Synopsis: Names have spiritual power in the indigenous worldview, even those of natural features. Changing Denali back to Mount McKinley is tantamount to sacrilege. In Aotearoa, several of these features are recognized as having “personhood,” and their Māori names remain intact.
Aloha nō nā inoa ‘ōiwi o ka ‘āina ‘ōiwi, a mahalo ho‘i iā ‘oukou, e nā makamaka, i ka ho‘omanawanui ‘ana mai i kēia kumuhana ko‘iko‘i. Ua ‘ikea ka pilikia. Na ka po‘e komo hewa ia mau inoa ‘āina e kāpae wale aku nei, me ke kapa hou mai e like me ko lākou lā mana‘o he pono. Ma muli wale nō o ka ‘oi o ko lākou ikaika e hiki ai ke mī‘oi mai a na‘i mai ho‘i i ko ha‘i pono. A ‘o ia mī‘oi mai nō ia a lilo aku iā lākou ke kuleana e kapa ai i nā inoa o nā wahi pana. Kā! Na ka po‘e komone‘e e ‘oki i ka inoa ‘ōiwi! ‘O ka hopena, e nalo ka mo‘olelo o ka po‘e ‘ōiwi. Ke kapa hou ‘ia, e pau mai ka mana o ka inoa i ka uhi ‘ia. Me he ki‘i pena lā i uhi ‘ia mai i ka pena hou a nalo loa ho‘i kona mau ‘ano mua a pau. ‘O ia ihola nō ka pahu hope o ka ho‘okol-onaio. Ua lilo ka ‘āina iā lākou, a poina ihola ka pilina o ka ‘ōiwi i ia ‘āina. Pēlā ka hopena o kekahi mau wahi pana o Hawai‘i nei kekahi, a pēlā nō ho‘i mai ‘ō a ‘ō o ka honua.
E hele mua paha kākou i ‘Ālaka. Aia i laila kahi mauna ki‘eki‘e loa, ka ‘oi kelakela ho‘i o ‘Amelika ‘Ākau. Mai ka wā mai ma mua o ka hō‘ea mai o ka po‘e ‘ilikea, ua kapa ‘ia ma o kauwahi inoa ‘ōiwi, a ‘o ka mea kaulana loa, ‘o ia nō ‘o Denali. He inoa ‘ōiwi ia nona ka mana‘o “ka mea nui.” A ma ia wahi kokoke aku nō, aia kekahi pāka aupuni i kapa ‘ia ma ia inoa ho‘okahi nō. I ka MH 1917 na‘e, ua ho‘ololi ‘ia ka inoa a ua kapa ‘ia ‘o Mount McKinley, ma muli o ka pelekikena o ‘Amilika nona ia inoa. ‘O ka nalo akula nō ia o ua inoa ‘ōiwi nei, ‘o Denali. Aloha nō ka po‘e ‘ōiwi o ‘Ālaka. Ua ke‘ehi ‘ia ko lākou mea la‘a a me ko lākou pono! I ka MH 2015 na‘e, ua ho‘ōla hou ‘ia ka inoa ‘o Denali e Pelekikena Obama. Eia na‘e ka mea ‘āpiki. I kēia wā a kākou e ‘ike nei, ma lalo o ka pelekikena e kū nei, ua ho‘ololi hou ‘ia ka inoa, a ke kapa hou ‘ia nei ‘o Mount McKinley ma ke kūlana he inoa kūhelu. ‘Auhea ka pono?
‘Eā, e nā makamaka heluhelu, minamina ka ho‘okolonaio ‘ia o nā ‘āina ‘ōiwi e ‘Amelika. ‘O nā ‘āina a pau o ia aupuni, he ‘āina i ‘apakau ‘ia a lilo mai ai ka po‘e ‘ōiwi i ‘ae‘a hauka‘i ma luna o ko lākou mau ‘āina pono‘ī. ‘A‘ole ‘o ‘Amelika wale nō kai mī‘oi aku i loko o ko ha‘i ko‘a. ‘O ‘Enelani kekahi i kaulana i ia hana. Ua poina paha ia mo‘olelo iā Keir Starmer, ke Kuhina Nui o ‘Enelani, no ka mea, i kēia pule nō, ua hui ‘o ia me ka pelekikena o ‘Amelika no ka ho‘oponopono ‘ana i ka hihia ma waena o Lukia a me ‘Ukelena. Ma kona kuahaua o kēia pule nō, ua ‘ōlelo ‘o ia ala, “We agree history must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader.” He ho‘okamani paha kāna, a i ‘ole he ‘ike ‘ole i ka mo‘olelo o kona ‘āina iho?
E nānā kākou iā Aotearoa. Ua ho‘okolonaio ‘ia nō e ‘Enelani, eia na‘e, i kēia wā, he aupuni kū‘oko‘a ia, a no‘u iho, i kumu ia e pi‘i ai ke kūlana pono o ‘Enelani ma luna a‘e o ko ‘Amelika. He mau mea ‘ē aku e ho‘ohalahala ai, ‘a‘ole na‘e e hihi. ‘O kekahi hana maika‘i loa ma ia ‘āina, ‘o ia ka pāpahi ‘ana i kekahi kūlana e kapa ‘ia nei he “personhood”, ma luna o kauwahi ‘āina, ‘o ia ho‘i, e mālama ‘ia ko lākou pono e like me ka mālama ‘ana i ka pono o ke kanaka. ‘O nā wahi ‘ekolu, ‘o ia ‘o Te Urewera (he ulu lā‘au), Te Awa Tupua (he kahawai), a me kekahi mea i pi‘i a‘e kona kūlana a loa‘a ka “personhood” i kēlā pule aku nei, ‘o ia ho‘i, ‘o Taranaki (he mauna). He mea maika‘i ka mahalo ‘ia o ke kuana‘ike Māori. Ke lana nei ka mana‘o, ‘a‘ole e kapa hou ‘ia ma o kona inoa kolonaio, ‘o Mount Egmont!
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.
