Photo Above: Awe inspiring sunrise at Mauna Kea. – Photo: Chaze Pacheco
The official spelling for Mauna Kea that state and federal agencies must use for all communications (e.g. letters) and media (e.g. signs, maps) is Mauna Kea. This decision was made by the Hawai‘i State Board of Geographic Names on January 16, 2014 to reflect the belief that the mountain is a child of Wākea. This belief is reflected chants such as the birth chant of Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III.
Recent activity at Mauna Kea or Mauna a Wākea has also brought attention to other kūpuna (ancestor, elder) deities of the Mountain such as Poli‘ahu, Lilinoe, Waiau, Kahoupokāne, and Kūkahau‘ula. Hula schools have renewed interest and remembrance of them as expressed through chant, song, and hula such as the drum dance composed and choreographed by Mary Kawena Puku‘i for Poli‘ahu. To the surprise of many graduates of The Kamehameha Schools, a verse of a familar song for Princess Pauahi also revere the names of these kūpuna.
Lastly, the author shares his own composition for Lilinoe, the kupuna of the misty rain that veils Mauna Kea. He invites readers to submit their own chants and songs of their experiences and expressions of Mauna Kea.
Auhea ‘oukou e nā mamo a Wākea me Papa! E nā aloha ‘āina! Aloha pumehana kākou. Ma ka makahiki 2014, lā 16 o Ianuali ua ho‘oholo ‘ia e ka Papa Inoa Honua o ka Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i (Hawai‘i State Board of Geographic Names, HGBN) e pela i ka inoa o ka mauna ā kākou e no‘ono‘o nui nei penei: Mauna Kea (Maunakea, Mauna a Wākea he mau pani hakahaka kūikawā). Ua loa‘a nā pela ‘elua ma nā nūpepa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (e.l., Kuokoa), ‘oia ho‘i ‘o Mauna Kea me Maunakea, akā ma hope o ke kū kama‘ilio ‘ana o ka papa, ua koho ‘ia ‘o Mauna Kea i mea e hō‘ike ai ka pilina o ka po‘e Hawai‘i me Kea (pōkole o Wākea).
‘O ke ko‘iko‘i o ia koho e ka HGBN ‘o ka pono o nā ‘oihana aupuni Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i me nā ‘oihana aupuni Pekelala e pela i ka inoa ‘o ‘Mauna Kea’ ho‘i ma nā mea hō‘ike‘ike a pau, nā palapala‘āina oe, nā ‘ano hō‘ailona like ‘ole oe (e.l., hō‘ailona alanui), leka aupuni a pēlā wale aku. He pani hakahaka kūikawā ka pela ‘ana ‘o Maunakea no ka po‘e ma waho o ke aupuni akā he koina i nā ‘oihana a me nā ke‘ena e like me OHA nei e pela pololei i ka inoa o ka mauna – ‘o Mauna Kea.
Hiki nō i nā kānaka ma waho o ke aupuni moku‘āina/pekelala ke pela i ka inoa o ka mauna i kona makemake. No laila, ua hiki nō ka pela ‘ana o Mauna a Wākea, Mauna Wākea, a pēlā aku. Ua like nō ka ‘ike. Hō‘ike ‘ia nō ka pilina o nā kānaka Hawai‘i me Wākea e like me ka ‘ike ma ke mele hānau no Kauikeaouli ma lalo. E maka‘ala i ka inoa o Kea ma ka lālani mua o ka paukū ‘elima:
O hānau ka mauna a Kea
‘ōpu‘u ka mauna a Kea
‘O Wākea ke kāne, ‘o Papa, ‘o Walinu‘u ka wahine
Hānau Ho‘ohoku ka wahine
Hānau Hāloa he ali‘i
Hānau ka mauna, he keiki mauna nā Kea…
(Puku‘i & Korn, 1973, p.17)
No laila, kuhikuhi ‘ia ma ia mele, he kupuna ‘o Mauna Kea no nā mamo a Wākea. ‘Auhea ‘oukou?
