Synopsis: Why was the sperm whale carcass at Kalaeloa plundered and the baby humpback whale that floated ashore in Kaua‘i left unmolested? Clue: One has teeth and the other has none.
Aloha mai kākou. Ua ‘ike ‘ē ‘ia paha e ka hapanui o kākou, kēlā po‘o mana‘o e kau maila ma luna a‘e nei. Ua haku ‘ia e ke Kauka Sam L. No‘eau Warner he mau puke kamali‘i i mea e kāko‘o ai i ka ho‘opa‘a ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Aia ma kēlā me kēia puke kekahi mau ha‘awina e ho‘oikaika ai i ka mana‘o Hawai‘i a e pale ai ho‘i i ka ho‘opuka ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo haole ma o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. Ua ‘ike ‘o ia ala ē he ‘oko‘a ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a ‘oko‘a ho‘i ka ‘ōlelo haole. A no laila, ua kapa ‘ia kekahi o kāna mau puke ma ia inoa nō.
I ka mo‘olelo no ke kino kupapa‘u o kekahi palaoa o ka pae ‘ana mai i O‘ahu nei e laha a‘e ana, ua ‘ike au i ka waiwai o kā No‘eau wehewehe ‘ana i ke kumu e ‘oko‘a ai kahi a ‘oko‘a ai kekahi. ‘O ia ho‘i, he niho ko ka palaoa a ‘a‘ohe niho o ke koholā. A he mana ko ka niho palaoa i ka mana‘o o ka po‘e Hawai‘i. Ua kālai ‘ia nō a lilo mai i ki‘i kohu alelo. Ua nīki‘i ‘ia mai ka lauoho kanaka i hilo ‘ia a mānoanoa, a ‘o ia nō kona mea e lei ai a lewalewa mai i ka umauma o ke ali‘i o ke au kahiko.
He mea kāka‘ikahi ka pae ‘ana mai o ka palaoa ma nā kapakai o ko kākou pae mokupuni, a ‘o ka mea i pae mai i O‘ahu nei, ‘o ka hele ia a hauna loa ke kino kupapa‘a i ka ho‘ohehe‘e ‘ia ‘ana, a no laila, ua kauō ‘ia akula i kai uli. ‘A‘ole na‘e ‘o ia i noho ma laila. Ua ho‘i hou mai nō i ka ‘aeone o Kalaeloa, he mau manawa, a i ke kolu o ka manawa, ua waiho wale ‘ia ma laila. Ua laha aku kēia mo‘olelo ma ka nūhou i mua o ke ākea, a ‘o ka hiki mai nō ia o kahi ‘u‘a me kāna pahiolo mīkini a ‘oki ihola nō ia a hemo mai ke ā a me ka niho. He aha ke kumu e ‘alo ai i ka hauna? He mea hana kālā nō paha? E hana ‘ia ana paha he lei niho palaoa?
Eia mai ka mea ‘āpiki. He mea kapu ka lei niho palaoa a he hō‘ailona ia no ke ali‘i. Minamina ke ‘ano ake kālā o kēia wā a kākou e ‘ike nei. ‘A‘ole nō e nānā ‘ia ke kapu. Wahi a ka po‘e o ka ‘Oihana Kumuwaiwai ‘Āina, ua pōmaika‘i ka po‘e e ake nei i ke akamai no ka loa‘a mai o ia palaoa. He nui nō kāna mau mea e hō‘ike mai ai iā lākou. ‘Eā, i ke au kahiko, ‘a‘ole hiki i ka wahine ke ‘ai palaoa. He kinolau ia no Kanaloa a he mea kapu. A i kēia wā, eia kahi ‘u‘a ke hao mai nei i nā niho, a eia kekahi po‘e akeakamai ke wāwahi nei i ke kino ma ka ‘imi ‘ana i ka na‘auao. He pono anei kēia ‘ano hana? He ho‘ohaumia paha? He ho‘ohūoi nō ka‘u i ke ake o kēia po‘e.
Eia hou kekahi mea e no‘ono‘o ai. Ua pae mai nei kekahi kino kupapa‘u ma Kaua‘i. He koholā na‘e ia. ‘Akahi ho‘i kona hānau ‘ana, he mau pule wale nō paha. Aia lā na‘e i hea ka po‘e hao niho? Aia i hea ka po‘e nāna e wāwahi i kona kino ma ka ‘imi ‘ana i ka na‘auao? Kāhāhā! ‘A‘ohe ona niho! Koe aku na‘e ka hana a ka po‘e akeakamai.
No laila, ua ‘oko‘a ‘i‘o nō ka palaoa a ‘oko‘a ho‘i ke koholā. Eia hou, ua ‘oko‘a ka po‘e o ke au kahiko a ‘oko‘a ho‘i ka po‘e o kēia au nei. ‘O ke kapu o ke au kahiko, ua hehikū ‘ia. No laila, ‘o ka‘u nīnau e hāpai ai, ‘o ia ho‘i kēia: He hehi ia i kupu mai ma muli o ka ‘ike ‘ole i ke kapu, a i ‘ole, he hehi ia nō ka nānā ‘ole i ia mea he kapu?
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.
