The mo’olelo behind this mural reads as a sense of peace, love, and hope. The title of this mural is  “E waikāhi ka Pono i mānolo.” (It is well to be united in thought that all may have peace.)

The central image of this Mele Mural shows the rainbow reflections of Kahalaopuna (the rainbow maiden of Mānoa) and her ancestors in the form of the pueo (Hawaiian owl) within a big raindrop. The heart that Kahalaopuna stood for was that of patience and kindness. Although she knew she was being treated wrong and unjust it didn’t stop her from displaying true aloha to those who had none. The pueo symbolizes the values and traditions of our ancestors reminding us to be an example of our kūpuna and keep them alive through our actions by living life pono. 

Tiny raindrops collecting on the kalo leaves represent each and every one of us trying to coexist on this planet.  It shows how we are all created differently and uniquely, but we must do all that we can to help one another thrive by living out a reflection of love and peace. We have the ability to be life givers like pure clean water.  Let’s live aloha!

‘Anakala Luke Pomai DeKneef adds his comment about the selection of the mele (song), “Ka Beauty A‘o Mānoa.” I remember when I designed the final sketch I told Imelda the hidden message in the mural represents paying close attention to the little things we don’t often realize. I then stumbled upon this Mele and it completely blew me away.”

“Ka Beauty A‘o Mānoa” by Anthony K. Conjugacion.

Nani wale ke ʻike i kakahiaka lā,
Ke kuahiwi o Mānoa
Ke noenoe mai nei ho‘opulu ana i ke one
Pulu pē i ka ‘ilihia

Beautiful to behold in the morning,
The uplands of Mānoa
With a gentle mist, quenching the land
(I am) drenched in awe.

The inspiration for this mele came to the composer when he would walk to work in the mornings, from lower Makiki to Mānoa uka. Originally a chant (mele hula), entitled “Ke Kuahiwi o Mānoa” composed in 1982, it was later put to music in 1984. On his morning treks, he would enjoy the cool and fragrant mornings, as he would walk along East Mānoa Road. The inspiration was all the precious things that we sometimes overlook in the rush of our lives.