La`akea and Kaena dancing hula somehow embodies an experience that transports us to another place and time. On our website we refer to this as the Realm of the Gods.

The hula that was performed is entitled, “Kunihi Ka’ena Holo I Ka Malie”. The version we use comes from the book entitled, “Pele and Hi’iaka; a myth from Hawaii, by Nathaniel B. Emerson, 1915. This mele tells of Hi’iaka (favorite sister of Pele) and her journey to fetch Pele’s lover, Lohi’au who was on Kaua’i. On her way back from Kaua’i, she and her entourage landed on the sands of Mokuleia, and as Hi’iaka made her way to the slope of the Wai’anae mountain to pay respects to her ancestral divinity Ka’ena, she looks back at the path taken and according to her custom, she recited her experience in form of a song…”Kunihi Kaena Holo I Ka Malie”. The mele describes the significant land divisions on the west side of O’ahu and winds associated with that area. It also describes the intense effects of the sun on her and the landscape.