Song and Chant Structures (Mele/Oli)

Mele a me Oli

About this concept

Hawaiian songs (mele) and chants (oli) follow specific structural patterns: the oli has no fixed rhythm but uses breath control; the mele hula accompanies dance. Both use elevated vocabulary and kaona.

In Settemila Lingue, this concept generates a practice deck of ~35 cards at level C1.

Examples

Aia lā ʻo Pele i Hawaiʻi ē.There is Pele in Hawaiʻi. (mele opening)

E Laka ē, e Laka ē, ē!O Laka, O Laka! (invocation in oli)

Ka ʻōlelo a ke kai.The voice of the sea. (poetic personification)

Hui: Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana.Let the refrain be told. (standard mele ending)

Prerequisite

Traditional and Poetic LanguageC1

More C1 concepts

Traditional and Poetic LanguageʻŌlelo Kahiko Complex Clause ChainingPepeke Pākuʻi Proverbs and Sayings (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau)ʻŌlelo Noʻeau Body-Based Metaphors and IdiomsHua ʻŌlelo Kino Land and Place Name VocabularyʻŌlelo ʻĀina

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