ROOTS, REGGAE & RHYTHM. Dr. Sunaina Keonaona Kale, an ethnomusicologist and member of the Hawaiian diaspora, explores the connections between reggae music and her growing interest in her Hawaiian identity. The conversation traces how reggae found a home in Hawaiʻi and how its rhythms echo the islands’ own expansive sense of community and belonging. Sunaina shares her own path of reconnecting to her genealogy through fieldwork, family stories, and unintended (but helpful) “me-search.” The discussion dives into questions of identity, ancestry in Polynesia, India and Europe, and the evolving meanings of being Hawaiian in the modern world. This episode is an unfiltered exploration of how music can shape who we are and where we call home.
Sunaina was recently featured in a University of California article about how reggae came to Hawaiʻi, exploring the evolution of the islands’ unique reggae sound and its deep cultural roots.
She also appears in the documentary In Hawaiian Hands – Part 1, which highlights local voices and stories of connection to place and culture. Part 2 of the film was released recently.
Favorite Songs
Island Music / Island Reggae / Jawaiian
Brother Noland – “Coconut Girl”
Bruddah Waltah – “Hawaiian Lands”
Nā Wai Ho‘olu‘u o Ke Ānuenue – “Girlie Girlie”
Kapena – “Masese”
Fiji – “Come on Over”
Sean Na‘auao – “Fish and Poi”
Three Plus – “Honey Baby”
Natural Vibrations – “One on One”
Anuhea – “Simple Love Song”
J Boog – “Let’s Do It Again”
Irie Love ft. Fiji – “It Is Wut It Is”
Common Kings – “Wade In Your Water”
Sons of Yeshua – “We Are Mauna Kea”
Paula Fuga (with Jack Johnson) – “Country Road / Give Voice”
Maoli – “Whiskey Doesn’t Work”
The Vitals – “Kali Ana Au” (a Hawaiian-language cover of Bob Marley’s “Waiting In Vain”)
Iam Tongi – “Cool Down”
Underground Roots
Butch Helemano – “Joshua”
Maacho – “Somebody Moved Me”
Ooklah the Moc – “Hell Fire”
Humble Soul – “Frequency”
Ruff Neck Posse – “Down Inna Babylon”
Episode Highlights
00:00 – 🎙️ Meet Dr. Sunaina Kale
01:10 – 🌊 Finding Home Across the Pacific
01:47 – 🎶 Nerding Out on Identity & Sound
05:15 – 🌺 Reggae With Aloha
08:03 – 🎧 How Reggae Took Root
11:14 – 💃 Favorite Jams & Behind-the-Scenes Stories
22:41 – 🌱 Roots in Hawaiʻi, India and Europe, Belonging and Spirituality
36:52 – 🤎 Reflections
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Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik
