Ke Ala Hoi Ole Mai

By Aldei Kawika Gregoire

Honoring the Land in Historic Obituaries

He kanikau aloha nou e Poliokeawe e, Kuu kaikuaana mai ka po loloa o ka hooilo, Mai ke kula pili holu o Niniau i ka makani, Kuu kaikuaana mai ka malu ulu o Pohoula, Kuuhoa o ka malu hala o Kumunui e, Mai ka la kukanono o Mokulau la, Kuu kaikuaana mai ka malu kukui o Manawainui e, Mai ka ua lu lehua o Haili la, He haili he aloha ia oe e ke kaikuaana e, Kuu hoa mai ka makani lauwili o Kumunui

A farewell poem for you, Poliokeawe, My sister of the long nights of winter, From Niniau’s fields of pili grass rippling in the wind, My sister of the shady breadfruit trees of Pohoula, My companion of the shade of the pandanus trees at Kumunui, In the sweltering sun of Mokulau, My sister of the leafy kukui trees of Manawainui, Of the rain of Haili that scatters lehua flowers, A remembrance of love for you, sister, My companion of the whirling winds of Kumunui

Mireta Kaia for her sister Poliokeawe, Ka Hoku O Ka Pakipika, Oct. 10, 1862

Kuu kane mai ka wai huihui o Punahoa Mai ke kai nehe i ka iliili o Mokulau Aloha ia wahi a kaua e noho ai Kuu kane mai kanahele laau loloa o Ahulili

My husband of the cold waters of Punahoa Of the sea rustling the pebbles at Mokulau Beloved is this place where we lived. My husband of the towering forest at Ahulili.

Kahinu Kahale for her husband Hosea Kahele, Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, Aug. 20, 1881

In ancient Hawaii, grieving death was a public affair. Mourners would often compose and recite chants to show grief.

With Westerners came a new means of communication in writing, as well as a tool to rapidly spread writing among the general public in the form of newspapers. mouthpieces. These papers, such as Ka Nupepa Kuokoa and Ka Hoku o ka Pakipika, also printed death notices. For unknown reasons, newspapers stopped publishing death notices and other vital statistics by the end of the 1860s; the last death notice for Kaupō residents appeared in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in September 1869.

Over time, Hawaiians adopted these new technologies of writing and newspapers and produced eloquent obituaries for those who had gone on “ke ala hoi ole mai,” or the road of no return, and a constant theme of these obituaries is the love of the land.

The first Hawaiian language newspapers were published in the 1830s as missionaryrun publications, but obituaries did not start appearing until decades later with the rise of independent newspapers.

Once obituaries began, they became a staple of Hawaiian newspapers from the 1850s until the last of these newspapers closed shop nearly a century later. From 1857 to 1869, approximately 30 death notices mentioned Kaupō residents. Although brief, the format did expand slightly over time to include additional information apart from the date/name/ gender/age of the initial notices. One such addition was the inclusion of the specific location in Kaupō that the deceased had resided.

Kanikau, poems in honor of the deceased, were already an established feature of Hawaiian culture when Westerners arrived in the late 1700s. However, kanikau did not appear in papers until the 1860s when Hawaiian papers began publishing cultural material in addition to religious articles.

During this period, Kaupō was densely populated with an educated public, with schools at Mokulau, Puuomaiai and Nuu. Because of this, many obituaries for Kaupō residents appeared in the newspapers.

The style of obituaries was not static. The format changed over the years. What started as brief death notices in the 1850s gave way to lengthy poems of lament called kanikau that were popular until the end of the 1800s. In the early 1900s, the biographical style of obituary common today replaced the traditional kanikau.

But though the styles of obituaries evolved over time, the affection for the land is ever present.

In 1856, Ka Hae Hawaii began publication as a government-run newspaper to promote readership among native Hawaiians. Ka Hae Hawaii began printing death notices and other vital statistics (births and marriages) in 1857, and the first death notice including Kaupō residents was published on July 1 of that year.

In the 1860s, independent papers emerged that were not church or government There are about 20 known kanikau that mention Kaupō, spanning from 1862 until 1899. The majority were printed in the 1860s.

Kanikau are full of dense imagery. The writer lovingly recalls the places visited with the deceased and describes these places with descriptive phrases.

From the 1850s to the 1930s, Hawaiianlanguage newspapers presented heartfelt obituaries in formats that changed over time. Simple death notices gave way to traditional poems called kanikau. Finally, biographies replaced kanikau.

Throughout the changing styles, writers expressed a palpable affection for the landscape of Kaupō.

Moving to kanikau, the poems describe areas with sensory-rich details. We can see the grass rippling in the wind at Niniau, feel the sun beating down at Mokulau, and taste the spring water at Waiu.

Finally, biographical obituaries address the land as a living being that must be told that one of its guests would no longer be visiting.

Aldei Kawika Gregoire

Aldei Kawika Gregoire is the grandson of Sam and Pauline Gregoire of Kaupō, Maui. Throughout his childhood he spent weekends in Kaupō developing a deep connection to place. He has combined his passion for Kaupō’s physical landscape and its associated stories with his interest in photojournalism. His website—www.kaupomaui.com—showcases an invaluable collection of Kaupō’s stories, photographs, place names, culture, and history. Please note that diacritical markings (‘okina and kahakō) have been omitted to remain consistent with original sources.