The Kupuna Song (Recipe for Life)

As you may know, Leadership Kaua`i educates, inspires, and motivates its participants to develop a philanthropic spirit of giving back and serving the community. Each year, our adult and youth participants decide upon and engage in projects that serve a wide range of our island community.

During the 2011 – 2012 Class year, our Adult & Youth participants are completing SIX (6) projects including a “Kupuna Day” at the Regency at Puakea on January 14, 2012. This special day will include interviews on life experiences of our treasured kupuna that will be compiled into a book titled “Recipe for Life” to be published by April, 2012. 

As part of this project, one of our adult participants (Mike Baez) was inspired to write a song. After hearing the song, several others pitched in to help refine the lyrics, added a bridge, and then the entire youth and adult classes got together to record the final chorus of the song! Musicians on the song include Mike Baez (guitars, vocals, hand claps, jdembe), John Medeiros (ukulele), Mahealani Yamashita (ukulele), and Jerry Brocklehurst (additional percussion).

The song is being released to the local radio stations in January as part of a parallel campaign to remind everyone to remember to honor your kupuna year-round, not just at the holidays. 

So, for your listening pleasure, you can download the song here and download a copy of the lyrics here.

And, if you missed my 9 minute interview with Ron Wiley of KONG (all day long) radio, you can hear it by clicking here.

Please note that the chorus line “I ulu no ka lala I ke kumu” has special meaning.  It was borrowed from the ‘Olelo No’eau (1261, M. Pukui) and is translated as “the branches grow because of the trunk.” Without our kupuna, we would not be here!

We hope you enjoy the song!  If you do, and you'd like to help keep our community projects going year-after-year, please donate to us by clicking here.

To read about the other 5 community service projects this year, click here.

Mahalo,
The Leadership Kaua'i Staff and 2012 Youth & Adult Participants

2012 Pi'ina Hoku Class

2012 Adult Class