Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 11, 1 November 2000 — Paiʻea CD fit for a king [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Paiʻea CD fit for a king

By Manu Boyd //II e Ho'ohanohano" (a glorification) is I Pai'ea's debut recording paying homage to King Kamehameha I with an array of selecI tions that span more than two centuries of I events. The trio of Dean "Dean-0" Wilhelm, Barret "B" Awai and Stewart "Stew" Kawakami affirms an identity of contemporary Hawaiianness with a keen sense of plaee and cultural pride. "We all went to Kamehameha and played sports together," said Kawakami. "We wanted to honor the institution and the king, and adopted 'Pai'ea' as the group's name." Pai'ea, a given name of Kamehameha's, literally represents a kind of black, hard-shelled crab, and, figuratively, an agile athlete. The group song, co-authored by Kawakami and Hawaiian studies comrade Moke Ka'āpana, describes the King's life from his birth at Kokoiki, North Kohala, his training, and his eventual unification of the islands under single rule. The rolling tempo and action-packed Hawaiian lyrics are powerful. "Moke eame up with the

lyrics for the song, and then it went dormant for a while. When we decided to record, I worked on the music," he said. When asked about the opening chant by Kapono'ai Molitau, Kawakami explained that "I heard Kapono'ai's voice in a hula and chant class at UH, and thought this up-and-coming chanter would be perfect to feature in the CD's opening. The mele oh (chant

lyrics) are Molitau's composition, calling to Kamehameha and other ancient chiefs for guidance, support

and inspiration. The petroglyph logo for the group, depicting young Pai'ea Kamehameha I's legendary lifting of the Naha stone in Kohala, was designed by Kawakami. "In elementary school, we saw a film on the story of Kamehameha and the Naha stone. The story illustrates an awesome accomphshment, but the petroglyph alone was not always recognizable," he said. A detailed drawing by Maile Ka'ai, further depicts the event. "Show me Hōkūle 'a" by Kawakami and Dr. Kanalu

jjj Young is a tribute to the voyagm ing eanoe that, for a quarter eenW tury, has helped drive the resurV gence of the Hawaiian culture. I Nāinoa Thompson shares his f thoughts in an introductory monologue. "I took the Ho'okele (navigation) course that Nāinoa taught, but already knew him from eanoe racing," said Kawakami. "We

' brought him into the recording studio to talk story. His contribution to

the CD was unscripted, right off the top of his head." " Poerava ," Kawakami's recollection of Ha'apiti on the island Mo'orea, speaks of the northern hemisphere star "Hōkule'a" (Arcturas), at Hawai'i's zenith. I was in Tahiti doing a gig and my girlfriend was in Hawai'i. As I stared up at the sky I thought of her and wrote the song." He Ho 'ohanohano" was produced by Kinonui Productions ine. For information, visit online at www.paiea.net. ■

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