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Nā Pali Coast ʻOhana is a grassroots non-profit foundation dedicated to the preservation of the natural and cultural resources of the Nāpali Coast State Park, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi.
E mauʻana ke ea o ka ʻāina i na
hanauna o ka wa mamua
Preserving the life of the land for future generations.
A Ka Luna
A ka luna pali Kamaile
Mania nei piko i ta honua
Naue aku, naue lā, naue e ke hoa
A hiki i ke kai o Nuʻalolo
Eō i kou inoa ua hiki mai nei au
Naue aku, naue lā, naue e ke hoa
Inspired by A Ka Luna Waipiʻo, adapted by Sabra Kauka and Lu Niheu Koerte.
Download/Play audio of A Ka Luna (mp3 file)
The departure chant
ʻŌʻili pulelo ke ahi o Kamaile
Ka momoku pāpala aʻe welo ana
ʻAu hau aloha kolo i Makuaiki
Aia lā i kai lā, ua hoʻia
The fire of Kamaile rises in triumph
Pieces of pāpala streaming [in the wind]
Beloved firebrand gently blown to Makuaiki
There it is, at sea, it has gone [returned]
"Ōʻili pulelo ke ahi o Kamaile" is a poetic saying that conveys a sense of triumph. Pukui says it is said as an ʻōlelo noʻeau (traditional saying) of "... of one who is victorious over obstacles." [ʻŌN 2392] "(ʻŌʻili) pulelo ke ahi o Makuaiki" was used in the same sense.
Pāpala, per Pukui & Elbert's Hawaiian Dictionary, refers to "All species of a native genus (Charpentiera), shrubs and small trees, belonging to the amaranth family. Formerly on the north coast of Kauaʻi, Hawaiians used the wood, which is light and inflammable, for fireworks, throwing burning pieces from cliffs." The word is also used as a synonym for a firebrand. "Ke ahi pāpala welo i Makua (chant), the streaming pāpala firebrand at Makua."
"Stalk of a hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) tree, spear made of hau wood. Ahi ʻau hau, firebrand (of light wood, as hau" Hau, the other wood used for ʻōahi (fireworks), is a Polynesian introduced tree in the hibiscus family.
This vocabulary is borrowed from a once widespread chant for Kaluaikoʻolau. "Kalalau kā i luna / Alahaka i Nuʻalolo / Ua kohu ʻauhau / Kokolo i Makuaiki." (Ka Makaainana, Volume I, Number 4, 22 January 1894 -- Ke Aiwaiwa Koolau).
na N. Kamakaokalani Gallagher no ka NPCO, Iune 2023. This chant is to be used only for departure from Nuʻalolo.
Download/Play audio of Ke Ahi O Kamaile (mp3 file)
About Hawaiian diacritical marks
The Hawaiian language uses two diacritical markings. The ʻokina (okina) is a glottal stop, similar to the sound between the syllables of "oh-oh." In print, the correct mark for designating an ʻokina (okina) is the single open quote mark. The kahakō (kahako) is a macron, which lengthens and adds stress to the marked vowel. For example 'pau,' depending on placement of ʻokina (okina) and kahakō (kahako), can mean completed [pau], smudge [paʻu], moist [paʻū] or skirt [pāʻū].
Depending on your browser, operating system and installed fonts, you may be able to display Hawaiian diacritical marks. If not, they will generally appear as boxes or question marks.
The latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, and Internet Explorer display the ʻokina and kahakō correctly.
If you do not see a single open quote mark and the 5 vowels (upper and lower case) on the line below, then you may want to consider using a newer browser.
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