Ka Ulu Hoi

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. 

I kēlā me kēia wā hoʻoilo, hoe waʻa nā haumāna like ʻole mai nā kula he nui ma Hawaiʻi nei, a heihei nō hoʻi. I ka hoʻoilo o ka makahiki 2019, ua hoʻomaka ka hoe waʻa ʻana o nā haumāna ma ke kula kiʻekiʻe o Kamehameha ma Kapālama. ʻO ka mea mau i kēia kula, hoe waʻa nā haumāna ma kahi o Mokauea, ma ka moana i waho o Mokauea, a ma ʻō a ma ʻaneʻi ma nā kai like ʻole, e laʻa ʻo Ala Moana a me Waikīkī. I ka makahiki 2019, ua huli kekahi waʻa o lākou ma ka moana. Auē! ʻO ka pilikia, ʻaʻohe ʻumoki ma ia waʻa. ʻO ka ʻumoki ka mea e pani ʻia ai kekahi puka liʻiliʻi loa ma ka waʻa i ʻole e komo mai ke kai i loko. Akā naʻe, ma muli o ka ʻole o ka ʻumoki ma ia waʻa, komo mai nō ke kai i loko o ka waʻa! ʻO ka hopohopo aʻela nō ia o nā kiaʻi o nā haumāna, iā lākou ma ka moku palekana. No laila, ua kau akula nā kiaʻi i nā haumāna o ia waʻa ma luna o nā paikikala kai, nākiʻi ʻia ka waʻa i ka moku palekana no ke kauō ʻana i kapakai, a hoʻi lākou a pau i uka me ka palekana. He mea liʻiliʻi loa ka ʻumoki ma nā waʻa, akā inā loaʻa ʻole kēia mea liʻiliʻi e nui ana nō ka pilikia. He iʻa no ka moana, he aho loa kū i ke koʻa.

ʻAʻole wale nō ma ka waʻa e aʻo ai i ka mākaukau. He moʻolelo hou aku kaʻu no ka hoe kaiaka ʻana. ʻOiai ʻo ka hāʻulelau ka wā e hoe kaiaka ai nā kula kiʻekiʻe o Hawaiʻi nei, ʻakahi a hoʻomaka ʻia ke kau hoe kaiaka ʻana ma nā kula kiʻekiʻe. A ua mālama ʻia ka heihei hoe kaiaka mua loa ma ke Ala Wai. Nui loa nā ʻōpio i kēia heihei! A nui nō hoʻi nā waʻa kaiaka i huli! ʻAʻole he mea maʻalahi ka hoe kaiaka no ka mea paʻakikī ka hoʻokaualewa ʻana i ka waʻa kaiaka. ʻO kekahi o nā ʻōpio, ua wikiwiki a ʻeleu ko lākou kau hou ʻana i ke kaiaka ma hope o ka huli ʻana. A ʻo kekahi mau ʻōpio, kā! Ua paʻakikī a lohi ke kau hou ʻana i ke kaiaka. Ua pilikia paha lākou i ka nui o nā waʻa ʻē aʻe e heihei ana ma kahi o lākou. Aia nō ka makani e pā ana, a ʻo ke kai hoʻi e kō ana ma ʻō a ma ʻaneʻi. Aia lā! Ua ʻike ʻia nā ʻōpio i maʻa a mākaukau, a pēlā nō ka ʻike ʻana i ka malihini o kekahi o nā ʻōpio i ka hoe kaiaka ʻana. Akā nō naʻe, ua hoʻomau a ʻonipaʻa lākou a pau. 

Eia kekahi moʻolelo hope loa, ua pili i ka heʻenalu ʻana. I kekahi lā ma hope o ke kula, ua hele pū au me koʻu hoa e heʻenalu i kahakai. Akā ua wikiwiki māua ma muli o ka ʻeuʻeu i ka heʻenalu ʻana. ʻAʻole māua i noʻonoʻo pono a ʻohiʻohi pono i nā lako heʻenalu. I ko māua hōʻea ʻana aku i ka hale, ua holo wikiwiki māua e kiʻi ai i nā mea pono no ka heʻenalu ʻana, a holo akula māua i kahakai. Kā! Ua poina ʻia ka uepa a me nā kaula o nā papa heʻenalu! No ko māua ʻiʻini nui e heʻenalu, ua hoʻoholo māua e heʻe aku me ka ʻole o ua mau lako nei. A i ka heʻenalu ʻana ua paʻakikī a pūʻukiʻuki nō hoʻi! I ke kū ʻana ma ka papa heʻenalu, paheʻe ihola māua i ke poʻi ʻana o ka nalu me ka ʻole o ka uepa. Auē! Lilo nā papa i ka nalu me ke kaula ʻole. Ua pilikia nō hoʻi māua i kēlā lā. 

E ka mea heluhelu, eia hoʻi nā haʻawina aʻu i aʻo ai mai kēia mau moʻolelo. He mea liʻiliʻi loa ka ʻumoki ma ka waʻa, akā inā loaʻa ʻole kēia mea liʻiliʻi, he pilikia nui ka waʻa. He iʻa no ka moana, he aho loa kū i ke koʻa. E like hoʻi me nā ʻōpio ma ka heihei hoe kaiaka, e hoʻomau a ʻonipaʻa ʻoe i nā mea a pau ma ke ola. Inā he mea iki a he mea nui paha, e hoʻomau a ʻonipaʻa mau. Mai hopohopo i ka pā ʻana o ka makani, ke kō ʻana o ke kai, a me nā kānaka ʻē aʻe e nānā ana iā ʻoe. E nānā i ke kuamoʻo pololei o kou ola ponoʻī. He ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani nō ʻoe, ʻaʻohe makani nāna e kulaʻi. A e aʻo! Mai hele wikiwiki i kahakai no ka heʻenalu ʻana. I kou hoʻomākaukau ʻana e hele i kahi wahi, e ʻumia ka hanu. He mea iki ka uepa a me ke kaula, akā me ka ʻole o kēia mau mea ʻelua ua hōʻaʻano ʻia māua i ka heʻenalu ʻana. E mālie i kou hoʻomākaukau ʻana. Ua ahu ka imu, e lāwalu ka iʻa. 

© Keanu Suyat-Okamoto 2024