Synopsis: There have been so many problems surrounding the Aloha Stadium that it requires demolition. Now the state wants to build a new venue. Can we trust it to do a good job this time?
Aloha hou mai kākou. He mo‘olelo kēia no ke kahua pā‘ani nui loa o Hawai‘i nei, ‘o Aloha Stadium. Ua piha he 48 makahiki o kona kū ‘ana. ‘O ka nui loa na‘e o kona mau pilikia, ua mana‘o ‘ia aia kona pono ‘o ka wāwahi ‘ia mai. Ua mana‘o ho‘i ke Kia‘āina Ige e kūkulu i kahua pā‘ani hou i hapa mai kona mau noho. ‘O ia ho‘i, ma kahi o ke 50,000 noho o ke kahua kahiko, he 25,000 a 30,000 wale nō o kēia kahua hou. I ka moemoeā ‘ana na‘e no ke ‘ano o ia kahua hou, he nui hou aku nā mea e kūkulu pū ‘ia ana ma ia wahi kokoke aku nō. He mau hale, hōkele, ke‘ena hana, hale kū‘ai, a ia mea aku ia mea aku, ke kūkulu pū ‘ia ana. ‘O ka New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) kona kapa ‘ia ‘ana. Eia na‘e ka mea ‘āpiki, ‘a‘ole nō i holo pono ia mana‘o. Ma ia manawa mai, he kia‘āina hou, a no ko ia ala ‘ike ‘ana i ka nui o nā hihia i pili i ia papahana, ua ho‘oholo ‘o ia e kūkulu wale nō i ke kahua pā‘ani. ‘Eā, e nā makamaka, ‘a‘ohe o‘u puni i ia ‘ōlelo. Aia wale nō a kū mai, pau ko‘u ho‘omaloka.
Ua kūkulu ‘ia ke kahua pā‘ani kahiko i ka MH 1975. Ho‘omaopopo au i kona wā i pa‘a ai, no ka mea, ua puka au mai ke kula ki‘eki‘e i ka MH 1974, a ‘o ko mākou mau kime pōpeku, ua pā‘ani i loko o ka Honolulu Stadium ma Mō‘ili‘ili, ka mea i kapa ‘ia ‘o ka “Termite Palace”, ma muli o ke ‘ano popopo o kona mau lā‘au. I ke kū ‘ana mai o Aloha Stadium, ua hoka kā ‘oukou wahi mea kākau. Ua ‘au ‘ē akula i ke kai loa, i ‘Amelika, kahi e kula ‘ia ai. I ko‘u ho‘i ‘ana mai na‘e, he mea ma‘amau ia‘u ka hele ‘ana i nā pā‘ani pōpeku o ke kulanui. I ia wā, e hō‘ea koke ka po‘e māka‘ika‘i a pā‘ina i loko o ke kahua kū ka‘a. He kūkulu hale pe‘a, he pū pa‘akai, he inu pia, a he kolekole ka hana a hiki i ke komo ‘ana aku i loko o ke kahua. I kekahi mau manawa, ‘o ka nui o ka ‘ona i ka pia, ‘a‘ohe o‘u ‘ike i ka hopena o ka ho‘okūkū. Wahi a nā kūpuna, ua pio kā ‘oe ahi, pau kā ‘oe hana!
I ia manawa, ‘a‘ohe kahua pā‘ani pōpeku ma Mānoa, a no laila, ‘o Aloha Stadium ko mākou wahi o ka hele ‘ana i nā ‘ano hanana le‘ale‘a like ‘ole. ‘O ka pōpeku ‘oe, ‘o ka pōhili ‘oe, ‘o nā ‘aha mele, nā ‘aha hemo kula, nā heihei kalaka me ka lele ‘ana ma luna o nā pu‘u lepo nunui, a he nui hou aku. Aloha nō ia mau lā, ua hala! Hāli‘a nō ka mana‘o i ua kahua aloha nui ‘ia lā. Ua hala kona mau lā o ka ho‘ohiala‘ai ‘ana i nā māka‘ika‘i. A i kēia manawa o ka ho‘olālā ‘ia ‘ana o kona wāwahi ‘ia, ‘o ka hāli‘a, ‘o ka hā‘upu, ‘o ia ko‘u mau hoa o ka noho pū ‘ana.
Eia nō na‘e, i loko o kona mau makahiki o ke kū ‘ana, ua kupu mai kekahi mau pilikia nui. I kona kūkulu ‘ia ‘ana, ua lana mai kona mau pāku‘i ‘ehā ma luna o kekahi moena ea. ‘O ia nō ka mea e hiki ai ke ho‘one‘e ‘ia a loli ai kona kinona. He kohu kupua ka hoa like. He kinona kaimana no ka pōhili, he kinona huinakolu no nā ‘aha mele, a he kinona ‘ololaha no ka pōpeku. Eia ka mea ‘āpiki. No ka hana ho‘omakauli‘i a ka mea kīpapa kīmeki, ua kāpulu ka hana a hemahema maila kona ne‘e ‘ana. No laila, ua ho‘opa‘a ‘ia kona ‘ano ma ke kinona ‘ololaha. Eia hou, he nui nā pou kila i kūkulu ‘ia me ka pena ‘ole ‘ia. Ua kuhi ka po‘e ‘enekinia, i loko o ka ‘a‘ai ‘ia o ka ‘ili o waho o ka hao e ke kūkae hao, ‘o ia mau pa‘a nō ‘o loko. ‘A‘ole kā pēlā. ‘O ka nui o ke kawaū ea o Hawai‘i, a me ka piha ‘ana ho‘i o ke ea i ka pa‘akai, ua pau koke ka ikaika o ka hao, a e maka‘u ana ke aupuni o hiolo mai auane‘i a make kekahi po‘e māka‘ika‘i. No ia kumu i ho‘opa‘a ‘ia ai nā ‘īpuka, a he wāwahi mai koe. Pehea lā e hilina‘i hou ai i ke aupuni ma kona kūkulu ‘ana i kahua hou?
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.