‘A‘ole ‘o Kea wale nō ke kupuna akua i ho‘omana‘o ‘ia ma muli o ka hana huliāmahi o ka mauna. ‘O nā kūpuna akua wāhine, ‘o Poli‘ahu me Lilinoe, kekahi o nā inoa i ho‘omana‘o ‘ia. Inā ua huaka‘i ‘oe e ‘kūkia‘imauna’ ua ‘ike paha ‘oe i ka hula pahu a Mary Kawena Puku‘i i haku ai no Poli‘ahu. Maopopo ia‘u i o FB a me nā waha ‘ōlelo, ua hula ‘o Hālau Mōhalu ‘Ilima a me Hālau Pua Ali‘i ‘Ilima. Ulu ka ‘ilima!
A ua ‘ō‘ili hou mai kekahi ‘ike kupanaha ia‘u a iā ‘oe paha inā he mamo a Pauahi nō ‘oe. Ma‘a nō mākou (KS ‘75. a.p.a) i ka mele ‘ana iā “Pauahi o Ka Lani” ma ka Lā Ho‘omana‘o no ke Kamāli‘iwahine ‘o Pauahi ma Kēkēmapa 19; akā, ‘a‘ole ma‘a mākou i ka mele ‘ana o kēia paukū i ‘imi ‘ia a loa‘a e Kīhei de Silva (2006):
Lilinoe Poliahu
Waiau Kahoupokane
Na kupuna kamaaina
O nei kuahiwi
(retrieved at https://apps.ksbe.edu/kaiwakiloumoku/kaleinamanu).
Ma kēia paukū o luna i hō‘ike ai ka haku mele i ka pilikana aloha me nā kūpuna o ka mauna. Na Lili‘u i haku i kēia mele inoa ‘o “Pauahi o Ka Lani” no kona kaikua‘ana ‘o Pauahi ma ka makahiki 1868. Ua kipa ‘o Lili‘u lāua ‘o Pauahi i ka mokupuni ‘o Hawai‘i a ua noho lāua ma Mānā e like me ka lālani mua o ke mele i ha‘i mai, “Noho ana ka wahine i ike anu o Mānā.”
No Laila, e like me ke ‘ano o nā kūpuna puni palapala e kākau i leka ai ‘ole i mele a ho‘ouna i ka nūpepa, eia ka‘u mele no nā akua ‘aumākua o ka mauna. Ua ho‘oulu ‘ia wau e haku i mele e ka ‘i‘ini o Lili‘u lāua ‘o Puku‘i e ho‘āno a e ho‘omana‘o i “na kupuna kamaaina o neia kuahiwi.” Eia nō ka‘u “leka” nō ho‘i a eia au ke koi nei iā ‘oe e ho‘ouna i kāu leka oe, kāu mele oe, kāu ki‘i oe no Mauna Kea iā Ka Wai Ola o OHA. I loko nō o ke mele o lalo nei ko‘u mau mana‘o. Na ‘oukou e mahu‘i i ke kaona o ka‘u mele hula pahu:
‘O Lilinoe i ke kualono o Maunakea
Noho a lono ana i ke kuleana a‘o Waiau
I ke au mālamalama a‘o Wākea
Ea mai Maunaloa me Hualālai lā
Me nā pu‘u kinikini a‘o Waimea lā e.
Kāko‘o nā Kōhala a me Haleakalā
A hiki mai ‘o Ka‘ala me Wai‘ale‘ale
Kamakou, Pānī‘au me Lāna‘ihale
Mai Mauna Denali a‘i Mauna Taranaki
Nā mauna hulu kupuna a‘o kākou lā e.
He kapu kalukalu ko Lilinoe
‘O ka noe huhuhune o ke kualono
‘Uhi pū ‘o Līhau i ke kuahiwi.
Hoaka Kūkahau‘ula me Kahoupokāne
Kupanaha ke kapu aloha o Pu‘u Huluhulu lā e.
(K. Akana, August 2019, ‘a‘ole na‘e pau).
Aloha kākou! Ua ‘ikea!
