Ka Ulu Hoi

No ka Hawaiʻi, ʻo ka ʻāina ke kuaʻana, a ʻo kākou kānaka nā pōkiʻi. Pili ka ʻōlelo noʻeau ʻo “He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka” i ke ʻano o ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻāina. Ua mālama ʻia ka ʻāina me ka ʻoi kelakela no ka mea he aliʻi nō ʻo ia. Ua kūlia pū nā kūpuna i ka mālama ʻāina ʻoiai he akua ʻo ia, ʻo Papahānaumoku. Ma nā hana a pau a nā kūpuna i hana ai, ua pule ʻia, ua mālama ʻia, a ua aloha ʻia ka ‘āina. Pēlā pū nā lāhui ʻōiwi o ʻAmelika. Ma ka puke ʻo Braiding Sweetgrass wau i heluhelu mua ai i ka moʻolelo no ko lākou akua wahine. Ua kākau ʻia ua puke nei e Robin Kimmerer, he Potawatomi.

Wahi a ka puke, ʻo Skywoman a i ʻole ka wahine o ka lani ka inoa o ko lākou akua wahine o ka ʻāina. Hāʻule ihola ka wahine o ka lani mai ke ao akua mai. I kona komo ʻana mai i kēia ao nei, paʻa nō ma kona poho lima nā lālā a me nā ʻanoʻano o nā meakanu like ʻole mai ka wao akua mai. I kinohi, he pōʻeleʻele wale nō ke ao nei, ʻaʻohe mea o laila, koe ka wai. I ke kokoke ʻana o ka wahine i ka wai, ʻike maila ʻo ia i nā maka keʻokeʻo e hākilo mai ana iā ia. ʻO nā maka ia o nā nēnē. Ua maopopo i nā nēnē ka hiki ʻole i ka wahine ke ola ma ka wai, no laila lākou i alu like ai a lele iō ua wahine lā. ʻO ka pae mālie akula nō ia o ka wahine ma nā ʻēheu o nā manu. No ka lawa ʻole o ka ikaika o nā nēnē e hāpai mau ai i ka wahine, ʻākoakoa ihola nā holoholona a pau o ia ao e hoʻoholo ai i ke ala e mālama ai i ke ola o ka wahine. Nui ʻino nā holoholona e noho ana ma ia ao hou, ʻo ka nēnē ʻoe, ʻo ka piwa ʻoe, ʻo ka nokekula ʻoe, ʻo nā ʻano iʻa like ʻole, a pēlā wale aku. Hoʻoholo akula nā holoholona e noho ka wahine ma luna o ka makauliʻi o kekahi honu nui. Mai nā ʻēheu mai o nā manu ʻo ia i hele mālie ai a hiki aku ma ka makauliʻi.

Walaʻau hou akula nā holoholona no nā ala e hana ʻia ai ka ʻāina no ka wahine. A laila, hoʻomaopopo ihola lākou no ka loaʻa o ka ʻūkele ma lalo loa o ka wai. No laila lākou i hoʻoholo ai e hoʻāʻo e luʻu i lalo loa o ka wai e ʻohiʻohi ai i ʻūkele e lilo i ʻāina no ka wahine. Noke akula kēlā a me kēia holoholona i ka luʻu ʻana i lalo loa. Hoʻāʻo ihola nā holoholona a pau, mai ka nui a ka liʻiliʻi, ʻaʻohe wahi mea i hiki aku i kahi o ka ʻūkele. A pau lākou i ka hoʻāʻo me ka holomua ʻole, ʻo ka ʻiole wale nō koe, ka mea luʻu nāwaliwali loa. ʻO kona luʻu ihola nō ia i lalo o ka wai. Ua liʻuliʻu ka luʻu ʻana o ka ʻiole, a laila ʻike ʻia ka lana ʻana o kona kino ma ka ʻiliwai. Hala akula ka ʻiole, eia naʻe ua paʻa ma kona lima liʻiliʻi kekahi pōpō ʻūkele liʻiliʻi. Hāʻawi ʻia ka ʻūkele i ka wahine, a hāpala ʻia akula ma ka makauliʻi o ka honu. ʻO ko ka wahine hoʻomaka akula nō ia e hula ma ke kua o ka honu i mea e hōʻike ai i kona aloha a me kona mahalo i ka lokomaikaʻi wale mai o nā holoholona. I kona hula ʻana, hoʻopuehu ʻia akula ka lepo a pēlā i hana ʻia ai ka honua. Ua ulu ka ʻāina a nui loa a hua maila ka honua.

