Practicing Oli with Kumu ‘Ilima

On a beautiful sunny summer afternoon in July, members and guests gathered at the clubhouse to learn about the Hawaiian tradition of oli with Kumu Anita ‘Ilima Stern. Kumu ‘Ilima is a retired elementary school teacher who taught hula for 33 years. Some of you may remember her because she graced us with an opening and closing oli at the 2024 Holiday Luau.  

When you first meet Kumu ‘Ilima, she emanates a sense of tranquility, grace and wisdom. However do not be fooled by her small stature and calm demeanor. To begin our oli lesson she stood tall and quietly looked around at the group, then she took a deep breath and chanted loudly in ??lelo Hawai?i. Listening to her powerful voice chanting in the language of her ancestors was deeply moving, it was as if you could feel her channeling those who came before her. 

We started our oli session with a brief overview of ??lelo Hawai?i and pronunciation. Kumu ‘Ilima shared with us that her grandmother of Hawaiian ancestry grew up during the time when Hawaiians were not allowed to learn or speak the language. So in the 1970’s and 80’s her grandmother joined ‘Ilima and her sister when they took Hawaiian language classes. We learned that although there are only five vowels and eight consonants, due to the addition of diacritical marks the pronunciation can be more challenging. Kumu ‘Ilima referred to diacritical marks as consonants, as they can indicate a break in a word, a place to take a breath. It was only after reviewing and sharing examples of pronunciation that she began to teach us the oli.

Kumu ‘Ilima selected Oli K?hea for us to learn because it is a chant that asks permission to enter a space or place (for a link to the oli and its mo’olelo CLICK HERE). Although she learned this protocol to enter a Hula H?lau, this oli can apply to asking respectfully to enter any space, including a trail. First Kumu ‘Ilima chanted the entire oli all the way through so that we could listen and record it (CLICK HERE for the video recording). Next she went through slowly line by line with us and we repeated after her. She patiently explained any pronunciation that we found particularly challenging. She had us chanting and repeating line by line slowly until eventually over the period of an hour we were able to string together the entire oli.  

Along with explaining the mo’olelo (story) behind this oli*, Kumu ‘Ilima shared meanings and cultural traditions of the words and chanting. For example, after chanting the word “Wailua” she said she was taught to close her mouth if you don’t want anything bad to enter. She also reminded us that it is important after we perform the oli to wait, listen and observe until we notice a feeling in our gut that will tell us it is okay to enter before proceeding. More importantly if we get a feeling not to enter we must honor that and not enter the place. 

Being in the presence of Kumu ‘Ilima and practicing this oli was a memorable experience. As a way to both honor and continue Hawaiian traditions she encouraged us all to share it with others. At the end of our session, Kumu ‘Ilima generously offered to arrange another session, so if anyone is interested in practicing this oli or would like to get in touch with ‘Ilima CLICK HERE. And if you attend HTMC’s 2026 Holiday Luau on December 6th, you will be blessed by the amazing experience of Kumu ‘Ilima’s powerful oli.

Oli Kahea Mo’olelo
“This  chant  was  taken  from  the  story  of  Hi?iaka,  sister  of  Pele.  She  is  journeying  with the beautiful  Hopoe  to  fetch  prince  Lohiau  to  the  court  of  Pele.  They  have  come  by  a  steep  and narrow  path  to  the  brink  of  the  Wailua  river,  Kaua?i,  at  this  point  spanned  by  a  single  plank. But  the  bridge  is  gone,  removed  by  an  ill-­tempered  mo?o  said  to  have  come  from  Kahiki,  whose name,  Wailua,  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  stream.  Hi?iaka  calls  out,  demanding  that  the  plank  be restored  to  its  place.  Wailua  does  not  recognize  Hi?iaka  and  makes  no  response.  At  this  the goddess  puts  forth  her  strength,  and  Wailua,  stripped  of  her  power  and  reduced  to  her  true station,  that  of  a  mo’o,  a  reptile,  seeks  refuge  in  the  caverns  beneath  the  river.  Hi?iaka  betters the  condition  of  the  crossing  by  sowing  it  with  stepping  stones.  The  stones  remain  in  evidence to  this  day.”

Source: Unwritten Literature of Hawaii: The Sacred Songs of the Hula by Nathaniel B. Emerson’s