Ka'iwakiloumoku - Hawaiian Cultural Center

Aloha nā ‘Ohana a‘o Hawai‘i
by Josephine “Pine” Kelley

This mele was composed by Josephine “Pine” Kelley of the Niʻihau contingent of the Hawaiʻi Delegation to the 8th Festival of Pacific Arts held in New Caledonia in October-November 2000. It celebrates the hoʻailona of rain and rainbows that the delegation enjoyed during its stay in the Northern Province of this country. According to Pine, these signs tell of God’s presence and love; they serve to bless, in turn, the love that the delegation came to share with the people of a land that is far from home but very much like home.

Aloha nā ʻohana aʻo Hawaiʻi
Kū haʻaheo kākou me ka lanakila
I ka hoʻailona i ʻike maka ʻia
Mai ke aloha ʻoiaʻiʻo o ke Akua.

Hiki aku mākou i Ponokemi
Kau aku i ka hae aʻo Hawaiʻi
Hoʻokuʻu mai ka Haku mana nani
I kona wai ua lani aloha iā mākou.

I Poneliwana ʻike i ke ānuenue
Ko ke Akua berite paʻa mau loa
ʻIke i loko nā kili wai hune
Ke aloha o nā Kanakī me mākou.

I mua e nā ʻohana aʻo Hawaiʻi
He ala hou, a he ala piha
Mahalo i ka Makua lani kupanaha
No ka mālama mai a kiaʻi mai.

Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana
Aloha nā ʻohana aʻo Hawaiʻi
Haʻina hou ʻia mai ana ka puana
Ke aloha o nā Kanakī me mākou.

Beloved are the families of Hawaiʻi
We stand proudly, in triumph
Because of the signs that have been seen
Of God's true love.

We arrived at Poindimie
Where the Hawaiian flag was raised
And the divine Lord released
His heavenly rain, showering us with love.

At Ponerihouen we saw the rainbow
God's eternal covenant
We saw, in the fine misty rain,
The love we share with the Kanakī.

Go forth, families of Hawaiʻi
It is a new awakening and full
We thank the heavenly Father
For His care and protection.

Tell the song’s summary:
Beloved are the families of Hawaiʻi.
Tell again the song’s summary:
The love we share with the Kanakī.

Photo: Kīhei de Silva
Kumu hula Māhealani Chang offers the gift of a kukui pendant to a native New Caledonian – a Kanak – at Ponerihouen, Province Nord, as part of the day-long festivities that welcomed the Hawaiian and Papuan delegations to this remote but exceedingly home-like village on the northeastern coast of Nouvelle Caledonie.