Ka Ulu Hoi

I kēia mau lā, ʻano kakaʻikahi ka loaʻa ʻana o ka inoa Hawaiʻi, ʻo ia ka inoa mua o kekahi kanaka. Nui nā Hawaiʻi nona ka inoa haole mua, a inā he inoa Hawaiʻi kona, ʻo kona inoa waena nō ia. No ke aha? I ka hōʻea ʻana o nā haole i Hawaiʻi nei, hōʻea pū mai kekahi mau loina ʻokoʻa. Ua hoʻāʻo lakou e holoi i nā inoa Hawaiʻi a pānaʻi i ka inoa Hawaiʻi i ka inoa haole. Wahi a nā malihini, e aho ka inoa haole i ka poʻe a pau. He aha ka hopena o ka lilo ʻana o nā inoa Hawaiʻi ʻo ia ka inoa waena o nā kānaka? Inā ʻaʻole e kāhea ʻia mai kēia inoa, ʻaʻohe manawa kūpono e ʻōlelo mai ai i ka inoa Hawaiʻi, no laila, hikiwale nō ka nalowale ʻana o ke kaona a me ka mana o ka inoa. Aia i hea ka moʻolelo o nā inoa? Aia i hea nā mea kupaianaha? E nalowale ana paha. 

Like ka hopena o nā wahi pana o ko Hawaiʻi pae ʻāina. I kēia mau lā, kāpae nā lehulehu i nā inoa ponoʻī o kekahi mau wahi ā pānaʻi ʻia ka inoa Hawaiʻi i kekahi inoa ʻē aʻe. E like me ka inoa ʻo Puʻuloa no kahi nona ka inoa ʻo Pearl Harbor i kēia mau lā, nui nā moʻolelo e pili ana no ua wahi pana nei i nalowale ma muli o ka pōʻaiapili o ka inoa haole. ʻAʻole hoʻomanaʻo ʻia nā moʻolelo o Kaʻahupāhau a i ʻole nā manō ma laila; hoʻomanaʻo ʻia ke kaua a ʻAmelika. ʻAʻole hoʻomanaʻo ʻia ka lēʻia o Puʻuloa a me ka lako o kēia wahi pana i ka wā ma mua. Nalowale nā mea kupaianaha, nalowale nā moʻolelo Hawaiʻi. E mau ka moʻolelo weliweli o nā haole.

I loko o ka puke a Kumu Noenoe K. Silva ʻo Aloha Betrayed aia kēia puanaʻī hanohano a Ngugi wa Thiongʻo: “The biggest weapon wielded… by imperialism is the cultural bomb. The effect of a cultural bomb is to annihilate a peopleʻs belief in their names, in their languages, in their environment, in their heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacities and ultimately in themselves.” Inā poina iā kākou ke kumu o ko kākou mau inoa, e ʻike kākou i nā hopena minamina o ka pōkā pahū moʻomeheu. I ka poina ʻana iā kākou ke kumu o ka inoa Hawaiʻi, he hoʻokahi momoku kēlā o ka pōkā pahū moʻomeheu. No nā Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole nā inoa he mau huaʻōlelo wale nō. Aia i ka mana a me ka moʻolelo mai nā kūpuna i loko o nā inoa. Ua kapa lākou i kekahi mau inoa no ke kumu koʻikoʻi, ʻaʻole no ka leʻaleʻa a me ka nani. Ua kapa inoa lākou pēlā i mea e hoʻomanaʻo ai i ko kākou mole. E ʻimi kākou i nā haʻawina mai nā kūpuna i loko o nā moʻolelo. E hoʻomanaʻo kākou i ke kumu hanohano o kēia mau wahi pana, a pēlā kākou e hoʻomalu pono ai i kēia mau wahi a hiʻipoi i ka ʻāina aloha. Inā poina iā kākou nā inoa, pehea e loaʻa ai iā kākou ke ala o ka hoʻokūpaʻa ʻana no ka pono o Hawaiʻi? 

No laila, he waiwai hoʻi kau nā inoa Hawaiʻi. Mai hoʻohūnā i nā inoa o nā Hawaiʻi ma ke ʻano he inoa waena. E kau ka inoa Hawaiʻi ma ke alo. Hiki iā kākou ke kūʻē i ka pahuhopu a nā ʻemepela ā kūkulu hou i nā momoku i nalowale. Mai kapa i nā inoa ē o ko kākou ʻāina, nā inoa “maʻalahi”, a i ʻole nā inoa haole hou. ʻAʻole hiki iā kākou ke hoʻomanaʻo pēlā. E haʻi mai i ka inoa ponoʻī o ia wahi pana. Ma o kēia hana, e mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ā e mālama kākou i ke ēwe hānau o ka ʻāina.

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