HWST 478: Mele Au Hou

From earliest times, the chanting of poetry served the Hawaiians as a form of ritual celebration of the things they cherished–the beauty of their islands, the abundance of wild creatures that inhabited their sea and air, the majesty of their rulers, and the prowess of their gods. Commoners as well as highborn chiefs and poet-priests shared in the creation of the chants. These haku mele, or “composers,” the commoners especially, wove living threads from their own histoic circumstances and everyday experiences into the ongoing oral tradition, as handed down from expert to pupil, or from elder to descendant, generation after generation. Available online via de Gruyter eBooks Complete for UHM patrons.

82 chants in Hawaiian from Helen Roberts' fieldwork published in her Ancient Hawaiian Music (Bishop Museum bulletin 29), 1929. When Helen Heffron Roberts (1888–1985) began her one-year survey of mele as appointed by the Hawaiian Legend and Folklore Commission in 1923, she was faced with obstacles of many kinds. Despite many challenges including physical illness, financial deficit, and cultural barriers, Roberts was able to compile over 700 compositions from Hawaiian informants on the islands of Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. The culmination of her fieldwork was the 1926 publication of Ancient Hawaiian Music (Bishop Museum Bulletin 29). Upon engaging in this extensive work, noted Hawaiian authority Mary Kawena Pukui (1895–1986) instantly recognized the inherent value of the Roberts Mele Collection as a primary resource for generations to come. Driven by the desire to make these mele comprehensible for a broad audience, Kawena devoted herself to the task of providing English translations and explanatory notes for thousands of pages of chants. She was deeply passionate about making these compositions accessible and believed that in doing so the mele could “be enjoyed and find new life,” as recalled by her hānai Pat Namaka Bacon. Furthering this mission, the publication of Nā Mele Welo: Songs of Our Heritage added another layer of accessibility and simplified the process of navigating the mele. The vision for this undertaking was directly inspired by Kawena’s deep attachment to the Roberts Mele Collection. Spearheaded by Pat Namaka Bacon, with Nathan Napoka as the consultant, this book was published on April 20, 1995, commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of Kawena’s birth.

Originally published in 1895 but reprinted in 2003 & 2022, this rare collection of more than a hundred songs from the end of the nineteenth century contains the largest number of Hawaiian political and patriotic songs ever printed in one place. Also included in the collection are nonpolitical songs that reflect other personal and political aspects of Hawaiian life of that period. In 1895, Francisco Jose Testa, editor of “Ka Makaainana,” collected these mele together in one volume to be published as “Buke Mele Lahui.” Testa refers to these compositions as “mele aloha aina,” patriotic songs or songs of loyalty. Available online via Ulukau.

Queen Liliuokalani left two major legacies. The first, her lands, have benefited the Hawaiian people through the Liliuokalani Trust and Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center. The second, her music, has brought pleasure to many people of many cultures, and Hui Hanai hopes the publication of The Queen's Songbook will enable others, for generations to come, to draw readily on the musical treasury that the Queen created. Hui Hanai was organized in 1969 to assist in carrying out the objectives of the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center and to perpetuate the memory of the Queen and her accomplishments. In 1973, it decided that the most meaningful contribution it could make would be to collect and publish the Queen's Songs, and a Songbook Committee authorized by the Hui Hanai Council embarked on the task.

Compiled by Ka Hale Pai Mahu in 1888. Available online via the Ulukau Digital Library.

Sheet music collection from the Hawaiian Island. Represents typical native memories and the mix of cultures that contribute to Hawaiian music. Some Hawaiian songs have English translations. Piano accompaniment; also chords in ukulele tablature. Includes photographs of some composers, and Hawaiian scenes, as well as an index of songs. Hawaii-aloha land -- E kuu lei -- Kamehamneha -- Kuu home -- Kuu ipo i ka hee pue one -- Kuu milimili -- Three pages of hulas (Meleana e -- Ula nowio -- He aloha no kauiki -- Kahi mea i aloha ia -- Moku kiakahi -- Ka ipo lei manu -- Kaleiponi -- Ahahana -- My hula lou) -- Ko hanu ka'u e lia nei -- Hiipoi like i kealoha -- Keawaiki -- Kokohi -- Kapapala -- Kapilina -- O oe ana ka'u -- Nani Nuuanu -- Niu haohao -- Aloha waltz -- My Honolulu hula girl -- Na pua nai -- Ka hana ia a ke aloha -- Maui no ka oi -- Malama, pulama, hiipoi -- Lanakila kawaihau -- Aloha serenade -- Alekoki -- Aloha nui oe -- Confession -- King's reverie -- Hanohano hanalei -- He pua oe -- Hawaiian mother's lullaby -- Hawaii, kuu home -- He ono -- Huehue -- Lovely you -- Nani Kauai -- Hiipoi i ke aloha -- Hilo hanakahi -- Kaimuki hula -- Kuu pua morning glory -- Adios ke aloha -- Ka ipo poina ole -- Kuu Kamehameka -- Polynesian love song -- Lei poi ole na'u -- Blue and white -- Kalena -- Hookahi no pua -- Kapalama -- Kapahulu hula -- Kaua i ka huahua'i -- Makalapua -- Kuu ipo -- Na'u oe -- An island serenade -- Hawaiian cowboy's song -- Pauahi o kalani -- Leo o kealoha -- Lei aloha -- Lilo ana oe i'au -- Lei lehua o panaewa -- Maikai waipio -- Pua mohala -- Malama oe -- May day is lei day in Hawaii -- Kuu pua pikake -- Wehiwehi oe -- Huapala -- Ukulele chords -- Honolulu hula -- O oe no kai ike -- Pehea hoi au? -- Auwe no hoi oe -- Pili me oe -- My dear Hawaii -- hewehi oe -- Uluhua wale au -- Poli pumehana -- Pua loke o nuuanu -- Puuwaawaa -- That's what the lei said to me -- Dreaming, aloha, of you -- Na'u hookahi oe -- Kuu lei momi -- May day is lei day too -- Po mahina -- Pua carnation -- Aloha e ka pua -- Lei hoohihi na'u -- What aloha means -- My Hawaiian souvenir.

