Last December, I attended a Campus Technology conference in San Francisco, which motivated me to use more Internet technology and social networking in my teaching. Since we were in San Francisco, my colleagues and I decided to visit The Palace Hotel where, on January 20, 1891, King David La`amea Kalākaua died.
Picture a luxury hotel lobby that oozes Victorian elegance - marble floors, ceiling length brocade drapes, crystal and gold chandeliers, historical artifacts housed in glass display cases framed with brass. As we oohed and aahed over the hotel`s opulence, I could not help but feel a sad affection for the place. There we were, so far away from our island, and yet, I felt a connection to the city simply because our Queen Kapi`olani was King Kalākaua`s wife.
In creating this blog, I wanted to rely on the connection I had felt while standing in The Palace Hotel. Like my colleagues and I, King Kalākaua had traveled far away with the hopes of gaining knowledge to help his people, but how was this supposed to help me create a blog?
In October 1881, after King Kalākaua had completed his famous tour around the world, he wrote the mele "Ka Momi." His lyrics express how he had met with and was entertained by the leaders of Europe, Asia and America, and in 1995, in the book Nā Mele Welo: Songs of Our Heritage, Mary Kawena Pukui provides a translation, of which I will refer to, of Kalākaua`s lyrics.
He writes that these world leaders, "rule where millions obey their commands" and then admits, "Only a few thousands can I count under my care." In the next line, he realizes upon returning that "of all the beauties locked within the embrace of these shores, one is a jewel more precious than any owned by my fellow monarchs. I have nothing in my Kingdom to dread." He goes on to describe his Hawai`i, our home, as a "pearl of great price" that "has fallen to me from above. Mine is the loyalty of my people."
Kalākaua was, among many things, an eloquent writer. His willingness to learn from other cultures and his tenacity to preserve Hawaiian culture and arts continue to inspire me. I hope that this course and Kaleimomi will inspire you as well.
References
Armstrong, William H. 1977 (1903). Around The World with a King. Rutland, VT: Charles E Tuttle.
Pukui, Mary Kawena, trans. 1995. Nā Mele Welo: Songs of Our Heritage. Ed. Pat Namaka Bacon and Nathan Napoka. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press.
Go to Huapala Hawaiian Hula and Music Archives to see full lyrics to "Ka Momi."
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