Kaulana Nā Pua Analysis

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The Pua that Blossoms Overtime As I sat at my desk one rainy afternoon, looking for some type of inspiration to finish my debate paper for my Political Science course, I unintentionally clicked on “Kaulana Nā Pua” by the Kuleana Project. I had heard this composition many times before in poems, songs, chants, and it was also sung once to close an event I attended. However, as the music played through my speaker, the tears ran down my cheeks. I knew this was exactly what I needed to complete my assignment. Kaulana Nā Pua is not just an ordinary song; it is a song full of purpose, breakthrough, and the process of healing. It was originally written by Ellen Kehoʻohiwaokalani Wright Prendergastin 1893 in opposition of the annexation of Hawai’i to the United States. The musicians, artists, and video director examine the conflicts that exist within the language, cultural knowledge, and values of the Hawaiian culture. This particular song opens up with a chant from a group of Hawaiian charter schools students. One can immediately see that the Hawaiian language is one aspect that has a specific purpose as the story of the song is being told. Although the song is done completely in Hawaiian, it is evident to the …show more content…

They must educate themselves on what has happened to their land, and how to strategically disapprove of it being destroyed again. They are meant to rise up and take the initiative in caring for one another; they have seen that the only way to live on is by coming together as one. Within the song, each musician and the director has spread that same message, that unity and love are the two things that will help people recover from the past. As they work hand in hand, they will see the heaviness of what was, slowly transform into wings like an eagle soaring in the wind, as it lifts from each persons

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