Ku`u Pete (My Pet) - Words by Mary Kawena Pukui, Music by Irmgard `Âluli
He `ano `ê nô `o pete, êhêhê êhêhê Ku`u kêkake punahele, êhêhê êhêhê He maika`i a he nuha He maika`i a he nuha, He lole lua ke `ano `ê, êhêhê êhêhê êhêhê He maika`i nô e Pete, êhêhê êhêhê `Eleu mai ho`i kau, êhêhê êhêhê Mea `ole nâ pôhaku Mea `ole nâ pôhaku Nâ `alu me nâ pi`ina ê, êhêhê êhêhê êhêhê I nuha mai `o Pete, êhêhê êhêhê Holo nâ wâwae i mua, êhêhê êhêhê Helu nâ wâwae i hope Helu nâ wâwae i hope Noho iho i ke ala nui ê, êhêhê êhêhê êhêhê Huki mai au ma mua, êhêhê êhêhê Pahu aku au ma hope, êhêhê êhêhê `A`ohe ka maliu iho `A`ohe ka maliu iho I ko pâ ka `uepa ê, êhêhê êhêhê êhêhê Ha`ina mai ka puana, êhêhê êhêhê No Pete hana `âpiki, êhêhê êhêhê Ke nuha mai `oiala Ke nuha mai `oiala Noho iho i ke ala nui ê, êhêhê êhêhê êhêhê	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 Keali`iwahinealohanohokahaopuamana Farden `Aluli." - In 1825, Richard Charlton, the first British consul to Hawai`i, 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 Hualâlai. Today, a herd of about 35 donkeys, descended from the Kona Nightingales, still roam the barren lava terrain above the coastal resorts at Ka`ûpûlehu. Many donkeys became pets and one was adopted by the uncle of Mary Pukui. She wrote this song for her uncle’s pet donkey