Kahuli Leo Lea

The Kāhuli Leo Leʻa (KLL) “Kani Kō i Lohe ʻia: Linguistic Genealogy in Mele” project will preserve and perpetuate the unique language of mele by recording contemporary mele and producing educational resources. These resources include a webinar with the Haku Mele to explain their practice and composition, lyric sheets, and written educational material (e.g., fact sheets dissecting the components and multi-level dimensions of the mele). These resources will promote education and understanding to learners of all ages, in order to engage with the Hawaiian language through this extremely under-represented cultural practice of knowledge: mele. Grant funds will help KLL produce four recordings with a specific focus on the preservation of Hawaiian language attributes that can only be found in mele. Funds will also allow KLL to expand its capacity and reach more learners, educators, researchers, recording artists, and music consumers globally as project resources will be available via the KLL website (kahulileolea.org) to the general public.