Podcast Summary: "Our Common Nature"

Episode: Hawai‘i: Yo-Yo Ma and the Whales
Host: Ana González (WNYC)
Date: November 19, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this immersive episode, Ana González joins legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Hawaii to explore how music, chant, and nature interconnect—focusing on the cultural and spiritual significance of whales in Hawaiian tradition. Together with Hawaiian musician and chanter Snowbird Bento, scientists, and navigators, they embark on a journey that merges cello music, indigenous chant, and an ocean voyage to attempt interspecies communication with humpback whales. Through personal memories, indigenous wisdom, and evocative sound, the episode meditates on our place in the world, the ripple effect of sound, reverence for the natural world, and the ways in which shared music and stories heal and unite.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Hawaiian Practice of Chant and Sound

• Opening reflections (00:00–02:40):
  Ana opens with the power of chant in Hawaii, prompted by a previous conversation with cultural practitioner Mikiala. The belief: chant's vibrations persist and ripple in the world, "our contribution to the orchestra of the world."

  • Quote (B, 01:53):
    “Our voice remains in existence…it's still out there, just rippling and rippling.”

• Cultural context (02:39–04:00):
  Snowbird Bento and others explain that chant, song, and dance are ways to connect with ancestors, nature, and each other—coming from earth, sky, volcano, and ocean.

  • Quote (C, 02:55):
    “It comes from the earth and the sky and the volcano and the ocean…and there's almost nothing more powerful.”

Yo-Yo Ma’s Connection: Music as Bridge to the Natural World

• Whales and music (03:38–05:28):
  Yo-Yo Ma is inspired to communicate with whales, recognizing them as sentient “mammal relatives” with sophisticated musical language akin to the cello’s range.

  • Quote (C, 05:27):
    “These are sounds that are kind of in the register of the cello…Absolutely replicable on the cello.”

• Historic context:
  Ana recounts Roger Payne’s 1970s whale recordings, which changed public perception and helped ban commercial whaling—demonstrating the world-changing power of hearing another species’ “voice.”

Preparing for the Concert: Hawaiian Musical Collaboration

• Introduction of Snowbird Bento (06:35–09:18):
  Snowbird is a Hawaiian music teacher and expert chanter, whose prayerful chant (“Kaulu Vehi Vehi”) was the first performance at Yo-Yo’s special Honolulu concert.

  • Quote (B, 08:44):
    “Everything I chant is my prayer…we're actually putting out vibration into that universe and expecting response.”

• Message of the chant:
  The chant calls for remembering humanity’s equal place alongside land and nature, not above or controlling it.

  • Quote (B, 09:31):
    “Land is the chief, man is its servant. Remember our place.”

Hawaiian Cosmology: Entering the Realm of Po and Kanaloa

• Exploring “Po” and Kanaloa (11:03–14:00):
  Discussion of “Po”—the cosmic night, origin, and the subconscious. Kanaloa represents the ocean, deep mysterious places, and the subconscious realm accessible through music and chant.
  • Quote (B, 12:59):
    “We don't know half of the creatures that live in the deep parts of the Kanaloa.”
  • Quote (B, 13:29):
    “The Kanaloa realm is open to us when we allow…to cross over from the conscious to the subconscious.”

Personal Story: Ana’s Family and the Resonance of Music

• Ana’s connection to Yo-Yo Ma (15:55–21:36):
  Ana shares a moving family memory of Yo-Yo Ma playing at her aunt Beth’s graveside in a snowy New England cemetery—a memory that, like chant, “ripples out forever.”
  • Quote (A’s mother, 16:45):
    “He just stepped out of the crowd, and his wife put his stool down. He didn’t even know he was there…then he started to play. It’s him playing. That is what I remember about her burial.”

The Role of Music—Consciousness and Performance

• Yo-Yo Ma on performance (21:36–22:49):
  Yo-Yo describes musical performance as opening portals between conscious and subconscious, akin to how whales use sound to navigate darkness.
  • Quote (C, 21:36):
    “I associate playing with having an elevated consciousness…The performing part is a deliberate discipline to get those portals open.”

Setting Sail: The Hokulea Voyage

• The canoe Hokulea (27:31–30:09):
  The group prepares to board the Hokulea, a replica Polynesian double-hulled canoe—symbol of cultural heritage and traditional navigation.

  • Only those who “protect something” are invited aboard.
  • The group is diverse: Hawaiian elders, Yo-Yo Ma’s team, scientists, navigators.
  • Quote (B, 30:05):
    “We're only taking people who protect something…what are you willing to protect?”

• Atmosphere (30:22–31:09):
  As the voyage sets out, there’s a double rainbow over erupting Mauna Loa—a sense of awe and occasion.

  • Quote (C, 30:44):
    “First of all, there’s a double rainbow here, which is unbelievable…we have the volcano, the rainbow, and we’re going out to see whether we can maybe spot a whale or two.”

Blending Music, Science, and Indigenous Practice

• Attempting whale communication (31:42–35:04):
  Scientists set up a hydrophone to record underwater sounds while Yo-Yo’s cello is played through the hull. Snowbird chants to the whales and ancestors, seeking a sign.
  • Explanation (A, 34:17):
    “Lars and his colleagues have rigged up the wooden hulls of the Hokule’ a to be natural amplifiers. Yo-Yo…will shoot out through the ocean through the canoe.”

The Encounter: Did the Whales Answer?

