Hawaiian Word of the Week: Mele

Memories can be powerful. The most powerful thing that triggers a memory for me is smell but the second is music or mele (pronounced: meh-leh) in Hawaiian. 

Mele refers to song, chants, even poetry. When I am in Hawaii, I pay a lot of attention to the mele I hear…whether it is at a local farmer’s island or a live performance at a local festival or even when shopping in stores. I want to hear those songs later on and equate them with that moment in time. When I come home, I listen to Hawaiian mele on a streaming service and immediately I am back on the island….in my happiest of places. 

For something different this week, we wanted to share some of our favorite Hawaiian mele in our Spotify playlist. We hope the mele takes you back to a special time on the island. 

What is your favorite Hawaiian mele? Share with us and we may add it to our playlist!

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