Synopsis: Many of the indigenous Dalit people of India live in abject poverty with literally no pot to urinate in. Such abject poverty is certainly difficult for us to imagine.

Aloha mai nō kākou e o’u hoa puni heluhelu o Kauakūkalahale. I ‘nia aku nei kēia a ‘ike akula nō i ka mea ho’omāna’ona’o e ‘ō’ū ai i ka ‘ōnohi maka o ke kamahele, ‘o ia nō ka nohona o ka po’e Dalit, ka po’e ‘ōiwi ho’i o ia kaha. ‘O lākou kai kono mai iā mākou, he mau kānaka ‘ōiwi mai ‘ō a ‘ō, e hele aku i ‘nia no ke kūkākūkā i nā mea e pono ai ko kākou nohona. I ko mākou kipa aku iā lākou, ua ‘ikea ke kūlana ‘ilihune a ho’okae ‘ili ‘ia ho’i o ia po’e, a me ke ‘ano ho’omāna’ona’o o ko lākou nohona. A ‘o ka mea e wāhi ai i ka pūniu, he 240 miliona ko lākou nui, a ma kahi ho’i ia o ka hapahā o ka nui o ka po’e o ‘nia.

He nui hewahewa nā mea e hō’ike ai, no ka mea, ‘oko’a loa ke ‘ano o ko lākou lā nohona a ‘oko’a ho’i ka mea i ma’a iā kākou ‘a’ole na’e e pau i ka helu ‘ia ma loko o nei wahi kolamu. ‘O ka’u na’e e hō’ike ai, ua pili nō i ka ho’opau pilikia ‘ana. Ma mua nō o ke kau ‘ana ma luna o ka mokulele, a’oa’o ‘ia maila au e ke kauka e ‘ai i kekahi huaale no ka pale ‘ana i ka mū halihali malaria, a he mau pule nō ka lō’ihi o ia hana. Eia nō ho’i au ke ‘ai nei i kēlā huaale a hiki i kēia lā a he mau pule nō koe! Ua ‘ōlelo ‘ia he hī ka hopena ke loa’a i kēlā ‘ano ma’i. ‘A’ole na’e kākou e lu’u i ia kai i kēia manawa.

‘O ka mea e ho’omaopopo ai, ua ma’a ka po’e o ‘nia i ka ‘ai ‘ana i kā lākou mea’ai a me ka inu ‘ana i kā lākou wai. Ma ko mākou noho ‘ana ma laila, ua pau loa kā mākou mea’ai i ka ho’omākaukau ‘ia e kekahi kuke no ka hokele mai, i ‘ole e helele’i ‘o hope. Ua pōmaika’i nō na’e mākou, no ka mea, he lua ko kēlā me kēia hale o ka “ashram”. ‘O ka po’e na’e o ka ‘āina, he kāka’ikahi nō paha ka lua, a no laila, hele aku nō lākou i waho o ke kula mau’u kahi e ho’opau pilikia ai. He ‘ōku’u ka hana i mua nō o ke ākea! A a’ole hiki ke pe’e ma hope o ka la’alā’au, no ka mea, ‘o ia kahi e noho ai ka nāhesa. Ua lilo kēia i mea e uluhua ai kekahi o nā wāhine o ko mākou ‘āuna ma ka huaka’i ka’a’ōhua ‘ana i nā kūlanakauhale.

Ma ko mākou ho’i ‘ana mai, ua leka uila mai ka po’e nāna mākou i mālama me ka hō’ike mai i kahi nūhou ho’ohau’oli. Ma muli paha o ka hilahila, ua ho’ohiki kekahi o nā luna aupuni e hā’awi mai he 1000 ipu lua no ka po’e Dalit. Ma ka ho’opu’unaue ‘ana na’e, ho’okahi wale nō ipu lua kēlā no 240,000 po’e. Eia hou ho’i, ‘a’ohe wahi ‘ōlelo no ka paipu lawe ‘ino, ka paipu wai, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku e pono ai ka hana pono ‘ana o ka ipu lua e like me ka mea i kama’āina iā kākou. Mali’a o ‘eli ‘ia he mau lua hohonu ma ke kula mau’u a kūkulu ‘ia he papa ma luna o ia mau lua kahi e kūkulu ‘ia ai ka ipu lua a ‘olu’olu ai ka ‘ōku’u ‘ana. Mali’a, no ka ma’a loa o ka po’e Dalit i ka ‘ōku’u, ‘a’ole e ho’ohana ‘ia ka ipu lua. Pehea lā ka hana, he māna’ona’o ke ‘ano o ko lākou noho ‘ana a he mea ho’i ia e hū ai ke aloha.

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.