Kani ka Leo ʻŌiwi ma ka ʻAha Hula Mele Manaka!

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Na Kawainiuhaohaoopōkaʻī

E ka luna hoʻoponopono o Ka Wai Ola, ia wai puapuaʻi e kahe ai ke ola o ka lāhui, ka wai hoʻi e kena ai ka puʻu momoni i ka makemake, aloha nui loa kāua ʻo ʻoe. E ʻae mai nō paha kō ʻoluʻolu i kō wahi mea kākau nei, i wahi keʻena e noho ai koʻu manaʻo e kau aʻe nei ma luna.

Eia aʻe a hiki mai ke kanaonokumamālua o ka ʻaha hula nui o ke ao nei, ʻo ka Merrie Monarch Festival ma Hilo nei o ka Ua Kanilehua. Hoʻomanaʻo nō paha kekahi o koʻu mau hoa makamaka heluhelu i ka hoʻokumu ʻia ʻana o ia ʻaha hula nui nei o Hawaiʻi nei – i kapa ʻia hoʻi e ka lāhui ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi o kēia mau lā, ʻo ka Mele Manaka – i ka makahiki 1971. ʻO nā makahiki mua ia o ke au hoʻāla i ka mauli Hawaiʻi ma nā ʻano ʻoihana ʻike ʻōiwi like ʻole, pau pū hoʻi me ka hula a me ke mele e hāpai mau ʻia aʻe ana ma ua ʻaha hoʻokūkū hula nei. I ia wā nō hoʻi e kōliʻuliʻu aʻe ana i hope, ʻo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nō hoʻi kekahi e ʻimi ikaika ʻia ana e ka poʻe o ia wā, no ka ʻike ʻana i ke emi loa ʻana iho o ka nui o nā mānaleo, nā kānaka hoʻi ʻo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi kā lākou ʻōlelo kuamua.

Photo: Hiapokeikikāne and Hanakahi Perreira
Hiapokeikikāne and Hanakahi Perreira recorded Hawaiian language audio-only broadcasts of the Merrie Monarch Festival from 2013-2018 before passing the torch to Reppun and Damas.

Ua laha ʻē nō i ka lāhui Hawaiʻi ka moʻolelo no ke kāpae ʻia o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i ka ʻaoʻao: pāpā ʻia ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole e hoʻohana ʻia ma nā kula o Hawaiʻi nei; haʻalele ʻia ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma nā ʻoihana like ʻole e kūʻonoʻono ai kānaka; kāpae ʻia ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e nā kūpuna o nā hanauna i hala akula, me ka manaʻo lana piha ʻoiaʻiʻo i ke ola o kā lākou mau mamo i kēia mua mai. Hele nō a hala nā anahulu makahiki, e kū ana ke kūlana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i kahi hāiki; ma loko wale nō o nā ʻelemākule a me nā luāhine ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e paʻa ana, a he kākaʻikahi loa nā ʻōpio i wali ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ma ka ka ʻā hou ʻana mai o ke ahi mauli Hawaiʻi i loko o ka lāhui e ʻimi ai lākou i ke kiʻi hou i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻo ka poʻe hula nō nā haumāna mua i haiamū aku i nā papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, i mea nō paha e pili pono ai i nā mele a lākou e hoʻoheno ana.

