He Kanikau Aloha Keia Nou e Luakauwawahine: This is a Lamentation of Love for you Luakauwawahine

With the advent of writing and the publishing of native-language newspapers in the islands, the Hawaiian people began sharing their grief at the loss of loved ones with others across the islands. These kanikau and uwe helu (lamentations, dirges, and wailing), such as the kanikau of Aupuni, describe the cultural attachment that people of old shared with their environment, and are significant sources of cultural knowledge. The mele laments are rich with information about wahi pana, named places, sites, resources, winds, rains, and traditional knowledge of the land.

Feberuari, la 2, 1862, ma Kualoa, Koolaupoko, make o ke Aupuni w., oia ka la Sabati, hora 9 o ka po.  

Haku iho au i wahi kanikau nona. Eia malalo iho kona wahi kanikau.

Kanikau aloha no ke Aupuni, 
Kuu wahine mai ka po loloa o ka Hooilo,
Mai ka makani anu he Hoolua…

…Kuu wahine mai ke kula wela, o Waianae
Hoomaha aku kaua i Puuokapolei,
Auwe kuu wahine.
Kuu wahine mai ke kula la o Ewa,
Mai ka i-a hamau leo i ka makani,
Kuu wahine mai ke kula la o Kemoo,
Mai ka wai aku o Kaukonahua,
Kuu wahine mai ke kahawai aku o Waikakalaua,
Mai ka ihona o Kipapa,
Aloha ia kula a kakou e hele ai,
Elua kaua, hookahi keiki,
Kuu wahine mai ka laula o Ewa,
Mai ke awa lau o Puuloa¹

The translation of the kanikau follows.

February 2nd, 1862, at Kualoa, Koolaupoko, Aupuni (f.) died, it was the Sabbath, 9 o’clock at night.

I composed this lament for her. Here, below is a lamentation for her.

This lamentation is for Aupuni,
My wife of the long winter nights,
from the cold Hoolua winds…

My wife with whom I travel the hot plains of Waianae
We rested at Puu o Kapolei
Alas my wife.
My wife from the plains of Ewa,
From the place where the fish quiet the voice in the wind,
My wife from the plain of Kemoo
From the waters of Kaukonahua,
My wife from the gulch of Waikakalaua
From the descent of Kipapa,
Love for that plain over which we traveled,
The two of us and one child.
My wife from the expanse of Ewa,
From the many bays of Puuloa²

¹“He Kanikau,” Nupepa Kuokoa, April 19, 1861, p. 4.

²Translated by Maly.

Here is a kanikau in which wahi pana around the island were cited while lamenting that Kekamalahaole shall never again see or travel to those places with the composer of the mele:

…Pau makemake ia Laie,
A oi pili Nauolewa i ka makani…

…Koekoele i ka papa auwae o Makaaho,
Opai na kuli o Nanakuli i ka makani,
I ka uhene honeia e ke kaha o Waimanalo,
Ke oni aela me na wahine o ka mao i Puuokapolei,
Aohe hana a ke kula o Hoaeae,
I ka lawe malieia e ka wai o Waipahu,
Heaha la ka makani he Waikoloa,
E apa nei i ke kula o Punahawele,
I ka milimili a kaa miliia e ka wai o Kamili,
I milia mai e Manana noho Weloka i ka lai,
Lea ka apaapa i ke kula o ka Wailiula,
Ke nana ia luna o Kaehaeha,
O ka maikai o ke kula e waiho nei,
Ua pahee a nolu wale i ke pili…
…O ka hoi no o maua a pili me kuu aloha–e,
Aloha oe – o Kekamalahaole he inoa.
[signed] L.¹

The translation is below.

There is no desire for Laie,
or to be close to Nauolewa in the breeze…

Rattling upon the path of Makaaho,
The knees of Nanakuli tremble in the wind,
Murmuring along the coastal plains of Waimanalo,
Moving about with the women in the ma‘o growth at Puu o Kapolei,
There is nothing to be done on the plains of Hoaeae,
The water of Waipahu is tenderly taken,
What is it to the Waikoloa wind,
Waiting upon the plain of Punahawele,
Caressed and fondled by the waters of Kamili,
Caressed at Manana, dwelling peacefully at Weloka
Joyfully dawdling on the plain of Wailiula
Looking to the heights of Kaehaeha,
The find plain which is set there before us,
Simply sliding and swaying on the pili grass…
…Let us two return to be with my love—
Love to you – Kamalahaole is your name.2

¹“He inoa no Kekamalahaole,” Nupepa Kuokoa, June 4, 1864, p. 1.

²Translated by Maly.

There are thousands of references contributing to the history of Honouliuli Ahupuaa. From those references are found classes of information covering such topics as

•  Residency: land ownership and access;
•  Paakai: salt making;
•  Kai lawaia: fisheries and access;
•  Ranches and the land development programs in Honouliuli;
•  Water development, railroads, and the Ewa Plantation; and
•  Military condemnation of Honouliuli lands and offshore waters.

The selected narratives categorized as Land Use: Development Period provide eyewitness accounts to historic events. While there are few identifiable references for the immediate area of the Hoakalei program, the narratives give us an historical context for understanding changes on the land since western Contact.