Mele are chants, songs, or poems. The term comes from the Hawaiian language. It is frequently used in song titles such as "
He Mele Lahui Hawaii", composed in 1866 by
Liliuokalani as a national anthem. Hawaiian songbooks often carry the word in the book's title. Mele is a
cognate of
Fijian language meke
Meke, in the Fijian language, is all traditional style of dance. It is a cognate of the words ''"maka"'' ( Rotuman) and ''" mele"'' in Hawaiian. It is typically performed during celebrations and festivals. Traditionally the dances that comprise ...
.
In practical usage, the word can be combined with other words, such as Mele Hula, a metered chant. The word can either be a noun (He mele keia), or used as a verb to mean "to chant" or "to sing" (E mele mai...).
The 1,255 recordings of Hawaiian chants and songs made by ethnomusicologist
Helen Heffron Roberts
Helen Heffron Roberts (1888–1985) was an American anthropologist and pioneer ethnomusicologist. Her work included the study of the origins and development of music among the Jamaican Maroons, and the Puebloan peoples of the American southwest. ...
1923–1924 are cataloged at the
Bishop Museum in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
as individual meles. The museum database has a separate search category titled "Mele Index". The Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
teaches multiple classes on various aspects of mele.
References
Hawaiian words and phrases
Hawaii culture
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