ʻO ka hula nō paha ka ʻoihana ʻike Hawaiʻi kuʻuna i mau mai a hiki i kēia lā me ke ola ahuahu mau; a laha ai hoʻi ka hula ma nā kihi ʻehā o ka honua. He mahalo wale nō ka poʻe i ka nani o ka hula: ka uaʻuali maikaʻi o ke kino, ka palupalu nanahe o ka lima, ka holu kaiue o ke kīkala, a me ke kiʻi palanehe o ka wāwae. He mahalo wale nō naʻe ia, i ka nui o ka manawa, me ka ʻike ʻole loa i ka manaʻo o ke mele e hula ʻia mai ana. I ke au ʻana mai nō naʻe o ka manawa me ke kiʻi hou o ko Hawaiʻi nei mau kānaka i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, he ʻōlelo ola ahuahu, piʻi aʻela ia mahalo ʻana i ka hula me ona mau mele e paʻa ai ka ʻike, ka moʻolelo, moʻomeheu o nā kūpuna i hala aku i kēlā ʻaoʻao ma ʻō. A no ka mea, ʻaʻohe hula mele ʻole; ʻaʻole nō hoʻi mele ʻōlelo ʻole ma Hawaiʻi i ke au kahiko. ʻO ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nō ke kumu a me ka mole o ka hula, ke kaona e kuhi aku ai ka lima a au iho ai ka wāwae.

ʻOiai kēia mau manaʻo like ʻole no ke aloha paʻa mau o kānaka i ka hula a me ka ʻōlelo, ʻaʻole lāua i hui pau loa ma ua ʻaha hula hoʻokaulana lā o Hilo Kaona nei ma ka Mele Manaka. ʻO ka ʻānehe mua loa ʻana i ka hoʻihoʻi hou ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i loko o ia ʻoihana ma ka papa hana Mele Manaka, aia nō ia i ka makahiki 2013, ma ke ʻoki leo ʻia o ka waha ʻōlelo ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no ka hoʻolaha wale ʻana aku nō ma ka DVD o ia makahiki. Nanea ana ka pepeiao o kānaka i ka leo honehone o Hiapokeikikāne Perreira, kekahi o nā kāʻeʻaʻeʻa o ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Nāna nō i hoʻolalelale i ko ka Mele Manaka e ʻae ʻia ai ia papa hana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nui.

I ia makahiki mai, ka makahiki 2014, hoʻolaha ʻia ka ʻaha hula Mele Manaka ma kona ʻano maʻa mau, me ka hoʻolaha pū ʻia nō hoʻi o ka māhele ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi; ʻo ka leo wale nō naʻe kai lohe ʻia ke hoʻoponopono ʻia aku ka ʻaukiō o ke kīwī a lohe ʻia ka SAP (Secondary Audio Programming). ʻO ka pōmaikaʻi nō naʻe ia o nā kānaka i ka lohe hou i ka leo mikolololehua o ua ʻo Perreira me ka leo pūpū kanioe o uka, ʻo kāna wahine aloha i ka ʻili, ʻo Hanakahi Perreira. Pēlā lāua i mālama ai i nēia papa hana hoʻoheno ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a hiki i ka makahiki 2018.

Ma ka 2019 mai, ua hoʻokuʻu aloha pumehana ʻia ia kuleana pūlama ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e Perreira mā i loko o nā lima o nā waha ʻōlelo hou, ʻo Keʻalohi Reppun lāua ʻo Kaʻiuokalani Damas. Mai ia manawa mai nō, ʻo lāua nā waha ʻōlelo hou o ka ʻaha hula Mele Manaka ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō. E like me ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia e hoʻolahalaha ʻia ana ma ka wā kūkā kamaʻilio o nā waha ʻōlelo, ka hoʻoʻna ʻana i nā hula, a me ka hoʻi ʻana o nā hāʻ, he ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi kai lohe ʻia ma ia papa hana ʻaukiō.

