A Molokai Ka Pua I Lohia

Composer Liko Puha (2004)

A chant for Nona Beamer
Chant Style: Olioli Kholo
Mele Category: Mele Aloha

At Molokai is the precious

A Molokai ka pua i lohia ao Maunakea flower of Maunakea

The flower that my heart

Ka pua hoi a ka manao e kau ai a hlwai maka eagerly anticipates seeing

Inviting is the sweet

Onaona ke ala e aheahe mai nei fragrance carried by the
gentle breeze

Heahea maila ka leo nahenahe The soft welcoming voice beckons

A deep affectionate response filled

He leo makamaka nona n ke aloha with love for her is given

He aloha , he aloha n An expression of love

Oia ua ikea It is known

He mele aloha no Kapuailohia A poem of love for Kapuailohia

In 2004, Liko Puha composed this mele aloha as a gift to honor and venerate Aunty Nona
Kapuilohiamanono Beamer, he hulu kupuna, a treasured elder and mentor. Liko was just one
of many Aunty Nona blessed with her warm embrace, her countenance with eyes and sweet
voice filled with aloha, with whom she lovingly shared her vast knowledge of Hawaiiana.

This mele was taught to the intermediate oli class of the 2004 Aloha Music Camp held in
Kaupoa, Molokai. It was chanted to Aunty by the class at hike.

20 January 2014 Liko Puha

A Molokai Ka Pua I Lohia
Composer Liko Puha (2004)
A chant for Nona Beamer
Chant Style: Olioli Kholo
Mele Category: Mele Aloha

Mele Notes by Liko Puha

A Molokai...
At Molokai...

In 2004 I was invited to be an instructor and the Aloha Music Camp held at Kaupoa, Kaluakoi,
Molokai the location for Aloha Music Camp 2004. This line provides a geographical context and a
nature reference. I knew Aunty Nona would be there.

ka pua i lohia ao Maunakea

...is the precious flower of Maunakea

Aunty Nonas middle name is Ka-pua-i-lohia-manono-ka-lani. For this mele, I used the Ka-pua-i-lohia,
the precious flower. The precious flower of Maunakea. The reference to Maunakea is significant
two-fold. It is the highest peak of the Hawaiian Islands, providing an immediate metaphor of how I feel
about Aunty. She is indeed like Maunakea, the highest in my esteem known throughout Hawaii.

Secondly, Maunakea is located on Hawaii Island where Aunty Nona was raised as a child. She also
lived and worked on Oahu and Maui. But when this mele was composed, she had returned to Hawaii
island, living in Waikea Uka, a land division of Hilo on the eastern slope of Maunakea.

Ka pua hoi a ka manao e kau ai a hlwai maka

The flower which I eagerly anticipate seeing

The metaphor of Aunty Nona as a flower continues. Even when residing in the same town (Hilo) I
rarely saw Aunty. I share my feeling of eagerly anticipating our meeting face to face (eye-to-eye) and
how my thoughts constantly dwell upon her until we do.

Onaona ke ala e aheahe mai nei

Inviting is the sweet fragrance carried by the gentle breeze

Note that I used a linked thought (manao kui) from the end of the previous line to the first word of
this line producing Maka onaona or attractive eyes. The attraction continues in this line with the
onaona now linked to the inviting sweet fragrance of the flower borne upon the gentle breeze, placing
myself in Auntys presence.

20 January 2014 Liko Puha

A Molokai Ka Pua I Lohia
Composer Liko Puha (2004)
A chant for Nona Beamer
Chant Style: Olioli Kholo
Mele Category: Mele Aloha

Heahea maila ka leo nahenahe

The soft welcoming voice beckons

The sweet fragrance is now accompanied by Aunty Nonas soft voice, beckoning me to be near her.
Heahea is an inviting call like when you visit someones home and they see you arriving. They come
outside and invite you in, not waiting for you to knock on the door. The leo nahenahe is also a
reference to Auntys son Keola Beamer. Keola plays Khalu, in the nahenahe style, an attitude that
he infuses into his music. Being nahename is something I believe Keola learned from his mother.

He leo makamaka nona n ke aloha

A deep affectionate response filled with love for her is given

Upon receiving the invitation, my heart leaps to respond. The phrase nona n ke aloha is purposeful
to truly show how much I adore her and also incorporating Auntys most common name Nona into the
poetry.

He aloha , he aloha n
An expression of love

I incorporate linked assonance from the end of the previous line to this one with the word aloha. The
love filled response continues and now focuses attention on the entire mele that was just presented
as a chant. The response is an expression of love, the mele is an expression of love.

Oia ua ikea.
It is known

When I originally composed this mele for Aunty, I ended it with Ae, which means indeed. But since
Auntys passing, I have changed it to Oia ua ikea, an chant ending she commonly used. She also, in
her own subtle way, suggested that it should be so for this mele.

20 January 2014 Liko Puha