Synopsis: What happens if the coqui frog gets on the endangered species list? Hawai‘i might be the only place where the coqui frog can repopulate.

———

Aloha mai e nā makamaka heluhelu, ua kau aku nei ka weli o ko ‘oukou mea kākau i ka lohe ‘ana aku nei ē ua pa‘a aku nei ‘ekolu mau poloka kokī i ka hopu ‘ia ma O‘ahu nei i ka Pō‘akolu nei. Ke lana a‘ela ka mana‘o, ‘o ka hope loa ia ma O‘ahu nei. E noho ana ko ‘oukou mea kākau ma Hawai‘i moku i kekahi mau makahiki i ka‘ahope aku nei, ma kahi o Pāhoa, a ‘a‘ole o kana mai o ka poloka kokī ma laila. A he keu aku ia a ke kanikani lapuwale. A ‘o kekahi, ua komo nō i loko o ka hale. Auē ke aloha ē.

Kā! He lapuwale paha ko ‘oukou mea kākau. He aha ka hana a nā kūpuna inā i hiki mai ka poloka kokī i Hawai‘i nei ma mua loa? E haku ‘ia paha he mele inoa a mele aloha paha no ia poloka ho‘okani i ka uhi ‘ana o ka pō? A hiki i kēia manawa, ho‘okahi wale nō mele i haku ‘ia no ia mea he poloka. No ke aha lā?

‘Eā, inā paha i nui nā manu ‘ōiwi e ola nei ma kēia pae ‘āina nei, nāna e ‘ai aku i ka poloka kokī, inā ua hau‘oli ka na‘au o ko Hawai‘i. ‘A‘ole na‘e e hihi, kāka‘ikahi wale nō nā manu ‘ōiwi e koe nei a kohu mea lā, ‘a‘ole ‘ono i ka poloka kokī.

Ho‘omana‘o ihola ko ‘oukou mea kākau i ke kama‘ilio ‘ana i kekahi kanaka o Poko Liko, a hō‘ike maila ua kanaka Poko Liko lā, he mea aloha nui ‘ia ka poloka kokī ma Poko Liko. A no laila, haku ‘ia nā mele like ‘ole no kahi poloka. A mahalo nui ‘ia ‘o ia.

‘O kekahi mea i ‘ike ‘ia aku nei ma kahi kolamu nūhou, he 17 ‘ano poloka kokī ma Poko Liko, a ua mana‘o ‘ia, he ‘ekolu o lākou, ua pau paha i ka nalowale loa.

No laila, hopohopo ihola ko ‘oukou mea kākau, o pilikia loa ka poloka kokī a ‘o ka ho‘omalu poloka kokī ka mea e pono ai, ‘o ia ho‘i, ‘a‘ole hiki ke ho‘omake wale ‘ia aku. Aia wale nō paha a nui hou ia ‘ano poloka a laila, e ‘ai ‘ia ka pepehi ‘ia ‘ana.

A ‘oiai, ‘elua wale nō paha ‘āina e ola ai ka poloka kokī, ‘o Poko Liko a me Hawai‘i, e ho‘olilo ‘ia aku paha ka pae ‘āina ‘o Hawai‘i i wahi ho‘omalu no ia poloka leo nahenahe (he leo nahenahe ia i ka mana‘o o kekahi po‘e).

Inā pēlā, e ho‘omaka paha ka haku ‘ia ‘ana o nā mele like ‘ole no ka poloka kokī, a me nā hula kahiko a hula ‘auana paha e pono ai ua poloka lā a māhuahua loa a‘e nō.

Hiki paha ke loli ka mana‘o o nā kānaka he nui o Hawai‘i nei no kahi poloka kokī? A lilo ia poloka i mea ho‘ohanohano ‘ia a ho‘ohenoheno ‘ia ho‘i ma nā mele?

He hana nui paha ia, ‘oiai, i ka ho‘i ‘ana aku o ko ‘oukou mea kākau i Hawai‘i moku i kēlā makahiki aku nei, lohe ‘ia nō ke kani ‘ana o ka poloka kokī, a ‘o ia mau nō ka ‘eha o ka pepeiao. ‘A‘ole i kū iki i ka makemake.

Akā, ma hope o ka hala ‘ana o kekahi mau makahiki hou aku, he 5 a ‘oi paha, e hele nō ia kani a ke kokī a ma‘a loa, a i mea ho‘ohiamoe ho‘i i ke kanaka e like me ko Poko Liko.

———

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.