Ha‘iha‘i Pua Lehua

Clip: Special | 5m 24sVideo has Closed Captions

Kulāiwi

For Lehua Kalima Alvarez of Na Leo Pilimehana, Kawika Kahiapo and Shawn Kekoa Pimental, the idea to team up and form the group Kulāiwi started in 2018, but the pandemic complicated things.

02/27/2023 | Rating TV-G

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Nā Mele is a local public television program presented by PBS Hawai'i

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(Guitar instrumental) Shawn Kekoa Pimental: How did Kulāiwi get started?

Well, Lehua and I were playing music together for about 10, 12 years.

And along the way, we started writing songs and wanting to do more of our own music as a duo and we brought Kawika in to do some tracks in the studio and we just love the synergy of all playing together.

And it turned into, the conversation was, ‘How’s about we just put a band together?’ And so we said we needed a name for the group and Lehua right off the bat said, ‘What about Kulāiwi?’ Lehua Kalima Alvarez: Literally it just popped into my head and then I had to actually go look it up and see what it meant because I didn't even really know for sure.

And then I found out that it actually, literally meant the land where my ancestors’ bones are buried.

And I thought well that that's very fitting and it also stands for us because our ancestors DNA is within us also, you know as we carry this story, as we carry our songs forward.

Kawika Kahiapo: We've worked with so many other people over the years, but when the concept and the window and I guess the moment that was happening…to just seize what's happening.

What this thing has done is given us focus and purpose.

I'm just so honored to be with these guys, doing what we're doing.

Performance: Ha‘iha‘i Pua Lehua He aloha ‘oe e ku‘u ipo e Ku‘u lei lehua lā pili poli e Pili ‘ia maila me ke aloha e Ke aloha pumehana a mau loa e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Pua ka lehua lā i ka luna e Uluwehiwehi lā i Kīlauea e Hea aku au iā ‘oe e ka ipo e I ke ahi ‘ena‘ena hā‘ena‘ena e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Hā‘ena‘ena i ka li‘a auālipo e I ka lipo lipo lā o ka nahele e Hele na ka pu‘uwai hele hāikiki e Ki‘i e ka ipo lā i ka pali o Kē‘ē Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Ho‘i aku au iā ‘oe me ku‘u waimaka Ka wai ‘e‘elo i ku‘u papalina e Pau ka‘u hana lā i ka pono e Ua pono ho‘i au i ka ha‘ina e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e, e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e Ha‘iha‘i pua lehua i ka manawa e I ka manawa e I ka manawa e (Guitar strumming)