Synopsis: If Larry Ellison follows some of the mo’olelo of our ali’i, the people of Lāna’i will see a sustainable future.

Ma ka pule nei i hala, ua ho’olaha ‘ia a’e nei ka mana’o o Larry Ellison no Lāna’i. ‘O Ellison, he ‘ona biliona ‘o ia, a ‘o ia nō ho’i ka mea nāna i kū’ai iā Lāna’i he ‘elua makahiki aku nei. Nona ka hapanui loa o ia mokupuni, he kanaiwa kumamāiwa pākeneka. A he mana’o kona e ho’onui i ke Kūlanakauhale ‘o Lāna’i a pākolu kona nui. A e ho’omāhuahua nō ho’i a pākolu nā kānaka o Lāna’i. A ‘o kahi mea nui paha iā ia, ‘o ia ka ho’olako ‘ana o ko Lāna’i po’e iā lākou iho, i ‘ole lākou e kauka’i i ka mea ‘ai a mea ‘ē a’e paha o kekahi ‘āina. ‘O ia ho’i, ‘o nā mea a pau e pono ai ke ola, aia nō ma Lāna’i.

‘Eā, ke nānā kākou i nā mo’olelo mai kahiko mai, e ‘ike auane’i kākou, pēlā nō ka hana a nā ali’i maika’i. Eia mai kekahi ‘ōlelo no ka wā i ke Ali’i nui o O’ahu, ‘o Kākuhihewa, “Aole hoohalahala ia Oahu a puni, he momona mauka, he momona ma kai, he lani iluna, he honua ilalo.” A penei kekahi ‘ōlelo no ia Ali’i i aloha nui ‘ia, “I ka noho Aupuni ana o Kakuihewa he Alii kaulana ia no kona mahiai, ku ke pilo i Kauai, o ka mahiai nui.”

Eia mai ka hana a kekahi Ali’i nui o Kaua’i, a Kawelomahamahai’a, “I ka wa e ola ana o Kawelomahamahaia, ma kona mau la e noho alii ana no Kauai, ua hana oia i na hana e laupa’i nui ai na kanaka maluna o ka aina…Nolaila, ua ulu nui ka lahui kanaka a nui nohoi ke kuonoono maluna o ka aina mai o a o.”

No laila, kohu mea lā, ke hele aku nei ‘o Ellison i ke ala kūpono. Eia mai kekahi mau mea āna e mana’o nei e ho’okumu ‘ia a e kūkulu ‘ia paha ma Lāna’i, ‘o ka ho’omāhuahua i nā wahi noho a me nā wahi ‘oihana, he 546 mau ‘eka ‘āina hou; ‘o ke kula a’o kenika; ‘o ka hale hana ki’i ‘oni’oni; ‘o ke kulanui; nā wahi noho ma kua’āina; a me ka hōkele hou.

He ulu ka hoi i ka ‘ike ‘ana i nā mea hou e mana’o ‘ia nei e ho’okumu ‘ia ma Lāna’i. Akā, he maika’i loa paha ke maliu aku ‘o Ellison i ka hana a Mā’ilikūkahi. Eia mai kahi ‘ōlelo a Mā’ilikūkahi, “O na keiki makahiapo a pau loa—na’u e hanai, a o ka’u poe keiki ia, ia’u ka malama.” A ho’omau ‘ia ka wehewehe ‘ana i kāna hana, “Ua hoonoho aku o Mailikukahi i na kumu lonomakaihe na na keiki makahiapo, kela kumu ike keia kumu ike ma ka lakou Oihana. Ua ao ia na oihana ike a pau—Mai ka lani a ka honua…” No laila, maika’i nō ho’i paha ke uku aku ‘o Ellison i ka hele ‘ana o nā keiki o Lāna’i i ke kula no ke a’o ‘ana i nā ‘oihana e pono ai ia mau mea hou e ho’okumu ‘ia ana ma laila, ‘o ke kula a’o kenika, ‘o ka hale hana ki’i ‘oni’oni a pēlā aku, a ma hope o ke kula ‘ana, e ho’i mai nō ia mau keiki o Lāna’i, a hana ma ia mau wahi ma ko lākou ‘āina pono’ī. Akā, inā he huki wale nō ka hana a Ellison i ko waho, a ho’onoho i Lāna’i, he mea minamina ia, no ka mea, ‘a’ole paha e lilo ana nā kūlana hana nui o ke kālā i nā kupa o Lāna’i. E lilo ana nō i ka nui o nā malihini e hiki mai ana, a ahu iho ka hoka i Lāna’i. No laila, e Mika Ellison, e maliu aku i nā hana a nā Ali’i pono o ke au kahiko, a e maika’i ka hana.

This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.