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The trio chanting — Makua Nui in front, Kaimana and Makani behind

Kai ManaChantsTrack 4

Ancient Kahiko Chant

Breath. Drum. Ancestors.

A raw vocal and percussive chant preserving traditional oral history — a single voice calling the ancestors, a pahu answering, in the green hush of a Maui jungle.

Watch the film Full song · 2:45

Album Chants Vocals Makua Nui · Kaimana · Lehua · Makani Feel Raw · Ancestral

Enter the journey

01 / The journey

Answer the call.

Humble and thankful, the way the old chants ask to be sung — one breath becoming many in the jungle green.

The a cappella summons — a single voice — 0:00The summons. A single voice with no drum beneath it — the call carried on breath alone.

Makua Nui entering beside his pahu — 0:16Makua Nui enters. Mid-chant beside his pahu, arriving exactly as the drum lands.

Lehua's oli in the jungle clearing — 0:25Lehua's oli. Her voice mid-chant in the jungle clearing; Makani answers with the wind.

The trio — one breath, three voices — 0:50The trio. Makua Nui in front, Kaimana and Makani behind — one breath, three voices.

The suspended breath — the chant hangs in midair — 1:16The suspended breath. The rhythm stops — voices sustain while the chant hangs in midair.

Makua Nui's hands on the pahu — 2:07The drum alone. Makua Nui's hands on the pahu — the heartbeat that carries it home.

02 / The film

Let the ancestors set the pace.

The full music video is hosted here on Kai Mana’s media site, so the film can breathe inside the page — with YouTube available whenever you want to share or watch there.

Ancient Kahiko Chant — the official music video, cut to the real recording. Watch on YouTube ↗

A shorter call

One minute of kahiko.

A compact cut for the moments when you want the feeling quickly: one call, one drum, and the voices of the wā kahiko.

03 / Explore

Discover the moments.

Move through the song chapter by chapter. Each marker brings the film back to a different point in the chant.

The a cappella summons

Chapter 1 of 5

The A Cappella Summons

“E kū mai, e nā kūpuna!”

A single voice with no drum beneath it — the call to the ancestors carried on breath alone.

04 / Go deeper

Lyrics · sound · story.

The complete lyrics, the story behind the song, and how it was made live on the full Kai Mana song page.

Stay with the song a little longer, then return here whenever you want to step back into the film.

Read the full song page →

05 / Keep listening

Stay with the chant.

“E kū mai, e nā kūpuna!”
“E ala mai, e ka ʻāina!”

Listen on

Spotify Apple Music YouTube

From the album Chants — nine chants of earth, sea, and spirit.