Not only flowers, foliage, shells, and seeds are made into lei. Words can be strung on threads of melody and rhythm to craft lei of song. Just as we haku a lei, we also haku a song or chant.
Mele are important as a vessel for holding and cherishing the language. We have experienced so much loss of language, that retaining the mele is critical in retaining patterns of thought and speech.
For more discussion of Hawaiian music, visit Leilehua Yuen on Quora.
Mele and oli lei may contain references to lei, but do not need to, and the mele and oli are, themselves, lei – carefully crafted offerings of aloha. The most famous are those composed for Queen Emma.
This one is from the Mary Kawena Pukui Collection as taught to Māpuana de Silva by Patience Namaka Bacon. Click the link to read the excellent analysis by Kīhei and Māpuana de Silva.
A Maunakea ʻo ka Lani
| A Maunakea ‘o Kalani ‘Ike maka iā Waiau. Kēlā wai kamaha‘o I ka piko o ke kuahiwi. Huli ho‘i mai ‘o Kalani I ke ala kāpekepeke Ui a‘e nei ‘Emalani E ‘eleu mai ‘oukou. He ihona loa ana ia A hiki i Wahinekea Ha‘ina mai ka puana No ‘Emalani nō he inoa | The Heavenly One is at Maunakea To visit Waiau That wondrous water At the summit of the mountain The Heavenly One returns Along that slippery trail ‘Emalani appealed to her companions Be quick We have a long way to go Before reaching Wahinekea This is the end of my song In honor of ‘Emalani |
Here is part of a lei mele for Liliʻuokalani. The entire mele is archived by Nupepa-Hawaii.com.
A mele for Queen Liliuokalani by Mrs. Nahaukapu, 1894
He lei he wehi nou e Kalani
O Liliu i ka walu o na lani
Aia i Hawaii ko lei alii
Ka onohi kaimana o ke aupuni
Mai puni oe i ka mali a ka u’a
A ka ili puakea o Maleka
Huli mai ko alo kapu e Kalani
E aloha i ke kupa o ka aina
Aia i ka poho o ko lima
Ke ola o ka lahui Hawaii
Ua ike Makalii me Kaelo
Ua lohe ka uwila ka pae opua
A he pua o Kalani aia iluna
Ke kiekie no i Halealii
Haina ka wohi nona ka lei
O Liliu i ka walu o na lani.
Aia i Haili, Kō Lei Nani
A lei mele for Queen Kapiʻolani describes the people of Hilo as a lei for her to wear.
Pua Māmane
Excerpted from: Lena Machado, Hawai‘i’s Songbird
For information on this lovely mele, visit the excellent article by by Pi‘olani Motta with Kīhei de Silva.
Pua ʻŌlena
by Jimmy Koholokua
This lovely, and beloved, mele speaks of the ʻōlena blossom, and how it is delicately protected by the bracts.
ʻŌlena [oh LEH nah] translates to English as “yellow.”
The rhizome is used in making yellow dye, as a spice, as a fragrance, and in lāʻau lapaʻau (traditional medicine).
The blossom, bracts, and leaves can be made into fragrant, though short-lived, lei.
The leaf is useful for wrapping food for cooking. It imparts a delicate sweet ginger flavor and scent which goes well with chicken, pork, lamb, and some white fish. It also is good for wrapping rice and curry. The blossom is a tasty addition to salads. Use care in growing and harvesting, as slugs may inhabit the blossoms. Use only those blossoms which are certainly untouched by slugs. Wash leaves well before using.
Following is a set of lei mele which were composed for the district of Kāʻū. Each of the mele can be sung on its own, or the entire set can be performed as a unit.
He Lei Aloha no Ka`u – Hilea
He Lei Aloha no Ka`u – Punaluʻu
He Lei Aloha no Ka`u – Waiohinu
Na `Aina Aloha o Ka`u (Hāʻina)
#HawaiianMusic