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Maddy Lam composed this song for Kahauanu Lake as a gift to his wife, kumu hula Maiki Aiu. The song was first danced by April Peeples Chock and presented as a hoʻokupu (gift) to Maiki. Aunty Maiki loved her mele and it became the signature song of her halau. This mele compares a sweetheart to the beautiful ʻāhihi blossom. The ʻāhihi, a low spreading shrub-like bush with a twisted trunk (Metrosiderous) is a form of lehua. Lanihuli is the peak west of the Nuʻuanu pali gap, on the island of Oʻahu where the ʻāhihi grows profusely.
The lyrics translated from Hawaiian are as follows:

O ‘Ahihi you are the source of my desire, the lei caressed lovingly by my affection
It is a pure love that has come to me, a fragrance that teases the heart
You are a precious in my sight, strikingly beautiful atop Lanihuli
Turn then to me, let us share comfort, let me be warmed in your embrace
The story is told for my lei, the ‘Āhihi blossom of Lanihuli

Performance Notes

The performance notes for this piece will be online here shortly (Mar 2018).
Keola Beamer