele kuʻi lua, or a chant for lua fighting. (Mele translation by Mary Kawena Pukui) Kō ke au i Hala‘ea … The current of Hala‘ea draws out Pūnāwai Mānā … The spring […]
Puʻupuʻu wale koʻu wahi ē
[Photo Kumu hula, pahu (left) ipu heke (right) with three young female dancers behind him; grass house and people in background; Moanalua, Oahu, Hawaii. Ca. 1883. Photo by Frank Davey. SP 42080.] Puʻupuʻu wale koʻu wahi ē Originally found in the story of Hiʻiaka, today’s mele is one that was used in the old hula […]
Hele I Kai o Pīheka
[Photo: Hawaiian children; Hawaiʻi. Ca. 1915. SP_77744.] Hele I Kai o Pīheka Today’s we feature a children’s game that was contributed to the collection by noted photographer and ethnologist, Theodore Kelsey. (Mele translation by Mary Kawena Pukui) Hele i kai o Pīheka … Go down to Pīheka Hele aku au a Pana‘ewa … And I […]
Kāhulihuli Ka Papa o Wailuku
[Photo: Wailuku River and Falls; Hawaii. SP_204774.] Kāhulihuli Ka Papa o Wailuku “This was the call of Pili a Mo‘o, the smaller of the two mo‘o who kept the ʻtipsy plank of the Wailuku’ at the ford just above the falls of Pāhe‘ehe‘e and Kaluakanaka (‘Make Fall’) near the mouth of the river, and exacted […]
He Pule Kui Lei
[Photo: Kamehameha I statue draped with lei for Kamehameha Day; Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Ca. 1954-56. Photo by Laurence Hata. SP_126014.] He Pule Kui Lei Bishop Museum had the wonderful priviledge of helping to contribute an 18 foot long lei for the annual lei draping ceremony honoring King Kamehameha. Today we feature a mele kui lei, […]
A Ka Lae I Koʻokoʻolau ka makani
[Photo: Pele Pukui Suganuma playing hula sticks (kāla’au); Hawaii. SP 30114] A Ka Lae I Koʻokoʻolau ka makani Singer- Samuela Akoni Mika. Waiākea Homesteads, Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Mele hula lāʻau ma Hawaiʻi nei. A mele of Koʻokoʻolau. Learned from his parents on Kauaʻi. (Translation by Mary Kawena Pukui) A ka lae i Koʻokoʻolau ka makani … […]
