Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 6, 1 June 2003 — MELE ʻAILANA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MELE ʻAILANA

[?]

Ha'i Kupuna' celebrates heritage with vibrant, youthful appeal

By Manu Boyd Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole may be just 20, but generations of influence on his young life give him insight usually afforded those mueh older. His solo CD debut, " Ha 'i KupunaP is testament to his understanding of who he is, who he comes from, and where he is headed. "I graduated from Nāwahīokalani'ōpu'u in 2000, and now attend U.H. Hilo," said Kanaka'ole, a product of Hawaiian language immersion education. "U.H. Hilo is pretty liberal in allowing undergraduates to design their own programs so I'm combining Hawaiian studies, music and performing arts in to my own major," he explained. Courses in voice (opera) and music theory give the culturally based singer/composer an academic understanding of the mechanics of music.

As a hula practitioner, chanter, performer and recording artist, Kanaka'ole follows in the footsteps of his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. He is the eldest son of j Kekuhi Kanahele, former i Nā Hōkū Hanohano 1 female vocalist of the m

year. Grandma Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele, noted kumu hula and

cultural authority, produced chant recordings and such dance dra-

mas as " Holo Mai Pele " and "Hānau Ka Moku ." Great-grandmother Edith Kanaka'ole, the legendary Hilo kumu hula, entertainer and composer, produced award-winning recordings decades ago, preserving traditional and original songs and

chants that many rely on today. "Grandma Edith represents H the epitome of what it is to be ■ Hawaiian. Not just to be a practi- ■ tioner, but to be embody it. She I was the embodiment," said I Kana'ole. Although born three years after his great-grandmother' s passing, Kanaka'ole has been among scores of beneficiaries of her rich legacy via the family-based Hālau o Kekuhi, the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation and strong

family values imparted by his mother, ?randmother and close-knit extended

'ohana. This influence ultimately guided him toward his recording debut. "It's been natural. It happened because it was See KANAKA'OLE on page 15

KANAKA'OLE from page 13 supposed to," he said of the production and recent release of "Ha'i Kupuna." "I look at them and their accomplishments. I see their pahuhopu (goals) — to leave a collection of mele, and ho'ohanahano (honor) the art of haku mele (composition), and to perpetuate the ideology of Hawaiian poetry, and the rhythm of poetry," he explained. Better known around Hilo as "Lopaka Santiago," Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole, along with his brothers, adopted the family name "Kanaka'ole" to strengthen their ancestral ties to Ka'ū, as advised by family elders. At age 13, the name "Kaumakaiwa" was ceremonially bestowed on "Lopaka" by Grandma Pua and Grandpa, the late Edward Huihui Kanahele. "That name was given to me with certain expectations and responsibilities as the eldest mo'opuna," he explained. "Fdlike to inspire my generation of artists, or those interested in Hawaiian music — help to reawaken them, spark their interest. We have been offered more than we ean fathom. It started with the leo (voice) first and formost. "He mana ko ka 'ōlelo," he exclaimed, underscoring the importance of the language and poetry over everything else. "Ha'i Kupuna " presents 9 compositions by Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole, one by Grandma Edith, and one traditional mele oli. Produced by Hula Records, "Ha'i Kupuna " was released just after the CD re-make of Edith Kanaka'ole's " Hi'ipoi i ka 'Āina Aloha, Cherish the BeIoved Lanā ," a collection of original mele. "My favorite recording of Grandma Edith's is ' Ha 'aku 'i Pele i Hawai'i ," said Kaumakaiwa. That earlier recording of chants by the elder Kanaka'ole, is scheduled for release next April during the Merrie Monarch Festival. ■