A Hawaiian song by Bryan Kessler, adapted for community singing by Sharee Anderson and Mark Anderson
Hula style movements by Sharee Anderson
This song comes from Kauai and has been handed directly to me by Sharee Anderson.
This song sings of pono, the act of coming into or being in right relationship and integrity.
When I first learned this song, I learned and taught one of many versions that have sprung from the original, that are being circulated with little or no care to the Hawaiian culture the song originates from.
While traveling in Kauai in January 2020, I had the surprise pleasure of singing with Sharee Anderson and hearing her lead the song herself. A few months later, I was honored with a Zoom call in which she and songleader Daniel Nelson taught me Sharee’s true version, complete with much more context.
Sharee acknowledges that, although she has lived in Kauai for decades and has long been an active student of native Hawaiian culture, including hula and spoken language, she is ultimately a haole (foreigner) to Hawaii. She mentioned that she has conflicted feelings about having helped create a song that uses native Hawaiian, but has become so popular in the wild it is being sung by people who have no understanding of Hawaiian language or culture.
As part of my own practice of pono, I asked Sharee for her blessings to continue carrying the song, and to update my teaching of it to reflect her original intention with it, as well as the lesson of how drastically songs can change when they travel without their source’s intention. Sharee gave her blessing and her hope that more people will be inspired to do deeper research on this song and on the other songs they choose to carry, especially those originating within cultures not their own.
Here is my recording of the song, all 3 parts featured and overlapping. You can also hear Sharee herself sing it in the videos below.
Lyrics (Hawaiian):
E Malama i ka heiau
E Malama i ka heiau
E Malama pono i ka heiau
E
(English):
Earth and Sky,
Sea and Stone,
Hold this Land in Sacredness
3rd optional part:
Heiau
Heiau
English Translation:
Yes, we must do what is right and take care of the Earth.
Pono: speaks of balance and of doing healing by being in RIGHT RELATIONSHIP to ourselves, each other, and the earth
More translation information available here and here.
Below is the video Zoom recording of Sharee’s beautiful song, along with the hula style movements she created within the context of studying the artform with native Hawaiians. Sung with Daniel Nelson. This is a very precious recording and is not to be shared without explicit permission. Thank you for understanding.
Also enjoy this video of Sharee leading it herself at a song circle in 2020 (with a finger injury, not part of the hula movements)