Mele Hawaiʻi reimagined: Makuakāne Fellow revitalizing Hawaiian music through use of experimental expression

Mele Hawaiʻi and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi — Hawaiian music and language — continue to find new life.

Their spirit and essence are being revitalized through the work of a new generation, and specifically that of a University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language doctorate candidate.

Nicholas Kealiʻi Lum is the first doctoral recipient of the Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship. The fellowship was established by the Makuakāne’s daughters in honor of their mother and father’s lifelong advocacy of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and Native Hawaiian cultural education.

Lum is weaving tradition and innovation into his in-depth studies of mele — of old and new.

His dissertation “Pewa: I Ola ke Mele Hawaiʻi i kona Mele ʻia” (“Pewa: The Life of Hawaiian Music in Its Song”) braids traditional Hawaiian mele into modern soundscapes, creating bridges between younger audiences and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through experimental musical expression.

“I define mele as being ‘logogenic,’ which means that words in a genre of music are more important than the musical treatment,” Lum explained in a special university report about his fellowship and work. “And I believe that represents mele Hawai‘i; it’s always the language within the text that is more important.”

The fellowship also will afford him the opportunity to build on his 2023 debut album “Pewa,” using experimental approaches to mele Hawaiʻi that promote cultural resilience and linguistic vitality.

Daughter of Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Teresa Makuakāne-Drechsel said her parents didn’t have formal educational opportunities beyond ninth grade in Puna.

“Therefore, seeing this fellowship support Keali‘i’s doctoral journey is a powerful reminder that their legacy continues to uplift future generations of ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi leaders,” said the kanaka ʻōiwi, or Native Hawaiian, linguist and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumna in the special report.

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language is uniquely positioned as the only institution in the world offering a doctorate level degree in indigenous language and culture revitalization.

It was also designated in 2023 as the first National Native American Language Resource Center, further expanding its role in advancing language revitalization throughout the United States.

“The Makuakāne family has been longstanding supporters of our college, ever since their mother [Lydia] played a big role in the movement that started the Hawaiian language revitalization,” said Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani Director Kaʻiu Kimura in the special report. “It’s such an honor that the family continues to work with us to forward our purpose.”

The Makuakāne Fellowship ensures students — such as Lum — have the resources to complete their research while also carrying forward the cultural knowledge and values that make the College of Hawaiian Language a global leader in indigenous language revitalization.

“Keeping Hawaiian language alive for future generations has always been important to our family,” Makuakāne-Drechsel said. “This endowment is our way of honoring our parents’ values while giving others the opportunity to carry on this important work.”

Visit the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation website for additional information about the Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship or to support Hawaiian language initiatives at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.