Kamehameha Schools Maui’s annual class song competition returns with mele worth working for.

On May 1, the ʻAʻapueo campus will saddle up for ‘Aha Mele, honoring the generations of ranching families who shaped Maui’s history, identity and community. This year’s theme, “Nā Mele Paniolo: Eō e nā paniolo o Maui Nui,” is led by senior Kukamaehuikapono Kahaloa, whose honors Hawaiian research project became the foundation for the campuswide focus. What began as an assigned topic turned into something more meaningful.

To understand that legacy, Kahaloa traveled across Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, sitting down with ranchers and, at times, stepping into their work. At Kaonoulu Ranch, he didn’t stay on the fence.

“I felt kind of weird… standing on the outside and just watching,” Kahaloa said. “So I hopped in and then was helping them wrestle cows and take them down to hold them to get branded.”

What he saw firsthand was a culture grounded in hard work and care for ʻāina.

“They love what they do, and in taking care of the ʻāina, they get that love back,” Kahaloa said.

Across interviews, one message came through consistently: beyond the hard work, paniolo life is deeply rooted in place.

“Spending time on the ranch, you feel something different: there’s calmness, grounding,” said Ronnelle Suda-Gomes, an administrative coordinator at KS Maui who helped connect students to ranches through her family’s ties to the industry. “The beauty of the land, the open spaces, and the rhythm of ranch life create a sense of peace that’s hard to describe.”

That sense of place comes from the pilina between people and ‘āina, both caring for each other.

“You feel the presence of history all around you, the stories of ancestors who lived and worked on that ʻāina, and the values they carried: hard work, humility, respect for the land, and deep commitment to ʻohana,” Suda-Gomes said.

As she sees those values passed on within her own ʻohana, including to her grandson who is a kindergartener at the school, they also carry into the mele each class will bring to the stage. Freshmen will sing songs rooted in Molokaʻi paniolo. Sophomores honor the Hawaiʻi cowboys who competed in a world roping contest. Juniors celebrate the landscapes of Kaupō and ‘Ulupalakua, places shaped by ranching traditions. Seniors will close with mele that reflect on legacy, language and farewell.

“Our students are growing up on the same ʻāina where these traditions lived,” Suda-Gomes said. “When they practice kuleana and laulima, they’re not just learning skills. They’re carrying forward a legacy of resilience, humility and aloha ʻāina.”

For Kahaloa, he hopes audiences see that legacy in their performances — and the new composition he is writing for the event.

“What I hope people take away is the value that paniolo bring to us as a people,” Kahaloa said. “It’s about love for the ʻāina and putting your blood, sweat into what you do.”

On ʻAha Mele night, that work will carry through every note. Tune in on May 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/RA6D-w9vV3I
 

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