Ka Ulu Hoi

ʻO ka ʻuaʻu ʻo ia nō kekahi o nā manu maoli Hawaiʻi kaulana a kākou e ʻike a lohe ai i ka lewa, i ka moana, a i nā kuahiwi. I kekahi makahiki aku nei, e hoʻomoana ana māua ʻo kaʻu wahine i ka lua pele o Haleakalā. I ke kulu aumoe, ua lohe iho nō nā pepeiao i kekahi mau kani wawā ma waho o ko māua hale peʻa. Piha kulikuli loa nō hoʻi ko māua mau pepeiao i nā kakani o waho! Ua makaʻu māua i ka puka ʻana ma waho, no ka mea, ʻaʻole māua i ʻike i ka mea nāna ia kani. Me ka weliweli nō māua i nānā aku ai ma waho o ka pukaaniani o ka hale peʻa, a aia kā, e hoʻomoana ana māua ma kaʻe o ko ka manu ʻuaʻu pā pūnana! Ma muli o ia hanana, ulu nō ka hoihoi ma loko oʻu i ka manu ʻuaʻu.

No Hawaiʻi nō ka manu ʻuaʻu, ʻo ia hoʻi, he manu maoli kēia. He manu ʻano nui ka ʻuaʻu i ka poʻe Hawaiʻi, a he ʻaumakua no kekahi poʻe Hawaiʻi. Kamaʻāina ia manu a pā nō ka pepeiao i kona kani kupa, a penei nō: “U-a-u, U-a-u”.

I ka ʻiu uhiwai, hānau ʻia ka ʻuaʻu ma waena o nā lua hohonu o ka ʻā pele ma luna o nā kuahiwi kiʻekiʻe o Hawaiʻi. I ke kupulau, kiko ʻia ka hua a puka akula ka pūnua, a ʻo ka lele aʻela nō ia o nā mākua i kai no ka ʻohi ʻana i ka meaʻai na ka pūnua. ʻO ka mūheʻe a me kekahi iʻa like ʻole ka meaʻai maʻa mau a ka ʻuaʻu. Na nā mākua e hānai pū iho i ka pūnua a i kēlā me kēia makahiki, hoʻokahi wale nō pūnua a nā mākua. Ma hope o ke oʻo ʻana o ka pūnua, pau ka hānai ʻana. Nui nō ka pōloli i loko o nā pūnua a haʻalele lākou i ka lua no ka moana. No ʻelima paha makahiki e noho kai aku ai ka ʻuaʻu, kīkaha ana i ka makani a hiamoe ana ma ka ʻilikai, ma mua o kona hoʻi ʻana mai i ka ʻiu uhiwai no kona pūnana ʻana.

I ka wā kahiko, ua ʻai ʻia iho ka ʻuaʻu e kekahi mau aliʻi Hawaiʻi akā, ua pāpā ʻia, ʻaʻole e ʻai ʻia e nā makaʻāinana. Ua hopu ʻia nā manu i ke ahiahi a me ka pō, a ua ʻai ʻia ka ʻuaʻu makua a me ka pūnua e nā aliʻi. He aha ka hana i ka wā e hopu ai i ka ʻuaʻu makua no ka hānai aliʻi? Nui ka hana, a e like me ka hopu ʻana i kekahi iʻa, i kekahi ʻupena i hopu ʻia ai ka ʻuaʻu makua. He ʻupena nui a lōʻihi loa ia, ʻo ia hoʻi, he ʻelua paha anana ke ākea o ka waha, a he ʻumi paha anana ka loa. ʻO ka nui o ka maka o ka ʻupena, he māhā paha (ʻelua paha ʻīniha). Ua hana ʻia ka ʻupena e ke kia manu, a ʻo ke olonā ke kaula i hoʻohana ʻia no ka hoʻomākaukau ʻana i ka ʻupena.