• A sign (37:26):
  After Snowbird’s chant, she witnesses a humpback whale’s tail fluke—a possible answer from the whales, noticed only by those ready to receive it.

  • Quote (B, 37:32):
    “I clapped twice—right off my left side, 45 degrees, I saw the tail flap. And that was it. Nothing else…just the tail flat poom. And it was gone. And I was like, you saw that, right?”

• Performance and waiting (37:49–40:01):
  Yo-Yo Ma performs various pieces on the canoe as the team waits to hear a whale response underwater—silence, but presence.

  • Quote (B, 39:41):
    “They’re hearing you, and they’ll respond to you in the way that they will respond.”
  • Quote (B, 40:01):
    “Sometimes you don’t get it recorded. Sometimes it’s not seen by everyone because it’s not meant for that. It’s meant for that audience, even if it’s an audience of one.”

Reflections on Place, Reverence, and Aloha

• Knowing our place (41:22–42:22):
  Ana and Snowbird reflect that true connection means knowing "our place in this world,” listening, and striving to understand what we can’t see or touch.

• Music as love (43:18–44:07):
  The Hawaiian sense of “aloha” is explained: deep love, respect, compassion for all things—good and bad.

  • Quote (B, 43:18):
    “Aloha is having a deep love and respect and understanding for all the good stuff and all the bad, all the obstacles and all the successes…If I say to you, Aloha Kaua, love and respect, understanding dwells between you and I. The world needs that.”

• Farewell and legacy (44:07–): The episode and concert end with "Aloha Oe," symbolizing both farewell and enduring connection—sending their voices into the universe as an offering to whoever needs to hear.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Our voice remains in existence. ... And so our chants are our contribution, the orchestra of the world."
  – Snowbird Bento (B), [01:53–02:39]

• “Whales are our mammal relatives. ... They are sentient beings as are we, and yet we don't know their language.”
  – Yo-Yo Ma (C), [03:44–04:06]

• “Land is the chief, man is its servant. Remember our place. ... You're actually saying, I'm not above or below. We're all equal.”
  – Snowbird Bento (B), [09:31–09:44]

• “Po is a source. Po is origin. Po is darkness. Po is black.”
  – Snowbird Bento (B), [11:03–11:18]

• “He just stepped out of the crowd, and his wife put his stool down. ... It's him playing. That. That is what I remember about her burial.”
  – Ana’s mother (B), [16:45–17:20]

• “I associate playing with having an elevated consciousness where you have access to your subconscious. And I think the performing part is a deliberate discipline to get those portals open.”
  – Yo-Yo Ma (C), [21:36]

• “We're only taking people who protect something. ... What are you willing to protect?”
  – Nainoa Thompson (B/A), [30:05–30:13]

• “First of all, there's a double rainbow here, which is unbelievable. ... We're going out to see whether we can maybe spot a whale or two.”
  – Yo-Yo Ma (C), [30:44–31:09]

• “I clapped twice—right off my left side, 45 degrees, I saw the tail flap. ... And it was gone. And I was like, you saw that, right?”
  – Snowbird Bento (B), [37:32–37:49]

• “Sometimes you don't get it recorded. Sometimes it's not seen by everyone because it's not meant for that. It's meant for that audience, even if it's an audience of one.”
  – Snowbird Bento (B), [40:01]

• “Aloha is having a deep love and respect and understanding for all the good stuff and all the bad, all the obstacles and all the successes. ... The world needs that.”
  – Snowbird Bento (B), [43:18–44:07]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–02:40| Chanting in Hawaiian tradition, vibrations, and lasting impact | | 03:38–05:28| Yo-Yo Ma’s whale inspiration, cello sounds, Roger Payne and whale conservation | | 06:35–09:18| Snowbird Bento’s introduction, Hawaiian concert, meaning of chant | | 11:03–14:00| Kanaloa, Po, subconscious realms, family stories of chanting to sharks | | 15:55–21:36| Ana’s personal story, Yo-Yo Ma at her aunt’s funeral, the memory’s reverberation | | 21:36–22:49| Yo-Yo on performance, access to subconscious, music as navigation | | 27:31–30:09| Boarding the Hokulea, principles of inclusion, canoe as cultural vessel | | 30:22–31:09| Volcano, double rainbow, voyage atmosphere | | 31:42–35:04| Hydrophone setup, attempt to play for/with whales | | 37:26–37:49| Snowbird’s chant and sighting of the whale’s tail | | 39:26–40:01| Yo-Yo’s whale sounds, silence, “audience of one” | | 43:18–44:07| “Aloha” defined, final concert, sense of farewell and continuity |

Overall Tone and Realizations

The episode weaves a reverent, contemplative, and poetic narrative, honoring indigenous perspectives and the humility required to approach nature on its own terms. There’s a sense of awe, patience, and openness—an acceptance that sometimes, the deepest forms of connection do not produce tangible responses, but involve entering new realms of consciousness, humility, and respect. The interactions between music, culture, nature, and memory ripple—just as chants, cello notes, and whale songs—forever outward.

Final Segment: A Lasting Offering

The episode—and Yo-Yo's Hawaiian concert—conclude with “Aloha Oe,” Queen Liliuokalani’s famous farewell, sung together as a communal offering into the night, a gesture of love, remembrance, and hope for the world.

For listeners, this episode is a testament to the unseen but deeply felt ties among music, nature, and human tradition—a reminder to listen, to honor, and to strive for harmony with the world around us.