Paʻa mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke ʻano he ʻaukiō wale nō e nanea ai ka pepeiao o ke anaina, a hiki loa mai i kēlā makahiki iho nei nō, ka makahiki 2024. ʻO ka makamua loa nō hoʻi ia o ka hoʻolaha piha loa ʻia o ka ʻaha hula Mele Manaka, e nanea ai hoʻi ka pepeiao a me ka maka i ka ʻike a me ka lohe i ia mau waha ʻōlelo e hāpai aʻe ana i ka ʻaha hula, a me ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, i luna. ʻAkahi wale nō papa hana piha i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi! ʻAʻole wale nō naʻe hoʻi nā māhele i ʻōlelo ʻia aʻe nei ma luna, ʻo ka Poʻakolu nō hoʻi, ka pō hōʻikeʻike kaulana o ka Mele Manaka, he ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nō! ʻO nā hoʻolaha pāʻoihana like ʻole, he ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō. A ma nā māhele e lohe maoli ʻia ai ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia, he lepe unuhi ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nō e kau ai ka maka o ka lehulehu. He ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi nō ko ka ʻaha hula Mele Manaka! A ma ka hōʻoia ʻana o ka poʻe akamai i ka heluna kānaka i ʻeʻe ma ka māhele ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻanoʻai wale hoʻi ke aloha, he 92,110 ka nui: no Hawaiʻi nei nō, no ʻAmelika mai, no Iāpana mai, no Aotearoa mai, a no Mekiko mai nō hoʻi! Ua ana ʻia nō ka nui, ka loa, a me ka ʻlā, ʻaʻohe wahi mea maikaʻi ʻole o laila!

ʻAʻole nō i pau ma laila, e kuʻu makamaka heluhelu. E hoʻolele hou ʻia ana nō ka ʻaha hula Mele Manaka ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi piha i kēia makahiki, mai ka lā 23–26 o ʻApelila aʻe nei. A ʻo kō mau waha ʻōlelo e unoho pū ai, ʻo Keʻalohi lāua ʻo Kaʻiuokalani, nā hoa kui lima o ua pō leʻa o Halāliʻi. No laila, e kuʻu lāhui aloha, ke hoʻihoʻi ʻia nei nō nā ʻoihana ʻike o ko kākou poʻe i loko o ka ʻōlelo makuahine o ka ʻāina. ʻO kākou pū nō i laila, ʻeā. E ʻimi aku nō kākou i ka nui hou ʻana aʻe o ia heluna kānaka a puka ka hoʻokahi haneli kaukani, a puka ka ʻelua haneli kaukani, a puka nō hoʻi paha he mau haneli kaukani hou aku a hewa nō paha i ka wai!

Ke paneʻe aku nei nō au i kuʻu aloha bye-bye i nā hoa makamaka i heluhelu mai nei i koʻu mau manaʻo e kau aʻela. A i ka luna hoʻoponopono a me kāna mau limahana a pau e lawelawe nei i kēia kino lahilahi a kākou e milimili iho nei, me ʻoukou mau koʻu welina a me ka ʻanoʻi. A hui hou nō paha kākou i ka papa hana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi piha o ka ʻaha hula Mele Manaka o kēia makahiki.

Hawaiian Language at the Merrie Monarch

Although the past 60+ years has seen a resurgence in hula, mele, and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, only recently have these three things joined together in a full, world-wide program. In 2013, for the 50th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival, a Hawaiian language audio broadcast was recorded by Hiapokeikikāne Perreira and added to the DVD.

In the following years, the live broadcast was done in two languages, English and Hawaiian, with the Hawaiian language being an audio broadcast available though the SAP (Secondary Audio Programming) on viewers’ television, hosted by Hiapo and, his wife, Hanakahi Perreira.

In 2018, the Perreiras gave the Hawaiian language program to Keʻalohi Reppun and Kaʻiuokalani Damas, who continued on in the audio-only Hawaiian language program.

In 2024, the Merrie Monarch Festival greenlit the very first, full broadcast in the Hawaiian language. Reppun and Damas hosted once again, this time via live-stream broadcasted from the Hawaiʻi News Now and Merrie Monarch websites.

This milestone event completely surpassed all expectations, with 92,110 views from Hawaiʻi, the U.S., Japan, Aotearoa, and Mexico. The 2025 Merrie Monarch Festival will once again be broadcasted in two separate streams, one in English, and one in Hawaiian, hosted again by Reppun and Damas.

This is a wonderful opportunity for Hawaiian language speakers, learners, enthusiasts, and even non-speakers to enjoy the language from which the hula was born. From the language comes our poetry and wit, giving us songs to sing and, of course, to dance. Hula and the Hawaiian language live!