Just in time for Mahina ‘Ō濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month), PhD candidate Nicholas “Kealiʻi” Lum is turning social media into a classroom for cultural deepening.
Hiʻona Haku Mele, Lum’s new Instagram video series, invites learners to explore the poetic soul of Hawaiian music, going beyond conversational speech to uncover the unique lexical phrases that make mele (songs) distinct.
“There are specific pieces of language and ways of expression that make mele unique and separate it from common speech,” Lum explained, adding that he was inspired by Kahikina De Silva, an assistant professor at 东精影业 惭补苍辞补’蝉 , who recommended that Lum document these poetic devices in his dissertation.
Hiʻona Haku Mele launched on February 1 on and Instagram accounts, and new episodes will drop every Monday and Thursday throughout the month. Each minute-long video highlights a specific term, explains its function, and provides examples from recorded albums. “?A东精影业ea”—listen, heed my words—is featured as the first episode’s offering.
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Lum notes that while spoken Hawaiian and “mele language” share a foundation, Hawaiian haku mele (composers) use musical jargon to convey ideas more descriptively or poetically.
“Our kupuna had ways of expressing emotion in a far more beautiful way than saying something so literal,” explained Lum.
Makuakāne scholar
The initiative is just one part of Lum’s broader academic and creative journey. As a doctoral student at , Lum was recently named the first recipient of the . This award honors the Makuakāne family’s lifelong advocacy for ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and supports scholars dedicated to Indigenous language revitalization.
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