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About the Songbook

There are 34 songs. Each one is presented as a pūʻolo (bundle) that contains the lyrics and translation, song story, educational questions, music sheets, audio and video clips, a bibliography, and many resources from the Kamae archive.

By exploring these songs, we hope that their stories, lessons, and aloha will resonate with you. For educators and families, this songbook is a source for curriculum across disciplines in schools and homes.

Explore Songs

An Expression of Sharing

The songbook is an expression of sharing what has been learned. When we learn, share…and share again, our stories, music, and memories live on. It’s the sharing that keeps this vital information alive through the generations. This is what Eddie’s teachers urged him to do.

He Pūʻolo Aloha no Lāhainā

The University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu, in collaboration with The Hawaiian Legacy Foundation, has made a special pūʻolo aloha for Lāhainā. Created by Lilinoe Andrews, this pūʻolo is a compilation of sources that highlight the layered stories of Lāhainā from place names, to moʻolelo, to the song “Kananaka” and video clips from Eddie & Myrna Kamae’s documentary, “Lahaina: Waves of Change.”

How to Access the Songbook

The songbook has 34 songs. Each is an individual pūʻolo that contains many print and audio/video resources. Go to the Songs page to choose a song. On each song page, you can download the pūʻolo filled with print resources, listen to the song with lyrics or music sheets, and watch clips about the song on YouTube or through our partner ʻUluʻulu: The Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive. To learn more about our songbook, check out these pages About Eddie and About Songbook.

Oli Aloha No Eddie Kamae

Composed by Dr. Sam ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa Gon III as a tribute to Eddie Kamae, it was presented to Eddie in June 2012 at the “Truly Hawaiian: Musician Roots of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance” film festival where he was honored for his efforts to preserve Hawaiian music and culture. This oli aloha opens the songbook for us. Click to watch and listen.

The Hawaiian Legacy Foundation

This songbook is part of the ongoing efforts of Eddie and Myrna Kamae’s The Hawaiian Legacy Foundation to document, preserve, and perpetuate the cultural heritage of Hawaiʻi through music, film and video, educational programs, community outreach and archival work. With our commitment to integrate music into our schools, this songbook is a foundation for the music and stories to live on. To learn more about us, our projects, and all our educational resources, visit hawaiianlegacyfoundation.org.

Let’s continue the work

We are raising money for our new endowment with the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu. This fund helps us maintain our archive and create opportunities for students to continue the mission that was given to Eddie by his kūpuna—to keep the essence of culture alive from one generation to the next.

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