A collection of 18 Hawaiian songs organized by name and first line. Provides information on each hula mele including its sources, history, and discography, as well as an English translation of the Hawaiian text.
Contents
Moku o Keawe (E ō ē moku o Keawe) -- Aia i Hilo One (Aia i Hilo one ka ʻeha a ka manaʻo) – ʻIʻiwi aʻo Hilo (Haʻaheo ʻo Hawaiʻi moku o Keawe) -- Ka nani aʻo Hilo (Kāua i ka nani aʻo Hilo) -- Ka ua aʻo Hilo (Ka ua aʻo Hilo aʻe mau ana lā) -- Nani ka huila o Kīlauea (Nani ka huila o Kīlauea) -- Ninipo hoʻonipo i ke aloha (Hiaʻai, hiaʻai i ka nani) -- Aia i Kumukahi (Aia i Kumukahi ka lā i luna o ka lani) -- Aia lā ʻo Pele i Hawaiʻi (Aia lā ʻo Pele i Hawaiʻi ʻeā) -- Mokuhulu (Mokuhulu i ka malu o ka ʻulu) -- Piukeona (Kaulana mai nei ʻo Piukeona lā) -- Kona (Pā mai ana ka makani) -- Aia i hi'ikua, i hi'ialo (Hālāwai akula ka manaʻo me ʻoe) -- He inoa no Piʻilani (Hāʻale ke aloha no Hōnaunau) -- Aia i Heʻeia (Aia i Heʻeia lā) -- Aihea ʻo Heʻeia? (Aihea ʻo Heʻeia lā?) -- Kawaihae hula (Kawaihae) (ʻIke ʻia mākou ʻo Kawaihae) -- Hoehoe nā waʻa (Kawaihae, ka uapo aʻo Hilo) -- Māhukona (A waho aku au o Māhukona lā) -- Mauna Kea (E aha ʻia ana ʻo Mauna Kea?) -- Ka manu (ʻAuhea wale ʻoe ē ka manu).

Facsimile reprint of 1897 original with a new introduction and appendices.
Includes title, first line, composer and chorus indexes.
"Songs with known tune sources" / compiled by Amy K. Stillman--Appendix II
Includes bibliographical references.
Text in Hawaiian; introduction in in Hawaiian and English.

Collection of sheet music of Hawaiian songs for ukulele, guitar and steel guitar.
Contents
Aloha oe -- Ua like no a like – Ke aloha i hiki mai -- Forget - me - not -- Maui – Kalakaua’s serenade -- Makalapua -- Awaiaulu -- Lei poni moi -- Violeta -- He lei no Kaiulani – Ainahau -- Nuʻa o ka palai -- Nuuanu waipuna -- Wai o Punalau -- Sweet Violet -- Maikai Waipio -- Poli pumehana -- Ka inu wai -- Sweet lei lehua -- Na'i aupuni – Kapilina – Remember be sure and be there -- Pua o ka he-i [hei] -- Pua sadinia -- Akahi hoi -- Oi hoi ha -- Adios ke aloha – Waipio -- Paahana -- Na Molokama -- Haili po ika [i ka] lehua -- Sunny Manoa -- Maunawili -- Honesakala -- Moani ke ala -- Tomi! Tomi! -- Lei ohaoha -- Wiliwili wai -- Sweet lei mamo -- Maui girl – One, two, three, four - Moanalua.
Note; Dedicated to Hawaiian Kawaihau quartet of Honolulu.

For voice and ukulele. Includes lyrics, chords and English translations for over 250 Hawaiian and hapa-haole songs dating from the 1860's to the present.

This book presents the largest collection of Hawaiian poetic compositions written for Queen Queen Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke, the wife of Kamehameha IV. The 204 mele give readers invaluable and unique perspectives into the life and times of the queen. The songs were gathered from nineteenth-century Hawaiian-language newspapers, as well as unpublished collections in the Bishop Museum and Hawaiʻi State Archives, many handwritten on loose sheaves of paper dating back over one and a half centuries.

