Mai nā mauna o nā Pali i Kauaʻi a ka mauna kiʻekiʻe loa ʻo Mauna Kea i Hawaiʻi, mai ka papakū o ka honua a i nā hōkū i ka lewalani, aloha. He wahi nīnau kaʻu e hapai aʻe ai i mua o ʻoukou no ka mākia ʻo ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ka lāhui kiʻekiʻe. He aha ka mea e hoʻokaʻawale i nā Hawaiʻi ma ke ʻano he Hawaiʻi?

He ʻōlelo noʻeau kēia i kākau ʻia ma ka puke ʻŌlelo Noʻeau e Mary Kawena Pukui. ʻO ka manaʻo nui o kēia ʻōlelo noʻeau ʻo ia ka mākaukau. Aia nā iʻa nui ma kahi hohonu o ka moana; i mea e hopu ai, he pono ka lawe ʻana i aho (kaula) lōʻihi loa. No laila inā makemake ʻia nā iʻa nui, e mākaukau. E nānā mai e ka mea heluhelu i nā moʻolelo waiwai aʻu i ʻike maka ai i ʻimi naʻauao no ka mākaukau.

He lono kupaianaha kā ka i kūkala ʻia maila iā mākou e pili ana no ka haʻalele haʻaheo ʻana o ka pelekikena o ke kulanui o Hawaiʻi i noho lōʻihi i kāna kūlana. I ka lā 19 o Kepakemapa, ua kūkala ʻia aku ka manaʻo o Pelekikena David Lassner i mua o ka lehulehu. E hoʻomaha loa ana ʻo ia i ka hopena o ka makahiki kula 2024. Ma loko o kāna leka kūkala, ʻī maila ʻo iala no kona "haʻaheo" i nā mea i kō ma lalo o kona noho pelekikena ʻana. Eia kekahi mea āna i haʻaheo ai, ʻo ka hele ʻana o ke kulanui a "culturally strong." No laila, he aha kāna mau hana no ka lāhui a me ka "moʻomeheu" Hawaiʻi? Hōhonu nō ke kawa.

ʻO ke poʻomanaʻo i kau aʻela ma luna aʻe nei, ua lohea nō ma ke mele ʻo "Kāhuli Aku, Kāhuli Mai" nō nā pūpū hinuhinu o uka, akā, he manaʻo ʻokoʻa kaʻu e hoʻopaneʻe aku ai i mua o ʻoukou poʻe mamo no ka ʻaihue ʻia ʻana o ko kākou wai a lilo i ka manu o Kahiki!

Me he manu kamaʻāina lā ke Kanaka Maoli ma Hawaiʻi nei. Kākaʻikahi ka manu kamaʻāina ma ka Paeʻāina. ʻO kekahi ua pau, he hala mai koe kekahi. Pēlā pū nō hoʻi ko Hawaiʻi nei Lāhui Ponoʻī, kāna moʻolelo, kāna hana kuluma, kāna ʻōlelo, kona ʻike, a ʻoi aku. He wahi haʻi manaʻo kēia e kuhikuhi ai i kaʻu mau kuhi nei no ka hoʻohālikelike ʻia o ka nui manu kamaʻāina me ka nui manu ʻōiwi(Kanaka Maoli).

Ma ka wā kahiko, i ke au o ko kākou mau kūpuna, keu hoʻi ka nui o nā kānāwai a me nā kapu no ka mālama ʻana i ke kanaka. A he mau lula i hākilo ʻia e ka poʻe Hawaiʻi. No ke aha? Eia kekahi pane: no ke ola pono o kākou me ka maluhia. A ʻo ia ka ʻiʻini o ka poʻe a pau i ola ma kēlā wā, ʻo ka makemake e noho ʻoluʻolu kekahi me kekahi. Eia naʻe, inā loaʻa ka pōʻino ma waena o kākou, pehea e hoʻoponopono ai?

ʻAuhea ʻoukou, e nā manu i lele mai i ke kulanui o Hawaiʻi, mai nā ʻāina like ʻole mai! Ua hānai ʻia e ko ʻoukou mau mākua a kūpuna paha, ma ko ʻoukou mau pūnana ponoʻī. A ua lele maila i Hawaiʻi nei, me he manu ʻōpio lā e noho ana i pūnana hou i kēia kau. ʻO ka wā kēia e ʻīnana aʻe ai.

No nā hanauna he nui i kaʻa hope mai, ua piʻi aʻela ka uku o ka noho ʻana a me ka hoʻolako ʻana i ka hale ma Hawaiʻi. Nui hoʻi nā puʻu i kū ma mua o ka poʻe Hawaiʻi e ālai ana i ka mālama ʻana iā lākou iho me ka ʻohana, no laila, ua haʻalele kekahi mau kānaka Hawaiʻi i ko kākou ʻāina hānau no ka pono hoʻi o ko lākou ʻohana ke loaʻa kekahi kūlana hana maikaʻi, a hale paha.

“He aha kou pakeneka Hawaiʻi?” Ua nīnau ʻia kākou āpau i kēia nīnau, a ʻo ka hapanui o kākou, ua nīnau aku nō i ia nīnau. Akā, aia kekahi mahuʻi ʻino e hūnā ʻia iho i loko o kēlā nīnau: ʻo ia hoʻi ka manaʻo, he helu, he pakeneka ko nā ōewe Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian genes) i loko o ka pūewe (genome) Hawaiʻi, a hiki nō ke hōʻike ʻia kēlā helu. Maopopo i ka hapanui o kākou ko kākou pakeneka ponoʻī, a maliʻa paha, ʻo ia nō ka mea e ʻike ai kākou iā kākou iho he Hawaiʻi, he lālā no ka lāhui Hawaiʻi.

Ma hope o ‘ewalu makahiki o ka hana nui ua lei ‘ia ka lei o ka lanakila. Ua noke ko Waimea, a paʻa ko lākou hana. Ua puka ka papa mua ʻo ʻAlo Kēhau o ka ʻĀina Mauna. E noke mau mākou i ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo makuahine.

Eia mai kākou ma kahi o ʻekolu makahiki ma hope o ka pae mua ʻana mai o ka maʻi Kolona i ke one o Hawaiʻi nei. Ua ʻō ʻia ka hapanui o ka lehulehu i ka lāʻau koʻokoʻo, a e manaʻo ʻia paha, ua pau ka maʻi ahulau. Eia naʻe, i kēlā mahina aku nei i piʻi māhuahua aʻela ka nui o ka poʻe i loaʻa i ka maʻi Kolona.

I kēia manawa, aia kekahi mau kānaka e noho nei me ka manaʻo, ʻaʻole paha lākou he Hawaiʻi maoli. Pēlā paha kekahi mau kānaka ma muli o ko lākou nele ʻana i ka ʻike Hawaiʻi a me ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a i ʻole no ko lākou hoʻokaʻawale ʻia ʻana paha mai ka moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi aku. He mea hoʻomanaʻo kēia, ua lawa ʻoe.