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Ka'ana
(My Cherished Lei of Love)
composed by Barbara Dempsey
Ka‘ana is on the western coast of Moloka‘i, near modern-day Maunaloa. It’s a windswept, open area overlooking the ocean — serene yet powerful. To this day, it remains a sacred cultural site.
According to oral traditions, descendants of La‘ila‘i were among those who migrated or maintained sacred knowledge lines on Moloka‘i by the 11th century. These kumu hula and kahuna pule families carried the ritual and spiritual practices that would later manifest as hula and ‘ōlelo kapu (sacred speech). Laka symbolizes the awakening of sacred movement — the hula that gives life and expression to those genealogies.
It’s believed that by this time, Ka‘ana was already established as a center of teaching — not just of hula, but of ceremonial knowledge, chant, and genealogy — all descended from these divine ancestral lines.
1.
Ka‘ana, shining bright,
Moloka‘i of Hina’s light,
Laka’s touch, the sacred land,
Where hula rose from heart and hand!
2.
Ka‘ana ē, Ka‘ana ē,
Moloka‘i nui, ‘āina ē!
Hā‘a ka hula i ka makani,
Ke kai mālie, ua le‘a nei!
Chorus:
Ka'ana my cherished lei of love
The ka le hula live and rise above
From night flows power, From day flows light
Dance oh dance with hearts so bright
3.
Sway, O dance, in sea wind’s call,
Joyful voice through evening’s thrall,
Beat of drum in midnight’s glow,
Hula wakes, the spirits flow!
4.
Laka ē, e hoʻi mai,
Kuku ka pahu i ka pō,
Hula lele, hula pā,
I ka hanu o ke ao hou!
Chorus:
Ka'ana my cherished lei of love
The ka le hula live and rise above
From night flows power, From day flows light
Dance oh dance with hearts so bright...
Bridge:
Laka, come to us again,
Bless the hearts of mortal men,
Ka‘ana by the silver sea,
Root of hula, love’s decree!
E hula ē, e hula ē,
From Ka‘ana born, forever stay!
Ka'ana, my cherished lei of love
Translation:
Ka‘ana, Ka‘ana,
Great Moloka‘i, beloved land!
The hula sways in the gentle breeze,
The calm sea is filled with joy!
Translation:
O Laka, return again,
The drum beats in the night,
The hula leaps, the hula strikes,
In the breath of the new day!