Synopsis: This article provides some new Hawai‘i centric songs that we can sing to our keiki instead of foreign nursery rhymes and lullabies.

I ko‘u wā kamali‘i, ua lohe nui ‘ia nā mele keiki no ka ‘āina ‘ē, a he mau mele i pa‘a a hiki i kēia wā, i ko‘u wā makua ho‘i. ‘O ia nā mele haole kaulana e la‘a me, London Bridge, Jack and Jill, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Three Blind Mice, a ia mele aku, ia mele aku. ‘A‘ohe na‘e ‘ike ‘ia ka pili o kēia mau mele i ko kākou ‘āina nei. I mea e ho‘omau ai i ka ‘ike o kēia ‘āina i nā hanauna hou, ua ho‘omaka ka haku hou ‘ana i kekahi mau mele keiki. A he paipai kēia iā ‘oukou no ka ho‘omau ‘ana i kēia hana, i na‘auao ai nā kamali‘i i ka ‘ike o kēia pae ‘āina.

Ua kūpina‘i ka ‘ōlelo a nā kūpuna, “Ike ia kekahi kanaka no kekahi lahui ma kana olelo,” a pololei nō ho‘i paha ia. Akā, ‘a‘ole nō paha e ola ‘i‘o ka mauli o nā kānaka ma ka unuhi wale ‘ana i nā mele keiki o ka ‘āina ‘ē me ka hīmeni ‘ia ma o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. E aho na‘e ka haku ‘ana i nā mele keiki i pili i nā mo‘olelo o kēia pae ‘āina. ‘A‘ole nō paha e ‘apo‘ia ka mana‘o nui o ia mau mele ma ka lohe mua ‘ana a nā keiki, akā, e mālama ‘ia ana nā hua‘ōlelo no kekahi wā, a i ka hīmeni pinepine ‘ana, ‘a‘ole e malihini loa nā pepeiao o nā kānaka i ka ‘ike Hawai‘i.

‘Ehā mele i pāhola ‘ia ma lalo nei. Pili ka mua i ka ‘o‘opu, kekahi i‘a kaulana i ka nohona Hawai‘i. ‘O ka lua o ke mele, he mele ho‘oluluhi kamaiki, a ua pili nō i ka ‘iwa. Mālama ‘ia kekahi mau hua‘ōlelo pili i ka ‘iwa ma ia mele, a ho‘olauna ‘ia ka “Sandman” o ka lāhui nei, ‘o ia nō ‘o Niolopua. A ‘o ke kolu o ke mele, he mele pili i ka mo‘olelo o Keakaokū me kāna huaka‘i i Kānehunamoku. Ma ia mo‘olelo, ua ha‘alele kona wa‘a iā Mōkapu, O‘ahu a holo no ka pae hōkū ‘o Kau‘ōpae e pi‘i ana ma ka Hikina. Ma ka pae ‘ana o Keakaokū i Kānehunamoku, ua pū‘iwa ihola; he manu ka po‘e a pau ma luna o ka moku. ‘O ke ali‘i o Kānehunamoku, ‘o ia ka ‘Ā‘ai‘enuheakāne; he manu ho‘opāpā. Ua ho‘ā‘o e mālama i kēia mo‘olelo ma ke mele a lilo i ala e kama‘āina ai nā keiki i ka hana a Keakaokū ma Kānehunamoku. ‘O ke mele hope, he mele pili iā Kona, Hawai‘i. Ma kēia mele, ua mālama ‘ia kekahi mau ‘ōlelo kaulana no Kona. Hiki ke lohe i kēia mau mele (a me nā mele e haku ‘ia ana i kēia hope aku) ma Youtube, ma ke kānela Poi Beaul. E aho kākou e haku i nā mele keiki i mea e mālama ai i ka ‘ike o ko kākou ‘āina nei.

‘O‘opu ‘O‘opu

‘O‘opu ‘o‘opu,

I hea lā ‘oe,

I ka muliwai, i kahawai

Ma ka māwae pōhaku e moe

Hopu ka ‘o‘opu

‘Auhea lā ‘oe

Mai ‘auhe‘e

‘Ono au iā ‘oe, ‘ai ‘ia me ka poi

‘O‘opu ‘o‘opu

Hopu ka ‘o‘opu

Mā‘ona ko‘u ‘ōpū i ka ‘o‘opu

Ku‘u Wahi ‘Iwa

Kīkaha ka ‘iwa ‘au i ke kai

I ka makani nā ‘ēheu e hohola ai

E ku‘u wahi ‘iwa, e ho‘i mai

Ho‘i i ka hiamoe i kēia lullaby

E nanea me Niolopua ē

I ke ao lipolipo me nā ‘ōhua ´

Heahea mai ke kupuna wahine

E mehana i ku‘u poli nei

Kānehunamoku

I ka Hikina kahi moku lewa ē

‘O Kānehunamoku huna i ka pewa ē

Kau ka pe‘a o ka wa‘a haulani nei

Ma ka lani ‘o Kau‘ōpae, a pae ka lani ē

Kāpili i nā manu nanenane

E maka‘ala i ka ‘Ā‘ai‘enuheakāne

Ka Maka o ka ‘Ōpua

La‘i ke kai i ka maka o ka ‘ōpua,

Pua ka makani, helele‘i ka ua,

E hele kāua me ka ‘ōhua,

‘Ohu‘ohu i ka lei o ke kini akua.

Eō Kona i ke kai mā‘oki‘oki,

Eō mai e Kona po‘oku‘i.

E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:

>> kwong@hawaii.edu

>> rsolis@hawaii.edu

a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:

>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)

>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)

This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.