Created as a gift to honor King Kalākaua, this is the only book of Hawaiian poetic compositions published during the Hawaiian Monarchy period. This privately published collection of 48 chants was a commemorative gift to the King at the elaborate two-week celebration held to mark his fiftieth birthday in 1886. Only seven copies of the original are known to exist today including one copy at the Hawaiian Historical Society Library. This facsimile reprint of the 1886 Honolulu publication is the first in the Society’s Hawaiian Language Reprint Series. Available online via Ulukau.

Pronunciation guide -- Chant preparation -- Hula steps -- Pila hoʻokani = Instruments -- Instrument rhythms -- Aia la 'o pele -- 'Auhea 'o ka lani -- E kau, e kau -- He'eia -- He inoa nō lili'u --Holoana 'o kalākaua -- Ho'opuka e ka lā -- Kāwika -- Ke ao nani -- Kīlauea -- Kona kai 'ōpua -- Ku'i Moloka'i -- Mele inoa nō Kalākaua.

This second volume presents thirty-six of Hawaii's cherished hula chants. The richly poetic Hawaiian text of each chant is presented alongside full English translations, annotations, and the author's highly perosnal commentaries on historical background and performance context. Part 1. Nā hana hoʻohanohano (Rituals and ceremonies). Nā mele oli no Laka (Chants for Laka): Malu ke ala (The path is cleared) - Pule no ke akua ʻo Laka (Prayer to the goddess Laka) - Eia au e Laka (Here I am o Laka) - Kānaenae no Laka (A prayer chant for Laka) - Pule kuahu (Altar prayer) - Pule hoʻonoa (A prayer to lift sacred restrictions) -- Nā mele oli no ka hoʻomākaukau ʻana (Chants in preparation for hula): Kūnihi ka mauna (The mountain stands steep) - Oli aloha (Chant of loving welcome) - Aloha nā hale (Beloved are the houses) - Eia Hawaiʻi (Behold Hawaiʻi) - Hālau Waiʻanae (Waiʻanae longhouse) - Oli Kūpeʻe (Chant for wristlets and anklets) - Oli Pāʻū (Skirt chant) - Oli lei (Lei chant) -- Part 2. Nā mele hula (dance chants). Pele (The fire goddess): Hoʻopuka ē ka lā i kai o Unulau (The sun rises over the sea of Unulau) - ʻO ke mele mua kēia o ka hula Pele (The first chant of the Pele dances) - Puʻuʻoniʻoni (Tremble hill) - Ke pohā nei (It is rustling) - ʻOaka ē ka lani (The heavens flash) -- Nā aliʻi (The chiefs): E Manono (O Manono) - Moe aku (Asleep [are we]) - He wahine holo lio (A horsewoman) - Kau lī lua (Doubly chilled) - Aia i Haili kō lei nani (There at Haili is your precious garland) - I aloha i kō a ka wai (How loving when pulled by the current) - Lanakila (Victory) - No ke ano ahiahi (In the evening time) - He maʻi no Kalani (A personal chant for the chief) - He maʻi no ʻIolani (A personal chant for ʻIolani) -- Nā wahi pana (Historic and legendary places) - 'Auʻa ʻia e Kama ē kona moku (Child hold on to your land) - A Kilohana ʻo Kalani (The chiefess went to kilohana) - 'Ike i ke one kani aʻo Nohili (See the barking sands of Nohili) - E hoʻi ke aloha i Niʻihau (Love returns to Niʻihau) - He moku Kaʻula (The island of Kaʻula) - A Puna Au (I was in Puna).
Note

Explanation of the dance drama of the epic saga expressed in hula of Pele, goddess of the volcano, and her youngest sister Hiʻiaka, recounting the travels of their family from Kahiki to their settling at Halemaʻumaʻu on the island of Hawaiʻi.
Contents
The tradition -- The pele family -- Genealogy of the Pele clan -- Mai Kahiki ka wahine ʻo Pele -- Ke kaʻao a Pele -- Prologue -- Holo mai Pele -- Ke haʻa lā Puna i ka makani -- Kūlia e Uli ka pule ka lama ola -- Kualoloa Keaʻau i ka nāhelehele -- Hulihia ka mauna wela i ke ahi -- Ua ʻino Honokōhau -- ʻO ka iʻa iki maka -- ʻO Pele lā koʻu akua -- Lele ana ʻo Kaʻena -- Kuʻu akua i ka hale hau -- Kūnihi ka mauna -- ʻO kaua a Pele i haka i Kahiki -- A Molokaʻi nui a Hina -- A Nānaʻi Kaulahea -- Kū i Wailua -- Kūlia e Uli -- Ke lei maila ʻo Kaʻula i ke kai -- Aloha wale ka nikiniki -- Ka wai mūkīkī ʻala lehua o ka manu -- Ke ahi makapā i ka lā -- He mele no Hiʻiaka -- Ia loaʻa ka hala, ka lili, kaua, paio -- He kau no Hiʻiaka -- He mele no Hiʻiakaikapoliopele.
Note; Has companion video: Holo mai Pele.