Ka Ulu Hoi

ʻAuhea ʻoukou e kuʻu mau hoa i hānau a hānai ʻia ma ka mokupuni ʻo ʻIhikapalaumaewa? He mau keiki kākou i koi ʻia e haʻalele i ka ʻāina hānau, e naue mai, e neʻe mai, i mea e holomua ai ma ke kula nui o Mānoa. Ua kīkeʻekeʻe nō ke ala, akā he ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani mai au, ʻaʻohe makani nāna e kūlaʻi. No laila, e kuʻu makamaka, he alakaʻi paha kēia no kou huakaʻi e hiki mai ana, he huakaʻi nō hoʻi kēia no kākou e ʻimi ai i ka ʻike. ʻO ia ke ala e hanohano aku ai nā mākua a me nā kūpuna, a he ala nō hoʻi ia e kākau ai kākou i ko kākou moʻolelo ponoʻī.  He wahi paipai kēia iā ʻoe e kuʻu hoa e kūpaʻa i kou ala, ʻoiai e kū ana nā pilikia he nui; eia naʻe, ma laila nō ka ulu ʻana o ka hoi.

ʻAʻole i maʻalahi iki kēia huakaʻi. I koʻu hiki ʻana mai i Mānoa, me he mea lā ua lele nā manu liʻiliʻi i mua o kuʻu ala. ʻAkahi wau a ʻike i ka nui o nā manu e lele ana i ʻō i ʻaneʻi. Nui nā leo ʻē, akā liʻiliʻi ka ʻike o ua mau manu hulu keʻokeʻo ala. ʻAʻole i nui nā manu i like me aʻu, he kaumaha hoʻi kau! Ma nā papa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi nō i loaʻa ai ka palekana. Ma hope o kēia, ʻike au i nā manu i kūlike me aʻu. Ulu aʻela ko mākou aloha, a lilo lākou i ʻohana noʻu. Inu nō mākou i ka wai huʻihuʻi ma Mānoa Gardens, hele mākou i Wāwāmalu, a mālama mai lākou iaʻu. Mahalo nui wau i kuʻu ʻohana ma Oʻahu nei. He luhi ka ʻimi ʻana i mau hoa kūpono, akā i ka loaʻa ʻana, lilo nō ia i mea alakaʻi i ka lele ʻana o kēia pūnua ma kēia ala pono.

He malihini nō hoʻi ka nohona o Honolulu i kuʻu mau maka. Ua kupu kuʻu hoi i Kula, Maui, kahi i mālie ai ka lehulehu, ākea ai nā alanui, a unahi ʻia ai ka heʻe. I koʻu lele ʻana mai i Honolulu, ua hui pū au me kekahi ala hou: ke ala loa! He aha lā kēia mea hou? He wahi e paʻa ai nā manu he nui. ʻAʻohe aloha o kēia mau manu hou; nui ka huhū, ka pupule, a me ka hehena. Akā naʻe, ua aʻo au e hoʻomanawanui ma kēia pūnana hou ma Oʻahu nei. Nui nā lālā manamana nui e kau ai ka manu ma kēia mokupuni: nā wahi e aʻo ai, nā hale kūʻai hou, nā huakaʻi, kahi e kau pū ai nā manu i like me aʻu. He māhele ua ʻike hou nei no kuʻu ala ponoʻī e holomua ai ma ke one o Kākuhihewa. 

Ma ka makamua o koʻu huakaʻi ma kēia mokupuni, ʻaʻole au i ʻae aku i ke kōkua, ʻaʻole nō i hopu i nā mea waiwai i hoʻolako ʻia mai. Ua manaʻo wau e aho e kū hoʻokahi, e paʻa i koʻu ikaika ponoʻī iho. Akā he ala hoʻoluhi kēlā, ua ʻike au he ikaika hou ke noi ʻana aku i kōkua. No laila nō au i huli ai i pūnana hou, a ua loaʻa nō ma Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS). Paipai nā “Kuaʻana” iaʻu e lele i kēia ala pipiʻi loa. ʻO ia hoʻi ka mea nāna i paipai i kuʻu naʻau, a nāna i hāʻawi mai i ka ikaika e kūpaʻa ai i ka makani nui o kēia huakaʻi. No laila e kuʻu hoa manu hulu like, e lele i laila, e ʻike, e hoʻohana, a e mahalo i nā mea kōkua i hāʻawi manuahi ʻia. E hoʻoulu i kou hoi a holomua i kou ala kūpono.

ʻO kekahi pilikia nui aʻu i ʻike ai ma kēia huakaʻi, ʻo ia hoʻi ka haʻo ʻana o kahi manu heu i kona pūnana ma kona one hānau. I nā pō mālie, hoʻi pinepine kuʻu noʻonoʻo i ka hana a kuʻu ʻohana. Me he mea lā, ua nalowale kekahi māhele oʻu. Akā naʻe, ua aʻo wau he mahele nō ia no kuʻu ala, a ʻo ka hoʻomanawanui ka mea e paipai mai i ka holomua. Pono mau i ka manu ke kaʻapeha i kona mau hulu ʻekekeu me ka wiwoʻole. No laila e kūpaʻa ua manu nei i ka makani, i ʻike ai kona ʻohana i ka haʻaheo i kona lele ʻana ma kēia makani ʻinoʻino.

I kēia wā, ua ʻike nō au i ka ʻoiaʻio o kuʻu lele ʻana. ʻAʻole maʻalahi ka noho mamao ʻana aku, ʻaʻole maʻalahi ka ʻike ʻana i nā pilikia i kēlā me kēia lā. Akā i kēlā me kēia lā, ulu nō kuʻu hoi. ʻO ka minoʻaka liʻiliʻi o kekahi hoa, ʻo ka leo paipai o ke kumu, a ʻo nā lā malie, ʻo ia nā mea e hoʻoikaika iaʻu. Ma laila nō au i ʻike ai, ʻaʻole wale nō kēia he huakaʻi no ka ʻike, e kuʻu hoa manu, he huakaʻi kēia no ke ola. 

He ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani nō hoʻi ʻoe e kuʻu hoa manu, ʻaʻole he hoʻokahi makani nāna e kūlaʻi. Mai poina e kuʻu hoa manu, iā ʻoe ma kou huakaʻi ma kēia ala: e kūpaʻa i kou ala, e ʻimi i ka ʻike, a e ulu kou hoi hou ma kēia mokupuni. E hoʻi hou aku ʻoe i kou one hānau me ka haʻaheo, ua piha nō hoʻi kāu ʻumeke i ka ʻike a me ke aloha. Ke lele mau nei nō kēia manu i ka makani ʻinoʻino, no laila e lele wiwoʻole nō hoʻi ʻoe i kou huakaʻi ponoʻī. E ʻonipaʻa kākou!

© Hoʻoleia Kapaku 2025