Kaho`olawe - Words by Mary Heanu Music by John Noble
Kaulana ka inoa o Kaho`olawe lâ Lei ana i ka pua o ka hinahina   Olelo kauoha no ku`u aloha Hina wau ika hewa mamuli o`u   Mahea eke ala hiki aku ai Ko ae eke au i Kaho`olawe   Ike ana ika nani oia âina Meke kai hone mai maka paia   Noho aku hoi wau la ho`olono I kani hone mai leo oka manu   Heaku no wau e o mai `oe Lei ana ika pua oka hinahina	Famous is the name of Kaho`olawe And the lei of hinahina flowers   It commands my love For you, engulfing me everafter   From whence comes this fragrance It comes to me from Kaho`olawe   I see the beauty of this land Encompassed by sweetness from the surrounding sea   I will go to sit and listen To the pleasant chirping of the birds   When I call to you, please answer Lei of the hinahina flowers
Source: Miriam Kekaulouhi, premier under Kamehameha III, established a penal colony for men on Kaho`olawe in 1839. Women convicts were banished to Lana`i. Government supplies of food did not always arrive and nâ pa`ahao (prisoners) suffered from hunger and many died of starvation. In March,1841, 15 men decided to swim to Maui for food. They prayed at Aikupau and when the tide ran towards Maui, they set out on their journey across the Maui channel, landing at Pu`uolai near Makena. They raided the coast line and loaded stolen canoes with provisions for their return to Kaho`olawe. The canoes were then sent to Lana`i to bring the female pa`ahao to Kaho`olawe. The penal colony was closed in 1857. Copyright 1934, 62 Miller Music Corp