Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 9, 1 September 2001 — MELE ʻAILANA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MELE ʻAILANA

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Pueo's debut shows diversity, deep connections to environment

By Manu Boyd While reading through the liner notes, a verse from "Ka Hanu o ka Palai " jumped out at me. The words were simple and playful, but seemed very old in a way. "E aha ana lā nei 'ili'ili i ili mai i loko o nei kāma'a — No hea mai 'oe? No Keauhou Iki — no ka lihikai o Kahalu 'u." (What are you doing, little pebble that has just gotten into my shoe? Where are you from? I'm from the smaller Keauhou district, from the sea shore of Kahalu'u). A talking pebble may seem bizarre to some, but to the Hawaiian, it is perfectly acceptable, even expected. Such is kaona, or double entendre in Hawaiian prose, some fine examples of whieh are found in "E Ho'i nā Wai," a brand-new release by Cody Pueo Pata of Kīhei, Maui. Except for one, the selections are Hawaiian, with heavy influences of "leo oli" or the chanting voice.

"I learned hula and chant from Nona Kaluhiokalani, a student of George Nā'ope. In 1995, 1 started learning falsetto," explained Pata,

who just last year won top honors at the Aloha Festivals Frank B. Shaner Falsetto Contest. "I'm an entertainer, and perform whenever I ean," he said. / But his inspiration as a compos- L

er comes from his kūpuna and the surrounding environment. " Kaihekūlani with its simple, one-line melodic composition, darts all over Kaua'i from

Kōke'e to Līhu'e to Hā'ena and south to Kōloa. "Ka Piko o Ka Hālāwai " centers on Maunaleo between Waikapū and 'īao valleys where the misty rain and the trembling guava leaf take a fancy to the same girl. "'Moanalua' is my favorite on the CD because of its simplicity," explained Pata of one of the

selections not his own. "In the story, even though the carriage shaft breaks at Moanalua, they keep going, releasing the cork at Kahauiki, and partying along throughout lower Kalihi and Pālama"

Pata began learning Hawaiian at I Baldwin High from his kumu, Keli'i Tau'ā. He worked with Pūnana Leo O Maui for three years and the immersion A-plus proeram,

t Pākōlea. This immersion into the ■ language has shaped an outlook for ? him filled with sensitivity and metaphor. "In the native forest, everything grows well together, one thing on top of

another. In forests where an alien plant occurs, it will push everything out of its way, and grow until it is by itself," explained Pata, using it as a metaphor for his preferred Hawaiian way of living. Like the waters his album says will indeed return, his music is to be shared with all. ■