Synopsis: Why doesn’t Disney make a movie about one of our strong women leaders?

Aloha mai e nā makamaka heluhelu. I ka pule nei i hala, ua kūkala a’e nei ka Hui Hō’īnana Ki’i ‘o Walt Disney i kahi ki’i ‘oni’oni hou i kapa ‘ia ‘o Moana, a e puka mai ana i ka makahiki 2016. He mo’olelo ia no kekahi ‘ōpio wahine nona ka inoa ‘o Moana, a he ho’okele ‘o ia no Oceania. Akā, ‘a’ole ia he mo’olelo kahiko. He mo’olelo hou ia i haku ‘ia. A eia mai kahi nīnau i kupu a’e nei, no ke aha i koho ‘ole ‘ia ai kahi wahine o ke au kahiko e like me kā ia Hui ‘o Walt Disney i hana ai ma mua.

I ka makahiki 1995, ua puka a’ela ke ki’i ‘oni’oni ‘o Pocahantas. He wahine maoli ‘o Pocahantas no loko mai o ka po’e ‘ōiwi o ‘Amelika. ‘A’ole i nānā ko ‘oukou mea kākau i ua ki’i ‘oni’oni lā, akā, wahi a ka lohe, ua nui nā mea i hū hewa. He mau mea ‘oia’i’o ko ia ki’i ‘oni’oni, akā, ua kāka’ikahi.

I ka makahiki 1998, ua puka a’ela ke ki’i ‘oni’oni ‘o Mulan. ‘O Hua Mulan, he wahine ia no loko mai o kahi mele kahiko o ka Lāhui Pākē. He wahine ia i komo aku i loko o ka pū’alikoa i ‘ole e komo kona makuakāne, ‘oiai, ua ‘elemakule loa. ‘O kahi mea i pū’iwa ai ka no’ono’o, ‘o ka pū’alikoa, he mau kāne wale nō ko loko. A no laila, ua hana akula ‘o Mulan i nā mea like ‘ole i kū i ka hana a ke kāne i ‘ole e ‘ike ‘ia kona ‘ano he wahine. A e like me ka hana a Disney ma ka mo’olelo o Pocahantas, pēlā nō ka hū hewa ‘ana o nā mea like ‘ole ma ka mo’olelo o Mulan.

‘Eā, no ke aha i koho ‘ia ai kekahi mau wāhine no loko mai o nā mo’olelo o ia mau lāhui, akā, i ka wā i hana ‘ia ai he ki’i ‘oni’oni no Oceania, ua haku wale ‘ia ka mea nona ka mo’olelo. ‘A’ole i koho ‘ia kekahi wahine no loko mai o nā mo’olelo kahiko o kekahi o nā lāhui o ka moana nui ākea. ‘A’ohe paha wahine o Oceania e kuleana ai ka hana ‘ia ‘ana o ke ki’i ‘oni’oni? ‘A’ohe paha wahine o Hawai’i nei?

He mau wāhine kūpono nō. ‘A’ole paha i noi’i aku nā limahana o ka hui ‘o Disney. ‘O kekahi, ‘o ia nō ko kākou Mō’īwahine aloha, ‘o Lili’uokalani. A pehea ho’i ‘o Hi’iakaikapoliopele? ‘O Haumea, ‘o ia ho’i ka mo’olelo o Kameha’ikana? A pehea ho’i kahi mo’olelo e hana keaka ‘ia ana i kēia makahiki a’e, ka mea ho’i a ka mea haku hana keaka kaulana o Hawai’i nei i hana ai, a Hailiopua Baker, ‘o ia ho’i ka mo’olelo o Lā’ieikawai? A he mau wāhine hou aku nō paha.

Inā no kekahi o ia mau wāhine ke ki’i ‘oni’oni, ‘a’ole pono ka ho’ololiloli ‘ana i ka mo’olelo. He mau mo’olelo nō ia e ulu ai ka hoi o ka lehulehu.

A no ia hana keaka ‘o Lā’ieikawai, e mālama ‘ia ana i ka mahina ‘o Pepeluali a me ka mahina ‘o Malaki ma ka Hale Hana Keaka ‘o Kennedy o ke Kulanui o Hawai’i ma Mānoa. A no laila, e naue aku i ia manawa, e ho’onanea ai i ka hana keaka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. Ke lana nei ka mana’o o ko ‘oukou mea kākau, e hele aku nō nā luna o Disney e nānā i ia hana keaka i mea e ‘ike ai lākou i ke ‘ano kūpono o ka mo’olelo ‘ana i ka mo’olelo kahiko o kekahi lāhui.

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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.