Music is a Choice!

Introduction

Hawaiian poetry and song is not regional or thematic, rather, it is poetry and song that is created by Native Hawaiians, not poetry done by those that claim Hawaiʻi as home. Hawaiian poetry often uses double-entendres, or kaona, that draws on natural imagery to convey complex ideas with layers of hidden meanings.  These kaona connect the physical world with the spiritual world and guide the Hawaiian people in their daily lives.  Even as Western music is reclaimed by native Hawaiians, kaona remains as an important part of their storytelling tradition. This symbolism has spanned generations, appearing in both traditional and modern music, and in both Hawaiian and English songs. 

Flowers, in particular, play a significant role in Hawaiian poetic symbolism. Kuʻualoha Hoʻomanawanui states that “one of the most important cultural and poetic metaphors for Hawaiians is the lei”. Flowers and leis most commonly symbolize affection towards lovers or children, or respect towards an important individual. The haku, or braided lei, often symbolizes the act of poetry and music making. I suggest that floral kaona exemplify Native Hawaiian ontologies regarding the land and play important roles in key historical events, such as the overthrow of the kingdom and the Hawaiian Renaissance. 

The Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown by a group of White residents, known as the Committee of Safety, on January 17, 1893. The group deposed Queen Liliʻuokalani, imprisoning her in ʻIolani Palace, and made Sanford B. Dole the president of the new provisional government. In 1894, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was officially annexed into the United States as the Republic of Hawaiʻi by President Grover Cleveland. Hawaiʻi remained as a territory of the United States until August 21, 1959, in which it officially became the 50th state. This period after the overthrow of the monarchy was marked by attempted cultural erasure, such as laws banning the Hawaiian language, or ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, from schools in 1896. It was not until 1957, when Hawaiian scholars Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Hoyt Elbert published a new Hawaiian language dictionary, that interest in the language began to rise. This renewed interest in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi foreshadowed a revival of interest in Hawaiian arts, crafts, and academic studies in the 1970s during a period known as the Hawaiian Renaissance. This movement was both cultural and political in nature, as a renewed rhetoric surrounding the restoration of Hawaiian independence began. Throughout the fraught history of Hawaiʻi, music and poetry have been important to the cultural identity of Native Hawaiians. 

To Mālama ʻĀina

The Hawaiian Renaissance has been noted as a potential model for biocultural restoration and indigenous sustainability. Native Hawaiian ontologies teach the concept of mālama ʻāina (to care for the land), which has played an important role in modern understandings of conservation and environmentalism within the islands. In Chang, Winter, and Lincoln’s 2019 paper, “Hawaiʻi in Focus: Navigating Pathways in Global Biocultural Leadership,” they attribute this concept to Hawaiʻi being made up of islands because “since time immemorial, island communities recognized the constraints of unfettered growth on natural resources.” Thus, the conservation of resources is not a new concept to Native Hawaiians, rather it is an old concept that happily exists alongside Western sciences.

Environmentalism in Hawaiʻi bridges the gap between indigenous ontologies and Western scientific viewpoints. Hawaiian and Western knowledge coexist and have become blended in many ways, and many Native Hawaiians are leaders in biocultural restoration and environmentalist efforts in Hawaiʻi. Western science is used in conjunction with native understandings of the land in order to “facilitate the return to a state of resource abundance–known in the Hawaiian language as ʻāina momona.” In this way, modern Hawaiian culture has been a model for merging two ontologies in a mutually beneficial way and encouraging a multicultural approach to land stewardship. 

Rebellion is a Fresh Bouquet

Queen Liliuʻokalani was known as a skilled musician. She stated that “to compose was as natural to me as to breathe; and this gift of nature, never having been suffered to fall into disuse, remains a source of the greatest consolation to this day.” She is credited with composing over 150 songs, seven of which were composed during her eight month long imprisonment. During her imprisonment in ʻIolani Palace, she was banned from receiving news of the outside world and of her people. This, however, did not stop her supporters from aiding her. The Queen’s attendant, Evelyn Townsend Wilson, was voluntarily imprisoned along with Liliʻuokalani and her son, John, would bring fresh floral bouquets from Uluhaimalama, the Queen’s garden, wrapped in newspaper, allowing the queen to read the news. As the story goes, one day John brought flowers from her home in Waikīkī, Paoakalani, and as a gift to John, she wrote “Kuʻu Pua I Paoakalani” (My Flower in Paoakalani). By analyzing the kaona and history of the lyrics, a narrative of rebellion, cultural pride, and love takes shape. The lyrics are such:

E ka gentle breeze a pa mai ne iHoʻohāliʻaliʻa mai ana iaʻu E kuʻu sweet never fading flower I pua i ka uka o Paoakalani  Hui: ʻIke mau i ka nani o nā pua O ka uka o Uluhaimalama ʻAʻole naʻe hoʻi e like Me kuʻu pua i ka laʻi o Paoakalani Lahilahi kona ma hiʻona With softest eyes as black as jet Pink cheeks so delicate of hue I ulu i ka uka o Paoakalani Nane ʻia mai ana kuʻu aloha E ka gentle breeze e waft mai ne iO come to me kaʻu mea e liʻa nei I ulu ika uka o Paoakalani

O gentle breeze that waft to me Sweet, cherished memories of you Of my sweet never fading flower That blooms in the fields of Paoakalani  Chorus: I’ve often seen those beauteous flowers That grew at Uluhaimalama But none of those could be compared To my flower that blooms in the fields of Paoakalani  Her face is fair to behold With softest eyes as black as jet Pink cheeks so delicate of hue That grew in the fields of Paoakalani Now name to me the one I love Gentle breezes passing by And bring to me that blossom fair That blooms in the fields of Paoakalani

