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Synopsis: Who on earth would put explosive ingredients into poi? From the Hawaiian perspective that would be sacrilegious. It is, however, a concern for airport security. I guess there are people out there who are capable of that.
Aloha mai kākou e ka po’e aloha o ka ‘āina, nā mamo ho’i a Hāloa. He wahi mo’olelo ho’okaumaha ka’u e haha’i aku nei iā ‘oukou no ka hana ‘ino ‘ia o ko kākou kupuna.
I kēlā pule aku nei, ua kau mokulele au no ka lele ‘ana i Maui e kipa ai i kekahi mau hoaaloha. I kēia mau lā, he kāka’ikahi ko’u ha’alele ‘ana iā O’ahu nei no ka lele ‘ana i nā mokupuni ‘ē a’e, a e kala loa ho’i ko’u lele ‘ana i Maui. No laila, ‘a’ole nō au i komo i loko o kēlā ‘āuna o ka po’e lele pinepine, a i ka wā e komo ana ma ka ‘īpuka komo o ke kahua mokulele, ua ho’opū’ā ‘ia mai au me nā pipi ‘ē a’e a kū mālie ana ma ke ‘ano he lālani loloa e kolo pupū ana i mua.
A pau ka’u likiki i ka ‘āpono ‘ia, a pau ho’i ka ho’ohālike ‘ia o ko’u helehelena me ke ki’i ma luna o ka’u laikini kalaiwa ka’a, komo akula au ma kahi e pa’i ki’i aka ‘ia mai ai ka’u pāisi. ‘O au na’e, he defibrillator ko’u i ho’okomo ‘ia ma lalo o ka ‘ili o ko’u umauma, a no laila, ‘a’ole hiki ke komo ma kahi e ‘imi ‘ia ai ka metala o pilikia auane’i kēlā defibrillator. No laila, ua ne’e aku au ma ka ‘ao’ao, kahi e lālama ‘ia ai e nā lima o nā limahana. A i ka loa’a ‘ole mai he mea pahū, he pahi, a i ‘ole he pū ma luna o ko’u kino, ua ‘ae ‘ia ko’u puka aku ma ka ‘ao’ao o ka po’e hele lanakila.
Eia na’e ka mea ‘āpiki. ‘O ka’u pāisi, ua ho’opa’a ‘ia a lawe ‘ia mai i o’u lā me ka nīnau mai no kekahi mea ma loko. Auē! E kuhikuhi ‘ia ana ka’u poi e lawe ana ma ke ‘ano i makana no ko’u mau hoa ma Maui. ‘Ōlelo ‘ia maila au, ‘a’ole hiki ke lawe ‘ia ka poi ma luna o ka mokulele no ka mea he mea wai ia. Mali’a he mea pahū ke pe’e ana i loko. Ua ‘olu’olu na’e ka po’e kia’i, a ‘a’ole i kā’ili mai i ka poi i ia manawa. Ua ‘ōlelo maila na’e ē ua hiki ia’u ke puka hou aku ma waho o kēlā lālani lō’ihi, ‘ai ho’onu’unu’u iho i ka poi, a ho’omanawa-nui hou mai i ke kū laina.
Ia’u e no’ono’o nei, ua hewa ko’u ‘ano ku’ihē i kēlā manawa. Aia ka pono i ka puka aku i waho a haupa mai i ka’u poi a ho’omanawanui hou mai i ke kū laina, a me ka lālama mai a ka lima o nā kia’i. Ua lawa nō paha ka manawa e hana ai pēlā ma mua o ka ‘e’e ‘ana ma ka mokulele. ‘A’ole na’e pēlā ka’u hana. Ua ho’oku’u akula au i ka poi me ka ‘ōlelo aku ‘a’ole maika’i ka ho’opau wale ‘ia aku o kēia mea waiwai. Ua ha’i au iā lākou ē na kekahi o lākou e ‘ai, akā, ua hō’ole mai. He kū’ē kānāwai ia ‘ano hana. No laila, i hewa ho’i ia’u i ka ho’opau wale aku nō i ke kino o Hāloa.
‘O ka’u mea na’e e nūnē nei, ‘o ia ho’i, pehea e ‘ae ‘ia nei ke komo ‘ana o nā ‘ano mea’ai ‘ē a’e me ka hō’ole ‘ia mai o ka poi? Ua ‘ōlelo ‘ia maila au he mea wai ia. ‘Ae, ua ho’owali ‘ia me ka wai, akā, he aha lā ka mea ‘ai i loa’a ‘ole ka wai? Eia hou, ‘o wai lā ka mea nāna e hana ‘ino iā Hāloa ma o ka ho’okomo ‘ana i kahi mea pahū ma loko?
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This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.