Ua paʻakikī nō ka hopu ʻana i ia manu a he ʻekolu mau kānaka e hana a paʻa ka ʻuaʻu makua i loko o ka ʻupena. Laulima ka hana o ia mau kānaka penei: Ua nākiʻi ʻia ke kihi o luna i kekahi kumulāʻau i ke kaula a nākiʻi ʻia ke kihi o lalo i kekahi pōhaku hekau i ke kaula ʻē aʻe. ʻO nā kihi ʻelua koe, nākiʻi ʻia e nā kānaka i kekahi kaula a paʻa. He mau anana ka lōʻihi o ia kaula kihi. Ma hope o ia mau hoʻomākaukau ʻana i ka ʻupena, ua hōʻaluʻalu ʻia ihola nā kaula a hoʻomoe ʻia ihola ka ʻupena. A laila, i ʻole e ʻike ʻia iho ia mau kānaka e nā manu, lālau ʻia ia kaula e ʻelua kānaka a peʻe lāua ma kahi mamao. ʻO ke kanaka ʻē aʻe, peʻe ʻo ia i kahi mamao ʻē aʻe. Kani ka leo o ia kanaka (kapa ʻia he kue manu) e like me ke kani o ka ʻuaʻu i mea e ʻume ai i ka ʻuaʻu i ka ʻupena. I ka ʻuaʻu e lele ai ma kahi o ka ʻupena, huki hikiwawe ʻia aʻela ka ʻupena e nā kānaka ʻelua i mea e hopu ai i ka ʻuaʻu. ʻO ka nākiʻi maila nō ia o nā kānaka i nā kihi o ka ʻupena i ʻole e pakele aku ia manu.

ʻO ka ʻuaʻu pūnua, ʻono ka puʻu o nā aliʻi, eia naʻe, ʻaʻole hiki ke hopu ʻia ka pūnua i ke ʻano like i ka makua. He aha ka hana i ka wā e hopu ai i ka ʻuaʻu pūnua no ka hānai aliʻi? I ka manawa o ka pūnana ʻana, kēnā aku nā aliʻi i ko lākou limahana no ka hele ʻana i luna o nā kuahiwi kiʻekiʻe no ka ʻohi ʻana i nā pūnua. ʻOiai, noho iho nā pūnua ma loko o ko lākou lua hohonu, hoʻohana ʻia he lāʻau (kapa ʻia he ʻōhelo huki manu) no ka pōʻalo ʻana i nā pūnua. Hāpala ʻia ia ʻōhelo huki manu i kekahi kēpau kumulāʻau (ʻo ke kumulāʻau ʻulu paha) i mea e hoʻopipili ʻia ai ka lāʻau. ʻŌnou ʻia ia lāʻau pipili i loko o ka lua hohonu a kaʻawili ka hana. Hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā hulu weuweu o ka pūnua i ke kaʻawili ʻana o ka lāʻau pipili. A laila, huki ʻia aʻela ka pūnua ma waho o ka lua.

He manu ʻano nui ka ʻuaʻu na nā aliʻi i ka wā kahiko, a lehulehu ko lākou heluna. I kēia wā, ua emi ko lākou heluna i ka loli ʻana o ke ʻano o ka nohona. ʻOiai ka ʻuaʻu e lele ana ma luna o ka moana, manaʻo ʻia, nānā ka ʻuaʻu i nā hōkū i mea nāna e hoʻokele ai. Iā lākou e hoʻi hou ai i nā kuahiwi no ka pūnana ʻana, nānā nō hoʻi lākou i nā hōkū no ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi pūnana. I kēia manawa, he pilikia nui nā kukui ma luna o ka ʻāina, no ka mea, huikau nō nā ʻuaʻu i ia mau kukui. Lele nā ʻuaʻu a puni nā kukui a māluhiluhi loa ihola. Hāʻule ihola nō lākou i lalo, a ʻaʻole hiki iā lakou ke hoʻopūnana. ʻAi ʻia ka ʻuaʻu makua a me ka pūnua e kekahi mau holoholona, ʻo ia hoʻi, ka ʻiole, ka manakuke, a me ka pōpoki ʻāhiu. No laila, mai nalowale ka ʻuaʻu i kā ke kanaka hana, eia naʻe, ulu aʻela ka nui o ka ʻuaʻu i kēia manawa ma muli o ka hana o kekahi mau ʻahahui maluō he nui. ʻAʻole i ʻike ʻia he pūnana ʻuaʻu ma luna o Maunakea i nā kekeke he nui, eia naʻe, i ka makahiki 2020, ua ʻike ʻia ka pūnana ʻana o ka ʻuaʻu ma laila. I ka wā kahiko, ua hiki ke ʻike ʻia ka ʻuaʻu ma nā mokupuni a pau o Hawaiʻi. Inā, mau ka ulu ʻana o ka heluna o ka ʻuaʻu, a laila, hiki ke ʻike ʻia kēia manu nani i ka manawa o kona pūnana ʻana, a e mau ka pā ʻana o kona kani i ka pepeiao, penei: ʻU-a-u, ʻU-a-u.

© Hoaloha Westcott 2021