Synopsis: Once again, as usual, we reach elsewhere for something, instead of grabbing the one right in front of our face.

Welina iā ‘oukou e nā makamaka heluhelu. ‘O ia po’omana’o e kau a’ela ma luna, e pili ana ia i ka mo’olelo o Kamaiopili. I ka wā e pā’ani ana lāua ‘o Kalākaua i ka pahupahu, a i ka wā e hala ai ka ‘ulu a Kamaiopili, eia kāna ‘ōlelo, “I ke alo ihola nō kā ho’i ka ‘ulu, a ‘o ka hala ihola nō kā ho’i ia,” no ka mea, ua ho’ohiki ‘ē ua Mō’ī lā i kūlana hana no Kamaiopili, ‘a’ole na’e i ho’okō ‘ia. Ua hā’awi ‘ia nā kūlana hana i nā kānaka ‘ē a’e, akā ‘a’ohe wahi mea a lilo iā Kamaiopili, he kanaka i mākaukau a akamai ho’i. A ‘o ka mea ‘āpiki, he mea ma’a mau ka pā’ani pahupahu ‘ana o lāua. A no laila nō ia ‘ōlelo a Kamaiopili, ‘o ia ho’i, “I ke alo ihola nō kā ho’i ka ‘ulu, a ‘o ka hala ihola nō kā ho’i ia.”

A he mea kēia i ‘ike pinepine ‘ia ma Hawai’i nei i nā makahiki i ka’a hope aku nei. Ma mua, ua ‘imi ‘ia nā kumu kula o ‘Amelika, e hele mai i ‘ane’i nei e a’o ai i nā pua o Hawai’i nei. Pēlā nō ho’i kahi ‘ulu i ke alo ma ka Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society i ka makahiki 2007. Me ka lou nō e ‘imi ana i ka ‘ulu i ka wēkiu a loa’a me ka nānā ‘ole ‘ana mai i ka ‘ulu i ke alo, kohu mea lā ‘a’ohe ‘ono o ka ‘ulu i ke alo, ‘a’ohe paha mea e ulu ai a e ikaika ai nā lālā o ke kino.

‘O kahi mea minamina, ‘akahi nō a hala kekahi ‘ulu i ke alo. I ka Pō’ahā nei, ua kūkala ‘ia a’ela ke Po’o Kula hou o nā Kula ‘o Kamehameha. A ‘o ka ‘ulu ia i ka wēkiu. ‘O Earl Kim ia. A ‘o nā ‘ulu momona ‘elua i ke alo, ua hala akula. No ke aha i koho ‘ole ‘ia ai ‘o J. Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua a ‘o Lee Ann DeLima paha? Mana’o ihola paha ka mea nāna i koho i ka ‘ulu i ka wēkiu, he koina ke kū ‘ana i luna no nā keiki he nui, e like me Kim, ‘oiai, he kahu kula nui ‘o ia no ke Kaona ‘o Verona ma mua a ‘o ke kahu kula nui nō ho’i ia o ka ‘āpana kula ‘o Montgomery, nona nā keiki he 5,000 a ‘oi. Inā he koina ia no ia kūlana hana, he mau ipu pala ‘ole nā kānaka nāna i haku i ia kūlana hana. Ke kuhi nei paha ia mau kānaka, ‘a’ole i maika’i ka hana a ke Po’o Kula e kū nei i ka moku i kēia manawa no ka mea, ma mua o kona lilo ‘ana i Po’o Kula no Kamehameha, ‘a’ole ‘o ia he luna no nā keiki he nui, a ‘a’ole paha ‘o ia i hana ma ke kūlana hana kahi e hana pū ai me nā keiki ma mua o ia hana ma Kamehameha. ‘O ka mea ‘āpiki na’e, wahi a ka lohe, ua maika’i nō ka hana a Kauka Michael J. Chun.

‘Eā, mai nō a poina ka nānā ‘ana, i ka hana a nā kūpuna, akā, ‘a’ole ‘o ka hahai hāhā makapō wale nō ka hana. ‘O ka nānā ‘ana i ka hana a ko kākou mau kūpuna, a no’ono’o i ke ala kūpono e hele ai i kēia mau lā, ‘o ia ka mea e hana ai. Mai nānā i ka hana a Hākau a e holo ka mana’o e hana e like me ia. Ke nānā kākou i nā mo’olelo, ua koho nā Ali’i i nā kānaka haole i mau luna no ka Hawai’i, ‘oiai na’e, ua loa’a nō nā Hawai’i i mākaukau, a i akamai ho’i.

Ke mana’o nei paha nā kānaka nāna i koho iā Kim, ke noho pa’a ma Hawai’i nei, ‘a’ole hiki ke holomua, ‘a’ole hiki ke ‘oi aku ke akamai ma mua o nā kānaka e noho akula ma ‘Amelika. He mea minamina ia, no ka mea, he mea ia e a’o nei i nā keiki Hawai’i a me nā keiki o Hawai’i nei ho’i, he pono ke noho ma ka ‘āina ‘ē no ka holomua ‘ana.

‘O kekahi o nā ‘ulu i hala, ua ho’okumu nō i ke Kula Ho’āmana ‘o Hālau Kū Mana (‘O ke koho ia a ko ‘oukou mea kākau). A ‘o kekahi, he Po’o Kula ‘o ia no ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha o Maui.

He pono iā kākou ke hō’ike aku i nā keiki o Hawai’i nei, he mau kānaka Hawai’i ko kēia pae’āina i mākaukau a i hiki ke ho’okūkū aku me ko ‘Amelika.

E ho’ouna ‘ia mai nā 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:

This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.