The document presents the Hawaiian chant “He Mele no Kāne” (The Water of Kāne), a poetic inquiry that repeatedly asks “Where is the water of Kāne?” and answers it through vivid cosmological, geographical, and mythological imagery. The chant is given in Hawaiian with line‑by‑line English translation, organized into two related versions. The first version locates Kāne’s water at the eastern gate (Ha‘eha‘e), in clouds over the ocean, on mountain peaks, in valleys, and in the sea and rain. The second version expands the imagery to heavenly realms, black clouds, and subterranean springs shared with Kanaloa, emphasizing the water’s sacred, life‑giving power. A glossary follows, defining key Hawaiian terms (e.g., Ha‘eha‘e, Kaulanakala, Pae opua i ke kai, Nihoa, Punohu, Ua koko, Wai kau a Kane me Kanaloa) and providing cultural context drawn from Nathaniel B. Emerson’s work. The document also includes ceremonial headings (Makahiki ʻEha, Ka Inoa, Nä‘ana, Ka Lā, Ka Manawa) and a source note (Kau Häÿulelau 2002). The overall purpose is to preserve and explain this chant for Hawaiian studies, highlighting its poetic structure, mythic references, and linguistic nuances.
Topics
Ritual Framework: Makahiki ʻEha and the Chant’s Formal Structure
The opening sections list the season (Makahiki ʻEha) and headings (Ka Inoa, Nä‘ana, Ka Lā, Ka Manawa) that situate the chant within Hawaiian ceremonial practice.
The Quest for Kāne’s Water: Repeated Question‑Answer Stanzas
Each stanza repeats the query “Aia i hea ka Wai a Kāne?” and answers it by locating the water in a specific natural realm – sunrise gate, clouds over the ocean, mountain peaks, valleys, rivers, sea, rain, mist, and underground springs.
Mythic and Life‑Giving Significance of Kāne’s Water
The chant culminates in a declaration that the water of Kāne is a source of magic, power, and life, linking the deity Kāne with the god Kanaloa and the concept of water as sustenance.
Glossary of Hawaiian Terms and Cultural Annotations
A table defines key Hawaiian words (Ha‘eha‘e, Kaulanakala, Pae opua i ke kai, Nihoa, Punohu, Ua koko, Wai kau a Kāne me Kanaloa) and explains their mythological or observational origins.
Scholarly Attribution: Emerson’s Unwritten Literature of Hawai‘i
The document cites Nathaniel B. Emerson’s work as the source of the glossary and contextual notes, situating the chant within academic study of Hawaiian oral literature.
Repeated Query and Answer Structure: “Aia i hea ka Wai a Kāne?”
The chant’s core pattern of asking where Kāne’s water is and providing a poetic answer, repeated across verses.