Synopsis: The recent news, if it can be referred to as such, about the possible tainted Spam that was inadvertently shipped out to destinations in Texas, received air time here in Hawai‘i. The fact that it is highly unlikely that any of the cans reached our islands suggests that the whole story was designed to pander to the large Spam- eating community in Hawai‘i.

Aloha mai nō kākou. He nūhou ho‘oweliweli kai kuku‘i a‘e nei ma Texas a hō‘ea maila nō ho‘i i o kākou nei. Eia nō ke a‘oa‘o ‘ia nei ka lehulehu e ho‘okē i ka ‘ai ‘ana i kekahi mau kini ‘ūhā pua‘a, ‘o ia ho‘i ka Spam, ma muli o ka hemahema o ko lākou ho‘omākaukau ‘ia ‘ana. E akahele ho‘i ka po‘e puni i ka ‘ai i ia mea o loa‘a auane‘i i ka huli ‘ōpū, a he nui ka po‘e Hawai‘i i puni i ka ‘ai Spam. Eia na‘e, ‘a‘ole paha i ho‘ouna ‘ia mai nā kini maika‘i ‘ole i Hawaii. Aia wale nō ia ma Texas, kahi i ho‘ouna ‘ia ai. ‘Eā, inā pēlā, no ke aha i ho‘olaha ‘ia ai kēia ‘ōlelo a‘oa‘o ma o ka nūhou? Mali‘a o lawe ‘ia maila kekahi mau kini i Hawai‘i nei e ka po‘e ki‘i hele.

I ko‘u lohe mua ‘ana i kēia mo‘olelo ma ke kūkala nūhou, pololei akula au i ka waihona ho‘āhu mea ‘ai me ka nānā i ka‘u mau kini ‘ūhā pua‘a. Wahi a ka hō‘ike, ‘o ka Spam Classic ka mea e hō‘alo ai, nā kini ho‘i he 12 ‘auneke ka nui o ka ‘i‘o i loko, a nona ho‘i ka lā palena ‘ai ma ‘Aukake, 2026. ‘O kekahi mau hō‘ailona ho‘i, ‘o ia ka helu EST. 199 a me ka helu hui A08173. I nānā aku ka hana o‘u i ka‘u kini ‘ūhā pua‘a ho‘okahi wale nō, ‘a‘ohe wahi pili o ia mau helu. E ‘ai nō paha au i ua kini ‘ūhā pua‘a nei i ke kakahiaka ‘apōpō, a e haupa pū ho‘i me kauwahi hua moa i palai ‘ia. He mea maika‘i ia no ke olakino, no ka mea, ua hapa mai ka nui o ka pa‘akai i ka 25%.

‘O ka‘u nīnau, ‘eā, no ke aha i ho‘ā‘o ai ka nūhou e ho‘oweliweli mai iā kākou? Inā nō ua hiki mai kauwahi kini, nona ia mau helu, i ko kākou pae mokupuni nei, ua pau ‘ē paha i ka ‘ai ‘ia, no ka mea, he ‘ai punahele ia na ka po‘e o Hawai‘i nei. Eia kā, ua ho‘ouna mai nō ‘o Hormel, ka hui nāna e hana i ka Spam, i nā kini he 264,000, nona ke kumukū‘ai he $1,000,000.00, i mea e kōkua ai i ka po‘e o Maui. Ua nānā ‘ia paha ka helu ma luna o ia mau kini? ‘A‘ole paha? He mea ‘ole paha ia. He mahalo wale aku nō ko laila me ka nānā ‘ole aku i ka helu o ke kini, a me ka nui nō ho‘i o ka mūkī mūkā o ka lehelehe.

Mai ia manawa mai i ho‘ouna hewa ‘ia ai nā kini ‘ūhā pua‘a i pa‘a ‘ole ko lākou kūlana maika‘i, ‘a‘ohe wahi kanaka i loa‘a i ka ma‘i. No laila, pehea i lilo ai kēia mo‘olelo i nūhou? ‘O ka hāpai ‘ana i kēia mo‘olelo ho‘oweliweli, i mea nō paha ia e ho‘olalelale ai i ka no‘ono‘o o ka po‘e e nānā mai ana, a e ho‘onui ai ho‘i i ke kāloa‘a o nā hui ho‘olaha nūhou ma ke kīwī. ‘O ia ho‘i, inā he mo‘olelo ho‘oweliweli ke ho‘opuka ‘ia, e pi‘i ana ka heluna o ka po‘e e nānā mai ana, a e pi‘i pū ho‘i me ka nui o ke kālā e loa‘a mai ana ma o nā ho‘olaha ‘ana. No lala, e ka makamaka heluhelu puni ‘ole i ia ‘ano hana ‘āpuka, ‘a‘ole paha kākou e akahele i ka ‘ai kini ‘ūhā pua‘a. E akahele na‘e i ka puni aku i nā mo‘olelo ho‘olalelale a nā hui nūhou. ‘A‘ole ia he ‘ono e piha ai ka lua o ka inaina.

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.