The Feeling Inside "Kahiko Chant"
The album opens with deep-rooted chants that honor the ancestors and establish a sacred connection between the people, the land, and the divine.
Within Kai Mana, this song is one facet of love for Maui: gratitude, memory, longing, sensuality, reverence, playfulness, or release shaped for listeners who arrive with different moods and needs.
Images the Song Carries
- sacred vocalizations
- ancient tradition
- land and divine
- breath and earth
Lyrics and Hawaiian Gloss
E kū mai, e nā kūpuna!
E ala mai, e ka ʻāina!
Response
Kū mai! Ala mai!
Ka leo o ka wā kahiko!
Call
E hoʻōho, e ka makani!
E hāpai, e ka nalu!
Response
Hōʻaho! Hāpai!
Ka mana o ke kai!
Call
E pūlama, e ka lā!
E mālama, e ka mahina!
Response
Pūlama! Mālama!
Ka mālamalama o ke ao!
Call
E hoʻomaikaʻi, e nā akua!
E hoʻomaikaʻi, e ka honua!
Response
Hoʻomaikaʻi! Hoʻomaikaʻi!
Ka pōmaikaʻi mau loa!
English Translation & Meaning
CALL
Arise, O ancestors, stand tall!
Awaken, O beloved land!
RESPONSE
Stand tall! Awaken!
Hear the echoing voice of ancient days!
CALL
Cry out, O rushing winds!
Lift up, O soaring waves!
RESPONSE
Cry out! Lift high!
Behold the divine power of the sea!
CALL
Cherish us, O radiant sun!
Protect us, O gentle moon!
RESPONSE
Cherish! Protect!
Behold the light that illuminates the world!
CALL
Grant your blessings, O heavenly gods!
Pour forth your grace, O sacred earth!
RESPONSE
Blessings upon blessings!
An everlasting abundance for all time!
About the Translation
Ancestral Connection: In Hawaiian culture, kūpuna (ancestors) and ʻāina (land) are living forces. The translation uses "stand tall" and "awaken" to capture the active, reverent invocation of these guiding powers.
Mana and Light: Words like mana (spiritual power) and mālamalama (cosmic light/enlightenment) are rendered with active, vivid verbs (e.g., "Behold the divine power," "illuminates the world") to match the reverent and ancient emotional temperature of the opening ceremony.