Juliana Walanika (September 21, 1846 – September 6, 1931) was a court musician and favorite of King

Kalākaua Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), sometimes called The Merrie Monarch, was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kin ...

and Queen Liliuokalani, the last rulers of the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

. She was known as the "Manoa Nightingale" or "Hawaii's Nightingale." She was also known as "Julia Walanika" or "Julian Walanika."

Biography

She was born September 21, 1846. During the final quarters of the 19th-century, Walanika became one of the most popular singers of Hawaiian music. She was a favorite of King

and Queen Liliuokalani, the last rulers of the

. Known as the "Hawaiian Nightingale", she helped modernize Hawaiian music. Liliuokalani sent Walanika to different parts of the islands to perform modern versions of old '' meles'' and

chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

s, thus creating the general style of the day. Walanika moved to Southern California in later life and died there on September 6, 1931, at the age of 81. Her passing was noted in Hawaii with the front page of the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

newspaper ''Ka Nupepa Kuokoa'' dedicated to her life and legacy. Her ashes were buried in the Manoa Hawaiian Church yard. Walanika's son July Paka is credited with introducing the

Hawaiian steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ac ...

to the United States. She influenced later Hawaiian performers including the Hawaiian soprano-falsetto singer and composer

Lena Machado Lena Machado (October 16, 1903 – January 23, 1974) was a Native Hawaiian singer, composer, and ukulele player, known as "Hawaii's Songbird". She was among the first group of musical artists honored by the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 1995. N ...

. Historian

George Kanahele George Hueu Sanford Kanahele (1930–2000) was a native Hawaiian activist, historian and author. Biography George Hueu Sanford Kanahele was born October 17, 1930, in Kahuku on the island of Oahu of Hawaii. Kanahele graduated from Kamehameha Scho ...

described how Machado sang with the "Hawaiian style reminiscent of

Nani Alapai Nani Alapai (December 1, 1874 – October 1, 1928) was a Hawaiian soprano singer of Native Hawaiian and Filipino descent during the early 1900s. Despite not receiving any formal musical training, she was hired as a vocalist of the Royal Hawai ...

, Juliana Walanika, and

Helen Desha Beamer Helen Kapuailohia Desha Beamer (September 8, 1882 – September 25, 1952) was a musician, composer of songs in the Hawaiian language, hula dancer and coloratura soprano of Hawaiian ancestry. Her descendants have also become accomplished artist ...

Lorrin A. Thurston Lorrin Andrews Thurston (July 31, 1858 – May 11, 1931) was an American lawyer, politician, and businessman born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Thurston played a prominent role in the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Q ...

, a man pivotal in the

Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii The overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a ''coup d'état'' against Queen Liliʻuokalani, which took place on January 17, 1893, on the island of Oahu and led by the Committee of Safety (Hawaii), Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign ...

in 1893, noted that Walanika "was the first of the modern Hawaiian singers" who made the song "Poli-anu-anu" or "Cold Bosom" well known.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walanika, Juliana 1846 births 1931 deaths People from Oahu Musicians from the Kingdom of Hawaii Native Hawaiian musicians