Synopsis: The coqui frog is busy reproducing itself on several of our islands. It came from Puerto Rico in the 1980s and has flourished here. Maui seems to have made good progress in containing its spread.
Aloha mai kākou e o‘u hoa heluhelu o ke kōlamu ‘ōlelo kanaka. Eia hou mai kahi haipilikia ke laha a‘e nei i loko o ko kākou mau no‘ono‘o a me ko kākou mau kaiāulu nō ho‘i. ‘O ka ho‘olaupa‘i nō o ia mea he kokī, kekahi ‘ano poloka li‘ili‘i nāna e noho ma luna o nā lā‘au, ‘o ia ke ‘ike ‘ia nei ma ko kākou pae ‘āina aloha. A ma mua na‘e o ke kaulona aku i kona ‘ano, he wahi mana‘o ko‘u no kona inoa e kapa ‘ia ai ma kēia ‘ōlelo aloha o kākou. Penei ho‘i, ‘o ke kumu i kapa ‘ia ai i ke “coqui” ma ka namu haole, a ma ka ‘ōlelo ‘epekema ho‘i a ka haole, ‘o ia nō ke ‘ano o ke kani. Ua ‘oki ‘ia kona leo a ho‘opa‘a ‘ia ma luna o ka pūnaewele. Eia kā, he kani ha‘aha‘a a pōkole ko ke kāpana mua a he ki‘eki‘e a lō‘ihi ho‘i ka lua, a ‘o ia ka mea i kākau ‘ia ai ma ‘ane‘i me ke kahakō, “kokī”.
Eia ke kapa ‘ia nei ma Hawai‘i i ke “koki”, ‘o ia ho‘i, ‘a‘ohe kahakō. Mali‘a paha ua ‘ikea ka mana‘o o ia hua Hawai‘i he ihu ‘ū, e like paha me ko ke kokī, ‘a‘ole paha! ‘A‘ole na‘e e hihi. ‘O ka mea nui, ‘eā, he ho‘onāukiuki kāna kani a lohe mai ke a‘o. A he lohe wale ‘ia mai i ka pō, no ka mea, he hiamoe wale nō ‘o ia i ke ao. A ‘o ka nui o ia kani, e lilo ia i mea e hia‘ā ai ka moe o ka pō. He keu ia a ka mea hōkake i ka moe mālie. ‘O ke ao paha ka wā e moe ai kānaka.
Eia mai ka mo‘olelo no ka hō‘ea mai o ua kokī nei i o kākou. He ‘ōiwi ‘o ia ala no Pokoliko, he mokupuni ma ka pae moku Kalepiana. Pehea lā na‘e i hiki mai ai i Hawai‘i nei? I loko o nā MH 1980, e halihali ‘ia mai ana kauwahi mea kanu no Pokoliko mai, a ua kau malū ua wahi kokī nei ma luna o ia mau mea kanu.
Ma ia manawa mai, ‘o ka ‘eleu loa o ia poloka i ka ho‘olaupa‘i ‘ana, ‘a‘ole nō a he wā, ua laha aku mai ‘ō a ‘ō o Hawai‘i mokupuni, a i kēia mau lā, ma kauwahi o laila, ke kuhi ‘ia nei he 55,000 paha poloka kokī o ka hekekale (ma kahi ia o ka 2.5 ‘eka). Hele a pālua kona laha ‘ana ma Hawai‘i nei ma mua o kona ‘āina ‘ōiwi ‘o Pokoliko. Aloha nō ko ka moku o Keawe. Eia nō ke ho‘omanawanui nei i ia kani ho‘onāukiuki a ao ka pō. No ka maka‘ala ‘ole paha i ia wā i hiki mua mai ai, ua laha mai ua kokī nei i Maui a i O‘ahu. Ua laki nō na‘e mākou ma O‘ahu, no ka mea, he mau kokī helu wale kai loa‘a mai. Aia ma Waimānalo mā me Pālolo. I Maui na‘e, ua laha loa.
He pākela ‘ai ke kokī i nā ‘ano ‘iniseka li‘ili‘i like ‘ole, a he mea ia e pilikia ai ke kaiaola o ka ‘āina. ‘O ia ho‘i, ua hapa mai ka nui o nā mea ‘ai a nā mea ola ‘ē a‘e. Eia hou, ‘a‘ohe ‘enemi nāna ‘o ia e pepehi mai, a no laila, he laha lanakila aku nō ‘o ia i ‘ō a i ‘ane‘i. Ma muli na‘e o ka ‘eleu o ka po‘e o Maui, eia ke emi loa mai nei ka heluna o ia haipilikia ma kauwahi o ia moku. ‘O ka ho‘okikī aku i kahi wai ‘akika ‘alani i luna o nā lau nāhelehele, ‘o ia ka mea e pau ai ke kokī. Aloha nō kahi poloka li‘ili‘i i e‘e hewa mai i luna o kahi lā‘au e halihali ‘ia ana i ka ‘āina ‘ē. ‘A‘ohe ona mahu‘i iki i kona hopena.
Eia mai ka nīnau e wāhi nei i kahi pūniu o‘u. Pehea lā i malū ai ka holo pū ‘ana mai o ia mea kanikani leo nui? Pehea i lohe ‘ole ‘ia ai ka pa‘ē mai o ua leo nui lā? Eia mai ko‘u mana‘o kuhi, i ‘ike ‘oe e ke hoa heluhelu. ‘A‘ole paha i halihali ‘ia mai i ka pō.
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.
