A very old, traditional song. The story explains how Eddie Kamae, on the advice of Mary Kawena Pukui, went beyond libraries and archives to learn more about Hawaiian music. He met with an elderly man known for his remarkable recollection of oral histories and songs named ʻOulu Konanui who shared with him the song “Maunakea.” Within Eddie’s journey, this song serves as a window into his process of researching old Hawaiian songs.
Pūʻolo contains
- lyrics and translations
- song story
- educational questions
- music sheets
- bibliography
- resources from Kamae archive
Listen with Lyrics
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.
About how Eddie Kamae learns the song “Maunakea” from ʻOulu Konanui and Mary Kawena Pukui from the documentary, Words Earth & Aloha: The Source of Hawaiian Music.
Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawaiʻi (Claybourne “Braddah Smitty” Smith, George Kuo, Joe Marshall, and Dennis Kamakahi) perform “Maunakea” on the series Island Music, Island Hearts. Recorded live at the KGMB studios in 1988.
Eddie Kamae shares more about what his teacher Mary Kawena Pukui always told him and how he began to understand it.
To explore more of our digitized collections of raw footage with ʻUluʻulu, visit:
Hawaiian Legacy Foundation: Eddie & Myrna Kamae.