On a recent Thursday evening, Kumu Hula Mehanaokalā Hind and her students rehearse the Kumulipo at Thomas Square Park.
Their voices are in sync and echo throughout the field on the bustling streets of Oʻahu town side as they recite the rare, cosmogonic genealogical chant that spans 2,102 lines.
“Many of the words that are in there are archaic, not common in our everyday language,” Hind said. “So to do it with the intensity and with integrity that it requires, takes a lot of energy and a lot of research.”
Hind and her students are one of five hālau that performed the Kumulipo at ʻIolani Palace on Sunday to honor Queen Liliʻuokalani’s legacy. She translated the chant into English while imprisoned after the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Some kumu hula have said they’ve heard some people chant about parts of the Kumulipo, but it's rare to hear it in its entirety. However, that changed as hundreds gathered at the palace on Sunday evening to listen to the full Kumulipo.
The last time the Kumulipo was recited in full was in 1999. Jacob Aki was 4, and he performed the Kumulipo this past Sunday.
He started practicing last October, and it was a tremendous task to learn the chant and its origins.
“The way that it's written, the language that’s used, oftentimes aren’t things that you can find in the dictionary,” he said. “For my part, I’m reciting generations of genealogy, and I don’t think if these are people, they’re plants, or animals.”
Hind said she chose to practice at Thomas Square Park because of its historical significance and to infuse the chant with her surroundings.
She spoke while mortar cycles and ambulances were going off.
“The noises of the Harley-Davidsons, the sirens, the police cars, ambulances, helicopters, loud music, all of that is part of this current environment," Hind said. “When we come here and chant, we reclaim space.”
Hind said she hopes the Kumulipo performance will inspire others to rehearse the chant and preserve it for more generations to come.
