Hula Traditions
'Oli, Chant Voice and Style
There is at least 16 different basic ways to use your voice in 'oli.
1.'alala = a style of chanting with open mouth, a vibration, and tremor of the voice, and prolonged vowels; to chant thus.
2. Ha'ano'u = to chant with emphasis and force on stressed syllables.
3. Ha'i kupuna = a chant concerning ancestors, genealogy.
4. Hea 'inoa = to chant a name chant.
5. Helu = to chant a list of names, as of genealogy.
6. He'u = deep throated sounds made in Hawaiian chants and prayers; to chant thus.
7. Ho'ae'ae = a chant with lengthened vowels, aeae - a prolonged sound, wail. A style of chanting with prolonged vowels and fairly short phrases, much used in love chants; to chant in this fashion.
8. Ho'ala ku'ahu = a chant said at the construction of a hula altar (ku'ahu hula), calling on the gods, especially Laka, to possess the altar.
9. Ho'i = a parting chant to which hula dancers danced as they left the audience.
10, Ho'opuka - a chant to which dancers issue.
11. 'I'i = admired deep, rasping sound in chanting; tremor; guttural quality of some sounds, as back vowels or strongly aspirated "h".
12. 'Inoa = name chant.
13. Kahoa = beginning, as of a chant, with others then joining in.
14. Ka'i = the chant during which dancers appear and leave.
15. Kake = chants with mixed or garbled words, for and by the chiefs, with inserted syllables and some secret words (as: nohouwo o luhuna, nohouwo o lahalo, for: no'u 'o luna, no'u 'o lalo, mine are the chiefs, mine are the commoners), to use this language, hula kake, hula done to a garbled chant.
16. Kanikau = dirge, lamentation, chant of mourning; to chant wail, kanikania'ula.
17. Kaohi = style of chanting in which prolonged vowels are cut off with glottal stop.
18. Kau = a sacred chant, as Hi'iaka chants of affecionate greeting to persons, hill, and landmarks: a chant of sacrifice to a deity: to chant thus.
19. Kaukau = a chant of lamentation, as addressing the dead directly; to advise, admonish, especially in a kindly or affectionate manner.
20. Kawele = a kind of chant with clear, distinct pronunciation, somewhat like kepakepa but slower.
21. Kepakepa = a conversational chant, fast rhythmic chant or recitation, with every syllable clearly pronounced and without prolonged vowels and not requiring too much breath. The paha chants are in this style.
22. Malo = a chant in praise of a chief's loin cloth.
23. Nipolo = to drum and chant at the same time. Very rare - start drumming and chanting together.
24. Paeaea = a chant of supplication; to chant thus, perhaps so called asa means of "fishing" for something.
25. Paha = to improvise a chant; an improvised or conversational chant, as the kepakepa or conversational chant.
26. Wa'a = a chant in praise of a chief's canoe.
27. Hano = a humming sound of chanting.
28. 'Uwo = a loudly chanted prayer. To bellow, roar, shout loudly, howl.
29. Ho'o'uwe'uwe = a wailing dirge; to imitate wailing.
30. Kumakena = to lament, bewail, mourn loudly for the dead, grieve.
31. Lile = In unison, as chanting.
32. 'Uwe helu = a wailing call of grief and love, recounting deeds of a loved one and shared experiences; to weep and speak thus, Lit., enumerating weeping.
33. Ho'o'ulu lei = a prayer offered while offering lei on an altar.
34. Namu = Gibberishes in chanting.
35. Kanaenae = a chanted supplication prayer; chant eulogy (the chanter hesitates at regular intervals to recover breath; tone variation is greater and pitch may be higher than in the olioli); to pray thus; to sacrifice.
36. Pule kanaenae ola = a prayer supplicating restoration of life.
37. Mele ma'i = a chant in honor of one's genitals.
38. Kuamuamu = to chant a curse or reviling song.
39. Kuolo = to tremble as a voice, resonate as a chanting voice.
40. Ko'ihonua = Genealogical chants, to sing such chants.
41. Kuauhau = to recite genealogy.
While there are 16 listed terms for the oli defined by context to chant content, the other terms are vocal styles or techniques used while chanting. This is a basic list as there were many other terms used by different chanters in various schools.
Polikapa explained thevoices used in the hula in this fashion, In the old times there were three classifications (mahele) of voice or tone used in the native music.
1. Ka leo kalaleawas the highest. It was also termed leo kala ku. The voice was in the upper register, or at least in that part which was the highest used in song.
2. The 'i'i was not used in the high notes of the kalalea, but only when the voice had sunk to a lower pitch.
3. The hu'i was a tone or two lowerr than the 'i'i, and was at the close cadence. There was no 'i'i in the mele hula. The gutturol and bombastic style or term given to the singing was termed ku'o. There were several varieties of the ku'o. In one the staccato form was used; in another the voice went down by a sliding scale. It was used in the hula, and in the mele helu, or mele 'inoa.
From; Polikapa, June 7, 1906
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