Ke Kupina‘i O Ka Pū
Ke Kupina‘i O Ka Pū
(The Echo of the Pū)
8th from the series:‘Ike Ho‘omaopopo by artist: LeoHone
The haunting call of the pü breaks into the stillness of the early evening and rises high in the breeze like the concerted call of the ancient lookouts and warriors who once were the living… who once so bravely fought where we now stand. The mountain pass, once reverberant with their screams of triumph and of agony, has long been silent; but the spilt blood of the fallen will never fully wash away in the rains of time. Just as modern science has shown how blood cannot be eradicated with simple washing, thus it is with history. And we remember…
And we stand here in the shadow of the mountain on the plush green carpet of the nahele, breathing in the sweetness of the laua’e and yellow ginger around us, and we remember… “Here” can be anywhere at all in these islands because there can be no spot in Hawai’i which does not fall into the shadow or the glory of the Pali Pass and the final battle for a united kingdom (The Battle of Nu‘uanu Pali – 1795).
In this painting, I have included images of all three sons of Hattie Hoolulu Kuia from Maui (lineage of Kameeiamoku through his fourth wife.) Immediately behind my real life model is Kamuela, the eldest of the three and my husband. In the back, portrayed as High Chief Hoolulu next to his cousin, Kamehameha the Great, I have used Kamuela’s younger brother, Al, to model as his own ancestor. In the foreground, the youngest of the three brothers, Moses, sits on the wall, holding the running torch. My real life model, sounding the pü, is Dalton, son of Moses. Farthest up the wall, visible next to Dalton’s arm, is a small image of Kamuela, Jr., son of Kamuela.
The spirit standing on the wall in the middle of the painting is my friend, Likeke (Bell), whom I paddle with at Ānuenue Canoe Club. He has sounded the pū at the Ilikai almost every day for the last forty two years. Along the extreme left of the painting is my nephew, Henry.
– Leohone 2005
Mai poina ‘oe i ke koko o nĀ kŪpuna o Hawai’i. Kū i ka pono.
Artist Proofs 48″ x 60″ signed “LeoHone” and numbered 1/75 -75/75
Edition A 40″ x 50″ signed “LeoHone” and numbered 1/145-145/145
Edition B 32″ x 40″ signed “LeoHone” and numbered 1/288 -288/288
Edition C 24″ x 30″ signed “LeoHone” and numbered 1/288 -288/288
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