Mele and 'Ōlelo Hawai'i on the Mauna

As a resident of Hilo at the foot of Maunakea for the past twenty-seven years, the Mauna's ever-present sense of protection and majesty has deeply influenced how my 'ohana and I interact and live on Hawai'i Moku o Keawe. Living among kānaka who acknowledge this piko, his godly genealogy, and who channel the spirits, care for the forest and water resources, deliver mele and hula, and hunt for food, is such an invigorating and connecting force for our 'ohana, community, and lāhui. I often think about how I contribute to these distinct groups, and how my 'ohana will cultivate our kuleana to this 'āina.

Mele is one of the main ways I cultivate my kuleana to this 'āina. Mele is a foundational practice in my 'ohana, my classes, and as a singer and composer. There is indeed a kuleana to mele in the way we research, find understanding, create, and deliver this body of knowledge. Internalizing many mele of our places, gods, people, and times, and continuing the life of mele through voice is a formidable kuleana. I regard mele as being beyond entertainment. In my work in the Hawaiian language revitalization movement, mele was and is a sure-fire hook for learning language and worldview. As a singer for hula people, my kuleana is to deliver the mele in its choicest articulation for a successful union. As a composer and recording artist, bringing knowledge of older mele to the creation and delivery of mele of my lifetime contributes to both the maintaining of tradition and the fueling of innovation.

Honoring place, time, and people with particular mele is another aspect of this kuleana. Knowing mele, including mele pule (prayers), mele inoa (name songs), mele lāhui (songs of nationhood), and mele wahi pana (songs of storied places), is a good start to sharing in this kuleana. Reciprocation between my vocal energy and the 'āina, elements, and fellow kānaka is heart-stirring and exciting. Mele—in all its layers of construction, meaning, context, vocalization, spiritual power, and connecting force—brings so much vibrancy and enrichment to life.

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In 2015, hundreds of Hawaiians gathered on the Mauna Kea Access Road near Hale Pōhaku in an organized protest to stop the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)—what would have been the fourteenth telescope on Maunakea, and by far the most monstrous of all. The goal of the protest was to peacefully block the road with the kia'i's bodies to prevent the convoy carrying TMT equipment from reaching the summit. Prescribed chants and mele fortified the efforts of the kia'i as they stood their ground. Even though many kia'i were arrested, they were successful in keeping TMT off the Mauna at that time.

Many of my 'ōlelo Hawai'i college students were fired up to get involved. I helped arm them with some classic songs, and facilitated creation of a few new mele to employ in their activism and the documentation of their experience. I also encouraged them to make 'ōlelo Hawai'i their primary language on the Mauna as much as possible. Strengthening their connection to 'āina through our native language and literature is integral to individual identity and the vibrancy of our nation.

My three children, ages eight, ten, and thirteen, are being raised with 'ōlelo Hawai'i as their first language. It is the language of our home, our respective schools, my career, most of our village, and our study and practice of Hawaiian music. Mele permeate all aspects of our life, and they are the most practical and powerful tools to offer our babies. Deliberate mele selections reverberated as they grew in the womb, entered this world, and mele have served as the soundtrack of their lives. Mele is what we do. Mele is how we live.

I have much appreciation for being raised in a musical 'ohana. I grew up listening to the old-style serenades of my great-grandmother's generation, the crooner singing style of my grandfather and his brothers, the polished entertainer and emcee skills of...