Inoa | Name(s)

Oli

Hōʻuluʻulu manaʻo

ʻO ke oli ʻana, ua like loa ia me ka hīmeni ʻana, a hana ʻia me ka leo o ka mea oli. ʻO ke koʻihonua, ke kanikau, ka mele pule, ka mele inoa, ka mele hoʻoipoipo, a me ka mele kaua, kekahi o nā ʻano mele a oli paha i oli ʻia no nā hanana. Aia pū he mau ʻano ʻē aʻe ma waho o kēia kekahi. ʻO kahi mele oli kaulana loa ʻo ia ʻO Kumulipo, a he koʻihonua ia no ka hānau ʻana o ka honua mai ka pō mai. He mea nui ke ʻano o ke oli ʻana, a aia paha i ka mea oli ke koho inā he olioli ʻoe, he kāhoahoa ʻoe, he nīpolo ʻoe, he kepakepa ʻoe, he kāwele ʻoe, a pēlā wale aku. ʻIke ʻia nā oli ma nā moʻolelo a me nā kaʻao. Pili loa ke oli ʻana me ka hālau hula no nā hanana he nui pili i ke aʻo ʻana a me ka hōʻike ʻana i ka hula. Aia he mau ʻano oli i pili i nā ʻano ʻoihana likeʻole kekahi.

Description

Oli is very similar to singing, of which it is done through the voice of the person chanting. Koʻihonua, kanikau, mele pule, mele inoa, mele hoʻoipoipo, and mele kaua, are all types of chants that have been recorded for various functions. There are others outside of just this as well. One famed chant is that of Kumulipo, a koʻihonua which is an origin chant for the universe from darkness. Chants are often seen in traditional stories. The style of voice in oli is also very important and it is up to the chanter how the chant is heard, whether it is olioli, kāhoahoa, nīpolo, kepakepa, kāwele, or others. They are often seen in traditional stories. In particular, oli is associated with hālau hula for various aspects of the learning process as well as the demonstration of hula. There are oli associated with other practices as well.

ʻŌlelo kuhikuhi

E koho i kēia huaʻōlelo no nā kumuwaiwai pili i ke oli ʻana.

Instructions 

Use this term for resources related to oli or chant.

Hana | Practice: Hula

Kūlana | Title/rank: Mea oli

Kūmole | Source(s)

Pukui, Mary Kawena, and Samuel H. (Samuel Hoyt) Elbert. Hawaiian Dictionary : Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian. Rev. and enl. Ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986.

Tatar, Elizabeth. Nineteenth Century Hawaiian Chant. Honolulu, Hawaií: Dept. of Anthropology, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 1982.

Hoʻopili ʻia i | Applied to: Four Kauai chants; Hawaiian chants : an index of published sources and audio recordings

Mea haku | Created by: Keahiahi Long; Annemarie Paikai