Synopsis: The media is fast to make Manti Te’o look bad, without knowing if he was a part of the hoax or not.

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Welina e nā makamaka heluhelu. E kau ana ia ‘ōlelo ma luna a’ela no ka hō’ike ‘ana, he kanaka wale nō ‘o Manti Te’o. A he maika’i kona ‘ano. E holo paha ‘o ia no ke kūlana kia’āina a e kōkua paha ko ‘oukou mea kākau.

Akā, ‘o kahi pilikia i kupu a’e nei, ‘akahi nō a lohe ‘ia mai ka nū maika’i ‘ole e pili ana iā Te’o i ka pule nei, ‘o ia ho’i, ua puni wale aku ‘o ia i ka hana haku ‘epa a kekahi kanaka (a mau kānaka paha), ‘a’ole kāna ipo, ‘o Lennay Kekua, he wahine maoli, ‘o ka ipo ho’i āna i hala i ke ao polohiwa a Kāne i ke kau nei i hala. ‘O ka mea i ahuwale i kēia manawa, he ho’opunipuni ka hana. A he pū’iwa ka no’ono’o, ke nānā aku i nā kūkala nūhou, a ‘o ka hapanui o ia mau kūkala nūhou, ke kuhikuhi nei, ua maopopo paha iā Te’o, a ‘o ia paha kekahi ma ia ho’opunipuni ‘ana.

‘O ka mea ‘āpiki, wahi a ka lohe, he mea ma’a mau ia ‘ano ho’opunpuni i kēia mau lā, i kapa ‘ia ‘o ka Ho’opunipuni I’a Pōpoki.

‘O ka hana, haku ‘ia kekahi kanaka, kona ‘ano, kona ola, a pēlā aku, a kau aku ma ka pūnaewele i kahi ‘ao’ao pūnaewele launa kanaka paha. A ke ho’ohihi mai paha kekahi, kama’ilio ke kanaka nāna i haku i ua kanaka hou lā, me he mea lā, ‘o ia nō. A i kekahi manawa, nui loa ke aloha o ke kanaka i ho’ohihi mai i ia kanaka hou i haku ‘ia. He keu aku a ke ‘ano ‘ē. Akā, he ‘oia’i’o ia, he ki’i ‘oni’oni nō kai hana ‘ia i ka makahiki 2010 i kapa ‘ia ‘o I’a Pōpoki. Hahai ‘ia akula kekahi kanaka, ‘o Nev Shulman i kona huaka’i ‘ana a’e e launa kino pū me kahi wahine āna i ho’opili ai ma o ka pūnaewele. A i ka launa ‘ana a’e he alo a he alo, he makuahine ia, ‘elua āna keiki, a ‘o kona inoa, ‘o ia ‘o Angela Wesselman. A ahu ana ka hoka o Shulman i kapākai. ‘A’ole i loa’a kāna kūmū.

He mea paha ia e hele ai a hilahila loa, inā puni wale aku i ia ‘ano hana. No laila paha ka makemake ‘ole o Te’o e kama’ilio i ka lehulehu. I loko nō o kona puni wale ‘ana, e kāko’o aku au iā Te’o inā he mana’o kona e alualu i ke kūlana kia’āina ma Hawai’i nei, no ka mea, he kanaka ‘o ia e kū nei i ka pono.

A inā ‘o Te’o kekahi i komo pū i loko o ia ho’opunipuni ‘ana, e lilo paha ‘o ia i pelekikena no ‘Amelika, ‘oiai, he mea ‘ole ia ho’opunipuni ‘ana o Te’o, ke ho’ohālikelike ‘ia me ka hana a kekahi mau pelekikena ma mua.

‘O kahi mea nui, e kali nā kānaka kūkala nūhou ‘o ka puka mai o ka mo’olelo mai ka waha mai o Te’o ma mua o ka haku ‘epa ‘ana i ka mo’olelo a laha ma nā kūkulu ‘ehā o ka honua nei. A ke lohe ‘ia ka ‘oia’i’o, a laila, e ho’ohalahala paha. E like ho’i me Lance Armstrong, ‘akahi nō ‘o ia a hō’ike i ke kū ‘ana o ka hewa iā ia.

‘O ia ihola kahi mana’o. Ke ho’i aku nei ko Mānana keiki, ua ahiahi.

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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.