Ka Ulu Hoi

E ala e Ka‘ū mai ʻOkiʻokiaho a i Mawae, kāhiko o Mākaha, e ala e Puna, Puna Kumākaha, e ala e Hilo na‘au kele! Hilinaʻi Puna, kālele iā Kaʻū. ʻAuhea wale ana ʻoe e ka malo ʻeka, ka hulu kupuna o ka pō nona ke kua wehi, e pōʻai mau ana i ka piko o Wākea. Kanu ʻia i hea ka ʻawa a Kāne? Aia nō ia i ka ʻawa kau lāʻau o Puna, ka ʻāina Houpo o Kāne.

Kani maila ka inoa ʻo Konanui, nā kupa ʻai au maoli o Puna a me Kaʻū, i halihali ʻia mai e ka makani “koʻele papa” o Puna.ʻO Joseph Konanui ka makuakāne, ʻo Elizabeth Konanui ka makuahine, hānau ʻia mai ua wahi pili ʻohā nei, ʻo Jerry Konanui, he mamo hiwahiwa na Hāloa.

E kuʻu LPM, “lepo pōpolo mahiʻai” o ʻOpihikao, nui ka haʻo o kēia wahi keiki ʻohā iā ʻoe. ʻO wai lā kēia ʻōpū aliʻi, he loea no ka mahiʻai. He ʻumeke kāʻeo no ka ʻike. Ua hoʻohuli ʻia nā lima i lalo i ka honua, a ua ola nō.

I kuʻu wā hūpēkole, ua ʻike maka wau i nā hana kupaianaha a ua laeʻula nei, ka lae i ʻula pau i ka lepo ʻulaʻula i puehu ʻia e ka ʻāina kua makani hiehie o Kaʻū nui. ʻAʻole loa ʻo ia he kanaka hoʻokano, a i ʻole he kanaka haʻakei. ʻAʻole loa ʻo ia i hōʻoio i kona ʻike he lehulehu a he manomano. Nona nō ka lālā kau kolokolohai, a ua haʻaheo nō ʻo ia i kona mau ʻāleuleu. He ʻike laha nō ia i ka lehulehu, he loea maoli nō ʻo Konanui. Eia nō naʻe, ʻo kāna inoa kapakapa nona iho ʻo LPM, “lepo pōpolo mahiʻai,” he ʻōlelo hoʻokanahaʻi i kona ʻano akamai.

Ua loa nō kona hele ʻana i Oʻahu nei mai kāna nohona i Pāhoa, a pōkole wale ka moena o ka noho.Eia nō naʻe, he laulā a ākea nō ke ʻano hoʻokipa, ua lawa no ka hālāwai ʻana a puni ke kānoa ʻawa, ua lawa mau ka ʻai a me ka iʻa, ua lawe mau ʻia mai ka poi paua a Keāiwa, a lako nō hoʻi i ke aloha, a me ka nanea a nūnēnūnē mau ʻana me ia.

Akamai wale ʻo Konanui i nā ʻano kalo like ʻole a ka poʻe kūpuna, i ona mau hiʻohiʻona, kahi e mahi kūpono aku ai iā ia, a me nā ʻano ʻike he nui a he lehulehu e pili ana nō i ke kalo. Mikioi a noʻeau nō kona hōʻoia ʻana i kēlā kalo kēia kalo, he ʻike leʻa, he ʻike maopopo, a he ʻike maoli nō kona. Loiloi ʻia nā māhele a pau o ke kalo. Mākaʻi ʻia ka piko o ka lauʻalo, kona waihoʻoluʻu, ka ʻiʻo a me ka ʻaihē, makaʻala ʻia ke ʻano o ke kōhina, ka hā a me ka lau. Hele aku ʻo ia kiʻi i kalo, lālau wale i ke kalo, ʻaʻole i ʻū, puka mai ka inoa o ia kalo, a ʻapo wale, hāʻule ihola mai nā lehelehe me ka maopopo loa.

