Synopsis: Folks have begun to notice that there is a racially based double standard when it comes to the news coverage of missing women. Some clearly receive more attention than others. The Gabby Petito case has certainly brought this to light.
‘Auhea ‘oukou e o‘u hoa ‘ohikau hauwala‘au, ‘o ia ho‘i ka lono o ka ho‘olaha wale ‘ia ‘ana i kēlā lā kēia lā? ‘Eā, e ka hoa heluhelu, ‘a‘ole ia he kumu e hilahila ai, ‘oiai he lono nō ia no ko kākou po‘e hoa kanaka. He kama‘āina a he malihini paha, he menemene nō ko kākou ke pilikia lālou a pau. He hau‘oli ho‘i ke kulia lākou i ka hano hāweo, a he hoihoi nō ho‘i kākou i kā lākou mau mea hou e haku ai. Eia na‘e ka mea ‘āpiki, i ka puka ‘ana mai o kekahi mau mo‘olelo i ke ākea, ‘a‘ole o ka‘e mai ka pi‘i o ka nīele, a he nīele kohu ‘ole paha ia i kekahi manawa, no ka mea, ua lilo ke kūlana kūpiliki‘i o kahi hoa kanaka, ‘o ia ka mea e hoihoi ai. He po‘e nona ka maka haka pono aku i kahi ulia ka‘a, ‘o ia ka hoa like.
He aha lā ka mea e haka aku ai? He ho‘omāna‘ona‘o nō paha ua ulia lā, a ‘o ia noke aku na‘e i ka nānā. ‘O ia ihola ko‘u mana‘o ia‘u i ‘ike ai i ka puka pinepine mai o kēlā mo‘olelo no kahi wahine, nona ka inoa ‘o Gabby Petito, i nalo aku nei ‘oiai e huaka‘i pū ana me kāna kāne ho‘opalau, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Brian Laundrie ka inoa. No Florida lāua, a e ka‘apuni ana iā ‘Amelika i ka wā i nalo ai ‘o Gabby. A hala kekahi mau lā, loa‘a maila kona kino kupapa‘u ma Waiomina. I ia manawa i ho‘omaka ai ka ‘imi ‘ana i kāna kāne ho‘opalau i ho‘i ho‘okahi akula i Florida, i kahi a ka ‘ohana o ka noho ‘ana. A ma ia manawa mai a hiki i ka wā o kēia kākau ‘ana, ‘o kona mau mākua wale nō kai ‘ike iā ia, a eia nō ‘o ia ua ‘auhe‘e a ke ‘imi ‘ia ala e nā māka‘i.
‘Eā, e nā hoa heluhelu, ‘a‘ole paha kākou e hihi i ke kama‘ilio mau ‘ana no ua hihia nei. Ia‘u nō a lohe i ka ‘ōlelo ho‘ohalahala a kauwahi po‘e no ka nānā makaleha aku a ka po‘e kūkala nūhou i ka hihia o kekahi wahine haole me ka hulikua aku na‘e i nā hihia o nā wāhine nona ka ‘ili ikaika, ua pi‘i ke kai. ‘O ia ho‘i, inā paha he wahine pā‘ele kai nalo, a he wahine ‘ōiwi nō paha, he pāweo wale aku nō ka maka o ka lehulehu! A no ke aha lā ho‘i? No‘u iho, ‘o ke ake kālā kekahi kumu. A ‘o ka ho‘okae ‘ili kekahi.
Ma ka ‘ao‘ao o ke ake kālā, he pā‘oihana ia mea ‘o ke kūkala nūhou. E kū‘ai mai nō kahi po‘e piele i kauwahi minuke e ho‘olaha aku ai i kā lākou mau mea kū‘ai i mua o ke ākea, a pēlā e nui ai kā lākou kālā. Ma waena mai o ka lehulehu nāna e nānā i ke kūkala nūhou, ua ‘oi aku ka nui o ka po‘e menemene i ka hihia o kahi wahine ‘ilikea u‘i, pali ke kua mahina ke alo, kino pīlahilahi, a kū‘ono‘ono nō ho‘i, ma mua o ka wahine ‘ōiwi ‘ala‘uka pūhalalū, no kahi ‘ohana ‘ilihune, a no ka mea, ‘a‘ole e nānā ana ka lehulehu i ka pono o ia ‘ano wahine.
Aloha nō! He hoa kanaka nō nā kānaka a pau. ‘A‘ole hiki ke menemene i kekahi a hulikua i kekahi, pehea lā kona ‘ano. ‘A‘ole hiki ke ho‘oka‘ina ‘ia lākou ma ka nui o ka waiwai. ‘A‘ole ho‘i e kau ‘ia kekahi lāhui ma luna o kekahi. Ua waiwai kākou a pau! ‘O ka nui o nā wāhine pā‘ele a ‘ōiwi i nalo a i pepehi ‘ia paha a make, e aho ka hō‘ike ‘ana i ko lākou lā mo‘olelo ma luna o ka nūhou. Mali‘a o aloha ‘ia lākou a hapa mai ka nui o ko lākou ‘īnea. Aia nō ia iā kākou. Aloha nā wāhine ‘ōiwi a pau, a aloha nō ho‘i kahi Gabby Petito!
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.
