Hawaiian Song Words - Folk Dance Federation of California, South Inc.

Folk Dance Federation of California, South, Inc.

Hawaiian Song Words
Compiled by Dick Oakes

Laupahoehoe Hula

Laupahoehoe is a village nestled amid the towering cliffs of the Hamakua Coast on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. It lies on a lau (leaf) of smooth pahoehoe (lava) that juts into the sea at the mouth of a valley. Legend says that once Poliahu, the snow goddess of Mauna Kea (the higher of the two major peaks), defeated Pele (the fire goddess of Kilauea crater) by freezing the lava. One result was this picturesque little peninsula with its large palm grove and small town.

This boastful song of a boy from Laupahoehoe was written by Ermgard Farden Aluli. The youth sings with pride of his strong, supple body and how it performs for him. After climbing tall cliffs, fishing in the river, and braving the sea in a canoe, he then goes home to eat lots of poi (a traditional staple food made from starchy vegetables, usually breadfruit, taro, or plantain).

Masculine exuberance is the keynote of this hula that utilizes both ancient and modern men's hula motifs.

/ Eia mai au o ka boe la
Aʻo Laupahoehoe la
Kihikihi na poʻohiwi la
Kūkonakona ke kino la /

Me aʻole kapiʻi na pali la
Hāʻiona me na alu la
Ike kahawai aku a'u la
Ika o'ʻopu na wāʻo la

Ahe hoe paʻa ia hana la
Ike kai hā nupanupa la
Aʻole kaʻu me hopo la
Ina ale o ke kai la

Haʻi mai au a ka hale la
Nūnui na miki aʻi la
Kuʻono'ono o loko la
Kukonakona ke kino la

Hāʻina mai ka puana la
Eia mai au o ka boe la
/ Aʻo Laupahoehoe la
Kihikihi na poʻohiwi la /

Here I am, the boy
From Laupahoehoe
With strong shoulders
And supple body.

I'm not afraid to climb high cliffs –
I'll make them into small hills.
Into the river I dive
And swim like the o'opu fish.

I paddle my boat
Through rough seas and
I'm not afraid
On the paths of the seas.

Come to my house
There's plenty of food.
It tastes so good and
Makes my body strong and supple.

Tell my story.
I'm the boy from
Laupahoehoe
With strong shoulders.