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Chant for Hikianalia, from Hilo to Honolulu

  • Posted on 16 Dec 2012
  • In Cultural, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Voyaging

Hikianalia

Mai Hilo a i Honolulu

na Kaimana Barcarse

Kau ʻo Mōhalu, ua māʻamaʻamaMohalu nō ʻo HilopalikūAhe mai ka makani holo ʻāina

Me he kēhau kolo mālie i ka lau peʻa

ʻO Laupāhoehoe ke ālelo kīkoʻo lā o Ulekiʻi

ʻO Waipiʻo i ka poʻina nalu

ʻO Waimanu i ka lele o ke koaʻe

ʻO Pololū i ka makalau

Mālie mai ʻo ʻAlenuihāhā, hāhā ʻole i ke kai

Kū mai ka Moaʻe Lehua, pā

Hua aku ka holo ana i ka poho o ka lā

Kū kilakila ʻo Haleakalā, ua ao ka pō

ʻO Kaupō ʻāina kūpuna, ʻāina aloha ē

ʻO ʻĀlau i ka nui manu, ani mālie ka loulu

ʻO Hāna, ʻāina ua, lani haʻahaʻa

I Nānuʻalele, lele aku ke aloha,*

Lau aʻe ke aloha, lei ʻia ke aloha*

ʻO Kalalau ke aloha*

Kani ka pū, a lana mālie*

Ahe mai ka makani ʻāina, holo

ʻO Keʻanae, wai hū i ke ʻō koʻo kauila

ʻO Kahului i ke kū o nā koa

ʻO Wailuku, kū i Kahālāwai

Hālāwai nā wai ʻehā,

heʻe ka wai, pū ka wai, luku ka wai, ʻehu ka wai

Pai ke kai, ololo ke kai

Ke kai holo mālie ʻo Pailolo

ʻAlawa aʻe ka maka, ʻo Hālawa ke aloha

ʻO Wailau i ka lau kānaka

ʻO Pelekunu noho i ka malu pali

ʻO Waikolu ke kumu wai o Kalaupapa

ʻO ʻĀlau i ka welau o Kalaupapa

Lau aʻe ke aloha o nā kama o ka ʻāina

Kuhi ka ihu i Ka Lae o ka ʻīlio

ʻAoa ka makani, ka Moaʻekū

I ke ala o nā kūpuna eia mai ʻo Kaiwi

Kau ka maka i ka puʻu,

puʻupuʻu i ka ʻono o ka ʻāina

ʻO Makapuʻu i ka ihu o ka waʻa

ʻO Kohelepelepe   i ka hene wai ʻolu

Komo ka waʻa i Maunalua**

Lua ʻole ke aloha hanauna**

ʻO ka lae, ke   kualā, he ahi

ʻO Lēʻahi e holo ana i ke kai

ʻO Waikīkī ʻāina kūpuna, ʻāina aloha

Aloha wale ia ʻāina, kīkī ka wai a maloʻo

Eia mai ʻo Keʻehi, e heahea ana e noho

Mai, mai, e pae mai ē

Ua pae ka waʻa, ua hiki maila

ʻO Hikianalia   ke koʻo o Hōkūleʻa

Ua leʻaleʻa nō…

Mōhalu sits above, We are illuminatedHilo of the standing cliffs is clearA breeze blows off the land

Crawling as the kēhau winds across the sail

Laupāhoehoe juts out, the heiau Ulekiʻi is located there

Here is Waipiʻo of the breaking surf

Here is Waimanu of the koaʻe birds flying

Here is Pololū of the cluster of spears

ʻAlenuihāhā is becalmed

The Moaʻe Lehua trade winds arrive, it blows

The sailing is fruitful with the fullness of the   sail

Haleakalā stands majestic, night succumbs to day

Kaupō the land of our ancestors, land of aloha

ʻĀlau of the many birds, with the palms gesturing calmly

Hāna, land of rain, of low lying heavens

As we pass Nānuʻalele, our aloha goes forth*

Our aloha in droves, our love is adorned with a lei*

Kalalau is our aloha*

The pū sounds, we are becalmed, floating in his presence*

A breeze blows off the land, we continue on

Keʻanae made verdant by the thrust of Kāneʻs staff

Kahului of the warriors battle formation

Wailuku the visible land section of Kahālāwai

Where meets the four waters

The famous four waters of West Maui

The sea lifts, the sea shifts

The crushing seas of Pailolo

Our eyes glance forth to behold Hālawa

Then Wailau of the multitudes (in days gone past)

Pelekunu, resting in the shade

Waikolu, the water source of Kalaupapa

Another ʻĀlau, at the tip of Kalaupapa

Vast is the aloha for the people of the land

The bow gestures to ʻĪlio point

The winds bark, the Moaʻekū trades have arrived

To the path of our ancestors, here is Kaiwi (the   bones)

The eyes focus on the hill

Swollen with desire for the deliciousness of the   land

It is Makapuʻu at the bow of the waʻa

There sits Kohelepelepe on the slope

The canoe enters Maunalua**

Like none other is the aloha of generations**

The forehead, the dorsal fin, it is an ahi

Lēʻahi swimming out to reach the sea

Waikīkī, the land of our ancestors, land of aloha

Our love for the land, the water spouted, it is dry

Here is Keʻehi, calling us to rest

Come hither, come hither, and make landfall

The canoe had landed, it has arrived

Hikianalia the support of Hōkūleʻa

It was joyous indeed

*As we passed Hāna, the pū was sounded and a lei offered into the sea to honor ʻAnakala Sam Kalalau,then the winds died down, as if to say… “stay a while   longer”

**As we entered Portlock, the crewmembers witnessed a special moment spanning 3 generations… beautiful.

It was indeed an honor and a privilege to take Hikianalia on her final leg of her maiden voyage home to meet her māmā, Hōkūleʻa.  The crew aboard her consisted of many of our seasoned leaders and representatives of the upcoming generations.  During this short leg, we were able to learn so much from those who have gone before, and hear of the many stories of each channel and coastline we traversed on our way to Honolulu.  Above is written in mele form, an account of this leg.  Honoring ʻāina & kai, land & sea, those areas with ancestral ties, those areas with personal experiences, and those areas whose histories guide us. Ua hiki e ʻo Hikianalia e… Hikianalia has arrived.

na Kaimana


No nā kūmole a ʻikepili no ka Huakaʻi Holo Puni Honua, ʻo Mālama Honua, ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi!

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