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Hiʻilawe

Written by Sam Liʻa’s father, Samuel Kalāinaina, this classic of Hawaiian music describes a clandestine love affair at Hiʻilawe Falls. The story delves into the kaona in “Hiʻilawe” and reveals a surprising point-of-view detail. Through manaʻo that Sam shared with Eddie Kamae and the multiple meanings attributed to “Hiʻilawe,” this story makes clear that there can be many stories about a song and also many details known only by the composer.

Pūʻolo contains

  • lyrics and translations
  • song story
  • educational questions
  • music sheets
  • bibliography
  • resources from Kamae archive

Listen with Lyrics

Press play in the video and open the lyrics
or music sheets to follow along.

Recording from the 1988 “Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaii” for the KGMB T.V. series, Island Music, Island Hearts. Performed by Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaii. © ℗ KGMB, used with permission.

Watch Video Clips on YouTube and ʻUluʻulu

YouTube videos are documentary clips and full song performances.
ʻUluʻulu videos link to short preview clips from raw footage.

The song “Hiʻilawe” plays in the background while the famous valley of Waipiʻo is introduced in the documentary, Liʻa: The Legacy of a Hawaiian Man.

Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaiʻi (Claybourne “Braddah Smitty” Smith, George Kuo, Joe Marshall, and Dennis Kamakahi) perform “Hiʻilawe” at Camp Olomana, Oʻahu in 1987.

Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaiʻi (Claybourne “Braddah Smitty” Smith, George Kuo, Joe Marshall, and Dennis Kamakahi) perform “Hiʻilawe” on Island Music, Island Hearts. Recorded live at the KGMB studios in 1988.

Eddie Kamae reflects on the time Lydia “Mama” Hale grabbed his ʻukulele while on stage and sang “Hiʻlawe” in the documentary Those Who Came Before: The Musical Journey of Eddie Kamae.

Short preview clip of Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaiʻi (Joe Marshall, Claybourne “Braddah Smitty” Smith, Dennis Kamakahi, George Kuo, and Ocean Kaowili) performing “Hiʻilawe” live at Sea Life Park, Oʻahu in 1991.

Short preview clip of Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaiʻi (Pekelo Cosma, Claybourne “Braddah Smitty” Smith, and Anthony Selvage) performing “Hiʻilawe” at Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s Atherton Studio in 1998.

B-roll footage of the majestic Hiʻilawe falls alongside rarely seen Hakalaoa falls in Waipiʻo Valley, 1987.

To explore more of our digitized collections of raw footage with ʻUluʻulu, visit:
Hawaiian Legacy Foundation: Eddie & Myrna Kamae.

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