Ua like nō ka nui o ka ʻike i loaʻa maiā Konanui no nā ʻano mea kanu like ʻole. Ua noho a kupa ʻo ia, a hele a lōea i nā mea kanu kupuna like ʻole, ke kalo, ka ʻawa, ka ʻuala, ka ʻulu, a he nui wale aku. Moʻolelo mai ana ʻo ia no kona wā kamaliʻi, i ka wā a ka ʻohana i ʻākoakoa pū ai i ka hale e hana ai i ka poi, he lā i hoʻokaʻawale ʻia no ka hana. Komo nā lālā a pau loa o ka ʻohana, mai nā ʻao i lawa ka nui e paʻa ai i ka hue wai, a hiki i nā lāʻele mahaoʻo. Wahi a Konanui, ʻo ia ka wā i launa ai ka ʻohana, ka wā e hoʻoili aku ai ka ʻike a me nā loina o ke kupuna i ke keiki, i mea e hoʻokahua aku ai i ia mau mea no ke kanaka makua ʻana. ʻAʻole ʻo ia i mākaukau no kēia aʻo ʻana aku i ka nui poʻe mai kona wā keiki. He kanaka hana uila ʻo ia, a he lawaiʻa. Wahi āna, ua ala maila ʻo ia i kekahi kakahiaka me ke kahe ʻana o ka hou, a piʻi aʻela ka ʻōkakala ma ka ʻili, ʻo kona hoʻomaopopo aʻela nō ia i kona kuleana e hoʻomau ai i ka ʻike o kona mau kūpuna, a e hoʻoili aku i kēlā ʻike i nā hanauna aku.

Mai ia wā, ua hele ʻo Konanui a puni ka pae ʻāina e aʻo aku a aʻo mai ai i nā mea like ʻole no ke kalo. Nīnau mau ʻia ʻo ia penei: “E ʻAnakala, he aha ke kalo ʻoi loa o ka maikaʻi?” A puana mau ʻo ia i kēia pane nei: “ʻO kaʻu kalo punahele ke kalo aʻu e ʻai ana, ke kalo i mua oʻu i loko o ka ʻumeke poi,” me ka manaʻo e mahalo i ka mea loaʻa. ʻO kona leo hoʻokikina mau, kona leo hoʻolale mau, kona leo aʻoaʻo mau hoʻi, ʻo ia ka mahi ʻana i ke kalo me ka naʻau maikaʻi. Me ka manaʻo, he mea kēia kalo e hoʻōla mai ana iaʻu, e hānai ana iaʻu, a e hoʻomana ana iaʻu. ʻAʻole nō i pau kona ʻano loea ma ka mahiʻai wale nō. Noʻeau ʻo Konanui i ka hana poi, ke kuʻi ʻai, ke kālai papa kuʻi ʻai, ke kālai pōhaku kuʻi ʻai, a he nui wale aku. ʻOi loa kona ʻano maiau, maʻemaʻe, a mikioi wale ma ke kuʻi ʻai ʻana. No kona ʻano “pana” kūpaianaha ma ke kuʻi ʻai ʻana i lohe ʻia kēia inoa o ka makani “koʻele papa.” Ua kālele a koi hoʻokina nui ʻo ia ma kēia ʻōlelo nei ʻo, “Nani ke kalo,” me ka manaʻo, e maha a maikaʻi ke ʻano a ka naʻau i ka wā a Hāloa e noho pū ana. ʻAʻohe ʻōlelo ʻino, manaʻo ʻino, hana kolohe, hana lapuwale, a pēlā wale aku, mai ka wā e kanu ai i ka huli a hiki i ka wā e kau ana ka mikiʻai i ka waha.

I ka wā i hāpai ʻia maila kekahi pila ma ka ʻahaʻōlelo e kākoʻo ana i ka hoʻololi ʻana i ke kalo ma o ka GMO, ʻo ia ka genetically modified organism ma ka ʻōlelo haole, ua lilo nō ia pila ʻo ka “taro security bill” i pilikia maoli no kākou nā Hawaiʻi. Akā, ua maʻa nō ʻo Konanui i ka ʻai kalo paʻa, a ʻo ka moni kūpono nō ka hana. E like me kāna hana mau, lawe ʻo ia i ke kalo paʻa, a hana i poi ʻulika, i poi linalina ʻono maikaʻi, he hua no ka hana maiau. Ua huliāmahi mai nā mahiʻai kalo like ʻole o ka paeʻāina, e alakaʻi i paio e kūʻē ai i kēia hana ʻino ʻana i ke kalo.

ʻAʻole loa ʻo Konanui i hiki aku i ke ʻano ao kahi. ʻOi kaʻakaʻa nō nā maka, a hala kēia hulu kūpuna. Ua lohe pepeiao mākou i nei leo waha wali, a ua ʻike maka nō i kona akamai. I ia lā o ka hoʻolewa, pakapaka ua nā waimaka, a loʻiloʻi wale i ka heleleʻi. Ua hoʻi nō i ke ala koʻiʻula a Kāne, eia nō naʻe, e mau ana nō kona ilina i kēia au e neʻe nei, a i nā hānauna e hiki mai ana. Ua kapu hou nō ka Hāloa iā ʻoe e Konanui, ka heke aʻo nā mamo a Hāloa.

© Kahikinaokalā Domingo 2020

na Kahikinaokalā Domingo