Mele meets moʻolelo at Kamehameha Maui’s song competition

April 21, 2025

Kamehameha Schools Maui students are preparing for this year’s ʻAha Mele with more than rehearsals. With mele rooted in place and pride, this year’s event brings generations together for a true celebration that sounds and feels a lot like home.

Set for May 2, the annual competition, themed “Eō e Maui Hikina: Mai Koʻolau a Kaupō,” will feature each grade level performing mele tied to one of the four moku in East Maui: Koʻolau, Hāna, Kīpahulu and Kaupō. Led by kumu Kalei ʻAʻarona-Lorenzo KSK’85, the event builds on a growing tradition of connecting mele to place. To prepare, conductors and media students traveled across the moku to gather stories with kūpuna and walk the lands behind the lyrics.

“It’s like calling out ‘Eō e Maui Hikina!’ like when the teacher calls attendance. It’s that recognition of East Side Maui,” said Kauwela Valeho-Novikoff, KS Maui librarian and learning and innovation officer.

For Valeho-Novikoff and her daughter, ʻEleu Novikoff KSM’06 – who are both from Hāna – the experience was deeply personal. The KS Maui limahana helped organize and support the huakaʻi, which brought them back to places and people they hadn’t visited in years.

“The most rewarding part was sharing our home with these haumāna – many of whom had never been to Hāna or hadn’t returned since they were kids,” ʻEleu said. “They got to see the places, rains and ponds they’re singing about, so that connectivity will come through in their voices when they sing proudly with their class.”

Junior Kahaliʻaokuʻuhāola Kana-Yarborough will conduct her grade level in “Nani Wale Keʻanae,” a tune about her hometown. Before they sing, her grandmother will share family stories in a video that brings another level of meaning for the returning alakaʻi.

“I have a kuleana to my family and ʻāina to really bring out the moʻolelo of Keʻanae through our mele,” said Kana-Yarborough. “My classmates and I all have connections to this place, so we want to make sure we show those emotions when we sing.”

Audiences can expect an evening rooted in pride, pilina and place. Many of the kūpuna interviewed will be in the room, making each performance a full-circle moment for both haumāna and kaiāulu.

“ʻAha Mele isn’t just singing or a performance,” Kana-Yarborough said. “It’s a night of ʻike and learning the moʻolelo behind the mele.”