Together We Rise – Stories Behind The Music Hāwane Rios

Hāwane Rios wrote this song in a time in her life when she was reflecting about her personal journey with forgiveness. She sings about how being truthful with herself about her missteps and mistakes has helped her to open to shifting, changing and transforming. She found a lot of healing in releasing and letting go of old patterns and attachments that no longer served her highest good. Self love guided so much of this healing process and helped to open her heart.

🎧 This podcast and the album are produced in binaural 3D audio. Please use headphones for the full immersive experience. 🎧

Warrior Rising was written by Hāwanes mom Pua Case in  2015. These are her words and reflections on how this song came to be - “Every night while we were stood on the frontlines to protect Mauna Kea, Iʻd leave my window open in Waimea and pray to the mountain and to the guardians of the mountain to keep our people safe, these warriors that were rising to stand for what was necessary in this time. Iʻd close my eyes thinking of both my daughters who spent nights up there in the cold along with many others. And throughout each night a line from the song would fly in through the window gliding in on the melody straight to my ear and my heart until the entire song was complete. Before Hāwane sang it for the public, we went up to the Northern Plateau, the site of the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope and I sang it outloud to the grandmother of the mountain in gratitude and aloha. What started as a tribute to my daughters for the warriors they were becoming, became an anthem for all warriors rising to stand for Hawaiʻi.”

🎧 This podcast and the album are produced in binaural 3D audio. Please use headphones for the full immersive experience. 🎧

E ʻOni a Paʻa was written by Hāwane after the first 31 protectors of Mauna Kea were arrested on the frontlines in 2015. This song calls for the protectors to stand strong and steady, unshakable, and unmovable. The words send a very clear message to the Thirty Meter Telescope Corporation that this telescope is not welcome on the Northern Plateau of Mauna Kea.

🎧 This podcast and the album are produced in binaural 3D audio. Please use headphones for the full immersive experience. 🎧

Burden of Many honors all who have suffered any form of violence, trauma, or abuse. Hāwane was moved to write this song upon learning about the rape and abuse of young Native American and First Nations youth by priests in the residential schools throughout North America and Canada. While in Canada attending an Idle No More Media Training Conference, she heard many heart wrenching stories about the thousands of missing and murdered women, men, queer, and young people throughout their lands which continues to be ignored and sidelined by their government. This song is for the women, men, and two spirited people of Canada, Native America,  Hawai’i and throughout the world whose lives have been stolen from them because of this ongoing oppression, marginalization, and violence.

🎧 This podcast and the album are produced in binaural 3D audio. Please use headphones for the full immersive experience. 🎧

This song was written by Hāwanes mother Pua Case. These are her words and reflections about this song - “the responsibility that we have to ever place, everything, and everyone in our genealogical lineage determines the manner in which we move forward in all that we do for Hawaiʻi. As our kūpuna (ancestors) did for us, we do the same for the next seven generations. We carry on in their footsteps.” This song affirms that the Kanaka Maoli people are still here and still strong.

🎧 This podcast and the album are produced in binaural 3D audio. Please use headphones for the full immersive experience. 🎧

Aloha ʻĀina ʻOiaʻiʻo is a prayer song dedicated to Haleakalā  and the people who stand to protect this revered mountain on Maui from the further desecration and destruction of telescope construction. This is a song of solidarity that expresses deep and unwavering respect for all who answer the call to protect sacred places. Hāwane felt called to write these words to honor the powerful bonds of our mountain movements.

🎧 This podcast and the album are produced in binaural 3D audio. Please use headphones for the full immersive experience. 🎧