Synopsis: 126 years have passed since the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. As we remember this, we are reminded that the right to utilize our language has been effectively overthrown as well.
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Aloha kākou. Eia mai kā ‘oukou wahi mea kākau ke kākau nei i kahi kolamu e ho‘opuka ‘ia ana ma ka P6, he 126 makahiki ma hope mai o ka ho‘okahuli ‘ia o ke Aupuni Mō‘ī o Hawai‘i nei. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, e piha ana ia heluna makahiki i ka lā ‘apōpō, he P4 wale nō. ‘O ia ihola nō ke ‘ano o ia mea he kākau kolamu nūpepa i kēia mau lā. E ho‘ouna ‘ia i nā luna ho‘oponopono he ‘elua lā ma mua o kona puka maoli ‘ana mai i mua o ka lehulehu. A no laila, he ‘ano wānana paha kēia no ka mea e kupu mai ana.
I nehinei nō, i ka P2 ho‘i, ua hopu ‘ia kahi kanaka no ke kalaiawa ‘ana i kona kalaka ma kahi ala komo o ka Haleali‘i ‘o ‘Iolani. He aha ho‘i ko ia ala hewa i hopu ‘ia ai? I hewa kā ho‘i i ka pau ‘ana o ka pono o kahi laikini kalaiwa ka‘a. Auē nō kā ho‘i ē! Ua hala ‘ē ka lā e ho‘āla hou ai i ua laikini nei, a ua ho‘opa‘i ‘ia ka mea kalaiwa e ka māka‘i ma o ka likiki. E nīnau mai ana paha ‘oukau, e nā hoa heluhelu, “Ua hopu ‘ia anei no ka hala ‘ana o ka palena pau? He ‘o‘ole‘a ho‘i kau!”
He manomano paha nā mana o kēia mo‘olelo e kama‘ilio ai. ‘A‘ole na‘e paha kākou e lu‘u aku ma loko o ia mau kai. ‘O ko ia ala mea i hopu ‘ia ai, ‘o ia ho‘i ka ‘au‘a ‘ana i nā hua haole ma ka pane aku i nā nīnau a ka māka‘i. He hō‘a‘ano nō paha ia ‘ano hana i ka mana‘o o ua māka‘i nei, a ua lilo nō paha ia i mea e nāukiuki ai. ‘O ka hopu akula nō ia o kahi māka‘i nuha i ua ka‘aka nei a lawe akula i ka hale pa‘ahao. A no ke aha lā i ‘au‘a ‘ia ai ka hua haole? Ua pa‘a ‘ole paha ka namu iā ia? ‘A‘ole kā pēlā! Ua pa‘akikī akula ua ka‘aka nei ma ka noke ‘ana i ka pane aku ma o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. ‘O ia ihola ka mea i pōkole ai ka na‘au o kahi māka‘i. ‘Eā, e nā hoa, ke kuhi nei au ‘a‘ole hiki i ka māka‘i ke ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, no ka mea, inā ua hiki, inā nō paha he kumu ‘oko‘a e hopu ai i ka mea kalaiwa!
Ua puka mai kēia wahi mo‘olelo ma ke kūkala nūhou o ke kīwī, a puka pū mai ho‘i me ka inoa o ka mea kalaiwa, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Daniel Anthony, ka mea i kaulana i ka ho‘oikaika i ia hana ‘o ke ku‘i ‘ai. Wahi āna, ‘o kona ‘āina kēia, a inā e lawelawe ana kekahi kanaka i ia kuleana ‘o ka mālama maluhia, aia ka pono ‘o ka lawelawe ‘ia ma o ka ‘ōlelo a ka po‘e o ka ‘āina, ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. A no laila, ‘o ia kā ke kumu i ‘au‘a ai ua ‘o Anthony i ka ho‘opuka ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo haole i mua o ka māka‘i.
Ma kēia nīnau no ka ‘ōlelo e kama‘ilio ai ka māka‘i me ka lehulehu, he pale kānāwai paha a he maka‘āinana paha, kāko‘o au i kā Anthony. He ‘ōlelo kūhelu ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i no ka Moku‘āina ‘o Hawai‘i, a no laila, ‘a‘ole hiki i nā ‘ākena o ia Moku‘āina ke koikoi i ka ‘ōlelo haole ‘o ia ka ‘ōlelo e lawelawe ai i ka hana o ke aupuni. ‘Eā, ‘a‘ole paha e hopu ‘ia ka mea ‘ōlelo Kepanī a i ‘ole ka mea ‘ōlelo Palani, a ia ‘ōlelo aku ia ‘ōlelo aku, no ka ‘au‘a i ka namu haole.
Ma laila na‘e ka palena o ko‘u kāko‘o, no ka mea, ‘a‘ole ka pae‘āina nei he Moku‘āina no ‘Amelika. Ua kā‘ili kala‘ihi ‘ia ka pono o ko Hawai‘i e kahi ‘u‘a i noho hewa mai nei.
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.
