"Aloha 'Oe", Mele Oli, and Mele Hula
“Farewell to thee” - “Aloha ‘Oe” in Hawaiian
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Today, we’ll talk about various aspects of the performing arts in Hawaii, from music to mele to hula. Because the Polynesians did not have a developed written language until the early 19th century, most stories and histories were passed down through oral and performance mediums.
When it comes to Hawaiian music in popular culture it would be remiss if there was no discussion about “Aloha ‘Oe” written by Queen Lili’uokalani. Often regarded as one of the most famous Hawaiian songs and a cultural relic of Hawaii, the song has been played on multiple places, from movies like Lilo & Stitch and Train to Busan to shows such as Spongebob Squarepants and Tom and Jerry. There are multiple accounts for the origin story of the song, but the most common one is about a farewell embrace with military Colonel James Harbottle Boyd during a trip then-Princess Lili’uokalkani made to Maunawili.
While “Aloha ‘Oe” has extended its influence into popular culture, it is just as important to look at aspects of Hawaiian folk music. The Hawaiian term for this is mele, which is any form of chant, song, or poem. The Hawaiian language does not have a direct translation for the word “music”, but it does have multiple words to describe various forms of verbal, rhythmic, and oral performances. Loosely, mele can be composed of two types: mele oli and mele hula.
Mele oli are chants that are often performed by a single person and do not incorporate any musical instruments. The places where mele oli is used is diverse. Because of no written language, many oli is used to describe one’s genealogy or the legends and tales of chiefs and figures. In other ways, it is used to express appreciation and beauty of the natural world around them. When American missionaries came to Hawaii, they saw oli as demonic and prohibited any performances of that art form. Through the usage of hidden meanings and concealed words called kaona, much of the information stored in these oli have been preserved.
Mele hula are chants that have music instruments involved, as well as a group dance component. Instruments are made from plant material in the form of drums or rattle. Others include the bow instrument ʻūkēkē and nose flutes like the ʻohe hano ihu. The form of dance that is seen in popular culture is hula ‘auana, which is often regarded as a heavily westernized version of hula. In its music, the focus for having a singing melody and accompanying harmony is often thought to be influenced by western culture, and in their costumes, leafy dresses and pants were not part of traditional hula until it was popularized by western influences.
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Sources and additional materials:
- Multiple renditions of “Aloha ‘Oe”: link
- More information about “Aloha ‘Oe”, as well as translations for the lyrics: link
- On the Westernization of Hula: link
- Significance of oli in Hawaiian culture: link
- Different types of oli: link
- Mele and Hawaiian Music: link.
- Performance of “Queen’s Jubilee”: link
- Different types of oli: link