Ea mai na lamakū e ho‘okipa
We are here, the beacons of hospitality
Ke nānā nei i nā ‘opua o ka ‘āina e
Observing the clouds over the land
He lokomaika‘i ka manu o Kaiona
Kind is the bird of Kaiona*
Ke ao hou o ka lā e hiki mai ai
The radiant dawn of the rising sun
O nā kai ‘ewalu, o nā kuahiwi
The eight oceans, the majestic mountains,
O nā hā o mākou
Our breath as one
E ola Hawai‘i ē
Survive Hawai‘i
E ola Hawai‘i ē
Heal Hawai‘i
E ola Hawai‘i ē
Live long Hawai‘i
This mele was created with overflowing aloha for all of our hoa makamae in the Ola Hawai‘i project. The mission and journey that has joined us is one of discovery and creation. We go forth together with kindness, humility, and as an ‘ohana.
*‘Ōlelo No‘eau
Said of one who helps a lost person find his way home. The goddess Kaiona, who lived in the Wai‘anae Mountains of O‘ahu, was said to have pet birds who could guide anyone lost in the forest back to this companions.
Reference Cited
Pukui, M.K. 1983. ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings. Bishop Museum Press. Honolulu, Hawai‘i. p.85, proverb 770.
