Under Their Noses, Over Their Heads

na Kīhei de Silva



Hiki mai e ka lono i o‘u nei,

Aia o‘u pōki‘i lā i Kawa[1],

I ke kākela nui o ke Aupuni,

Kahi i noho ai me ka maluhia[2],



Word has come to me

That my pōki‘i is at Kawa

In the big castle of the Republic

Where he resides in apparent ease.



‘Umia ke aloha i pa‘a i loko,

No ke one ‘ōiwi ou e Hawai‘i,

‘Eha ai ka ili[3] ou kūpuna,

‘O Keawe, ‘o… Continue

Piukeonaʻs Notoreity is Growning

na Kīhei de Silva



Kaulana mai nei ‘o Piukeona lā

‘Auhea wale ana ‘oe 


Ka lima ku‘i o Maukealana 


‘Auhea wale ana ‘oe.



‘Akahi a lana ko‘u mana‘o lā


‘Auhea wale ana ‘oe 


E hui ‘ōlelo pū kāua lā


‘Auhea wale ana ‘oe.



‘O wau kai kapa ‘ia mai nei lā


‘Auhea wale ana ‘oe 


Mai‘a wīwī hapa Mekiko lā


ʻAuhea wale ana ʻoe.



Wīwī haokila makeneki lā


‘Auhea wale… Continue

Lili‘u's "He ‘Ai na Kalani"

na Kīhei de Silva



Hui Hānai suggests that Lili‘u composed this mele for one of two events in Kalākaua’s reign: his return, in 1881, from his tour of the world, or his change of residence, in 1888, from Honolulu to Kailua, Hawai‘i. Her mele describes the special foods that were prepared on these significant occasions, the cherished friends who served them, and the respectful silence that traditionally accompanied the royal… Continue

Mī Nei Police

na Kīhei de Silva



I was at the Bishop Museum Archives the other day working on some chants for Ka‘ū when -- as so often happens in the process of paging through the mele collections of Roberts and Mader -- something completely unrelated and totally irresistible popped into view, ‘o ia ho‘i, the following explanation attached to Charles E. King’s "Mī Nei." The note is handwritten and unsigned, but its neat script, careful diction, and early mention of "my… Continue

Hanohano Wailea

na Kīhei de Silva.



I composed "Hanohano Wailea" in 1984 after a walk to the beach. I went there to cool off after a day of yard work, but I came home quickly, far from cooled-off, with a mele stewing in my head. I’ve said elsewhere that I was inspired by the beauty of what I saw, but I was, in fact, aggravated by the palaualelo of what I’d heard. I wrote "Hanohano Wailea" in response to a self-styled keiki o ka ‘āina who had been giving his house guests a… Continue

Ke Ala a ka Jeep

na Kīhei de Silva.



We’ve known for some time that Mary Kawena Pukui and Eddie Kamae composed this mele in celebration of a visit they made to Kawena’s homeland in Ka‘ū, Hawai‘i. Eddie has explained as much -- and not much more -- for most of the thirty-five years that he has been singing this song. We’ve suspected, also for quite a while, that their composition has a much deeper meaning and purpose than its bouncy "Holoholo Ka‘a" persona would have us… Continue

Wedding Music Police

na Kipi Brown (aka Kīhei de Silva).



We were at a wedding reception a few months ago. Very upper-crust Hawaiian. Valet parking, green lawns, white tents, two open bars, three impressive hui hīmeni taking turns on stage.



We were, therefore, more than a little surprised when the first of these groups included "Latitū" in its offering of music to bride, groom, and family. We were further taken aback when the second of these groups did the same… Continue

Carroll’s IZ: Lumpy Poi Cocktail.

Rick Carroll, IZ: Voice of the Hawaiian People, Bess Press, 2006.

A review by Kīhei de Silva.



Rick Carroll wrote Iz: Voice of the Hawaiian People while battling cancer. He said he had to write fast, “just in case.” The book got finished and Carroll prevailed, but he and his editors did little afterwards to undo the effects of his haste. Nor did they curb his predilection for overstatement. The result is a lumpy poi… Continue