Synopsis: Modern “speakers” of Hawaiian should seek the source of the language as spoken by our ancestors and written in the Hawaiian newspapers.
‘O ke aloha nō ko ‘oukou e ka po‘e makamaka heluhelu o nei kolamu nūpepa, nona ka inoa e ho‘ohanohano mau ana i ko Honolulu ua kaulana nāna e kalahea aku ana ma nā kauhale o Honolulu kapikala: Welina nui me ke aloha! Eia hou mai au ‘o Kamoa‘elehua ke pā kāhea aku nei e ho‘okipa ‘ia ma ko ‘oukou mau wahi pumehana o ke aloha.
A no laila, ‘o ka‘u nīnau nui; ‘o ke ‘ano hea lā ho‘i ke ‘ano o kā kākou ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘ana? E ho‘ākāka iki a‘e au i ‘ano mōakāka paha ko‘u mau wahi mana‘o. He mea maopopo loa, ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, he ‘ōlelo no ka ‘ohana ‘ōlelo like o nā ‘ōlelo he nui o ka Moana Nui Ākea, i ili mai iō kākou nei mai nā kūpuna mai, nā kānaka ‘ōiwi o nei pae‘āina. A i loko o ka ne‘ena o ka manawa mai ka hiki mua ‘ana o ka po‘e haole, ua loli ke ‘ano a me ke kūlana o ka ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o ka ‘āina. Ua ‘ikea ke emi loa ‘ana o nā kānaka ‘ōiwi maoli o ka ‘āina a me ke emi pū ‘ana o ka ‘ōlelo. I ka wā i noho mana ai nā ali‘i i loko o ke au o ke aupuni mō‘ī, ma ka ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi i mālama ‘ia ai nā hana a pau. A i ka ho‘okahuli ‘ia ‘ana o ia aupuni mō‘ī me kona ali‘i wahine ‘o Lili‘uokalani, a ‘apakau ‘ia ho‘i ka mana aupuni e nā haole, emi hou maila ke kūlana o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a hiki i kona pāpā loa ‘ia ‘a‘ole e ho‘opuka ‘ia ma ke kula ‘ia o nā kamali‘i kula aupuni. Eia na‘e, ua mau nō kekahi hapa o nā Hawai‘i ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i waena o lākou iho ma nā hale pule, hale kū‘ai a ma nā wahi like ‘ole o ke kaiaulu, i kā lākou ‘ōlelo i ili mai nā kūpuna mai. A hala ‘elua paha hanauna, ua emi loa nā ‘ohana (ma waho ho‘i o Ni‘ihau) e ‘ōlelo mau ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ‘o ia kā lākou ‘ōlelo koho. No nā kumu like ‘ole, ua waiho ‘ia ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, a a‘o nui ‘ia ka namu a ka haole ma nā kula a ma nā hale kū‘ai, a pēlā wale aku ma ia wahi aku a ia wahi aku.
I kēia mau lā, ua ho‘ōla ‘ia kekahi ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, akā, he aha lā kona ‘ano? Ua like anei ia me kā nā kūpuna? Pehea lā e like ai, a pehea ho‘i e ‘oko‘a ai? ‘O ia kā kākou e nalunalu ai, ke ho‘ōla ‘ia nei i ka ‘ōlelo kupuna, a i ‘ole ia, ke haku ‘ia nei a ho‘ololi ‘ia paha a like a like me ka ‘ōlelo a ka haole, i mea ho‘i e kohu ai i ke ‘ano o ko kākou nohona o kēia mau lā? ‘A‘ole au e hō‘ole i ka loli ‘ana o nā ‘ōlelo, akā, ‘oko‘a ka loli ‘ana i loko o kona wā e ikaika loa ai, a ‘oko‘a ka loli o ka wā i māilo iho ai kona kūlana. He haku wale ka hana me ka ho‘ololi aku ma ke kūlana nāwaliwali. ‘O ka‘u e paipai nei, e a‘o ‘i‘o kākou a pa‘a pono ka ‘ōlelo maoli a nā kūpuna o ke au ikaika o ka ‘ōlelo ma kona mau ‘ano a pau, a laila, e koho akahele i nā ‘ano e loli ai no ka pono o ka ‘ōlelo a me kona po‘e.
He ahona loa ke a‘o kākou ma nā palapala mai ia wā, ‘o nā nūpepa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i kahiko ka‘u puni! ‘Ikea nā ‘ano maoli a lākou i ‘ōlelo ai no nā hana like ‘ole o ke kanaka maoli, ko lākou kuana ‘ike i kūpono i kēia au nei. E ho‘i aku nō kākou i ka mole kumu o ka ‘ōlelo a ho‘oikaika i laila, a aia a pa‘a ke kahua ma nā ‘ano a pau, e ki‘i kākou e kūkulu i hale e pono ai ka nohona o nā hanauna o kēia hope aku.
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.
