“Language is the Fiber That Binds us to our Cultural Identity” - how Ka’ikena Scanlan is a kumu of Hawaiian heritage through his music

Ka’ikena Scanlan is a kanaka Hawaiian (native Hawaiian by blood) born on O’ahu but raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. This is the same town that Jennifer Doudna, of The Code Breaker, by Walter Isaacson, was raised. Doudna’s father taught American History at the University of Hawai’i, Hilo (an interesting boast from Doudna, considering Hawai’i is a colonized land which many kanaka recognize was illegally annexed into the United States of America). Scanlan attended and also taught at the University. Initially studying ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i (the Hawaiian language), post-grad, he taught a course in ethnobotany, the study of how plants were and are used in cultural ways. 

Scanlan was recently featured on the mai ka pūnana mai (from the nest) podcast (found on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1htwq1mvrwozE3e6HFah54?si=b0270f81f51a48b6). On the podcast, he retells the story of winning a songwriting contest while an undergrad at UH Hilo. He explains how this inspired him to continue songwriting and connected him to other creatives. This fostered his creative work and propelled him to reggae fame. Also on the podcast, Scanlan explains his creative motivation. He aims to bring attention to Hawai’i songs, uplift the Hawaiian language, make them relevant to the new generations, and bring people together by touching their hearts. He describes this in conjunction with his innate need to be around Hawaiian people and talk about Hawaiian things in the Hawaiian language. He had at one point worked towards a PhD in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i, but decided he couldn’t make a living out of it, so he went to work instead. Aside from teaching, he also works on his family’s pig farm and his music (often with his band, “These Guys”). 

*the best clip of him talking about his creative process can be found on his instagram here:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFnb3REy9YT/?igsh=M3JhbDkyaWN6OXF5

In this Instagram post, he explains further about his songwriting’s connection to the land. Not only are his songs about the land and teaching about the land, they are the land. The sounds in the song are the sounds of the land. This post is while he was protesting at Mauna Kea against a controversial telescope construction on cultural land: 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHib395Fnnq/?igsh=MXV0anhvZnpkZmNheQ== 

During a local news interview, he expanded on this creative motivation, saying, “I try to [be a kumu]”, which is a teacher. He continues, “telling a story - bringing our aloha ‘Āina [land] to the forefront…it doesn’t have to be ‘dirty’.” The news interview can be found here: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/03/29/kaikena-scanlan-performs-his-hit-perfarmer-live-kaunmano-farm-talk-story/ 

Beyond his music, another creative endeavor of Scanlan’s is his work building a social media influence. He started “Utu Bang Bang News Network,” a podcast/interview type of series. Here is a clip of him at the Holo Holo reggae music festival recently, interviewing Iam Tongi (a singer/songwriter from Hawai’i who recently won American Idol): 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBCowz2S13S/?igsh=MW5kN3lvenVjaHdrNw%3D%3D 

Due to the Hawaiian language being outlawed for years under the colonizers, Scanlan’s work is critical to continued efforts to revitalize the language and culture. Of all the links I’ve included of his work, I can most recommend you listen to my favorite song by him, Perfarmer. His creativity is making bigger and bigger waves in and beyond the islands, his journey is only at its start.