Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 10, 1 October 2001 — ʻKamakeleʻ is about kanikapila, Kona style [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻKamakeleʻ is about kanikapila, Kona style

By Manu Boyd They say that when Hawaiians live away from home, they grow to appreciate the islands and their culture so mueh more. That appears to be the case with Kona-born "Bulla" Ka'iliwai, whose father*s military career took the Ka'iliwai 'ohana to California, Missouri and Germany. Eventually returning to Kona, he graduated from Konawaena High School 1993, oddly with a Midwestern twang, but his thirst for things Hawaiians continued to grow. Bulla eventually joined Kū Kanaka Kaua O Kona, the hālau of Kumu Hula Jay-Jay Akiona, serving as an alaka'i or lead dancer. When the troupe debuted at the Merrie Monarch Festival in the late '90's Ka'iliwai was a part of the awardwinning line. He credits his grandfather, slack-key master Raymond Kāne, for his interest and aptitude in Hawaiian music, although his instrument of

ehoiee is the 'ukulele. His brand of music is "leo ki'eki'e," the falsetto J genre that has experi- l enced a groundswell of fl interest over the past flf m

1997 was pivotal ir Ka'iliwai's musical career, when he made his second appearance at the Clyde "Kindy"

Sproat Storytelling and

Falsetto Singing Contest carrying away with him the first-place trophy. That prize also included a recording project, thanks to the generosity and full-fledged falsetto support of Don McDiarmid Jr.'s Hula Records. A mele inoa or name chant for "Kamakele" opens the CD, composed and performed by Lopaka Santiago of Hālau 0 Kekuhi. Santiago,

incidentally, took top honors in the B 2001 falsetto contest won by Ka'iliI wai two years earlier. The mele ' acknowledges three generations who bear the name Kamakele, whose ancestral roots are in Kona.

■ Among composers of new material ■ on the project are Ka'iliwai, I Kealoha'āina Simeona, Kalani ' Meineeke and Kēhau Tamure. Standards such as Bina Mossman's "'Ano'/ Pua" and Rose Peters' Kona fāvorite, " Hōnaunau Pāka," give the debut project

a feeling of familiarity. As the cultural assistant at the Aston Keauhou Beach Resort, Ka'iliwai has the opportunity to share his rich heritage with malihini eaeh day. With a foundation in hula, chant, composition and falsetto, "Bulla" Kamakele Ka'iliwai has a bright future in the business, and should eonlinue to make Kona proud. ■

[?]

Mfi f 'Aii ana I/ S| «... I Ll ^ 1 I 1 I ¥