Ka Ulu Hoi

E Hawaiʻi nui kuauli, ua hoʻopaʻa pono i ka hoe. E Maui ē ka ʻoi, ua kaupē aku nō i ka hoe a kō mai. E Molokaʻi ē ka heke, ua pūpūkahi a holomua. E Oʻahu ka ʻōnohi o nā kai, ua holo newa ka waʻa. Eia mai ʻo Kauaʻi ke kilohana, ua kā i ka hoe ā lanakila. 

Ua kaʻa ke eo o ka heihei waʻa ʻo Nā Wāhine o ke Kai iā Kilohana Hoewaʻa, i ka lā 28 o Kepakemapa. He kanahā kūmālua mau mile kēia heihei waʻa. Ua haʻalele nā waʻa i ke kahakai ʻo Hale o Lono ma Molokaʻi i ka hola ʻewalu o ke kakahiaka a pae i Waikīkī ma Oʻahu ma hope iki o ka hapalua hola ʻelua o ka ʻauinalā. ʻO kēia ka hope loa o nā heihei waʻa lōʻihi ma kēia kau, ke kahului hoʻi o nā wāhine hoewaʻa. Ma kēia heihei i ʻike ʻia ai ka hana nui a ia mau wāhine hoewaʻa.

He kalapu hoewaʻa ʻo Kilohana Hoewaʻa mai Waimea, Kauaʻi mai. Ua noho ʻia kēia kime e nā kaikāmahine ʻōpio, he ʻumi kūmālima makahiki a i ka ʻumi kūmāwalu makahiki. ʻAʻole naʻe kēia ʻo ka manawa mua a lākou i lei ai i ka lei o ka lanakila, ʻaʻole hoʻi i loaʻa koke ia mea ʻo ka lanakila. ‘O ka ho‘oma‘ama‘a nui ‘ana ma nā wahi like ʻole — ma ke kahawai, ke kai, a ma ka ‘āina —  a ma nā ʻano like ʻole — ka waʻa ‘eono hoe, ‘elua hoe, a ho‘okahi hoe — ʻo kēia nā hana ma‘amau no ka ho‘omākaukau ‘ana no ia mau lanakila.

ʻO ka mua o nā heihei, ʻo ia nō ka heihei ʻo Dad Center i ka lā 24 o ʻAukake. He ʻumi kūmāwalu mau mile kēia heihei waʻa mai ke kahakai ʻo Kailua a ke kahakai ʻo Kaimana ma Waikīkī. Ua kaʻa ke eo o ka pae ʻōpio i ua Kilohana nei, a pae hoʻi i ke kūlana ʻumi kūmālima o nā kime a pau. 

ʻO ka helu ʻelua o nā heihei, ʻo ia nō ka heihei ʻo Queen Liliʻuokalani i nā lā 30 me 31 o Kepakemapa. He mau heihei kēia no nā hui a me nā pae like ʻole. Ua mālama ʻia ka heihei mai Kailua, Kona ā i Hōnaunau ma ka Pōʻaono. ʻO ka mea ʻāpiki o kēia heihei, he ʻumi kūmāwalu mile a he iron man ia, ʻo ia ka pāpā ʻia o nā mea hoe waʻa ʻaʻole e kuapo ʻia. ʻO ka hui i hoʻomaka i ka heihei, na lākou nō ka heihei holoʻokoʻa. Ua kaʻa ke eo i kekahi waʻa a ke Kilohana o Waimea, a ua pae kekahi i ke kūlana ʻelua ma ka pae ʻōpio, ʻo ia ka helu iwakālua kūmāono a me ke kanahā kūmāiwa o nā kime wahine a pau. Ua mālama ʻia nā heihei ʻē aʻe ma ka Lāpule. ʻO ia hoʻi ka ʻelima mile ma ka heihei hoʻokahi hoe, ʻelua hoe, ʻeono hoe, a me ka waʻa kaulua ma nā pae a makahiki a pau no nā kāne, wāhine, a me ka hui pū ʻia. Ua heihei ʻo Kilohana ma ka heihei waʻa kaulua, ma ia heihei i kaʻa ai ke eo iā lākou.

ʻO ke kolu o nā heihei, ʻo ia nō ka heihei ʻo E Lau Hoe i ka lā 7 o Kepakemapa. He kanakolu kūmālua mau mile kēia heihei waʻa mai ke awa ʻo Maunalua ā i ke kahakai ʻo Nānākuli. Ua kaʻa ke eo no ka pae ʻōpio iā Kilohana, a pae aku ma ke kūlana ʻumi kūmāhā o nā kime a pau. 

He mau konapiliahi maoli nō kēia mau kaikamāhine. ʻO Pukuʻi Alameda, ʻŌhiʻakū Botelho, Kaili Cranwell, Mehana Dameron, Brenna Heiss, Waianuhea Karratti, Lina Kimmel, Taimana Kjeldsen, Mia Lee, ʻIliau Makua, Kahiau Makua, Naomi Mokuahi, Hāweo Patoc, a ʻo Ruby Swartz. No Waimea, Kalāheo, Waialua, Hanapēpē, ʻEleʻele, Lāwaʻi, a me Kōloa, Kauaʻi kekahi o lākou, no Makiki a me Pūpūkea, Oʻahu kekahi o lākou, a no Kona a me Keaukaha, Hawaiʻi kekahi o lākou. ʻAʻole naʻe i nāwaliwali ʻia ka pilina o lākou i ka like ʻole o ke one hānau.

Ua paʻa pono nō ka pilina o lākou. ʻEʻole kēia pilina ikaika o nā kaikamāhine ʻo ka lanakila ka hopena. Ua paʻa iā lākou ka loina ʻo ka mālama ʻana i ke kime a me ka mālama hoʻokahi ʻana i kā lākou kuleana ponoʻī i mea e hoʻoikaika ai i ke kime. Wahi a ʻIliau Makua,“ʻO ka leʻaleʻa a me ka lanakila nā mea nui no ka mea ʻaʻole mākou i makemake e hoʻohoka i nā hoa hoewaʻa. Ua hana nui mākou no ka lōkahi ʻana o ke kime ʻaʻole no ka pono o kahi wahine hoʻokahi.”

He hui ʻo Kilohana Hoewaʻa no nā kaikāmahine ʻōpio hana nui a hana paʻa. Ma waho o kēia kau heihei waʻa he poʻe hoewaʻa maʻamau lākou. Hoe lākou ma nā kime ma ke kauwela, ma ke kula kiʻekiʻe, a hoe lākou ma ka heihei ʻelua hoe a hoʻokahi hoe kekahi. ʻAʻole he mea hoʻopūʻiwa ke kaʻa ʻana o ke eo iā lākou nei ma ka heihei kahului ʻo Nā Wāhine o ke Kai. He hoʻokahi ka ʻilau like ʻana i ka lanakila.

© Hiʻilei Patoc