From the recording The Song Within the Song
Kamali‘i O Ka Pō
(Kawaikapuokalani K. Hewett)
A kahuna, healer, spiritual and cultural leader, chanter, loea kumu hula, and composer, Kawaikapuokalani K. Hewett is renowned for his beautiful mele, many based on Hawaiian ancestral lore and spiritual teachings. This gorgeous, hypnotic song invokes the Hawaiian creation story, underlined by a refrain which calls to the “Child of the Night” (and of the present day), implicitly urging her to carry forward the teachings of the kūpuna. Jim takes the lead in telling the story, while Paula weaves in the refrain.
PERSONNEL
Paula Kauapalaukī Rudman – vocals
Jim Romano – slack key guitar and vocals
Arrangement by Pūlama
Lyrics
ʻAuhea wale ʻoe, kamaliʻi o ka pō
Eia hoʻi au, kamaliʻi o ke ao
Wākea ka lani, Papa ka honua
No ka luna kō luna, no ka lalo kō lalo
ʻAuhea wale ʻoe, kamaliʻi o ka pō
Eia hoʻi au, kamaliʻi o ke ao
Kō ke akua, haʻi ʻāmio
Kō Lihauʻula, haʻi kupua
ʻAuhea wale ʻoe, kamaliʻi o ka pō
Eia hoʻi au, kamaliʻi o ke ao
Hoʻohōkūkalani ka wahine
Hāloa ke kalo, Hāloa ke kanaka
ʻAuhea wale ʻoe, kamaliʻi o ka pō
Eia hoʻi au, kamaliʻi o ke ao
Aia iāʻoe, ke paukū i waena
Aia i hea ke poʻo, aia i hea ka hiʻu
Listen, child of the night
Here I am child of light
The sky above is Wākea, the earth below is Papa
The heavens are above, the earth below, all in its rightful place
Listen, child of the night
Here I am child of light
The gods reveal through narrow channels
Speaking through the kahuna
Listen, child of the night
Here I am child of light
Hoʻohōkūkalani, the royal mother
Gave birth to Hāloa, the kalo, then to Hāloa, the man
Listen, child of the night
Here I am child of light
You have there with you the middle section of the fish.
But where is the head? And where is the tail?