Join host Manu Boyd KSK'80 of the KS Ho‘okahua Cultural Vibrancy Group for Mele Hoʻoheno, a new podcast series that explores cherished mele Hawai‘i and connects songs to celebrated haku mele, pae‘āina landscapes and expressions of aloha ‘āina. The 30-minute format highlights selected mele as springboards for discussions sprinkled with colorful mo‘olelo, ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, anecdotes and personal connections.
 
In the first set of monthly episodes, Boyd is joined by Ho‘okahua colleague and long-time friend Kapalai‘ula de Silva KSK'01. As a kumu hula, haku mele and mele Hawai‘i enthusiast, de Silva brings a wealth of ‘ike and interest to the table. The conversations are unscripted, and with ‘ukulele and music manuscripts on hand, the dialogues ebb and flow with spontaneity grounded in deep heritage knowledge.

“When I think of mele ho‘oheno, I imagine the kinds of songs that seem to give you a hug,” de Silva explains. “Ho‘oheno also means cherished but can refer to a mele itself, usually a song expressing aloha for people and places.”
 
The Mele Hoʻoheno podcast journey begins at Waikīkī recalling one of Princess Likelike’s best-known mele, “ʻĀinahau.” The 1875 birth of Princess Ka‘iulani to Archibald Scott Cleghorn and Princess Likelike brought great joy to the Hawaiian Kingdom. As a christening gift from godmother Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani, lands at ‘Au‘aukai, Waikīkī, were added to Cleghorn’s small parcel, where a bungalow and stables served as a country retreat. Princess Likelike renamed those lands “‘Āinahau” for the cool Mānoa breezes from the uplands and memorialized that abode in one of her best-known mele by the same name. Along with Cleghorn’s three daughters from a previous marriage, the family moved to Waikīkī from their home in Honolulu, the current site of The Pacific Club at the corner of Vineyard Boulevard and Queen Emma Street. 

Cleghorn, a successful merchant and horticulturalist, added Arabian jasmine shrubs – also known as Indian jasmine and Chinese jasmine – to his luxurious gardens under which their colorful peacocks would roost. It was Princess Ka‘iulani who later dubbed those fragrant white blossoms “pīkake,” sharing the name of her favorite manu pīkake pets.

Boyd, a great-great grandson of A.S. Cleghorn, adds color to the conversation with ‘ohana insights and pilina to this famous Waikīkī home. Unlike other love songs by Likelike including “Kuʻu Ipo I Ka Heʻe Puʻeone,” “Aia Hiki Mai” and “Lei Ohaoha,” the composer makes the home the centerpiece in “ʻĀinahau”. She does, however, bring herself in by proclaiming that the home is hers, a far-away retreat in paradise. 

Part of the Boyd-de Silva conversation also centers on the “bungalow,” a humble beachside cottage that was expanded, landscaped and renovated over time. Interestingly, the stately home documented in pictorial archives and presented in this podcast was built years after Likelike’s passing in 1887, while Princess Kaʻiulani was away in England and Scotland receiving the education necessary for her to govern the Hawaiian Kingdom. When she returned years later, the “new” ʻĀinahau home greeted her with regal warmth, a gift from her father. The mele, however, recalls the earlier bungalow that Likelike remembered.

E nanea mai! Come and enjoy the moʻolelo of Waikīkī’s legendary royal residence, a home that exemplified Hawaiian hospitality, graciousness, luxurious beauty and aloha ‘āina: ‘Āinahau.

You can find our podcast at Apple Podcasts and Spotify. A special first episode video version of our podcast can be found on Hoʻokahua’s YouTube Channel. New audio episodes will be uploaded monthly. Follow Mele Hoʻoheno on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss an episode!

Up next: Mele ho‘oheno featured in upcoming podcast episodes include “Lei no Ka‘iulani” by John Edwards with a hint of Charles E. King’s “Ka‘iulani Ali‘i,” and “Ka ‘Ōiwi Nani” by Princess Ka‘iulani’s aunt, Queen Lili‘uokalani.

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