Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 3, 1 March 1987 — Hawaiian Language Key to Composer's Songs [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian Language Key to Composer's Songs

Jimmv Kaholokula and Na Kaholokula .]

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA

Na Kaholokula is a familiar name in the ohana of Hawaiian music, including a Hoku Hanohano award earned during its early years. Virtually little has been written about NaKaholokula, how it all started and the man responsible for this talented musical family whieh today is still making good music and entertaining people. However, there has been a slight change in Na Kaholokula's styling today because of reasons whieh will be explained later in this report. James Kalei Kaholokula was born 68 years ago in Pauwela, Maui, to Kaleikapu Kaholokula and Mary Kume Kaholokula. Three other brothers and a sister completed the family. Jimmy, as he is more widely known, is the lone survivor today. One of his brothers died of pneumonia at the young age of 22. The others died in their 70s. Kaleikapu Kaholokula was a fu!l-blooded native Hawaiian and Mary Kume was a full-blooded Japanese hanai by a Hawaiian family. As a result, she grew up mastering the Hawaiian language and was a very knowledgeable source in na mea Hawaii, culture, legend and crafts. She was the epitome of perfection in the Hawaiian language and gave her son the inspiration to write and sing Hawaiian songs. According to Jimmy, his mother had this one advice for him: "Write songs but be very careful (about the language) when you write them." "Don't brag," she would advise him. Jimmy has been just that. He shuns publicity and notoriety and this is believed to be the first comprehensive interview he has granted. Jimmy is a modest and private person fluent in the Hawaiian language. This interview was conducted in both Hawaiian and English.

Jimmy, a grade school dropout, has composed a total of 42 songs whieh he accomplished between 1971 and 1978, all in Hawaiian except for maybe four whieh eontain a few English words. He wrote his first incomplete song at age 22 in 1942 and it wasn't until 1971 when he really set his mind to composing that he finished it. During that span of composing, Na Kaholokula was born in 1972. The group recorded four albums containing virtually all of Jimmy's songs, featuring the eomposer himself at age 54, his two sons, Kimo, who was then 22, and Robbie, then 13. Harold Kama, 24, an unele from Hilo, completed the group. "Pua Olena," "Ke Ahi Wela,"and "Ke Ali'i,"along with possibly three others, are among Jimmy's songs recorded by others. When asked why his many other songs are not sung by other artists, Jimmy replied: "It's because of the difficulty in pronouncing the Hawaiian words I used in writing these songs. They are not your regular Hawaiian words and phrases." Jimmy said many people who heard his songs didn't believe he was the composer. "They thought my mother wrote them but she was gone already. I wrote the way I felt. It wasn't perfect and if I did it the wrong way, it was my fault," Jimmy explained. Mary Kume Kaholokula passed away in 1971 at age 81. Her husband died in his early 50s. The words in Jimmy's songs were kaona whieh on the surface had a straight meaning but the underlying definition may have contained a humorous incident or a joke. "Anyway, some of it was a little kolohe," Jimmy added. The first four albums of Na Kaholokula includes Jimmy . A fifth album and a single are by his sons and Unele Harold.

Following service in World War II, Jimmy settled on Kauai in 1949. He also entertained on Maui before relocating. On Kauai, he went into the monkeypod logging business and opened up a monkeypod wood factory. He was also a tourist driver and then switched to landscaping the Kapaa Sands condominium grounds until 1978 when he had a heart bypass. There have been five bypasses. Of all his compositions, Jimmy said his favorite is "Ke Ahi Wela," whieh is a love song he wrote for his wife, the former Harriet Kamala Kama of Hilo who is resident manager of Kapaa Sands. It is an all Hawaiian song. Sons Kimo and Robbie are carrying on the Na Kaholokula tradition but with a contert]porary styling. They are in their third year at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Hotel on Kauai where they perform with cousin Nathan Pikini of Honolulu. Unele Harold has his own group on

Hawaii. They do an excellent performance, periodically show-casing some of their dad's compositions, mixing the traditional with the contemporary along with two lovely hula dancers. It is a show that is not overly eommercial and touristy. A good sprinkling of hapa haole tunes and one or two popular hits plus just the right amount of patter make for an entertaining evening. As for the patriarch of the Kaholokula family, he is taking it easy for a spell but may return to the eomposing scene soon. Following his 1978 bypass, he eompleted one song whieh has not yet been published and "I have two more in the back of my head." It is only proper that this Hawaiian, who has eontributed so mueh to Hawaiian music, be counted among those who feel enriched during the celebration of Ho'olako 1978: The Year of the Hawaiian.

. ... ^ oiwpi Jimmy Kaholokula

Na Kaholokula at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Hotel from left to right, Nathan Pikini, and Robbie and Kimo Kaholokula.