Synopsis: While watching “Wandavision,” Vision’s interest is piqued when asked about Theseus’ Paradox. It goes: If each individual ship component was replaced throughout the years, one at a time, and then eventually the entire ship was made of replaced parts, is it still the same ship? It made me think about how cultural practices change over time. Is it still a Hawaiian practice despite changes in medium or process? Who gets to have a say on what is and isn’t right for the culture?

E o‘u po‘e hoa heluhelu o kēia wahi kolamu nei, aloha nui ‘oukou. He mana‘o ko‘u e ho‘ono‘ono‘o ai iā ‘oukou. Ua pili ia i ka moku kaulana i ka Helene, i Ka Sipi o Theseus ho‘i. He mea ia e kualena ai i ka no‘ono‘o, ‘o ia ho‘i, inā ua hemo nā lā‘au o ka moku ma muli o ka popopo, a pani ‘ia kona hakahaka, mau nō ka moku kahiko? A i ‘ole ia, he moku hou? E ‘ole e nānā iā Wandavision, kau ai ka mana‘o o‘u i ua mea nei. ‘O ka mana‘o ia nāna i ho‘opīhoihoi aku iā Vision, a kū nō ho‘i i ko‘u mana‘o.

I ka lohe ‘ana o‘u i ua mea nei, kau akula ko‘u mana‘o i ka loina Hawai‘i, ka like a ‘oko‘a paha o kā kākou ho‘omau ‘ana i ka hana a kūpuna mā. Eia mai kekahi la‘ana. Pehea ko ‘oukou mana‘o? He kākau Hawai‘i ka mea i hana ‘ia ma o ka mīkini kākau? Pehea kona ‘ano inā ua like ke ana a me ke ka‘ina hana ho‘i me kā ka po‘e kahiko? Aia paha ke ‘ano Hawai‘i o ke kākau ‘ana i ia mea ‘o ka mōlī? Eia hou aku, he lawai‘a Hawai‘i ka po‘e nāna e ho‘okele ana i ka moana ma ka moku ‘enekini? Ma kēia mau la‘ana i ‘ike ‘ia ai ka mana‘o o kēia wahi nane, a i mea kēia e kualena ai i ka no‘ono‘o. Inā ua ‘ano like ke ka‘ina hana a nā Hawai‘i o kēia au me kā kūpuna mā ke hana aku i nā mea Hawai‘i, akā, ua ‘oko‘a iki ma kekahi ‘ano, mau nō anei kona kūlana he mea Hawai‘i?

E hāpai ana wau i kēia mana‘o, no ka mea, ‘a‘ohe mea a ke au o ka manawa e kakali iho ai, he holo wale aku nō ‘o ia. Wahi a ka manu, “He pono ka loli no ka holomua o ka lāhui.” Eia na‘e, aia iā wai ke kuhi ‘ana i nā mea e ho‘ololi ai, a he kūpono anei ia loli ‘ana? Aia i kēlā me kēia kanaka ke kūpono a me ka ‘ole o ka ho‘ololi ‘ia ‘ana o kekahi mea. No laila, eia ihola ko‘u mana‘o. Ma ka pa‘a ‘ana o ke kahua e ‘ike ‘ia ai ka maika‘i o ke kūkulu, e like me ka ‘ōlelo no‘eau. Ke kūlanalana mai ke kahua, ‘a‘ole paha e ‘ike ‘ia ka pilikia o ia loli ‘ana. Penei ho‘i, no ka po‘e ‘ike ‘ole i ka hula, a ua hāwāwā paha, pehea ana lā ko lākou mana‘o no ka hula? Pehea ho‘i ka mana‘o o nā kumu hula i pa‘a iā lākou nā loina hula? ‘A‘ole nō e like ana. No laila, no wai lā ia kuleana ‘o ka ho‘ololi ‘ana? Pēia ho‘i ko‘u mana‘o no ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Inā ‘a‘ohe wahi ‘ike o kekahi ka‘aka, he mana‘o wale nō paha kona, akā, ‘o kona kuleana anei ia, ‘o ka ho‘ololi ‘ana i ia ‘ōlelo?

Eia hou ho‘i, mai nō a lawelawe wale aku i kekahi hana me ka ‘ike ‘ole i ke ‘ano o ia hana. I ‘ike kākou, ‘o ka noho ‘ana a kupa i ke alo, ‘o ke ala nō ia e a‘o ai i nā ‘ike Hawai‘i. A ma loko ho‘i o ua mau ‘ike lā e loa‘a ai ke akamai, a ma laila aku ka hana. Pēlā pū ka‘u hana. He haumāna a‘o ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i wau, ‘a‘ole na‘e wau e kuhi wale aku i ke kūpono a kūpono ‘ole paha o kona ho‘ololi ‘ia ‘ana. No laila, eia nō wau ke paipai nei iā ‘oukou, e nā Hawai‘i, e ho‘opa‘a mua i ke kahua, a laila nō ke kūkulu.

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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.