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Ka Huakaʻi Kūkaʻi o ko Kauaʻi

Laʻakea Chun
31 Malaki 2022

ʻAʻole ʻulu i ka pōkole o ka lou.


He ʻōlelo noʻeau kēia no ka hoʻomākaukau pono, i loaʻa ka hua e pono ai. I pōkole ka lou, ʻaʻohe ʻulu e loaʻa mai. Inā ʻo ka noho nanea wale ka hana, ʻike ʻole ʻia nā pōmaikaʻi o nā ʻāina mamao. No laila, ma ka wā e hiki ai ke huakaʻi ʻimi loa, e luʻu i ke kai hohonu. Ma laila nō ka ʻike waiwai.


I ka ʻōʻili ʻana o ka lā i ka malama ʻo Iulai, i ka makahiki 2019, mākaʻikaʻi ihola wau me ʻehiku haumāna ma lalo o nā polokalamu ʻo Nā Pua Noʻeau a me Iwikuamoʻo. Hele aku nei ka huakaʻi i ka mokuʻāina ‘o Seattle i ka ʻāina kamahaʻo ʻo Tacoma. ‘O ka ʻāina ia o nā ʻōiwi Nisqually. He huakaʻi kēia no ka ʻike maka ʻana i nā hiʻohiʻona o ka ʻāina hou, ke kaʻaʻike ʻana no ka waiwai o ka ʻōlelo ʻōiwi, a me ke kipa ʻana i nā wahi kaulana o Tacoma a me nā kupa o laila.


I ka hiki ʻana aku i Tacoma mai Kauaʻi, ua piʻi ka ʻeu i loko o mākou haumāna i ka ʻike ʻana i nā mea e hoʻopuni ana i ke kahua mokulele, e like hoʻi me nā ao pouli lau a lau e poʻi ana i ka lā, ka makani huʻi koni i ka ʻili, a me nā halekuʻi e kū kilakila nei. ‘Oiai au e kalaiwa ana mai kahi kapa i kahi kapa aku o Seattle, ua ʻike wau i nā kikowaena kūʻai like ʻole a me nā pāheona kūikawā. A i ka haʻalele ʻana i ke kaona, ʻike ʻia nā kumulāʻau kikala pā i ka lani, nā māla, a me nā wahi hānai holoholona like ʻole.


Hōʻea mākou i kahi e hoʻomoana ai, hoʻokuʻu iki, a kau hou i ke kaʻa no ke kipa ʻana i nā kūpuna a me nā mākua o ia ʻāina. Aia lākou e kamaʻilio ana no ka waiwai o ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo a me ka hoʻopili hou ʻana me nā mole kūpono o ke ola. Ua hoʻomaka ke kamaʻilio ‘ana no ka mea koʻikoʻi loa, ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻōlelo makuahine. Ma kahi o nā makahiki 1800, ua pāpā ʻia nā haumāna, ʻaʻole e hoʻopuka i ka ʻōlelo makuahine ma ke kula. Pāpā ʻia e ka lāhui haole like i hoʻokahuli i ke aupuni kūʻokoʻa ʻo Hawaiʻi. No laila, ma muli o ka ʻaneʻane nalowale ʻana o ka ʻōlelo, ua moku ka pilina o nā ʻōiwi, ka ʻāina, a me ka wai. Eia naʻe, i ka ʻimi ʻana o nā mākua o kēia au i nā mele, nā moʻolelo, a me nā kūpuna i hiki ke hoʻākāka i ka ʻōlelo, ua hiki ke kūkulu hou ʻia ke kahua ʻōlelo. I kēia wā, aʻo ʻia nā kamaliʻi a me nā ʻōpio i kā lākou ʻōlelo ʻōiwi.


Ma hope o ka walaʻau ʻana me nā ʻelemākule a me nā mākua no ka waiwai o ka ʻōlelo, ua kalaiwa mākou i ke kahawai ʻo Glacier Water. He moʻolelo kupaianaha ko ua wahi nei. I ka ʻaihue ʻia ʻana o ka ʻāina e ka haole, ua hoʻomaka lākou e hoʻokumu i kekahi kahua pūʻalikoa ma nā wahi like ʻole o ka mokuʻāina. I ke ao ʻana aʻe o kekahi pō, hōʻea ka pūʻalikoa a ʻike akula, ua poloka nā kaʻa, ua hoʻohuli ʻia nā mokulele, a ua ʻaihue ʻia nā lako a pau o ko lākou kahua. ʻAʻole na nā kamaʻāina i lawe aku i nā pono kaua, akā ʻōlelo ʻia na nā kupua e kiaʻi ana i ka ʻāina a me ka lāhui, na lākou i hana. He moʻolelo hoihoi kēia iaʻu ʻoiai ʻike nui ʻia nā kūpuna a me nā kupua e palekana mai ana iā mākou ma Hawaiʻi nei. E like hoʻi me nā pōhaku e ʻākeʻakeʻa ana i ke alanui i Maunakea, no ka hōʻole ʻana i ke kūkulu ʻohenānā.


He huakaʻi kūkaʻi maoli nō kēia no ke kipa a me ka launa ʻana me nā poʻe ʻōiwi o ka ʻāina mamao. Ua aʻo mai au i nā mea hou a ua ʻike hoʻi au i nā pilina ma waena o ka poʻe Nisqually a me ka poʻe ʻo Hawaiʻi nei. Ma muli o ke komo ʻana aku i loko o kēia ʻano polokalamu hou, hiki ke aʻo i nā mea hou o ka poʻe ʻōiwi ʻē aʻe, a lawe i ʻoi aʻe ka naʻauao. ʻAʻole e maopopo ana ka waiwai o ka ʻike, inā ʻaʻole kākou hoʻāʻo i nā mea hou.


© Laʻakea Chun 2022

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