Ka Ulu Hoi

I koʻu lohe ʻana aku i ka ʻōlelo a koʻu hoa, manaʻo ihola ʻo ia ua paʻa ka lumi mānaleo, ʻaʻohe hui ʻana. Eia kā, ua hāmama nō. He wahi kēia e nanea wale ai kākou i ka malu o kā kākou ʻōlelo makuahine. E like me ke kani hone o nā leo nahenahe o nā manu i ke kuahiwi, penei nō ka lohena i ka ʻōlelo a nā mānaleo i ka zui mānaleo.

He hoʻoheno kēia no nā uʻi o Kahelelani. ʻO Tūtū Lolena Nicholas lāua ʻo Kumu Ipolani Wong nā mea aʻu e mahalo aʻe nei. I koʻu launa mua ʻana me ʻAnakē, ua hīmeni mai ʻo ia i kēia mele ʻo Nani Niʻihau a ua keu a ka nahenahe. Eia nō ia mele e puana ʻia nei.

Nani Niʻihau

He nani Niʻihau i ka lā welo

Me nā uʻi like ʻole o Kahelelani

Lei ʻoe lei kāua

I kuʻu lei pūpū

He uʻi a he nani mae ʻole kou

Kuʻu pua lei nani momi aʻo kai

Lei ʻoe lei kāua

I kuʻu lei pūpū

I lei ka ʻohu nani no kuʻu ʻāina

E pipiʻo ʻia e ke ānuenue

Lei ʻoe lei kāua

I kuʻu lei pūpū

Puana ka inoa nani Niʻihau

Me nā uʻi like ʻole o Kahelelani

Lei ʻoe lei kāua

I kuʻu lei pūpū

Kaulana nō ʻo Niʻihau i ka lei pūpū, ʻoiai ma laila wale nō e loaʻa ai nā pūpū like ʻole. He nani mae ʻole kēia pua lei momi o ke kai, ʻaʻohe ona lua a puni ka honua. Penei nō ke kūlana kau i ka hanohano o ka mānaleo. E like me ke kākaʻikahi a me ka waiwai hoʻi o ka ʻike ʻana i ka lei pūpū o Niʻihau, pēlā nō ka waiwai a me ke koʻikoʻi o kēia mau mānaleo ʻelua. Pōmaikaʻi maoli nō kākou i ka hiki ke ʻike, launa pū, walaʻau, a kamaʻilio hoʻi me nā mānaleo ʻoiai ʻaʻole nō nui nā mānaleo e ola nei ma waho o Niʻihau.

Eia kekahi moʻolelo pōkole o ko lāua walaʻau ʻana mai. He lua ʻole ko lāua ʻike no ka ʻōlelo a me ka ʻike Hawaiʻi. I kēlā pule aku nei, ua kamaʻilio lāua no ka ʻai ʻana i nā ʻono o ka ʻāina. Wehewehe ihola lāua no ko lāua ʻono i kekahi mau iʻa a nā makua i hopu ai, ʻo ke āhole ʻoe, ʻo ka manini ʻoe, ʻo ka poʻopaʻa ʻoe, ʻo ka popolo ʻoe, a pēlā wale aku. ʻAi pū nō hoʻi ka poʻe o Niʻihau i ka honu, ʻaʻole naʻe ʻai ʻia ka uhu no ka mea hauna loa ka ʻiʻo maka ma muli o ko lākou ʻai ʻana i ke one he nui wale. Moʻolelo mai ʻo ʻAnakē Ipo no kona huakaʻi ʻana aku i Pākala Kai ma Kauaʻi i kēlā Iulai i hala iho nei e hoʻolauleʻa ai me ka ʻohana a ʻo ka hana maʻamau a lākou ka luʻu ʻana i wana. Hū ka ʻono o kēlā hua wana o Kauaʻi! ʻAʻole lāua ʻai i ke ʻano wana mai Iāpana mai a ʻaʻole hoʻi like kona ʻono me ka wana ma Oʻahu nei no laila ʻai nō ʻo ia a hewa ka waha, ʻoiai ʻaʻohe ona loaʻa ma Oʻahu nei. A ʻo ia hoʻi ke ʻano o ka nohona ma Niʻihau. ʻAi nō i nā ʻono o ka ʻāina a ulu pono a ikaika ke kino a me ka ʻōlelo hoʻi kekahi.

E kipa aku iā lāua i ka Pōʻalua a me ka Pōʻahā o kēlā me kēia pule.ʻOkoʻa naʻe kēia kamaʻilio ʻana,ʻokoʻa ka hele kino ʻana. Penei nō e kipa aku ai, ʻAkahi, i komo aku ʻoe i ka lumi zoom, a pio ʻē paha ka ipu leo, ʻaʻole paha ʻike ʻia kou hōʻea ʻana aku. E aloha aku ʻoe iā lāua a me nā hoa papa me kekahi ʻōlelo pōkole. A eia kekahi, kamaʻilio nui ʻia nā ʻano kumumanaʻo like ʻole a haʻi pū ʻia nō hoʻi nā moʻolelo like ʻole. No laila, e nānā ka maka, hoʻolohe ka pepeiao, a paʻa ka waha, ma laila nō ke aʻo. ʻO kekahi mea naʻe i loli ʻole, ʻo ia hoʻi ko lāua ahonui. ʻAʻohe mea e hopohopo ai ka manaʻo. Inā hemahema nō paha kāu ʻōlelo ʻana, ʻaʻole loa lāua e hoʻopaʻi iki ana iā ʻoe no ka ʻōlelo hemahema ʻana ʻoiai he aʻo ko laila. E noi hou ana paha ʻo ʻAnakē iā ʻoe e ʻōlelo hou i kāu mea i ʻōlelo ai, akā mai hopohopo. ʻO ke kumu paha, ʻaʻole paha i lohe pono ʻia kāu ʻōlelo a i ʻole pono paha e hoʻonohonoho hou i ka ʻōlelo āu i hoʻopuka ai. E “ʻaʻa [kākou] i ka ʻōlelo, waiho i ka hilahila i ka hale!” ʻO ka mea nui, “e lawe i ke aʻo a mālama, a e ʻoi mau ai ka naʻauao.” E naue pū mai i ka zui mānaleo!

© Kilinoe Kimura 2020

na Kilinoe Kimura