Synopsis: A type of vegetation that grows only in Hawai‘i, particularly on the North facing side of Moku o Lo‘e, has been called Halophila hawaiiana by the scientific community, and is commonly referred to as seagrass. What can we call it in Hawaiian? Some high school science students have an idea.
Aloha mai kākou. I Moku o Lo‘e aku nei au a hālāwai me kekahi mau haumāna kula ki‘eki‘e o Hawai‘i. He polokalamu kau wela ia no ka noi‘i ‘ana i nā nīnau like ‘ole e pili ana i nā mea ola o ke kai. Aia kēia polokalamu ma lalo o ka Hawai‘i Institute for Marine Biology (HIMB), he mahele no ke Kula Nui o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa. Aia ka pahuhopu ‘o ka ho‘omākaukau ‘ana i nā haumāna kūloko o Hawai‘i nei no ke komo ‘ana i loko o ia ‘oihana he noi‘i mea ola kai.
‘O Christine Ambrosino ke kumu alaka‘i o kekahi o nā hui. E noi‘i ana nō kāna hui i ia mea he “seagrass”, he mea ulu ma nā kapakai o Moku o Lo‘e a ma kēlā pu‘e one kaulana ho‘i ma loko o ke kai kū‘ono ‘o Kāne‘ohe. A ma Hawai‘i wale nei nō kona wahi e ulu ai. ‘A‘ohe wahi hou aku. Eia na‘e ka mea ‘āpiki. Ua kapa ‘ia ka inoa ‘epekema ‘o Halophila hawaiiana, akā ua mana‘o nā haumāna e kapa aku i kona inoa Hawai‘i. I ka ‘imi aku na‘e i loko o nā palapala, ‘a‘ole loa‘a. No laila, ua nīnau mai ia‘u, a no ku‘u ‘ano ‘akahi akahi ma ia kumuhana ‘o nā mea ola kai, ‘a‘ohe a‘u ‘ekemu.
Eia na‘e, ma kahi o ka hāpai ‘ana i inoa hou, ua waiho akula au i kēlā kuleana ma luna o lākou. Wehewehe akula au i nā ala o ka haku hua‘ōlelo ‘ana. ‘O ia ho‘i, ua hiki ke ho‘ohawai‘i i ka puana ‘ana i ka hua‘ōlelo haole “seagrass” a i ‘ole ka hua‘ōlelo ‘epekema “Halophila hawaiiana”. Ua hiki ke haku i hua‘ōlelo no ka hō‘ike i kona nānā ‘ana, ke ‘ano o kona ‘oni ‘ana, kona wahi e ulu ai, ka ‘ono a ‘ono ‘ole paha o kona ‘ai ‘ana, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku. ‘O ka‘u na‘e iā lākou, maika‘i ka ho‘ohana ‘ana i ke kaona i mea e kuhikuhi ai iā ia ma o ka ‘ōlelo.
I kēlā pule aku nei, loa‘a maila kahi leka uila maiā Christine e hō‘ike mai ana i ka inoa a nā haumāna i haku ai, ‘o ia ho‘i kēlā inoa e kau a‘e nei ma luna o kēia ‘atikala, ‘o Nāipoli‘ili‘iho‘oku‘iikapu‘uwai. Nui ko‘u mahalo i ke akamai o kēia po‘e haumāna. Ua nānā lākou i ke ‘ano o ka ulu ‘ana. He pālua nā lau e ulu ana mai ke a‘a mai, a i ka nui ‘ana mai o ia mau lau a ‘elua, ma kahi o ka 2 a 3 paha kenimika ka lō‘ihi, hela nō a pili kekahi i kekahi, a ulu mai ka pua ma waena o lāua.
He mea‘ai kēia mea ulu na ka honu, a he wahi ia e pe‘e ai nā ‘ano i‘a li‘ili‘i loa. A ‘oiai he mea ia i pa‘a kona a‘a ma lalo iho o ka ‘ili kai, nāna nō e ho‘opa‘a i ke one i ‘ole e lawe ‘ia aku e ke kai. Eia nō kekahi mea ‘āpiki. Ua maopopo, ‘o nā limu a me nā mea ‘ai like ‘ole a pau o ke kai, ua kapa ‘ia he i‘a. A ‘o nā lau ‘ai o uka, e la‘a ho‘i me ke kalo, ua kapa ‘ia he ‘ai. No laila, he aha lā ke ‘ano o Nāipoli‘ili‘iho‘oku‘iikapu‘uwai? He ‘ai a i ‘ole he i‘a? Koe aku ka hā‘ina a ho‘omohala ‘ia nā papa ‘epekema kai nona nā ha‘awina e mālama ‘ia ana ma o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ka ‘ōlelo kupa ho‘i o ia mau ipo li‘ili‘i ho‘oku‘i i ka pu‘uwai.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
