what is mele?
There is a difference between Hawaiian music and mele.
Hawaiian music is the symphony of various sounds, both endemic and introduced to the Hawaiian archipelago. The sounds of ʻukulele and steel guitars come to mind, with harmonious voices singing of an island home and the aloha from which it is inspired. This stereotypical sample of Hawaiian music, in this case, emphasizes the audible attributes of the music that is defined by anything relating to Hawaiʻi.
These sounds are often the skin of mele. They are the superficial surface that often deliver mele, a heightened expression of intentional words (often in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi), expertly crafted through the traditional practices of the haku mele - the weaver of words.
The haku mele is tasked with encoding experience into mele, resulting in a historical (and sometimes prophetic) record of people, places, and events. This record is transmitted by the puʻukani, the vocalist, who delivers the encapsulated information to various audiences, often with the aforementioned sounds of Hawaiian music.
Hawaiian music is the symphony of various sounds, both endemic and introduced to the Hawaiian archipelago. The sounds of ʻukulele and steel guitars come to mind, with harmonious voices singing of an island home and the aloha from which it is inspired. This stereotypical sample of Hawaiian music, in this case, emphasizes the audible attributes of the music that is defined by anything relating to Hawaiʻi.
These sounds are often the skin of mele. They are the superficial surface that often deliver mele, a heightened expression of intentional words (often in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi), expertly crafted through the traditional practices of the haku mele - the weaver of words.
The haku mele is tasked with encoding experience into mele, resulting in a historical (and sometimes prophetic) record of people, places, and events. This record is transmitted by the puʻukani, the vocalist, who delivers the encapsulated information to various audiences, often with the aforementioned sounds of Hawaiian music.
What is aloha ʻāina?
Hawaiian scholar, David Malo, explains ʻāina in “Ka Moolelo Hawaii:”
“Ua kapa aku ka poe kahiko inoa no ko ka mokupuni mau mea ma ko lakou nana ana a kupono ko lakou manao ana, elua inoa i kapa ia ma ka mokupuni, he moku ka inoa, he aina kahi inoa, ma ka moku ana ia ke kai ua kapa ia he moku, a ma ka noho ana a kanaka, ua kapa ia he aina ka inoa” (Malo 1838: 11).
[The people of old named the islands' contents by what they saw, and their thoughts were suitable. There were two ways by which an island was named: "moku" was a name and "ʻāina" was a name. A land separated by the sea was called a moku, but with the inhabitance of man, it was called "ʻāina."]
ʻĀina, thus, is the ecosystem defined by kānaka, by people. Aloha ʻāina, then, demonstrates that the aloha people can share with each other is that which may be shared with his/her environment. As a fundamental tenet of the Hawaiian worldview, aloha ʻāina is at the center of a sustainable future, not only for Hawaiʻi, but for humankind. Instilling the value of aloha ʻāina means promoting its expression in various venues - environmental, social, political, educational, and beyond.
“Ua kapa aku ka poe kahiko inoa no ko ka mokupuni mau mea ma ko lakou nana ana a kupono ko lakou manao ana, elua inoa i kapa ia ma ka mokupuni, he moku ka inoa, he aina kahi inoa, ma ka moku ana ia ke kai ua kapa ia he moku, a ma ka noho ana a kanaka, ua kapa ia he aina ka inoa” (Malo 1838: 11).
[The people of old named the islands' contents by what they saw, and their thoughts were suitable. There were two ways by which an island was named: "moku" was a name and "ʻāina" was a name. A land separated by the sea was called a moku, but with the inhabitance of man, it was called "ʻāina."]
ʻĀina, thus, is the ecosystem defined by kānaka, by people. Aloha ʻāina, then, demonstrates that the aloha people can share with each other is that which may be shared with his/her environment. As a fundamental tenet of the Hawaiian worldview, aloha ʻāina is at the center of a sustainable future, not only for Hawaiʻi, but for humankind. Instilling the value of aloha ʻāina means promoting its expression in various venues - environmental, social, political, educational, and beyond.
