E nā pua kūpaʻa o Hawaiʻi mai Hawaiʻi nui a Keawe ā Niʻihau a Kahelelani. E ka pua o ka ʻilima, e hō mai ana hoʻi he ola. Aloha ʻoe — Aia i Mākua, ka ʻāina o ka maile lau liʻi o Koʻiahi, ka ʻāina aloha o ka poʻe o ka moku ʻo Waiʻanae ma Oʻahu nei. ʻAʻohe lua e like ai. Mau a mau ke aloha o nā kānaka no kēia ʻāina.

I kau ʻia maila i luna ke poʻomanaʻo i ʻike ʻia ai ka pono a me ke ʻano koʻikoʻi o ia mea no ka mau loa aku o ke ola o kekahi lāhui. ʻO ka noho kūʻokoʻa lanakila ʻana o kou one hānau ponoʻī ka wai kahe e lupalupa mai ai ka ʻāina. Ke kāʻili ʻia a ke hōʻaui ʻia akula hoʻi ua wai lā mai kou ʻāina aku, e pau pū iho ana nō hoʻi nā mea e lako pono ai ka nohona.

I ka lā 17 o ʻIanuali i mākaʻikaʻi ai ka poʻe aloha ʻāina no ko kākou aliʻi wahine aloha, ʻo Liliʻuokalani. Ua lāhui mākou i ke kakahiaka nui a ua ʻālana ʻia he hoʻokupu no ko kākou mau aliʻi ma Mauna ʻAla. A laila, neʻepapa akula mākou me ka lōkahi i ka hale aliʻi ʻo ʻIolani.

ʻO ke Aloha ʻĀina, ʻo ia nō ke kahua kamahaʻo o ka lāhui Hawaiʻi, ke kahua hoʻi i kūkulu ʻia ai ka nohona pōmaikaʻi i maʻa i ko kākou poʻe kūpuna. He mea nō ia e ola ai ka lāhui, no ka mea, aia hoʻi ke ola o kākou i ke ola pono o ka ʻāina o kākou e noho ai. No laila, maopopo leʻa nō paha ka waiwai o ke Aloha ʻĀina i ka hapa nui o ka lāhui Hawaiʻi.

E nā makaʻāinana Hawaiʻi, he mea nui ka ʻike ʻana i ka pilina paʻa ma waena o ke kanaka, ka ʻāina, a me ka wai. Mai ka wā kahiko mai, he kumu ola ka wai no ke kanaka Hawaiʻi. Ma o ka wai e ola ai ka ʻāina, e ulu ai ka mahiʻai, a e paʻa ai ke kaiāulu. ʻAʻole ka wai he waiwai kūʻai, akā he kuleana ia a kākou e mālama ai no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana. I kēia au, ua ʻike ʻia ka haki ʻana o kēia pilina ma muli o ka hoʻohana hewa ʻia ʻana o ka wai no ka pono ʻoihana.

Mai ka wā mai i hōʻea mai ai nā malihini i Hawaiʻi nei, a hiki i kēia wā, ua mākaʻikaʻi ʻia he wahi pana i kapa ʻia ʻo Hāʻena, e nā malihini i ʻike ʻole i ke ʻano o ia wahi. E hōʻea mai ana lākou me ke kuko nui iā ia me he paredaiso lā, no ia mea e hoʻomāunauna ana lākou i ia wahi. Hāiki ia kahakai a me ke alanui kīkeʻekeʻe ʻo Kūhio, a pihakuʻi i nā malihini. I loko o ka lā hoʻokahi, he ʻelua kaukani malihini e kipa ana iā Hāʻena. No ka poʻe Hawaiʻi e noho ana ma laila, hana nui ka hōʻea ʻana aku i ko lākou home a me ka haʻalele ʻana mai.

I ke kakahiaka o ka Pōʻaono, ua hoʻomaka hou ʻia ko mākou mākaʻikaʻi ʻana ma kai o Nānākuli, i ka Pāka hoʻi ʻo Kalanianaʻole. Haʻi ʻia ka moʻolelo, he pōhaku ʻume iʻa i loaʻa akula i kekahi kupa o Nānākuli ma ka moe ʻuhane.

Ua laha akula nō kēia ʻōlelo e kaulana nei ʻo ke Aloha ʻĀina mai ʻō a ʻō o ka pae ʻāina. Ua lohe nui ʻia nō ma nā ʻano wahi like ʻole. Ua ʻike pinepine ʻia nō ma nā ʻano palapala like ʻole. Ke ola maoli nei nō kēia ʻōlelo ʻo ke Aloha ʻĀina ma waena o kēia Lāhui.

Mai hilinaʻi ma hope o kekahi hui haole ma Maui me kekahi inoa Hawaiʻi ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Mahi Pono. He ōpū malumalu kēia inoa e nalo ai ko lākou mau hana ʻekaʻeka ma Maui.

Mai hilinaʻi i nā ʻilipuakea o kēia ʻāina e ʻaihue nei i ka wai a kākou. Make wai nō ko kākou ʻāina kulāiwi.

E kuʻu mau hoa makaʻāinana mai ka ʻāina o Kamalālāwalu, e nā hoa lae oʻo o ko kākou kuahiwi nani ʻo Haleakalā, e nā kupa o nā Wai ʻEhā, mai hilinaʻi i ka “pono” o kēia hui hana ʻino. Ua maloʻo ʻē nā kahawai, ua palakai nā māla, ua make wai nā ʻohana ma ka huli hikina o Maui. ʻO wai lā ke kūʻē i nā hana ʻino a lākou? ʻO kākou nō, e kuʻu mau hoa, nā makaʻāinana o ua ʻāina kapu lā.

Paipai mākou iā ʻoukou, e nā makamaka heluhelu, e noʻonoʻo i nā mea e hana ʻia nei ma Maui Komohana, a e nānā i nā hana a nā hui nui o laila. Ma loko o kēia pōpilikia kaumaha loa, ʻike mōakaaka ʻia, ʻaʻole hiki iā kākou ke hilinaʻi i ke aupuni, no ka mea, ʻaʻole lākou e mālama i ka pono o ka lehulehu, a i ka pono o Hawaiʻi. Hoʻolako mau ʻia nā hui nui i ka wai, no ke kumu hoʻokahi ʻo ke kālā a me nā pōmaikaʻi ʻē aʻe e loaʻa ana i ke aupuni.

I ka hopena pule ʻelua o Malaki, ʻo ia ka lā 11-13, ua hui pū mai nā lālā o Ke Pānānā Aloha Writers’ Institute no ka huakaʻi mākaʻikaʻi ʻana i nā kaha one ʻai aliʻi nei o Kakuhihewa. ʻO ka wā mua loa kēia i kū ai he alo a he alo ua mau kānaka nei, he mau mea kākau, mea kahakiʻi, mea ʻimi noiʻi, a mea haku puke hoʻi no Kawaihuelani.