Synopsis: COVID-19 is a disease that first broke out in Wuhan, China, in the year 2019. It has infected millions ever since, including here in Hawai‘i, where we have experienced a number of other pandemics in our history.
‘Ano‘ai me ke aloha iā ‘oukou. Mana‘olana mai kā ‘oukou wahi mea kākau nei, aia paha ‘oukou i ko ‘oukou hale mehana kahi e heha ana i ka wā loku mai o ka ua i hala iho nei. He wahi leo mahalo kēia i ko‘u kumu nāna e paipai mau i ona haumāna i ke a‘o ‘ana iā mākou nei i ka ‘ōlelo makuahine. He wahi nani ke kolamu no kākou kānaka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i e pāku‘i ai i mana‘o no ka lehulehu. Me ia hā‘ina, ua hele aku a ma‘a nō ka lehulehu i ka lono i pō‘ai a‘e i ke ao nei e pili ana i ka ma‘i ahulau ‘o Covid-19 a me kona weliweli maoli.
I ka pae ‘āina o Hawai‘i nei ‘o O‘ahu ka moku nui o ka po‘e i loa‘a i ka hohola mai o ua ma‘i lele nei. Ma muli o kona kupu ‘ana a‘e, kau ‘ia ihola kekahi mau kānāwai ma luna o kākou ka po‘e kama‘āina. A ma kekahi ‘ano, he ho‘opa‘i nō kā ia. E kala kahiko, ua ‘ike maka akula ko Hawai‘i (ka po‘e ‘ōiwi) i ka ho‘opa‘i ‘ia ma muli o ka hō‘ea ‘ana mai o Kāpena Kuke mā. ‘O ka haole kai ho‘okama mai a ‘o ka hū a‘ela nō ia o ka ma‘i lele pāmake. No ka hō‘olu‘olu ‘ana o ka po‘e Hawai‘i i nā akua, paulele lākou i nā haole ma muli o ka lele ‘ana o Lono i mua o lākou. ‘O ia nō ke kumu i mahalo ai ka po‘e Hawai‘i i ko nā haole pae ‘ana mai. Mai ia wā mai nō e pauaho ana ka Hawai‘i i ka pāhola mai o nā ma‘i like ‘ole he nui, ‘a‘ohe pilo ma‘i.
‘O ia ‘onipa‘a akula nō kā lākou. A laila, i ka makahiki 1899, a i ia hope iho, i pau iho ai ka ma‘i ahulau i kapa ‘ia ‘o ka Piwa ‘Ele‘ele Puponika. Aia ma ia hope mai, e noho pa‘apū ana ka po‘e ma nā kauhale i pono kūkulu ‘ia e ka Pākē, ke Kepanī, a me ka Pukikī. ‘O ia kahi i pāhola nui ai ka ma‘i ahulau i ia wā. Ua hō‘oia ‘o S.P. Kanoa i ia laha ‘ana, i loko o Ke Aloha Aina, ma o kona kākau ‘ana penei: “i na wahi pelapela a kawakawau”. A ma muli o kēia i hōlapu ai ua piwa nei. Eia nā loina a lākou i mālama ai i ia wā: ‘o ka holoi lima ‘ana, ke komo ‘ana i nā pale wāwae, a me ka ‘au‘au pinepine ‘ana nō ho‘i. A ‘a‘ohe ‘ū, ola hou mai ana ka lehulehu o ia wā. Ma hope o kēia mau hana, puhi ‘ia nā hale, ka lole a pēlā aku. I ia wā, he hilina‘i maoli nō ua po‘e nei i ke a‘oa‘o a ke kauka, no ka mea, aia iā ia ka ‘ike, ka mana, a me ka lā‘au ho‘i e pono ai.
I kēia au nei, aia nā limahana o ka haukapila me ka mano hu‘i. Mōlia ‘i‘o nō nā kahu mālama ma‘i. A ma waena mai o nā ‘oihana he nui, ua ho‘ohanohano ‘ia lākou. He mau me‘e hiehie kēia no kākou e mahalo ai. A he kūpono nō ia, ‘oiai he mālama nō ua mau kānaka nei i nā kānaka pāma‘i like ‘ole a pau. Ke mana‘o nei au: i ‘ole e lilo ka ma‘i ahulau ‘o Covid-19 i ma‘i inaina loa nāna e hōlapu hou ana, e aho ka hou ‘ana i ka lā‘au ko‘oko‘o i nā lima o ka lehulehu. He mea na‘e kēia no kākou e maka‘ala ai. I loko o ko‘u ‘ohana pono‘ī, ua ‘ike nō au i ka hopena o ua lā‘au ko‘oko‘o nei. ‘A‘ole nō au e ‘a‘ano aku. ‘A‘ole loa. Akā, ke hahau aku nei nō nēia wahi haumāna i ka mo‘olelo a ka po‘e Hawai‘i kahiko i ‘ike maka ai i ko lākou ‘āina pono‘ī. No laila, eia nō kākou ke ‘au nei i ke kai ko‘o, a i ka popo‘i nalu halehale ho‘i. E emi mai ke kai o ia ma‘i a pi‘i ke kai ko‘o. Hiki nō i ia ma‘i ke ho‘oliliuewe. ‘A‘ole anei?
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.
