E o’u lāhui o nā kai ‘ewalu, eia ku’u wahi aloha ke kūka’i ‘ia aku nei. Ke kākau nei au i nei kolamu me ka lu’ulu’u loa o ka na’au i nā hanana e hana ‘ia nei ma ka Hale Hō’ike’ike o Pīhopa. ‘O ia ho’i, ka ho’omākaukau ‘ia ‘ana o nā ki’i ‘elua i ho’ola’a ‘ia no Kū no ko lāua huaka’i hele hou ‘ana i kēlā mau wahi hale hō’ike’ike pa’ahao o ka ‘āina mamao. He pa’akikī ho’i ka wehewehe piha ‘ana i ke kumu o kēia lu’ulu’u ‘ana o’u ma nei kolamu ‘u’uku. No laila au e hō’ike nei i kekahi mana’o he pōkole wale nō.

Aia a’e nei ma luna ke po’oinoa o ku’u wahi kolamu, ‘o ia ho’i, ‘o Haku ‘Ōhi’a. He inoa kēia no ka luna ki’i o nā kalepa Kū ma ko kākou mau Luakini aloha. He mau mana’o ‘oko’a pū nō na’e ko kēia mau hua’ōlelo. Ua kapa ‘ia ka ‘i’o a me nā ‘ano’ano o ka ipu he Haku Ipu. I hua’ōlelo ‘o Haku e hō’ike ai i ke ‘ano o kekahi mea, i ke ‘ano o loko ona. ‘O ka na’au paha ka Haku o ke kanaka.

‘O ‘Ōhi’a ka lua o nā hua’ōlelo i koho ‘ia no ua po’oinoa lā. ‘Eā, he nui kona mau mana’o. Ma kēia kolamu na’e e hō’ike ai i kekahi mana’o e pili ana i ke kumu ‘ōhi’a lehua. He kumu lā’au ia nona ka lā’au pa’a a nona pū ka pua ‘ula’ula ‘o ka Lehua. I ke au i kūnewa aku nei, ua kapa ‘ia ke koa ikaika a mākaha he Lehua ma muli o ka like o kona kūpa’a me ko ka ‘ōhi’a lehua. Ma kēia kolamu, ‘o ka Haku ‘Ōhi’a ke kanaka nona ka na’au ikaika kūpa’a e like me ko kākou mau koa Hawai’i.

‘Auhea lā ‘oukou e nā Haku ‘Ōhi’a? ‘A’ole hākālia, hala a’e ka wā e mālama ai i nā kūpuna ‘elua iā Kū. Aloha nō, ke lohe wale ‘ia nei nō nā leo mahalo o ka po’e ha’i wale i mua o ke alo o nā Haku ‘Ōhi’a. He ho’okamani na’e ka mahalo o ia mau leo lā i nā kahu mālama pa’ahao nāna i pū’ili mai a pa’a nā ki’i ‘elua o kākou Hawai’i i nā hale hō’ike’ike o nā ‘āina ‘ē. Lu’ulu’u ihola ka mea kākau i ka lohe ‘ole ‘ia mai o ka leo o nā Haku ‘Ōhi’a.

Aia ho’i, ‘a’ole kēia ha’alele ‘ana ‘o ko lāua ho’i mai. Ke ha’alele hou nei lāua i kā lāua mau pulapula iā kākou no kekahi ‘āina ‘ē. Nīnau ‘ia ihola, i kanaka aha ia e ‘ae aku ai i ka ha’alele hou aku o ko kākou mau ki’i kapu? Ua lohe a’ela au i nā mana’o o nā kānaka like ‘ole mai ‘ō a ‘ō. Wahi a lākou, he lalau ke kipa kūikawā ‘ana o Kū. Me he mea lā, ‘o ka ho’omalimali i ke kōlea ka hana e kipa kūikawā wale ai nō ke kino o ko kākou Akua i Hawai’i. Aloha nō.

Mai mākilo wale! Ma mua o ka lā 4 o ‘Okakopa, e kū’ē like nā Haku ‘Ōhi’a i ka ho’ouna hou ‘ia ‘ana o nā ki’i o Kū i kahi a lāua i waiho ‘ia ai no nā makahiki he nui i hala a’ela, ‘o ia ho’i, i nā hale hō’ike’ike o nā ‘āina ‘ē. Mai ha’alele i ko lāua one hānau. E kū mau i Hawai’i a mau!

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:
» 956-2627 (Laiana)
» 956-2624 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by the Hawaiian Language Department at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, supported by the Initiative for Achieving Native Hawaiian Academic Excellence.