Synopsis: As Hawaiians, we should try to utilize our precious possessions instead of displaying them behind the glass barriers of museums. Everything we had was functional and those functions should be perpetuated.
‘Auhea lā ‘oukou e nā makamaka heluhelu, he mo‘olelo ka‘u e ha‘i aku ai iā ‘oukou no ka‘u mea i ‘ike maka ai i kēlā hopena pule i hala aku nei. I kēlā Lāpule, ua maika‘i a ua ‘olu‘olu loa, no laila, ua ho‘olako au i ka‘u ‘eke me ka‘u mau mea punahele no ka holoholo ‘ana i kahakai. ‘O ka mea ‘oi loa o ke ko‘iko‘i, ‘o ia nō ko‘u pāpale niu a‘u i ulana ai a me ka ‘aila pale lā e pakele ai ko‘u ‘ili i ka wela o ka lā. A ua holo au.
I ko‘u hō‘ea ‘ana aku i Waimānalo, ua pū‘iwa au i ka ‘ikena ma mua o‘u. Aia ho‘i ke hele wāwae nei i waenakonu o ke ala hele, he kanaka Hawai‘i. ‘A‘ole na‘e ‘o ia ‘o ka mea nāna i ho‘opū‘iwa mai ia‘u, akā ‘o ka mea i loko o kona lima ko‘u mea i pū‘iwa ai. I ka nānā mua ‘ana i ia mea, ua mana‘o au, he aha lā kēlā? Ua ‘ano like ia me he mea ko‘oko‘o lā no ka ho‘oma‘ema‘e ‘ana i ka lelehuna. Ua kā‘alo au i mua o ua kanaka nei. A hala aku ‘o ia ala i hope, ‘alawa a‘ela au i ka mea e pa‘a ana i kona lima. Eia kā, he kāhili pa‘a lima nō ia!
Ua ho‘okū au i ko‘u ka‘a a no‘ono‘o ihola wau, nani kēlā kāhili, akā, ‘ano ‘ē ka ‘ike ‘ana i ua mea lā ma waho o ka hale hō‘ike‘ike. I ia manawa, e piha ana ko‘u mana‘o i nā nīnau he nui. No ke aha lā e hāpai nei ‘o ia ala i ke kāhili pa‘a lima? A no ke aha ho‘i ‘o ia ma kai nei? Ua kapu paha ke kāhili no ke ali‘i wale nō. He mamo paha ‘o ia ala na nā ali‘i? Pehea lā e hiki ai iā kākou kānaka ‘ōiwi ke hana pēlā?
Puka au mai ke ka‘a a hele i ke one me ia mau nīnau e ‘upu a‘e ana i loko o ko‘u mana‘o a ua ‘ike hou au i ua kanaka nei e noho ana ma ke one. A ma laila ho‘i, ke kū ala i ke one ma ka ‘ao‘ao ona, ua kāhili nei. Me he mea lā, ‘o ke kāhili, he mea ia nona e ho‘okapu ai i kona wahi e noho ana. A i ko‘u nānā hou ‘ana iā ia ala me kona mea Hawai‘i e kū ana ma kona ‘ao‘ao, e ho‘opō‘ai ‘oko‘a ‘ia ana ‘o ia e nā malihini, a ua komo mai i loko o ko‘u no‘ono‘o he ‘ano mana‘o ‘oko‘a. He mea hou kēia a‘u e ‘ike nei.
‘O ka‘u mea i ‘ike ai i kēlā lā, he kanaka Hawai‘i ia e kū‘ē ana i nā malihini ma kona ‘āina pono‘ī. Ua ‘ike au he kanaka Hawai‘i e ho‘okahakaha ana i nā hana no‘eau o ka ‘ike kupuna. Ua ‘ike au he kanaka Hawai‘i e ho‘omaopopo ana i nā malihini a me nā haole, aia ana nō kākou kānaka Hawai‘i ma ko kākou ‘āina a mau loa aku. I ko‘u ‘ike ‘ana, i hō‘ailona ho‘olana mana‘o ia kanaka Hawai‘i ho‘okahi e kū ana i ke one. No laila, e nā hoa makamaka heluhelu, eia kekahi mau nīnau a‘u e hāpai ai i mua o ‘oukou.
Ua pono anei ka waiho wale ‘ana i nā mea waiwai o kākou kānaka ‘ōiwi i ke kū‘ono o ka hale? ‘A‘ole anei e hiki iā kākou ke ho‘onui i ke ko‘iko‘i o ko kākou mau mea kahiko (e like me ke kāhili pa‘a lima), me ka mālama pono a me ka ho‘opili i ia mea i ko kākou nohona i kēia au hou? Inā ‘a‘ole, e lilo ana nō ia mau waiwai o ke au kahiko, nā hō‘ailona o ko kākou nohona Hawai‘i, i mea wale nō e waiho ana ma hope o ka pahu aniani o ka hale hō‘ike‘ike. E lilo anei ia i mea na ka haole e mākilo ai me kona maka me‘ome‘o?
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:
>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
