Synopsis: The way in which we refer to the coronavirus Opens in a new tab suggests that it is a living entity. Scientists generally consider it to be nonliving; somewhere between living and dead.

Aloha mai kākou. He au weliweli nō kēia e laha aku nei kahi ma‘i e kaulana nei ma ka inoa COVID-19, i ‘ō a i ‘ane‘i o ka honua me ka pepehi i nā hoa kanaka he nui. Eia kākou ke pa‘a nei i loko o ka hale, ke nalu nui nei i nā ‘ano kumuhana like ‘ole e hiala‘ai ai ka mana‘o. No‘u iho nei nō, no ka ‘upu wale mai o ku‘u mana‘o no ia mea he “virus”, noi‘i noelo akula au i kona mana‘o ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Eia kā, wahi a Pukui mā, he “mea ho‘oma‘i” ia. Ua launa nō ia mana‘o. ‘O ka mea ‘āpiki na‘e, he nui nō paha nā mea ho‘oma‘i like ‘ole. ‘A‘ole paha he “virus” lākou a pau. Aia ka pono ‘o ka loa‘a mai he mau hua ‘oko‘a i mea e kuhikuhi aku ai i nā mea ‘ino ‘ē a‘e, ‘a‘ole he “virus”, akā nāna nō ka ma‘i.

I nalu iho ka hana, hele a uluhua ka mana‘o i kahi nīnau wāhi pūniu, a ho‘oholo ihola au, maika‘i paha ke kapa ‘ana i ka “virus” he mea ho‘oma‘i kiko‘ī. Aia nō paha kekahi hua hou ma loko o Māmaka Kaiao. I nānā aku na‘e ka hana, ua loa‘a maila kēia hua ‘ōlelo “mū hōlapu”. ‘O ka mea ‘āpiki, he ‘ano “virus” kēlā e ma‘i ai ke kamepiula, ‘a‘ole ke kanaka! No laila, ua ‘imi noi‘i ihola au i ka mana‘o o “virus” ma ka ‘ōlelo haole. ‘Eā, e ke hoa heluhelu, ‘a‘ohe wahi ‘ano o ke akāka!

Ma waena mai o ka nui o nā ‘atikala a‘u i heluhelu ai, e hoomaopopo mai ana nā mea kākau ‘a‘ole ia he mea ola, a eia hou, ‘a‘ole paha ia he mea ola ‘ole. He aha lā na‘e ke ‘ano o kahi mea ola ‘ole? ‘A‘ole paha ia i make. Aia paha kona kūlana ma waena o ke ola a me ka make. A ma laila i huikau ai ka no‘ono‘o o kā ‘oukou wahi mea kākau nei. Eia hou, ‘a‘ole like ke ola me ka “living”. Wahi a ka po‘e ‘epekema haole, ‘a‘ole nō ka “rock” he mea “living”. Ma ka mana‘o Hawai‘i na‘e, he mana ko ka pōhaku, a no laila, he mea ola nō ia! ‘O ua mea nei he “mū”, he mea mana nō ia, a no laila, he mea ola ho‘i.

Mali‘a, ma ka mana‘o Hawai‘i, he mea mana nā mea ho‘oma‘i a pau, a no laila, he ola ko ua mea lā e kapa ‘ia nei i ka “virus” ma ka namu haole. A ua ‘ike ‘ia kekahi mau ‘ōlelo ‘ana ma ka namu nāna e hō‘ike ka mana‘o o ka po‘e haole he mea ola ia. ‘O ia ho‘i, nui nā hana a ka “virus” e hana pū ‘ia e nā mea ola haole. ‘O ia ho‘i, he hele ia i ‘ō a i ‘ane‘i. He ha‘alele iā Kina, kau i ka mokulele, a lele aku nō i nā ‘āina ‘ē. He ho‘oma‘i nō ho‘i ‘o ia i kāna mau luaahi. ‘A‘ohe ona nānā inā he kāne a he wahine, he Hawai‘i a he haole, he ‘elemakule a he keiki, ‘o ia lele aku nō ma luna o ka luaahi. ‘A‘ole lā e lawelawe ‘ia ua mau hana nei e ka mea ola ‘ole.

No laila, no ka nīnau no ke ola a me ke ola ‘ole, me he mea lā, na ka po‘e ‘epekema haole wale nō ka hō‘ole ‘ana i ke ola o ia mea he “virus”. ‘O ka lehulehu o ke ao haole, a pau pū me ke ao Hawai‘i, ke ‘ike nei i ka ‘ino o ia mea, a me ka hopena o kāna hana. He mea nō ia nona ka mana e lawelawe ai i kēlā mau hana i helu ‘ia maila ma luna a‘e nei, a me nā hana hou aku he nui hewahewa. Pehea lā ho‘i e mana‘o ‘ia ai ‘a‘ohe ona mana, a no laila, ‘a‘ole ia he mea ola? He ola nō kona, a he make nō kāna!

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.