Artisan recreates traditional Hawaiian musical instruments

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Kawika Pangelinan is fascinated by the haunting sound of the Hawaiian nose flute.

“It’s a very gentle sound,” he said. ”It catches people’s ear. It’s not something that they hear very often. And when they find out I play it with my nose, they’re even more interested in it.”

The instrument captivated his attention decades ago when he made one during a summer program at Kamehameha Schools.

”My interest in Hawaiian instruments started when I was actually in the fifth grade,” he said.

It’s more than a hobby or casual pastime.

The 30-year-old from Central Oahu has become a skilled and self-taught craftsman of numerous types of Hawaiian musical instruments.

”I’m a cultural artisan at Waimea Valley. I specialize in Hawaiian instrumentation and implementation where I recreate Hawaiian instruments and all of their variations, and I teach guests about them,” he said.

For guidance and instruction, he studied the writings of Hawaiian historian Nathaniel Emerson and culture and arts icon Winona Beamer.

”I don’t have a kumu myself when it comes to all of these Hawaiian instruments. A lot of this is trial and error and figuring it out,” he said.

By experimenting, Pangelinan has accurately replicated many instruments of old Hawaii from rattles that shake and spin to whistles that sing when they’re tied to a string and twirled round and round.

He has also recreated jaw harps ancient Hawaiians made using different types of woods, plus a variety of small wind instruments fashioned from gourds.

”I started to make those within the past few years because my interest in Hawaiian instruments started to grow,” he said.

Besides his musical projects and his work in Waimea Valley sharing his art, he teaches Hawaiian studies at Kaala Elementary School.

”It’s my goal to never stop learning,” he said. “You’ve got to keep on learning, forever and ever. I have started to branch out a little bit into other Pacific Island instruments too.”

As for the nose flute, he still plays the one he made when he was a child.

“It’s probably my most sacred instrument. It’s very powerful and spiritual to me,” he said.

You can see his collection of Hawaiian instruments on display in Waimea Valley and learn more about his work.

He’s there several days a week and he’s easy to find.

Just follow the sound of music.