Kuʻu Pete (My Pet) - Words by Mary Kawena Pukui, music by Irmgard `Âluli
He ʻano ʻē nō o pete, ēhēhē ēhēhē Kuʻu kēkake punahele, ēhēhē ēhēhē He maikaʻi a he nuha He maikaʻi a he nuha, He lole lua ke ʻano ʻē, ēhēhē ēhēhē ēhēhē He maikaʻi nō e Pete, ēhēhē ēhēhē ʻEleu mai hoʻi kau, ēhēhē ēhēhē Mea ʻole nā pōhaku Mea ʻole nā pōhaku Nā ʻalu me nā piʻina ʻē, ēhēhē ēhēhē ēhēhē I nuha mai ʻo Pete, ēhēhē ēhēhē Holo nā wāwae i mua, ēhēhē ēhēhē Helu nā wāwae i hope Helu nā wāwae i hope Noho iho i ke ala nui ʻē, ēhēhē ēhēhē ēhēhē Huki mai au ma mua, ēhēhē ēhēhē Pahu aku au ma hope, ēhēhē ēhēhē ʻAʻohe ka maliu iho ʻAʻohe ka maliu iho I ko pā ka ʻuepa ʻē, ēhēhē ēhēhē ēhēhē Haʻina mai ka puana, ēhēhē ēhēhē No Pete hana ʻāpiki, ēhēhē ēhēhē Ke nuha mai ʻoiala Ke nuha mai ʻoiala Noho iho i ke ala nui ʻē, ēhēhē ēhēhē ēhēhē	Surely unusual Is my favorite donkey He is good and he is stubborn He is good and he is stubborn What a peculiar dispostion Pete is terrific So agile and nimble Stones mean nothing Stones mean nothing Over the hills and down the valleys Pete is stubborn The feet forward Feet up and back Feet up and back He'll plop right down on the road I tug from in front And push from behind But he just will not heed But he just will not heed Even to the crack of a whip Let the story be told Of Pete's obstinate nature When he gets stubborn When he gets stubborn He'll plop right down on the road
Source:: Hailama Farden from "Kani ka pila! The musical legacy of Irmgard Kealiʻiwahinealohanohokahaopuamana Farden ʻAluli." - In 1825, Richard Charlton, the first British consul to Hawaiʻi, imported 4 donkeys to Honolulu. Their value was immediately realized and more were imported to provide transporation for the coffee industry in Kona. These beasts of burden were used to haul the coffee harvest from the mountains to the seaport over rugged and steep terrain. Every evening the donkeys would bray and they became known as the" Kona Nightingales". After World War II, farmers purchased and used military surplus jeeps to haul their coffee. No longer useful, some donkeys were released into the wild on the slopes of Hualālai. Today, a herd of about 35 donkeys, descended from the Kona Nightingales, still roam the barren lava terrain above the coastal resorts at Kaʻūpūlehu. Many donkeys became pets and one was adopted by the uncle of Mary Pukui. She wrote this song for her uncle’s pet donkey