HISTORY
KA WAIHONA A KE ALOHA, Ka Papahana Hoʻoheno Mele is an interactive resource center for the promotion, preservation and perpetuation of mele and mele practitioners. The mākia (motto) for Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha is "Hoʻoheno ka puana i lohe ʻia," "Cherished is the refrain that has been heard," or "Cherished is the refrain, so let it be heard." Both translations provide the understanding that Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha was established to preserve and care for the ancestral knowledge embedded within mele "that have been heard," and to further perpetuate them "so that it be heard." Therefore, to increase accessibility to this knowledge, the preservation, perpetuation, and the dissemination of our peoples' puana is the primary focus.
Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha recognizes the importance of mele and values the wealth of information that is stored within its lyrical content. Likewise, is the mele practitioner, whose repertoire is a storehouse of knowledge, a library filled with important cultural and historical information. Therefore, the aspirations of Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha are two fold; first to create and facilitate opportunities to document, index and archive Mele Practitioners and their repertoire and second to provide access to this information for academic research and future presentation.
NĀ PAHUHOPU
"E Mau Ana Ka Haʻaheo"
I paʻa iho a paʻa pono nā ʻike o nā kupa o ka ʻāina ma o ka paʻi wikiō, ka paʻi kiʻi,
ka hoʻoili, ka hoʻopaʻa leo a me ka palapala hua mele ʻana i nā papahana hoʻoheno
mele, nā haku mele a me nā hoʻopaʻa o Hawaiʻi nei, i waihona no nā hanauna a pau.
"A Koe Nō Nā Pua"
I welo haʻaheo nā ʻike o nā kūpuna a me nā kupa o ka ʻāina ma o ka ʻimi noiʻi a me ka hōʻikeʻike ʻana i kēia mau waiwai, i mea e hoʻonaʻauao ʻia ai ka lehulehu.
Since 2002, Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha has created, established, organized, facilitated, advised, promoted and cared for papahana where mele are placed at the focal point of preservation, perpetuation, discussion, presentation, and performance. Presently, there are 5 major papahana:
In order to support the dissemination of mele information through academic research projects and musical presentations, Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha also created the Tuahine Troupe, a musical group of aspiring mele practitioners and established E Kau A Hua ‘o Kauhua, a mele writers retreat. Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha also published its inaugural monograph entitled E Mau Ai Ka Puana.