The song “He Mele No Lilo” was written for the 2002 movie Lilo & Stitch, but it was composed by Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu, a Hawaiian chanter and composer, with contributions from American film composer Alan Silvestri. Lilo & Stitch was heavily researched by filmmakers in order to portray modern Hawaiian culture accurately. This song opens the film and plays while Lilo runs to hula class, where we then see her join her classmates, haole and Hawaiian alike, as they dance hula. Hula is a very important cultural tradition in Hawai’i, in which dance is used to tell stories and is often but not always for a religious purpose. Hula kahiko, hula without Western instrumentation that comes from before 1894, is often performed with a chant or song and accompanied by traditional instruments such as the ipu, a single gourd drum which can be seen in the film. 

The lyrics of the song are in the Hawaiian language, and they speak of many of the volcanoes in Hawai’i as well as several monarchs. Lili’uokalani and Kalākaua were the last two monarchs of Hawai’i, and they both used their throne to help revive hula and Hawaiian music. Lili’uokalani composed one of the most famous songs from Hawai’i, “Aloha ‘Oe”, while imprisoned. The lyrics also speak of many of the volcanoes in Hawai’i, which have held cultural and religious significance for the people of Hawai’i for centuries. Now, these volcanoes are part of the U.S. National Park System, which has allowed them funds to both protect the ecosystems and historical significance as well as provide opportunities to educate millions annually about the history of Hawai’i. 

I chose this song because it was one of my earliest exposures to the culture and language of Hawai’i, where I have been fortunate enough to visit several times. During my travels I have been able to learn about the history and language of Hawai’i, as well as partake in a more recent musical tradition of the ukulele. I love learning the ukulele and using it as a tool to help educate me on Hawai’i and its history while also allowing me to grow my music skills and deepen my knowledge of Western music conventions.