Synopsis: An interesting debate in the old Hawaiian newspapers reveals a penchant for smack talking in Hawaiian.

Aloha wale mai kākou e ka po‘e puni heluhelu mo‘olelo kahiko. I ka lā 10 o Pepeluali, MH 1911, ua puka mai kekahi mana o ka mo‘olelo o Kamehameha I i loko o ka nūpepa Kuokoa Home Rula. Na S. M. Kamakau paha ia mana, ‘a‘ole na‘e au i ‘ike maka i kona inoa. He mau mahina ma ia hope mai, i ka lā 10 o Mei o ia makahiki nō, ua leka aku kekahi wahine nona ka inoa ‘o Mrs. Kamaka Stillman, i ka nūpepa Ke Au Hou, ma lalo o ia po‘o inoa ho‘okahi nō e kau maila i luna a‘e nei, ‘o ia ho‘i, He Pane na “O-u-ka-maka-o-ka-wauke-oi-opiopio”. ‘O ke ‘ano o ia “pane”, he ho‘ohalahala ‘ana i kahi mana‘o kuhi hewa i puka mai ma loko o ia mo‘olelo, kahi e ‘ōlelo ‘ia ana na Naeole ‘o Kamehameha I i hānai. Na Kekuiapoiwa, ka lūau‘i makuhina o Kamehameha I, nāna nō ua Kamehameha nei i hānai.

Ma ka pukana o kekahi pule mai, ua pane aku kekahi mea heluhelu nona ka inoa ‘o Kohala-nui-Kohala-iki, me ke kū‘ē‘ē ‘ana i ia mana‘o o Mrs. Stillman, a e kāko‘o ana i ka mo‘olelo a Kamakau. ‘O ia paio ‘ōlelo aku nō kā lāua a hala he ‘elima pule, a hiki i ka pane ‘ole mai a Mrs. Stillman. I loko o ka lima o ka leka, ‘ōlelo akula ‘o Kohala-nui-Kohala-iki i kona hoa paio, ua ‘ike ‘o ia i ko ia ala mana‘o, ua puka mai ma loko o kekahi o nā nūpepa ‘ōlelo haole. Aloha nō! ‘O ka mea na‘e a kākou e kama‘ilio ai ma ‘ane’i, ‘a‘ole nō ia ‘o ka mea nāna ‘o Kamehameha I i hānai. E kama‘ilio na‘e kākou no ke ‘ano o nā ‘ōlelo kūamuamu i puka mai ma o kā lāua mau ‘ōlelo. A ‘oiai, ‘a‘ole lawa nā ‘īniha ma lalo nei e hō‘ike ai i nā ‘ōlelo kiko‘ī a pau, e kama‘ilio ‘ia ana ke ‘ano o ia mea he ho‘ohalahala i mua o ke ākea. ‘O ka po‘e hoihoi i nā ‘ōlelo kiko‘ī, e ‘imi aku nō ‘oukou i loko o Ke Au Hou.

Ua maopopo iā kākou he mana ko ka ‘ōlelo. He mana ho‘i ia e hō‘eha ai i ka hoa kanaka. I ko‘u a‘o ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ke ‘ano ‘o ia ka lua o ka‘u mau ‘ōlelo, pēlā nō ka‘u lohe. Eia hou, ‘o ka ‘ōlelo ‘ino i kia ‘ia aku i ka hoa kanaka, wahi a Mrs. Pukui, ua hiki ke ho‘iho‘i ‘ia mai no ka ‘ai ‘ana mai i kona kahu. ‘O Kohala-nui-Kohala-iki mā na‘e, me Mrs. Kamaka Stillman, eia nō lāua i mua o ke ākea ke ho‘ounauna aku nei me ka ho‘ouna mai ho‘i i nā akua lele! Me he mea lā, ‘a‘ohe wahi hopohopo o ho‘iho‘i ‘ia mai. A no ke aha ho‘i? He nīnau wāhi pūnia ho‘i kēlā! ‘A‘ole na‘e e hihi. E nānā ‘ia ke ‘ano o ke kūamuamu. Aia nō paha i laila ka ha‘ina.

Eia mai ‘elua la‘ana. E nānā mua ‘ia kahi ‘ōlelo ho‘ohalahala a Mrs. Stillman. Wahi āna, ‘o ka hilikau o ke kūkulu mana‘o ‘ana o Kohala-nui-Kohala-iki, ho‘opuka ‘o ia i kahi ‘ōlelo no‘eau (#486), ‘o ia ho‘i, Hauhili ka ‘ai a ke kawele‘ā. ‘O ia ho‘i, i ka pa‘a ‘ana o ke kawele‘ā i ka makau hele a hihia ke aho. ‘O Kohala-nui-Kohala-iki ho‘i, ua kapa akula iā Mrs Stillman i ke ali‘i kūkae popolo, ‘o ia ho‘i, he ali‘i nona ka makuahine maka‘āinana. No‘u iho, he mau ho‘ohalahala akamai kēia, no ka mea, ‘a‘ole i ho‘opuka pololei ‘ia aku nā ‘ōlelo ‘ino, ‘a‘ole i kuhikuhi pololei ‘ia ka hoa paio ma o ka hua ‘ōlelo “‘oe”, a ua ho‘ohālike ‘ia ka hana a ka hoa paio me kekahi mea ma‘a mau o ka nohona kanaka, he kūkae ‘ele‘ele.

‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, e ka makamaka, inā e heluhelu ‘oe i kēlā mau leka ma loko o Ke Au Hou, ‘ano nui ka ho‘opuka ‘ia o ka hua ‘ōlelo “‘oe”, me ke kia pololei aku i ka mana‘o ‘ino i ka hoa paio. Mali‘a, he kūpono ia hana i ka wā e paio ‘ōlelo ‘ia ana kekahi nīnau ko‘iko‘i loa, e la‘a ke kuleana no ka hānai ‘ana, a me ka hūnā ‘ana i ke ali‘i nui, no ka mea, ua maopopo, e ho‘ā‘o ana kona mau ‘enemi e pepehi iā ia ‘oiai ‘o ia e kamali‘i ana (“O-u-ka-maka-o-ka-wauke-oi-opiopio”) – i ‘ole ho‘i e ola mai a e laha aku kāna mau pua (o nui auane‘i kawowo aku).

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.