E huli ho‘i mai ē

I sleep so deeply when the chill of the mountain I love dances across the lands that raised me.

It is that very chill that I felt when I wrote the verse about about Waiau in Nopu ka Mana‘o.

“Ola ka wai hālau o Waiau
Huʻi koni ka ʻili i ke kēhau anu
Pāholahola ke kapa noenoe e

May the expansive waters of Waiau continue to give life
Sacred waters that chill the skin
Placing the blanket of mist over the land”

There is something about the moment the icy cold meets my lungs that makes me feel so alive and so present. The cold teaches us so much about deep reverence and respect for the elemental nations. The anu of the uplands humbles us in sacred ways because we are not made to survive there. That is why our ancestors didn’t live on the peaks of our mountains. Those places were, are, and always will be for the deities of water.

I wrote this mele to honor the Wao Akua, the realm of the Goddesses and the Gods, and their kinolau, the physical manifestations of their mana. It is my hope that the words and intention of this song serve as a reminder of our place as kānaka, as servants to the land. This is my humble way of speaking up for the rights of the divine deities that give us life.

I invite you to listen to this song and take a moment to yourself to be held by the mists of the Mauna.

Nopu ka Mana‘o is flowing on all music streaming platforms. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Mauna Kea Education and Awareness.