Synopsis: The recent incident at Lahainaluna High School involving a speech by the principal admonishing the students that they would be punished if they did not settle down during a school assembly has generated a lot of hype calling for her removal. Sounds a bit like a lynch mob. Come on now.

‘Auhea ‘oe e Hawai’i. He kāko’o paha i ia mea he ho’opa’i, ‘a’ole paha?

Aia i Maui, i Lahainaluna ho’i, ua wawalo maila ka hauwala’au a ka lehulehu no ko lākou ukiuki i ke ‘ano o ka ha’i’ōlelo a ke po’okumu o ke Kula Ki’eki’e ‘o Lahainaluna. ‘Oiai e mālama ‘ia ana ka hālāwai mua o ka makahiki kula, i ke kū ‘ana o ke po’okumu i kāna ha’i’ōlelo, he wā nō i kali ai ‘o ke emi mai o ka hauwala’au a nā haumāna. A mālie mai, ‘o kona wā nō ia i a’oa’o ai i ua mau haumāna nei ē he hopena ko ka noke ‘ana i ka lapa.

‘O ia ho’i, ua ha’i akula ‘o ia e kāpae ‘ia ana ka papa’aina a ka papa ki’eki’e loa a me ka hulahula nui ‘ana a ka papa o nā ‘ōpio o ia hope aku. ‘O ia ana ka ho’opa’i.

‘A’ole na’e i ho’opa’i ‘i’o ‘ia. Eia na’e, ‘o ka wawā i lohe ‘ia ma Lahaina a puni, ua lawa ia e maka’u ai nā luna o ka DOE, a no laila, kohu mea lā, ua ho’oili aku lākou i ka nui o ka hewa ma luna o ke po’okumu a ‘o kona ho’opa’i ‘ia maila nō ia. Ua huki ‘ia mai ‘o ia mai loko mai o kona kūlana he po’okumu a ua ho’iho’i ‘ia i ke ke’ena o ka DOE, kahi e hana ai a hiki i ka pau ‘ana o ka ho’okolokolo ‘ia o kēia hihia. He mau lā hainā maoli nō kā ho’i kēia nona!

E like me ka mea ma’a mau i kēia mau lā, he pa’i wikiō ‘ia nā mea a pau, a pau pū ho’i me kā ia ala ha’i’ōlelo, a ua hō’ike ‘ia e ka po’e ho’onui mo’olelo o ke kūkala nūhou. I nānā aku ka hana o’u, ‘a’ole na’e i ahuwale ke kumu i hewa ai kā ia ala hana.

Ua ‘ano pū’iwa au i ka nui ukiuki o ka lehulehu. Wahi a kekahi po’e, aia ka pono ‘o ke kīpaku ‘ana iā ia. Kainō ua hili maoli akula ‘o ia i kekahi haumāna i ka lā’au. ‘O ka ‘oia’i’o, ‘a’ohe wahi ‘ano o ka weliweli a ‘ike ‘ia mai ma luna o ia wikiō. ‘A’ole ‘o ia i ‘uā. ‘A’ole ‘o ia i ke’ehi i ka papahele. Ua hō’ike wale aku nō ‘o ia i ka hopena o ke kolohe. He a’oa’o wale nō ka hana.

I kekahi manawa, ua lohe ‘ia ‘o ia e noi ana i nā haumāna, me ka leo mālie, e ho’iho’i i kā lākou mau kelepona pa’alima (‘a’ole na’e i hō’ike ‘ia e ka nūhou). I loa nō a puka mai kēia noi, hū a’ela ka wawā o nā leo namunamu o nā haumāna. Kohu kamali’i pailani. No’u iho, he mau hopena ko ka pailani, a he hopena ia e maka’u ai kākou.

‘O ka pailani nō ka mea e ulu ai ka hō’oio, ka ‘ōlelo pākīkē, ke kīko’olā, ka hana lapa a hihiu paha, a i kekahi wā, ‘o ka pale kānāwai. Na wai nō ho’i lākou e ho’olaka?

Wahi a kahiko, e pa’a ka waha a ho’olohe ka pepeiao. ‘O ia ke koina e kō ai ke a’o. Aloha nō kākou ma kēia hope aku inā e hulikua ‘ia ke a’o a ka po’e kahiko.

Pehea ho’i e mau ai ka mālamalama o ka ipukukui o ia ‘āina, ka mea ho’i i kaulana i ka pio ‘ole i ke Kaua’ula?

E ao kākou o hū mai auane’i ka pō.

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:

>> 956-2627 (Laiana)

>> 956-2627 (Kekeha)

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