Kākuhihewa was the 15th ruling chief of Oʻahu and one of the few high-ranking chiefs who was born at Kūkaniloko, a sacred birthing site on Oʻahu. Two temple pahu named ʻŌpuku and Hāwea were sounded, announcing his birth to all awaiting news of the newborn aliʻi. The maile lau liʻiliʻi of Koʻiahi referenced in the chant was said to be one of the finest small-leafed maile on Oʻahu–a maile noted for its fragrant scent as well.
“Hanohano Nuʻuanu Aia I Uka” was composed in honor of Queen Kapiʻolani, beloved wife of King David Laʻamea Kalākaua. This is a hula ʻanoho, a combination of the ʻōlapa, a standing hula, and the kuhi lima, a sitting and gesturing hula. According to Mary Kawena Pukuʻi, who, along with her hānai daughter, Aunty Pat Nāmaka Bacon, learned this hula ʻanoho while studying under Hula Master Keahi Luahine in the 1930s, “Nuʻuanu place names were used to veil the people represented.”
Kaʻauhelumoa, the supernatural rooster from Kaʻau Crater in Pālolo is memorialized in this mele inoa. When challenging the Oʻahu chief Kākuhihewa in Waikīkī, this rooster furiously scratches the earth and then disappears. At that very spot of sandy soil, the chief plants niu which would multiply into an ulu niu (coconut grove) of over 10,000 trees and the land would acquire the name “Helumoa” meaning “chicken scratch.”
Choosing the direct route through the forested territory of the moʻo, Panaʻewa, Hiʻiaka recognizes the dangers that lay ahead, but she remains keenly focused on the urgency of her errand. Fully aware of the exhausting battle that will ensue with Panaʻewa, Hiʻiaka foresees the grueling terrain that lies beyond at Hilo Palikū, and describes both situations appropriately. The dancers invoke the many forms of Hiʻiaka, while also entreating her abilities to heal and regenerate life.
At their first Merrie Monarch Festival in 1979, Nā Wai ʻEhā O Puna performed this hula under the direction of their founders Thaddeus Wilson and O’Brian Eselu. The mele uses metaphors in nature to describe a special encounter. The hālau dedicates this performance to their beloved founders as it takes them back to the hālau’s beginnings, traditions, lineage and roots!
The composer of this hula ʻālaʻapapa was Lolokū. The poetry used within the mele encourages health and long life and inspires hope in the face of widespread adversity and illness. Seeking a healthy recovery and peace of both mind as well as spirit draws heavily from humility, repentance and gratitude. “E ola nā iwi, e ola koa, e ola ē! May we live a long healthy life.”