Kanikau are chants composed after the passing of a loved one. Though these laments come from moments of grief, they function as oli (recitations) to aid the soul on its traverse from this world into the place of akua (spirits) and ʻaumākua (deified ancestors). A kanikau could be a spontaneous expression of grief heard at funeral gatherings, or an oli labored over by skillful chanters to later be performed in public—⁠—kanikau told stories, honored the deceased, and in more recent times, expressed the deep affection and aloha felt for a beloved member of the family or community.

DAVIDA MALO, born 1795 in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, was a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) intellectual, educator, politician, minister, royal counselor, and historian. His kanikau for the death of Queen Kaʻahumanu, published in the newspaper Ka Lama Hawaiʻi on August 8, 1834, is well known for its striking elegance.