Kumukahi

He wahine paha kāu e ho‘ohihi nei? Ma ke oli nō paha e lohe ‘ia ai kō aloha iā ia. He pule kāu i ke Akua? Ma ke oli nō paha e pule ai.

Pēlā ka hana i ka wā kahiko. ‘A‘ohe hīmeni ‘ana o ka wā kahiko; ‘o ke oli ke ‘ano e puka aku ai ke mele mai ka waha aku.

E like me ka hiki iā kākou a pau o kēia wā ke hīmeni (i loko o ka nahenahe a nahenahe ‘ole paha), pēlā ka hiki i ka po‘e kahiko a pau ke oli. ‘O ka po‘e akamai loa ma ke oli, penei kā lākou, “He aheahe ka leo, he ‘i‘i ikaika i ka pu‘u, he kani nonolo ka leo i ke kumu pepeiao, he ‘olā‘olā ke kani ‘ana i ke kumu o ke kīleo, he ‘olu ka hanu i ka umauma, he pi‘i i luna a he iho i lalo, e naue maika‘i ana ka holo ‘ana o ka makani i ka lau o ke alelo, e hāmama maika‘i ana ka pae niho, a e ‘oaka maika‘i ana ka waha me ke kākāuha ‘ole o ke a‘a” (Kamakau 1996, 238).

Komo ke oli ma nā māhele like ‘ole o ko kākou mo‘omeheu. He mea nui ke mele a me ke oli ma ka ‘oihana hula. A he mau mea nui nō ho‘i ia ma ke ao Hawai‘i. Oli ‘ia ke mele i nā akua, nā kūpuna, nā kānaka, a me ka ‘āina. ‘O ia kekahi ‘ano e ho‘oka‘a‘ike ai me lākou a me nā mea a pau o ka honua.

He mea nui ka leo o ke kanaka. Ke kipa ‘oe i kekahi hale, ‘o ke mele kekahi ho‘okupu i ka ho‘okipa. ‘O ia kekahi mea e komo ai ‘oe ma kekahi wahi hou a me ka hālau hula. Iā Hi‘iaka mā e holo wa‘a ana, ua oli aloha aku ‘o ia i ka po‘e a me ka ‘āina e kā‘alo akula. No laila, ‘o ke mele kekahi ‘ano e hō‘ike aku ai i ke aloha.

Aia i ke ‘ano o ke mele ke ‘ano e oli ai. ‘O nā mele inoa, oli kepakepa ‘ia paha, olioli kāholo ‘ia paha, a olioli ‘i‘i ‘ia paha. ‘O nā mele aloha, oli ho‘āeae ‘ia paha. ‘O nā mele kanikau, e oli ho‘ouēuē ‘ia paha. He nui hou aku nā ‘ano mele like ‘ole, a he nui hou aku nā ‘ano oli. Eia kekahi papa pōkole e ho‘ākāka ana i kekahi mau ‘ano oli ‘ana, penei:

‘O ka ‘i‘i kekahi ‘ano o ka leo oli, ‘o ia ho‘i ka ha‘alulu o ka leo. ‘O ka ‘i‘i ho‘ānu‘unu‘u, he leo e ha‘alulu ana ma ka pana ‘ana. A he mau ‘ano hou aku o ka leo oli e nanea ai ka pepeiao i ka ho‘olohe aku.

E like me ka wā kahiko, he mau mea oli kaulana loa ko kēia wā, a pēlā pū ka po‘e haku mele. ‘O kekahi o lākou, ua mākaukau loa ma nā hana ‘elua. Hā‘awi ‘ia he makana i kekahi haku mele no ke “mele o ka makahiki” ma Nā Hōkū Hanohano (ka ho‘okūkū nui i waena o nā hui ‘oki pā CD o Hawai‘i nei), a hā‘awi pū ‘ia he makana i ka mea oli maika‘i loa ma ka ho‘okūkū hula ‘o King Kamehameha Hula Competition.

‘A‘ole ‘o ke oli ke ‘ano ho‘okahi e puka aku ai ke mele. Mai ka hiki ‘ana mai o ka po‘e mikionali a hiki i kēia, he leo hīmeni ko kākou. ‘Oko‘a ke oli, ‘oko‘a ka hīmeni. Eia na‘e, ‘ike ‘ia nō kekahi mau hi‘ohi‘ona oli ma ka leo hīmeni o kekahi mau pu‘ukani o kēia ao.

E like me ka nui launa ‘ole o nā ‘ano kumuhana like ‘ole o ke mele, pēlā ka nui launa ‘ole o nā pō‘aiapili e oli ai. Ua hiki ke oli ma ke ala ‘ana, ma ka holo ka‘a ‘ana, ma ka ‘au‘au ‘ana, a me ka pā‘ani ‘ana. He oli ko ona, he ho‘olohe ko ke ao.

Nā ʻōlelo noʻeau pili i ke oli

‘A‘ohe i mane‘o iho ke kumu pepeiao i kāu hīmeni. (‘Ōlelo No‘eau #150)
He ‘ōlelo kīko‘olā ia no ka maika‘i ‘ole o kekahi mele a mo‘olelo paha.

Hele ‘ē ka pila, hele ‘ē ka leo. (‘Ōlelo No‘eau #735)
No ka launa maika‘i ‘ole ‘ana o ke kani a ka pila me ka leo o ke kanaka.

I le‘a ka hula i ka ho‘opa‘a. (‘Ōlelo No‘eau #1225)
He kuleana nui ko ka mea oli a ho‘okani ipu ma ka hula.