{"id":8970,"date":"2024-11-14T14:37:10","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T20:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=8970"},"modified":"2024-11-18T13:08:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T19:08:30","slug":"aloha-oe-a-story-of-stolen-sovereignty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2024\/11\/14\/aloha-oe-a-story-of-stolen-sovereignty\/","title":{"rendered":"Aloha &#8216;Oe: A Story of Stolen Sovereignty"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While looking through the Library of Congress\u2019 National Jukebox collection, one song that caught my eye was \u201cAloha Oe.\u201d Specifically, it caught my eye because the composer listed was Lili\u2019uokalani, who I\u00a0 know as the last sovereign monarch of Hawaii, and who was removed from power by a coup orchestrated by the US government. Queen Lili\u2019uokalani is a fascinating historical figure; she worked tirelessly for the sovereignty of the Hawaiian people even during her imprisonment after the overthrow. She was also a prolific composer and poet, mainly writing in the style of mele ho\u2019oipoipo, which are love songs that incorporate nature metaphors. Looking through translations of songs she wrote, I think that some undoubtedly would fit into any collection of protest songs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAloha Oe\u201d is one of Lili\u2019uokalani\u2019s most well known songs\u2026 Some people may recognize this tune from \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m0BYbPjlujc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lilo and Stitch<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QqifDTN6v5g\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Johnny Cash\u2019s recording<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The version below (sorry, you have to click to view on YouTube) was recorded by four famous Hawaiian musicians and was used in a TV special about the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. The lyrics of this song convey a lover\u2019s goodbye, but it has been interpreted to represent the farewell of a queen to her country; a lament for the loss of Hawaiian sovereignty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zXOzNiKceps?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">Ha\u02bbaheo ka ua i n\u0101 pali<br \/>  <em>Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs<\/em><br \/>Ke nihi a\u02bbela i ka nahele<br \/>  <em>As it glided through the trees<\/em><br \/>E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko<br \/>  <em>Still following ever the bud<\/em><br \/>Pua \u02bb\u0101hihi lehua o uka<br \/>  <em>The \u02bbahihi lehua* of the vale<\/em><br \/><br \/>Aloha \u02bboe, aloha \u02bboe<br \/>  <em>Farewell to you, farewell to you<\/em><br \/>E ke onaona noho i ka lipo<br \/>  <em>The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers<\/em><br \/>One fond embrace,<br \/>A ho\u02bbi a\u02bbe au<br \/>  <em>'Ere I depart<\/em><br \/>Until we meet again<br \/><br \/>\u02bbO ka hali\u02bba aloha i hiki mai<br \/>  <em>Sweet memories come back to me<\/em><br \/>Ke hone a\u02bbe nei i ku\u02bbu manawa<br \/>  <em>Bringing fresh remembrances of the past<\/em><br \/>\u02bbO \u02bboe n\u014d ka\u02bbu ipo aloha<br \/>  <em>Dearest one, yes, you are mine own<\/em><br \/>A loko e hana nei<br \/>  <em>From you, true love shall never depart<\/em><br \/><br \/>Maopopo ku\u02bbu \u02bbike i ka nani<br \/>  <em>I have seen and watched your loveliness<\/em><br \/>N\u0101 pua rose o Maunawili<br \/><em>  The sweet rose of Maunawili<\/em><br \/>I laila hia\u02bbai n\u0101 manu<br \/><em>  And 'tis there the birds of love dwell<\/em><br \/>Miki\u02bbala i ka nani o ka lipo<br \/>  <em>And sip the honey from your lips<\/em><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*A flowering plant, I highly recommend reading more about the cultural context in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dlnr.hawaii.gov\/hisc\/files\/2018\/10\/Rapid-Ohia-Death-Poster.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">this handout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from the Hawai\u2018i Forest Institute &amp; Hawai\u2018i Forest Industry Association.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The recording I found in the National Jukebox is performed by the Toots Paka Hawaiian Company. The Toots Paka Hawaiian Company was a popular group of the \u201chula craze\u201d around the 1920\u2019s. Toots Paka was a vaudeville hula dancer, who claimed Hawaiian heritage. Listen to the recording here:<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/jukebox-650171\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"917\" class=\"wp-image-8978\" style=\"width: 279px;height: auto\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM-1024x917.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM-1024x917.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM-300x269.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM-150x134.jpg 150w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM-768x688.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM-335x300.jpg 335w, https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/11\/Screen-Shot-2024-11-14-at-2.35.01-PM.jpg 1164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While it is impossible to definitively confirm Toots\u2019s training in hula\/ Hawaiian heritage, census records show that she was born Hannah Jones in Port Huron, Michigan, and that she began dancing under the stage name Tootsie Jones. She seemingly got into performing hula when she married one of the performers of the Hawaiian Glee Club, \u201ca group of K\u0101naka Maoli musicians who were touring the mainland as a novelty band performing both innovative and traditional Hawaiian music and steel guitar shows\u201d (Gentry). The act evolved into \u201cToots Paka Hawaiian Company,\u201d with their advertising centering around Toots and her physical beauty. In interviews, Toots perpetuates colonial ideas of the unending youthfulness of Hawaiian women and an Edenic image of Hawaii, and she undoubtedly used a caricature of Hawaiian culture to her advantage in building an entertainment career. However, Gentry writes that one of things that makes Toots Paka interesting among vaudeville hula performers is her true proximity to K\u0101naka Maoli musicians; they performed in the Hawaiian language, and as I mentioned before, Aloha \u2018Oe is certainly a meaningful song. In contrast, some performers at this time used a \u201cHawaiian Ragtime\u201d style and blatantly nonsense lyrics.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The National Jukebox recording has some similarities to the version performed by Israel Kamakawiwo\u02bbole and company. They are slow in tempo, use stringed instruments, and harmonies that sound somewhat similar. However, the message and purpose of the songs in context are very different: one recording continues a long tradition of commodification, while the other offers a more reflective view on the injustice that Native Hawaiians have endured.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bibliography<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cAloha Oe.\u201d Accessed November 14, 2024. https:\/\/www.huapala.org\/Aloha\/Aloha_Oe.html.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gentry, Briand. &#8220;\u201cMore Hawaiian than Hawaii itself\u201d: The Hula Craze and US Empire in the Progressive Era.&#8221; Feminist Media Histories 9, no. 4 (Fall, 2023): 81-107. Doi: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1525\/fmh.2023.9.4.81. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/scholarly-journals\/more-hawaiian-than-hawaii-itself\/docview\/3112827257\/se-2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/scholarly-journals\/more-hawaiian-than-hawaii-itself\/docview\/3112827257\/se-2<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lili\u02bbuokalani Trust. \u201cHer Story.\u201d Accessed November 13, 2024. https:\/\/onipaa.org\/her-story.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toots Paka Hawaiian Company. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aloha Oe<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. New York, New York, 1914. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/jukebox-650171\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/jukebox-650171\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While looking through the Library of Congress\u2019 National Jukebox collection, one song that caught my eye was \u201cAloha Oe.\u201d Specifically, it caught my eye because the composer listed was Lili\u2019uokalani, who I\u00a0 know as the last sovereign monarch of Hawaii, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2024\/11\/14\/aloha-oe-a-story-of-stolen-sovereignty\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5301,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1563],"tags":[1474,39,1668],"class_list":["post-8970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall-24-mus-345b","tag-hawaiian-music","tag-national-jukebox","tag-queen-liliuokalani"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jEhR-2kG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8970"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9008,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8970\/revisions\/9008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}