Aloha Hawaii
Visiting O’ahu and Maui several times, I was in awe of the lush tropical, oceanic and volcanic beauty of the islands. August 8 became Maui’s earth, wind and fire moment as much of the historic whaling town of Lahaina and some surrounding communities were decimated by an aggressive wildfire that took away lives and property. Individuals are still unaccounted for, government and non-profit assistance is ongoing, yet the resilient spirit of creativity among island residents and those of Hawaiian ancestry is bound to create new beginnings inspired by tradition.
This article is dedicated to the cultural heritage of Hawai’i as represented in quintessential art forms of the archipelago: the mele or song and hula or dance – of which Zachary Alaka’i Lum is an authority. With the 16th annual Kū Mai Ka Hula competition presented by Maui Arts and Cultural Center just concluded, Lum, a member of the competition’s discussion panel, serves as a cultural guide for this article. He was born on the island of O’ahu and the 33 year-old Grammy-nominated musician and composer already has an impressive list of accomplishments that include degrees in piano performance and ethnomusicology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, former Director of Choral Music at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus, recipient of several awards from the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts for albums with the group Keauhou (which includes his brother and a musician friend) – and he is completing a PhD from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in Political Science. And there is much more to tell.
As Executive Director of Kāhuli Leo Le’a in Hawaii, Lum is a devote of the Hawaiian cultural experience through dance and song, of which he is considered a haku mele or song writer. The mele-song and hula-dance art forms are further highlighted by the fact that apparently there was no written language in Hawai’i before 1820, although some fourteen years later, the first Hawaiian language newspapers were published by locals and missionaries. However, in 1896, teaching in the Hawaiian language was banned and it took 82 years for the State Constitution of Hawai’i to include an article “which requires the state to promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history and language” and also recognize the Hawaiian language, along with English, as an official language. Getting back to one’s roots, Lum comments on the important relationship between the music and lyrics of Hawaiian song and gestures of the hula in its representation of spiritual and secular stories and happenings.
“It can be quite difficult to imagine a world without the written word or text. We think of street signs, newspapers, magazines, social media, etc. All of these are rooted in the ability to communicate via text. Previous to the introduction of the written word, Hawaiian culture was an oral culture, where histories were maintained through memory and cultural practice. Instead of books, we have mele, hula and mo’olelo.” Lum says that knowledge based on memorization helped define “who we are by where we came from.” He mentions that the composer of mele represents an important link between how knowledge is documented and recalled.
“In a world where we rely on written text to remember, mele, hula and other cultural practices seem to be an ancestral technology of knowledge management. Similarly, when the written word was introduced to Hawai’i Hawai’i became one of the most literate nations in the world. The written word was a technology – and yet, we must not discount the technology already mastered by kānaka, ‘ōiwi: mele, hula and mo’olelo.” {Kanaka refers to native Hawaiians and mo’olelo refers to Hawaiian stories and folklore.}
A large component of Hawaiian song is, not surprisingly, the connection to nature and the environment, of which the mele seem to contain both melodic and chant-like elements that are often accompanied by guitar, ukulele and bass – as performed by the Keauhou group. The Hawaiian word ‘āina is often associated with the land and its people. Lum observes that the English language does not contain an exact translation of this word because of its reference to the environment and what inhabits the environment, which includes people. “Blurring the line between place and people gives us a better insight into aloha ‘āina. The relationship with ‘āina is based on reciprocity and symbiosis – where no person is disconnected from the collective. Hawaiian compositions, mele, are also composed with similar values.”
Unlike western classical music where some composers have been known to recycle certain melodies or motives from other composers, Lum asserts that traditional mele composition has no plagiarism and that the repetition of words and phrases emphasize the significance of the words and phrases. “The more they are used, the more relevant they are to a variety of situations for which the mele was composed. Ultimately, this kind of shared language creates a network of knowledge that mele facilitates. When composed in a traditional manner, no mele is completely disconnected from the rest. This collective approach is reflected in our worldview – from ‘āina to mele.”
The eight main islands of Hawaii are often associated with natural wonders such as volcanos, waterfalls, pristine beaches, exotic vegetation and cuisine, all wrapped in downhome vibes that make it a desirable place to live and visit. The recent wildfires on Maui also provide us with an understanding of traditional Hawaiian culture as it relates to customs, language in words such as mahalo-thank you and ohana-family, and renews an interest in the Hawaiian performing arts. According to Lum, celebrating the mele and hula have brought notoriety to Hawai’i. “The unique musical and aesthetic qualities have attracted much attention and are still celebrated as a performing art. However, I sometimes think that when folks think of art, they tend to think of the purpose of art as more extraneous and reflective of high society.” Well, that mindset has often been associated with western classical music, although opera seems to have escaped the mold, especially with the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD theater broadcasts that have made the genre an accessible art form.
Lum explains that much can be learned from traditional Hawaiian music and mentions this takeaway. “In the case of mele/hula, the art part is just the surface. Mele and hula have societal, historical and political functions that, in a very real way, composes who we are before, now and into the future. As an art, mele and hula are beautiful. As an integral part of maintaining who we are, mele and hula are essential.”