He Inoa nō Hi‘iakaikapolia‘opele

‘O Hāmākua
‘O Hāmākua ia
‘O Hāmākua lawe i ka pali ko‘olau
Ke ku‘ukuʻu ala i ke kaula
Ke aki ala i ka ipu i ka niho
I ka pali o Koholālele
‘O Waip‘o
‘O Waimanu
‘O Kohala
‘O Kohala ia

As I prepare for my Hō‘ike this weekend for the first segment of my ‘Ōlapa and Ho‘opa‘a training, I look to the pali of my homelands and see their folds in the folds of my pā‘ū. I see their shadows and crevices in the cresses of my regalia. The voice of my mother, my teacher, echos off of the cliffs I carry on my back, and my response is in my commitment to uphold the traditions she is passing on to me.

I call upon the lineage of Kumu that come before us, who lived and loved the ways of our people so that we would know who we are. Every step, every storied motion, every word, every resonant tone is a sacred agreement to care for our kino kānaka, wailua, ‘āina, mo‘olelo, lāhui, and hanauna.

I step forward into this next phase of my life and next level my responsibilities with my kūpuna at the four corners of my being and a chant honoring Laka on my lips.

He Inoa nō Hi‘iakaikapolia‘opele

📸: @andrewrichardhara