Synopsis: Who would be ashamed of their own ethnic heritage? Donald Trump has recently called into question the connection Kamala Harris has with her Black heritage. This statement could come back to bite him.

Aloha mai kākou e nā hoa heluhelu o nā lāhui like ‘ole, a mahalo ho‘i ko ‘oukou kāko‘o ‘ana i ka ho‘ōla ‘ia o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Eia nō ke māhuahua nei ka heluna o kākou po‘e ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. ‘A‘ole na‘e ‘o ke ola o ka ‘ōlelo ka pahuhopu nui. Aia ka pono ‘o ke ola o ka lāhui Hawai‘i a me ke kū ha‘aheo ‘ana o nā Hawai‘i i nā mea a pau e holomua ai ia lāhui o kākou. Inā pēlā, ‘o wai lā ke hilahila nei i kona helu ‘ia ma waena o nā kānaka Hawai‘i? I kēia mau lā, ‘a‘ohe a‘u kanaka Hawai‘i e ‘ike nei i hilahila i kona koko Hawai‘i. ‘A‘ole na‘e au i ‘ike i nā kānaka a pau. Aia nō paha kauwahi po‘e i hilahila i ko lākou koko Hawai‘i, ‘a‘ole paha. Koe aku ia. I ko‘u wā na‘e e kamali‘i ana, ua lohe au i ko‘u mau mākua e kama‘ilio ana no kekahi kanaka, he hapa Hawai‘i a hapa Pākē, nāna i hō‘ole i kona koko Hawai‘i. Nui loa ko‘u pū‘iwa! He aha kona kumu e hō‘ole ai?

Ia‘u nō e hali‘a aku nei i ka nohona o ia wā kamali‘i, ho‘omaopopo a‘ela i kekahi po‘e Hawai‘i nāna e hūnā i ko lākou lāhui, a e hō‘ole loa paha. I mea ia no‘u e pū‘iwa ai. Inā ‘a‘ole ikaika ka ‘ili, a ua kālole paha ka lauoho, a winiwini ho‘i ka ihu, ‘a‘ohe po‘e e mahu‘i he koko Hawai‘i ko lākou, a e hūnā lākou i ko lākou koko Hawai‘i. Pēlā nō na‘e ka hi‘ohi‘ona o kahi keiki ‘o au, koe wale nō ka ihu. Ua ‘ano nui ia a lilo ia i mea no‘u e ha‘aheo ai. Ua kuhi mai kekahi hoa o ko‘u mau mākua i ko‘u ihu a kapa maila ‘o ia he ihu Hawai‘i ia. Nui ko‘u ha‘aheo! ‘A‘ole nō i maopopo ia‘u ke kumu i hō‘ole ai kekahi po‘e Hawai‘i i ko lākou koko Hawai‘i. Mali‘a, ua hilahila ko lākou mau ‘ohana. Ua pōmaika‘i maoli nō au, no ka mea, ma ko‘u ‘ohana, i mea ke koko Hawai‘i e ha‘aheo ai.

I kēlā pule aku nei, ua ho‘ohalahala ‘o Donald Trump iā Kamala Harris no kona hūnā ‘ana i kona koko pā‘ele. Wahi āna, ua hō‘ike wale mai nō ‘o Harris i kona ‘ao‘ao ‘Īnia. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, he ‘Īnia kona makuahine a he Iāmeka kona makuakāna, a ‘a‘ole ‘o ia i hūnā i ia mea. Ua puka ‘o ia ma ke kulanui ‘o Howard, kahi kaulana i kona mau haumāna, he pā‘ele ka hapanui. Ua puka ‘o ia me ke kekelē loio. Na wai e ‘ole ka ha‘aheo ua kāmoe aku i ia ala a lei mai i ka lei o ka lanakila? ‘A‘ohe ona wahi hūnā i kona koko pā‘ele!

A pehea lā ka mo‘olelo o kahi Trump? I kēia manawa, he Sekokia ‘o ia ma ka ‘ao‘ao o kona makuahine a he Kelemānia ma ka ‘ao‘ao o kona makuakāne. Ma loko na‘e o kāna puke, “The Art of the Deal” (1987), ua kākau ‘o ia e pili ana i kona kupunakāne, ‘o Friedrich, me ka hō‘ike ‘ana ho‘i i ko ia ala hele ‘ana i ‘Amelika “from Sweden as a child.” Kohu mea lā, ua hapa Sekokia a hapa Kuekene. Ma hope o ke Kaua Puni Honua ‘Elua, he mea kū‘ai ke‘ena noho kona makuakāne, ‘o Fred, a ‘oiai he Iukaio ka hapanui o ka po‘e kū‘ai me ia i ia manawa, ua maka‘u paha ‘o ia o hulikua ‘ia mai e lākou ma muli o kona koko Kelemānia. No laila, ‘a‘ole ‘o ia i hō‘ike aku i ia ‘ao‘ao ona. Ma hope na‘e o ka puka ‘ana mai o kāna puke, ua ‘ae ‘o Trump i kona lāhui he hapa Kelemānia.

Eia mai nō ka‘u nīnau. He aha lā ko ia ala ‘ano? He keu ke ‘ano ho‘okamani o kona ho‘ohalahala hewa ‘ana iā Kamala Harris no ka hūnā ‘ana i ka lāhui o kona makuakāne. ‘A‘ole kā pēlā ka ‘oia‘i‘o! Eia na‘e, ‘a‘ohe wahi ho‘ohalahala iki i kona makuakāne pono‘ī i ka hūnā ‘ana i kona lāhui. ‘Eā, he au hou kēia a ua ao maila ka nui o kākou kānaka a ua ha‘aheo i ko kākou lāhui. ‘O au pū kekahi. He Hawai‘i, he Pākē, he Pukikī, he Pelekane, a he Kelemānia nō ho‘i kekahi. Ha‘aheo au i ia ha‘awina pōmaika‘i a ko‘u mau mākua i ho‘oili maila.

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.