A Musical Band of Hawaiian Youths in America

Standing from the left: David Kaahili, Prince Jack Heleluhe, John Nakeleawe; Sitting below: Miss Amy Awai, Joseph K. Kekipi.

The photograph above, is of some Hawaiian youths that are travelling around America while working, singing and playing music. Their names are above, and they faces are familiar to Honolulu’s people.

A letter by one of the singers, Joseph Kekipi, written to his family here, describes the many places he went around in America, along with his band mates, as they perform. When he sent his letter, on the 12th of this past November, they were staying at Youngstown, Ohio. But they were leaving that place and going on to somewhere new.

Hawaiian music is very in amongst Americans and you’d think that because there are so many musical groups comprised of Hawaiian youths going about America, that the haole people would be bored, but it is in no way like that. Their singing is in demand even more.

One of the things which Mr. Joseph Kekipi described was how some of the haole girls went totally crazy over the Hawaiian boys, and their singing stole their hearts. He truly believes that some of the haole girls came to Honolulu nei to search him out.

There are many Hawaiian bands travelling around America, and some of them are making headway, and are always booked in a hotel or large restaurants in cities.

This group was away for a long time on their tour to all sorts of places, however according to Mr. Kekipi, they have not forgotten Hawaii nei, and he hopes that it will not be such a long wait before they return for their land of birth.

The letters written to them from family and friends about Hawaii is one of the major ways they get their news about how the family is doing and also what is going on in Hawaii.

(Kuokoa, 12/8/1916, p. 1)

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke LIV, Helu 49, Aoao 1. Dekemaba 8, 1916.