Aloha Ku‘u Home A I Ke‘alohi
Kawaikapuokalani K. Hewett
Aloha ku‘u home a i Ke‘alohi
Ka ‘äina i hi‘ipoi ‘ia e nä küpu
Ua la‘i ka nohona a o ku‘u home
I ka malu o nä pali o ke Ko‘olau
Aia i Kalimuloa ka i‘a ‘ama‘ama
A me ke kühonu au ‘ükele kai
Mähuahua ka ‘ai o Hoi
Ua lupalupa i ka wai o Pü‘ölena
Hea aku o Mä‘eli‘eli he kupa o ka ‘äina
He hale, he ‘ai, he i‘a no käkou
I laila au i ‘ike aku ai
Ka nani kamaha‘o o Häwai‘iloa
Hänini ku‘u waimaka i ka ho‘ohali‘a
Pöina ‘ole ka hä‘upu o nä küpuna
Hea aku mäkou e ö mai e Komomua
E ke Ko‘amokumoku a o He‘e‘ia
Lei ana ka ‘äina i ka nani pua hau
Pulu pë i ka ÿehukai o Malulani
Ku‘u ‘äina hänau
Beloved is my home at Ke‘alohi
Cherished lands of my ancestors
Dwelling peacefully at my home
In the protection of the Ko‘olaus
There at Kalimuloa is the mullet
And the kühonu crab swimming in the muddy waters
Thriving the kalo of Hoi
Flourishing in the waters of Pü‘ölena
(This verse in particular refers to the descendants of Ko‘amokumoku and Komomua who continue to thrive and multiply like the kalo of Hoi. The blood of our küpuna lives on to this very day within us all.)
Mä‘eli‘eli, a native of the land calls out
You have a place, poi and fish
It was there that I saw
The astonishing beauty of Häwai‘iloa
(Although many of us are not fortunate to live on our ancestral kuleana lands, the well-known sites that remain there till this day are a reminder of our küpuna. So with Pu‘u Mä‘eli‘eli who through the centuries has remained a beacon to us all, beckoning to us to return to replenish our life force our “mana.”
Pu‘u Häwai‘iloa, located at Mökapu across the bay was considered to be a part of the He‘e‘ia ahupua‘a. It is where one legend states that Kü and Lono created the first man in the image of the god Käne.)
Tears fall as I reminisce
Unforgettable the memories of our ancestors
We call, answer Komomua
And Ko‘amokumoku of He‘e‘ia
(The tears that fall are because before the death of my grandmother, Iwa Rowan Käna‘e of lung cancer, she would wake me up nightly when I was home in the wee hours of the morning because she couldn’t sleep. She would then tell me all the stories that she could remember about Ke‘alohi.
The stories that she has shared with me I put into this mele so that her memories will become immortal. I will never forget those times spent with my grandmother.)
Chorus:
The land is adorned with the beauty of Hau blossoms
Drenched in the sea spray of Malulani
Land of my birth
Place names and History of the Ahupua‘a of He‘e‘ia
(Information from Sites of Oahu)
Kalimuloa – a noted fishing area for mullet.
Hoi – The lowlands of Hoi. This was a place in the center of He‘e‘ia valley that led into the fishpond.
Malulani – After some days Waialani (daughter of Kaohelo) made up small bundles of the body of Malulani which she scattered outside of He‘e‘ia, a hill here and a hill there until the place held many hills which are standing even unto this day. Because of the flood, all these hills were submerged and appeared as islets and that is why it is called the sharp coral of He‘e‘ia (Ke ko‘a mokumoku a o He‘e‘ia).
Mä‘eli‘eli – They reached Pakole and there was Mä‘eli‘eli directly above them. Hi‘iaka said to her friend, “That hill that is standing there on our left is Mä‘eli‘eli and it was from here that a relative of ours, Hinaikamälama left the earth to go and dwell in the moon.” Because her husband clung to a leg and it broke off, she flew maimed in the moon called Lonomuku (maimed Lono).
Pu‘u Häwai‘I Loa – Hill located at Mökapu that is included in the He‘e‘ia ahupua‘a. Here, it is said, the gods Lono and Kü created the first man out of the soil in the image of the god Käne. They breathed into the nostrils of their man and gave him life. From the shadow of the first man they created the first woman.
Web Kupua Earl Stokes email: stokes@lava.net