Aloha nō au iā Kahulimoku

Happy Mele Monday!

“Mention has already been made of the original difficulty of procuring any ukeke in the field, and of the fact that after continual disappointment on Kauai and Oahu, the first reward for the search occurred in North Kona, Hawaii.”- Helen Roberts, Ancient Hawaiian Music, p. 22

The ʻūkēkē, or musical bow, is the only indigenous stringed instrument of Hawaiʻi. Used to incite romance and courtship, this rare instrument is played by engaging the strings in a strumming motion while using the mouth cavity as a resonator.

Although Roberts doesn’t name the individual who provided the first ʻūkēkē in the field, it is speculated that Peter Kaawa may have been that person. The native of Kalaoa, North Kona, Hawaiʻi, contributed a variety of compositions to the collection including today’s featured mele. This mele ʻūkēkē was dedicated to a man named Kahulimoku, an aliʻi of Maui.

(Mele translation by Mary Kawena Pukui)

Aloha nō au iā Kahulimoku

I love Kahulimoku

Uwē ʻana iho, uwē kuʻu hoa.

I weep, weep for my companion.

O ka lā welawela o Kōʻieʻie

Of the very warm days of Kōʻieʻie

Ka nalu haʻi moku o Kalepolepo.

And the waves that break at Kalepolepo.

[Call Number: MS SC Roberts 2.3, Pg. 21]