Pūlama

Hi‘ilawe
(Mrs. Kuakini)

History records two mele with the same words but different melodies, written at 
or before the turn of the 20th century.

The singer is a lover who traveled from Puna, in the far south of the Big Island of Hawai‘i, to meet her beloved near Hi‘ilawe waterfall in Waipi‘o Valley to the north, defying local gossips who disapproved of the match. Our version is from the mele attributed to Mrs. Kuakini in Songs of Hawai‘i (1902) as distinct from that attributed to Martha K. Maui and first recorded by the great Gabby Pahinui.

PERSONNEL
Paula Kauapalaukī Rudman – vocals
Jim Romano – slack key guitar and vocals

Arrangement by Pūlama