LEI O KO'OLAUPOKO
Composed by Kalama Pastor
Mele Pana | Place-Name Chant
Mele Inoa | Name Chant
Lei o Koʻolaupoko is a mele pana (place-name chant) and mele inoa (name chant) honoring the goddess Laka. The composition traces the water cycle and ancestral boundaries of Koʻolaupoko on Windward Oʻahu, utilizing a seven-fold hiʻi motif (Hiʻilani, Hiʻialo, Hiʻipaka, Hiʻilei, Hiʻikua, Hiʻipoi, Hiʻipoli) to express the cradling, protective relationship between the land, the elements, and its people. As the chant moves through each valley, it gathers the lush foliage into a garland offered in stewardship, protection, and care.
Hawaiian Text & Translation
He wai ola huna kō lalo o lalo
Hiʻilani ʻo Laukoa iā Lanihuli
Hiʻialo ʻo Kīaweawe i nā pali
Pulu iho ʻo ʻĀpuakea i uka
Hiʻipaka ʻo Kanikoʻo iā Heʻeia
Hiʻilei ʻo Pōʻaihale iā Kahaluʻu
Lele aʻe ʻo Hāmama i Waiheʻe
Māpunapuna nā wai puna i Kaʻalaea
Kāheʻe aku ʻo Waianu i Waiāhole
ʻŪlāleo nā kumu wai i Waikāne
Kumupaʻa kuapā Mōliʻi i Hakipuʻu
Hiʻikua ʻo Holopali iā Kualoa
ʻAla ʻo Limulīpuʻupuʻu i Waimānalo
Hiʻipoi ʻo Malanai iā Kailua i kai
Ulu mai ʻo Ulumano i Nāonealaʻa
Kūpaʻa kuapā Waikalua i Kāneʻohe
Molo aʻe ʻo Mololani i Mōkapu i lani
Ua lino ʻia i ka lino i ka honua
Hiʻipoli 'o Koʻolaupoko i nā pua
I ka wai ola a ka ʻohu i ka la'i
He inoa no Laka
There is a hidden, life-giving water deep in the foundation
Where the Laukoa rain cradles Lanihuli in exaltation
The Kīaweawe rain cradles and drapes over the Koʻolau cliffs
As the ʻĀpuakea rain pours down to saturate the uplands
The Kanikoʻo rain cradles and nurtures Heʻeia like a child
The Pōʻaihale rain cradles and cherishes Kahaluʻu close like a lei
The Hāmama waterfall leaps and sprays upward at Waiheʻe
While freshwater springs bubble and throb with life at Kaʻalaea
The Waianu stream pours and surges forward at Waiāhole
The water sources resound with ancestral voice at Waikāne
The ancient wall of Mōliʻi fishpond is firmly rooted at Hakipuʻu
Even as the Holopali wind cradles Kualoa on the back
The Limulīpuʻupuʻu breeze is fragrant at Waimānalo
The Malanai breeze cradles and protects Kailua at the shore
The Ulumano wind blows strongly inward at Nāonealaʻa
Yet the seawall of Waikalua fishpond stands steadfast at Kāneʻohe
The Mololani wind spirals upward at Mōkapu into the heavens
The earth is bound in brilliance and splendor
Koʻolaupoko cradles its cherished flowers close to the heart
Within the mistʻs life-giving water in the profound calm
In the name of Laka
About the Composition
The chant follows the natural flow of water, wind, and ancestral memory down through the district:
The Mountain and Valley Rains (Uka / Kula)
The chant opens in the ethereal beauty of the wao akua (realm of the gods). Here, the Laukoa rain cradles Lanihuli in praise, the Kīaweawe rain cradles and drapes over the Koʻolau cliffs, and the ʻĀpuakea rain saturates the uplands. High above the pass at Waolani, Kapo (Kapoʻulakīnaʻu) established sacred hula, oli, and ʻūniki protocols. Moʻolelo records that Keaomelemele’s ʻūniki under Kapo at Kahuwailanawai was accompanied by thunder, lightning, and earthquakes that shaped the Nuʻuanu Pali pass. Lower in the valleys, the Kanikoʻo rain waters Heʻeia and the Pōʻaihale rain holds Kahaluʻu like a cherished lei.
The Valley Streams & Springs (Wai)
Winding down toward the sea, streams, waterfalls, and springs emerge at Waiheʻe and Kaʻalaea. These water sources mark the journey of Kāne and Kanaloa through Koʻolaupoko, where Kanaloa sought fresh water for ʻawa and Kāne struck his ʻōʻō (digging stick) into the earth to release life-giving springs and streams across the land. The Waianu Stream meets with the wide flow of Waiāhole Stream at Waiāhole, and the water sources Waiʻololī (narrow male waters) and Waiʻololā (broad female waters) meet at Waikāne. This union recalls the primal dualities in the Kumulipo, where male and female elemental forces unite to create and nourish life.
The Shoreline & Estuaries (Kai)
The stonework of Mōliʻi fishpond at Hakipuʻu anchors the coastline as an ancient foundation (kumupaʻa) alongside the Holopali wind at Kualoa. The chant sweeps across the shore with the fragrant Limulīpuʻupuʻu breeze of Waimānalo, the gentle Malanai breeze of Kailua, and the gusty Ulumano wind at the landing sands of Nāonealaʻa, finding landfall at Waikalua fishpond in Kāneʻohe, where the seawall stands as an enduring and steadfast sanctuary (kūpaʻa). It was here at Nāonealaʻa that high chief Laʻamaikahiki landed from Kahiki with the first kāʻeke drum protocols. Oral tradition records that Haikamalama first heard the ancestral pahu Hāwea and Laʻamaikahiki's drum ʻOpuakea across the water, memorizing their rhythms by tapping them out on his chest.
Sky & Celestial Binding (Lani)
At the Mōkapu peninsula, the Mololani wind spirals upward into the sky (i lani) as it settles the earth (honua) into profound calm. This rising wind links the ocean shoreline back to the celestial expanse of Wākea and the foundation of Papa, completing a continuous spiritual circle around the district. Here, the seven expressions of hiʻi gather at the heart (poli): this garland of land, water, and ancestral lineage is held close to the heart (hiʻipoli), sheltering both the forest foliage and the cherished people (nā pua). In this way, Koʻolaupoko reveals itself as part of Laka’s verdant realm, resting under the protective cover of mountain mists where life-giving waters continue to flow.
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