About the Piece

This submission is a work of poetry based on the Wailuku River whose source begins on Mauna Kea and empties into Hilo Bay. The journey is amazing. Wailuku is the source of many ancient legends, the mouth of the river, Makaolanakila, is the setting of a battle fought by young Kamehameha, who then became the unifying conqueror of the Hawaiian archipelago. Situated near the mouth of the Wailuku is a well preserved cluster of buildings dating back to Territorial Hawaiʻi when King Cane ruled the island.

About the Artist

Vanessa Lee-Miller, a native of Hilo, Hawaiʻi, is a poet, playwright and freelance journalist. She pursues her interests under the apprenticeship of cultural practitioners of hana noʻeau such as ulana lauhala and hana kapa.

She’s passionate about writing in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and hopes her work contributes to the collective movement of keeping ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi alive and flourishing.

Genre
Poetry

Technique/Media Used
N/A

Date Created
07/01/2021