Hula for My Friends

Karen, the owner of the holistic healing spa where I'm consulting, and her husband, Mark, are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this Sunday.

So I'm going perform a few of my favorite hulas in their honor (course they don't know it yet....!) It's not everyday a couple stays together for 25 years!

Hi'ilawe, Henehene Kou 'Aka, and Aloha 'Oe. Enjoy the videos and lyrics! Text from Hawaiian Hula Archives, http://www.huapala.org.


Hi'ilawe
By Sam Li`a Kalainaina, Sr.
performed by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

This mele is about a love affair at Hi`ilawe (highest waterfall in Hawai`i) and Waio`ulu, two waterfalls in Waipi`o Valley on the Big Island. The girl, from Puna, describes herself poetically as the fragrance from Puna. Distressed by the gossip mongers, she calls them chattering birds. Mist of the mountains in the 3rd verse is the poetic way of saying this is a secret love affair. Lâlâkea and Hakalaoa are streams at the top of Waip`io Valley that flow over the cliff forming the twin waterfalls of Hi`ilawe and Hakalaoa. They merge into the Hi`ilawe stream that is one of two main waterways in Waip`io Valley.




Kûmaka ka `ikena iâ Hi`ilawe..........All eyes are on Hi`ilawe
Ka papa lohi mai a`o Maukele..........In the sparkling lowlands of Maukele

Pakele mai au i ka nui manu.............I have not been trapped by the gossip
Hau wala`au nei puni Waipi`o..........Chattering everywhere in Waipi`o

`A`ole nô wau e loa`a mai.................I am not caught
A he uhiwai au no ke kuahiwi............For I am the mist of the mountains

He hiwahiwa au na ka makua............I am the darling of the parents
A he lei `â`î na ke kupuna.................And a lei for the necks of grandparents
*(A he milimili ho`i na ka makua) *Beloved of my parents

No Puna ke `ala i hali `ia mai.............The fragrance is wafted from Puna
Noho i ka wailele a`o Hi`ilawe...........And lives at Hi`ilawe waterfall

Ha`ina `ia mai ana ka puana..............Tell the refrain
Kûmaka ka `ikena iâ Hi`ilawe............All eyes are on Hi`ilawe
*(No Puna ke `ala i hali `ia mai) *The fragrance is wafted from Puna
*Alternate Stanzas



Henehene Kou 'Aka

This one's performed at the Columbia University Malama Hawai`i Fourth Annual Lu`au 2008. These are the Malama Hawai`i dancers doing a hula with the CU Football boys! Very fun dance! Enjoy!






Henehene kou `aka............Your laughter is so contagious
Kou le`ale`a paha...............It's fun to be with you
He mea ma`a mau ia..........Always a good time
For you and I

Ka`a uila mâkêneki............The streetcar wheels turn
Hô`onioni kou kino.............Vibrating your body
He mea ma`a mau ia..........Always a good time
For you and I

I Kaka`ako mâkou..............To Kaka`ako we go
`Ai ana i ka pipi stew..........Eating beef stew
He mea ma`a mau ia..........Always a good time
For you and I

I Waikîkî mâkou..................To Waikiki we go
`Au ana i ke kai...................Swimming in the sea
He mea ma`a mau ia...........Always a good time
For you and I

I Kapahulu mâkou..............To Kapahulu we go
`Ai ana i ka lîpo`a...............Eating seaweed
He mea ma`a mau ia..........Always a good time
For you and I

Ha`ina mai ka puana.........Tell the refrain
Kou le`ale`a paha...............It's fun to be with you
He mea ma`a mau ia..........Always a good time
For you and I


Source: Leilehua Yuen as told by Nona Beamer - This song connects back to Kamehameha Schools students who would ride the street cars of Honolulu together.

On one particular outing in the early 1920ˆs, Pono Beamer was taking his sweetheart, Louise Walker, on the new line along King Street from Farrington High School (near the first Kamehameha campus) to Kakaˆako. Louise had never ridden a street car, so it was a special excursion for the young couple. When the engine started up, she became ha`alulu (shaken)! He put his arm around her to calm her down. She was terribly embarassed by that - especially in front of all the other students, so she jumped up and flounced off the car. Pono reminded her, "Weren't you going with us to have some of my Aunty Mariah's (Mariah Desha Auld) beef stew?" Enticed by the reputation of Aunty Mariah's delicious pipi stew, Louise got back on the trolly.

(That stew must have been VERY enticing as, eventually, Louise and Pono married and had several children, among them the renowned Nona Beamer) As they traveled by trolley and walked around the districts of Honolulu, the students began making verses to tell the story. Several later became well-known entertainers, musicians, and songwriters.The song was copyrighted by at least two of them, Andy Cummings and Webley Edwards.



Aloha 'Oe

A Tribute to Queen Lili'uokalani ("Lydia of the Heavens"), last Queen of Hawai'i






Ha`aheo ka ua i nâ pali....................Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs
Ke nihi a`ela i ka nahele..................As it glided through the trees
E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko.....Still following ever the bud
Pua `âhihi lehua o uka.....................The `ahihi lehua of the vale

Hui: Chorus:
Aloha `oe, aloha `oe.........................Farewell to you, farewell to you
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo..............The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers
One fond embrace,
A ho`i a`e au....................................'Ere I depart
Until we meet again

`O ka hali`a aloha i hiki mai............Sweet memories come back to me
Ke hone a`e nei i...............................Bringing fresh remembrances
Ku`u manawa...................................Of the past
`O `oe nô ka`u ipo aloha.................Dearest one, yes, you are mine own
A loko e hana nei...............................From you, true love shall never depart

Maopopo ku`u `ike i ka nani...........I have seen and watched your loveliness
Nâ pua rose o Maunawili.................The sweet rose of Maunawili
I laila hia`ia nâ manu.......................And 'tis there the birds of love dwell
Miki`ala i ka nani o ka lipo..............And sip the honey from your lips


Queen Lili'uokalani (1838 to 1917) was a prolific composer, the first female Native Hawaiian author, and the founded the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Trust for orphans and indigent children--which still exists today. She is best remembered for her composition, "Aloha 'Oe". In 1891, upon the death of her brother King Kalakaua, she became queen of Hawai'i. In 1893, she was deposed by US naval forces and two years later imprisoned in her palace. Until her death in 1917, she continued to fight for the rights of her people and her country, in her words, "....The cause of Hawaiian independence is larger than any one man connected to it".
The song in the background is Kanaka Waiwai, a church hymn that the Queen had especially liked.

There is a manuscript of "Aloha Oe" in Queen Lili'uokalani's handwriting in the Bishop Museum. Lahilahi Webb and Virginia Dominis Koch tell of a visit by the queen and her attendants to Maunawili Ranch, the home of Edwin Boyd on windward Oahu. As they started their return trip to Honolulu on horseback up the steep Pali trail, the queen turned to admire the view of Kaneohe Bay. She witnessed a particularly affectionate farewell between Colonel James Boyd of her party and a lovely young girl from Maunawili. As they rode up the steep cliff and into the swirling winds, she started to hum this melody weaving words into a romantic song. At the top of the pali, a cloud hung over the mountain peak and slowly floated down Nu`uanu Valley. The queen continued to hum and completed her song as they rode the winding trail down the valley back to Honolulu.