Mālamalama ka lā nui a Kāne puka i Haʻehaʻe

ʻApakau ke kukuna i ka ʻili kai o nā kai ʻewalu

He ʻike makawalu kaʻu e ʻanoʻi nei

ʻO nā au walu o Kanaloa Haunawela noho i ka moana nui 

He Huʻakai ka makani o Lehua ʻau i ke kai

Kūʻonoʻono ka lua o Kuhaimoana i ke kapa ʻehu kai o Kaʻula 

ʻO Kū i ka loulu, ulu aʻe ke aloha no Nihoa moku manu

Manu o Kū i ka ʻāhui, he alakaʻi na ka lāhui 

ʻO Hinapūkoʻa

ʻO Hinapūhalakoʻa

ʻO Hinakupukupu

ʻO Hinaikamalama 

Hua ka ʻōhua, luʻu ke koholā 

Aloha kahi limu kala, kiaʻi ʻia e ka ʻākala noho i uka 

Hānau ka peʻa, puka ka peʻapeʻa i ke kai

He ʻīnaʻi ka ʻina, ʻono i ka huna o ka paʻakai

Manomano ka ʻike liʻu o ka houpo o Kanaloa 

Koʻikoʻi lua hoʻi no ka lehulehu, ʻo kuʻu luhi ia 

Hanohano wale ka ʻāina kupuna, ʻo nā moku lēʻia 

No Papahānaumokuākea lā he inoa 

‍

The sunrise of Kāne at Haʻehaʻe shine bright

The rays of the sun spread throughout Hawaiʻi

I yearn for the deep knowledge

The knowledge of Kanaloa who lives in the ocean

The Huʻakai wind is of Lehua that swims in the sea

Rich is the pit of Kuhaimoana in the seaspray of Kaʻula

Kū is of the loulu (endemic fan palm) and our respect grows for Nihoa, isle of birds

Manu o Kū (white tern) flies in a bunch and leads the nation

The multiple forms of Hina of coral and moon

The ʻŌhua (juvenile wrasse, tang, unicorn, parrot fish) spawns, the whale dives

Love for the limu kala (Sargassum seaweed) whose land counterpart is the ʻākala/a (Hawaiian raspberry)

The peʻa gives birth to the peʻapeʻa (starfish) in the sea

The ʻina (endemic sea urchin) is the seasoning, delicious with salt

The deep knowledge of our Kūpuna lies in the depths

Extremely important for us to grasp, it is my passion

Honored of the land of my ancestors, the abundant islands

A name song for Papahānaumokuākea

‍

He aloha e ka lā hiki

ʻOhuʻohu i ka ʻehukai

Me ka leo ʻoli o nā manu

I ka maka ‘ōnohi‘ula

‍

Hui: He pūnana, he nu‘a manu

He aloha, ua ho‘i mai 

‍

Pulupē i ka ua nui

I ka hao mai a ka Ulumano

Ha‘ukē‘ukē ka hulu manu

Ha‘ukeke i ke anuanu

‍

Hāli‘imoe one o ke kaiea

E hahani aku i ka hale manu

Huli ʻē ka lima i lalo

Ulu a‘e ke oho kāwelu

‍

Kīkaha mai ke ka‘upu

Manu hehi ‘ale o ka moana

He hali‘a lā, he ha‘upu

I ke po‘i ‘ale‘ale o nā nalu

‍

Lei ana ʻo ʻAilana Hikina
I ka nani o ka pua nohu

ʻO Kaʻōhū kū haʻaheo

ʻO ke kāhela, ua ana ʻia

‍

Holo ana i ke kai kuaʻau

Aniani aku i ke kai lulu

Halulu mai ke kai o waho

He nuʻanuʻa i ka palekai

‍

Puana mai ke aloha

No nā moku o Pihemanu

Me ka leo ʻoli o nā manu

I ka maka ‘ōnohi‘ula

‍

On a whim of inspiration, Kainani threw out a challenge to haku a mele ‘auana on the spot whilst enjoying ourselves at a pā‘ina held at the Midway House. Attending the pā‘ina were the residents of Pihemanu and our group of 18.  

‍

Although no English translation is given, each paukū represents the daily happenings throughout our 4-day stay.  Paukū ‘ekahi (na Pueo) describes our first day on island that began with a stunning sunrise greeting of Kānehoalani and the intensity of the wind moving over the surface of the sea.  Even with the gusting winds, it was our first glimpse of mōlī soaring gracefully overhead.   Paukū ‘elua (na Snow) describes the rain-drenched tour we experienced after leaving our group orientation at the Visitor Center.  It was quite a sight.  The wind was whipping the rain as we rode around on our golf cart limos or visited various places on island.  As much as we were being pelted by the icy rain, the manu seemed to be relaxed and continued sitting on their pūnana. Paukū ‘ekolu (na Kainani) describes our morning service project that we engaged in the following day. Under the guidance of Greg, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist, a group of us planted kāwelu (Eragrostis variablis) in the sand around the old cable houses site.  There were so many Bonin Petrol holes, that we had to be careful not to fall in for if we did, we would need to dig the hole out so that we would trap a bird inside.  Paukū ‘ehā was created in a flash while I was preoccupied with another important task but describes the time we had to take in the island and visiting various sites like the western shore and the northern Rusty Bucket area.  The last paukū to be written included the group’s visit to Eastern island and diving at the outer reef (he pale ko‘a a nā kūpuna).

‍

Nu‘a Manu Traditional Hawaiian Communications Team; created December 2013.

‍