ʻIke leʻa ihola ka wahine i ka nui o ka waiwai o nā holoholona i kōkua iā ia. E ʻole ke aloha o nā holoholona i ka wahine, ola ai ʻo ia a lana ma luna o ka ʻili wai. Na nā holoholona a pau i kākoʻo a alu like me ka wahine ma ka hana ʻana i ka honua. He keu nā holoholona a ka waiwai, mai ka wā kahiko loa mai o kēia moʻolelo a hiki mai i kēia manawa ʻānō. Ua mahalo a mālama nā kānaka ʻōiwi i ka ʻāina a me nā holoholona i mea e mau ai ka mālama ʻana o ka ʻāina iā lākou. Pēia pū ka Hawaiʻi. ʻO kō kākou kuleana ka mālama ʻana iā Papahānaumoku.

Ma hope mai, ua hoʻāʻo ka poʻe hoʻokolonaio e hoʻopau i nā lāhui kanaka ʻōiwi a me ke ʻano ʻōiwi kekahi. Pau akula ka lohe ʻia o ka ʻōlelo makuahine mai ka waha mai o kamaliʻi, puhi ʻia nā heiau a me nā kiʻi o kō kākou mau akua, a ua aʻo ʻia nā loina a me nā moʻolelo hou i mea e poina ai nā moʻolelo kahiko. Eia nō kekahi ninau e kupu mau mai ana, he aha lā ka pilina o kākou Hawaiʻi i nā ʻōiwi o ʻAmelika? I loko o kēia paio ʻana no ke ea, aia nō nā lāhui ʻōiwi a pau ma ka ʻaoʻao like o ke kahua kaua. ʻO ka poʻe hoʻokolonaio ka hoa paio. Ma muli o ka liʻiliʻi o ka heluna o kākou ʻōiwi i koe, ʻaʻole lawa ka heluna kānaka e paio kaʻawale ai kākou ā hua ʻana mai kō kākou makemake. ʻO ke alu like ʻana ke ala e lanakila ai kākou. Pēlā e waiwai ai kēia moʻolelo iā kākou. Ma ke aʻo ʻana i nā moʻolelo ʻōiwi ʻē aʻe mai ʻō a ʻō mai o ka honua e ʻike ai kākou i ka like ā like o ke kuanaʻike ʻōiwi. Ma hope o nā hana a pau i hana ʻia iā kākou ʻōiwi a puni ka honua, ʻo ke aloha ʻāina ka mea i kū mau i loko lilo o ka naʻau. No kona koʻikoʻi loa, ʻaʻole i hiki ke poina iā kākou.

ʻO ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻāina nō ka mālama ʻana iā kākou iho. Hāʻawi manawaleʻa ka ʻāina iā kākou i ka ʻai, ka wai, ka lole, a me nā mea ʻē aʻe a pau e pono ai kō kākou ola ʻana. ʻO ka mea hoʻokahi e hana ai kākou e mau ai kēlā pilina maikaʻi, ʻo ia ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻāina. ʻO Papahānaumoku a me Skywoman kekahi mau inoa ʻōiwi no ke akua wahine o ka ʻāina. Inā ʻaʻole lāua, ʻaʻole kākou. ʻO ia nō ka mea e hoʻopaʻa ai i kou iwihilo. ʻAʻole e poina. Inā mālama kākou i ka ʻāina, e mālama mau ana ka ʻāina iā kākou.

© Kamalei Krug 2020

na Kamalei Krug