Just in time for Mahina ¡®Ō±ô±ð±ô´Ç Â鶹´«Ã½ (Hawaiian Language Month), PhD candidate Nicholas “Kealiʻi” Lum is turning social media into a classroom for cultural deepening.
Hiʻona Haku Mele, Lum¡¯s new Instagram video series, invites learners to explore the poetic soul of Hawaiian music, going beyond conversational speech to uncover the unique lexical phrases that make mele (songs) distinct.
“There are specific pieces of language and ways of expression that make mele unique and separate it from common speech,” Lum explained, adding that he was inspired by Kahikina De Silva, an assistant professor at UH ²Ñ²¹²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯²õ , who recommended that Lum document these poetic devices in his dissertation.
Hiʻona Haku Mele launched on February 1 on and Instagram accounts, and new episodes will drop every Monday and Thursday throughout the month. Each minute-long video highlights a specific term, explains its function, and provides examples from recorded albums. “?AUHea”—listen, heed my words—is featured as the first episode¡¯s offering.
Related UH News story: Mele Â鶹´«Ã½ Reimagined: UH Hilo Makuak¨¡ne scholar bridges past and present, October 2025
Lum notes that while spoken Hawaiian and “mele language” share a foundation, Hawaiian haku mele (composers) use musical jargon to convey ideas more descriptively or poetically.
“Our kupuna had ways of expressing emotion in a far more beautiful way than saying something so literal,” explained Lum.
Makuak¨¡ne scholar
The initiative is just one part of Lum¡¯s broader academic and creative journey. As a doctoral student at , Lum was recently named the first recipient of the . This award honors the Makuak¨¡ne family¡¯s lifelong advocacy for ʻōlelo Â鶹´«Ã½ and supports scholars dedicated to Indigenous language revitalization.
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