In this song, Liliʻuokalani compares a person to the beautiful flowers grown in Paoakalani and she reminisces of her times there and the freedom she once had. This person to whom she refers could be understood as being the Hawaiian people themselves, as she describes missing the beauty of her people and that, while she may hold love for all, it is her subjects that she finds most beautiful. This person could also be understood as being the personification of freedom and the lost sovereignty of her kingdom. Finally, I offer the interpretation that this person could also refer to Liliʻuokalani herself and the time she spent at Paoakalani, as it was her private home and retreat. Her estate, Paoakalani, can be translated as Royal Perfume, therefore, when she describes a gentle breeze that brings the scent of flowers, or the perfume of flowers, to her room in ʻIolani Palace, she is reminiscing of Paoakalani. This breeze can also be interpreted as John as he brings news of her people just as the breeze brings the scent of flowers and provides relief in harsh conditions. As Queen Liliʻuokalani writes in her memoir, “while in exile it has ever been a pleasant thought to me that my people, in spite of differences of opinion, are enjoying together the free use of my seashore home.” This song commemorates early acts of subtle rebellion by herself and her people, as well as the inherent love and pride she has in being the queen of Hawaiʻi. 

Colonialism brought both cultural loss and habitat loss to Hawaiʻi. Large-scale habitat destruction can be attributed to when Western powers began to hold more sway in Hawaiian culture in politics in the 19th century. The societal and cultural strength of the Native Hawaiian kingdom withered along with the land until, in 1893, the kingdom was overthrown. The health of Hawaiian culture is, then, inextricably tied to the health of the land and the rebellion of the people against invading powers can be linked to their love for that land. Queen Liliʻuokalani’s care for her people is the same as her care for the land. 

Love During the Renaissance

Beginning in the late 1960s, there was a revival in Hawaiian arts, music, crafts, language, and academic studies, known as the Hawaiian Renaissance. This period marked a time of renewed pride in Hawaiian self-identity and calls for recognition and reparations by the United States government for their role in cultural erasure and the overthrow of the kingdom. It also produced many famous musical artists and groups such as Olomana, Cecilio & Kapono, Sons of Hawaiʻi, and Dennis Pavao. 

Dennis Pavao was also to be an important figure of the Hawaiian Renaissance as he was “quite passionate about the Hawaiian and reparations.” He was famous for popularizing ka leo kiʻe kiʻe, or Hawaiian falsetto singing, and his expertise in the style earned him the nickname of “the golden voice of Hawaiʻi.” In 1996, he released a cover of John Kaonohiokala Keawehawaii’s song “My Yellow Ginger Lei”. Although the song had been first released a few decades prior in 1949, it was not until the Hawaiian Renaissance and Pavao’s recording that it became popular. The lyrics are:

My yellow ginger lei Reveals her scent through the day Enchanting moments with you Makes me love youKuʻu lei ‘awapuhi melemele I puīa me ke ʻala onaona Hoʻohihi ka manaʻo iā ʻoe E kuʻu lei ʻawapuhi You’re as lovely as can be My yellow ginger lei My heart is yearning for you My ʻawapuhi Haʻina ʻia mai Ana ka puana Kuʻu lei ʻawapuhi melemele Hoʻoheno i ka puʻuwai

My yellow ginger lei Reveals sweet, soft fragrance Entranced with thoughts of you My ginger lei My ginger The story is told Of My yellow ginger lei Cherished in the heart

In this song, the kaona of the ʻawapuhi and yellow ginger is a common one. It is meant to represent a cherished lover whom the singer misses. The importance of this song to the Hawaiian Renaissance is the language, poetic devices, and flowers used. “My Yellow Ginger Lei” makes mention of two types of ginger: yellow ginger, or Kahili ginger, and ʻawapuhi, or shampoo ginger. While neither of these flowers are endemic to Hawaiʻi, with Kahili ginger being an extremely invasive species introduced in the 19th century and ʻawapuhi being a canoe plant brought over when ancient Hawaiians first landed in Hawaiʻi, they are culturally significant in some way. Kahili ginger is commonly used in leis and other floral arrangements and ʻawapuhi is most commonly used as a shampoo and aromatic. 

“My Yellow Ginger Lei,” which is sung in both Hawaiian and English and makes mention of both canoe and colonial flowers, combines elements of both Hawaiian and colonial Western cultures. This song exemplifies the essence of the Hawaiian Renaissance, which took pride in Hawaiian traditions and reclaimed colonial practices, adapting them to work with indigenous customs. It was also during this renaissance that indigenous practices of land stewardship and resource management became involved in both cultural and political rhetoric. This cooperation of indigenous and reclaimed colonial practices in music reflected the cooperation that could be found in biocultural restoration discussions. 

Conclusion

Throughout Hawaiian history, poetry and song have served as powerful vessels for cultural memory, resistance, and identity. They demonstrate Native Hawaiian ontologies surrounding land stewardship and resource management. The evolution of Hawaiian music reflects the reclamation and collaboration of Hawaiian and Western practices in the pursuit to mālama ʻāina. Hawaiʻi acts as living proof that multicultural approaches to biocultural restoration are possible and, perhaps, preferable. This multicultural environmentalism can “provide society with a greater adaptive capacity to deal with current and future changes.” In reclaiming both language and land, Native Hawaiians show how cultural resilience and environmental restoration are not separate struggles, but deeply interconnected parts of a living tradition.

Sources

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