Synopsis: This week, we continue our examination of the word “pokë” (as it is spelled on the Aloha Pokë Website), and whether or not it is a real Hawaiian word. If it is not, should we be concerned about its co-option?
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Aloha mai käkou. Ua æike æia nö e ka poæe o Hawaiæi i ka æono loa o ia mea he iæa ke poke æia a æänoni æia hoæi me nä mea höæonoæono like æole. He paæakai æoe, he limu æoe, he æinamona, he æaila kukui, ia mea aku ia mea aku. He hü mai paha ke aloha i ka æai aku, æaæole paha? æO ia kekahi nïnau e nalu ai ka poæe æölelo Hawaiæi, æo ia hoæi ka pilina o ke aloha i ka mea æai. æO au hoæi, ua lohe au i kekahi æölelo æana penei: æO ka æono loa, poina kou inoa. Eia hou, no ka æono loa o kekahi mea æai, ua æai æia a hewa ka waha. æAæole naæe au i lohe nui i nä laæana e höæike ana i ke aloha no kekahi mea æai. Hoæokahi wale nö laæana i paæa iaæu, aia ma ke mele: Aloha ka manini me ka pöpolo.
I këlä pule aku nei, ua häpai æia kahi nïnau: Aia iä wai ke kuleana no ka hoæohana æana i nä hua æölelo Hawaiæi? I këia pule naæe, e nänä æia ke kükulu æia æana o ia inoa æo Aloha Poke Co. æO ka mua, æo ia nö ka pela æia o ka hua æölelo “poke”. I koæu nänä æana ma ka pünaewele, æike akula au i ke kahakö ma luna o ka hua hope, æo ia hoæi æo “pokë”. E nä hoa æölelo Hawaiæi ë, ke æike aku käkou i këlä wahi mäka, e manaæo ana käkou no ke kö æana o ka woela ma lalo ona, a me ke kälele æia o ia käpana. Ua æano æë nö paha ia, no ka mea, æaæohe hua i loko o nä puke wehewehe æölelo Hawaiæi i pela æia, a puana æia paha, me këlä. A æoiai ua hana æia këia ma ka æäina haole, æo Chicago, kuhi akula au he höæailona ia näna e kuhikuhi i ka puana maoli æia æana o ia käpana. æAæole nö ia he mea noho mü, e like me ka “e” ma ka hopena o nä hua æölelo haole æo ia hoæi æo “smoke” läua me “choke”. æO ia hoæi, e like ana kona puana æana me ko ka hua æölelo “bouquet”. Auë!
Eia hou kekahi manaæo. Maliæa, ua hahai æia kekahi puana hemahema e lohe pinepine æia nei ma Hawaiæi nei, æo ia hoæi, æo “poki”. I kekahi manawa, hoæohana æia ua mäka nei, æo ia hoæi, ka macron ma luna o ka “e”, i mea e höæike ai i ke kani o nä woela ma loko o nä hua haole æo “bee” läua me “flee”, a puana æia ai æo “pokë” e like me ka hua æölelo haole æo “pokey”. Auwï! æEha ka pepeiao! æEhia mea aloha o ka æölelo Hawaiæi? Nui ka huikau o ia pela æana. æAæole ia he hua æölelo Hawaiæi maoli. æAæole hoæi ia hoæokuleana æana a Aloha Pokë Co. he mea e käæili mai ai i ko käkou kuleana no ka hoæohana æana iä “poke”. He hua æölelo ia no ka æäina æë. E waiho æia nö paha ma laila.
æO ia mau nö naæe ka nïnau no këia hua æölelo koæikoæi o ka poæe Hawaiæi, æo ia hoæi æo “aloha”. Ma këlä paukü e kau mai ana ma luna, ua häpai æia ka nïnau no ka pilina o ke aloha i ka mea æai. Maliæa he manaæo haole ke aloha æana i ka mea æai, a no ke æano malü wale paha o ke komo æana o ka manaæo haole i loko o ka æölelo Hawaiæi, ke loli nei ke kuanaæike Hawaiæi a æölelo æia ai ka mea æai he mea aloha æia. Maliæa he kaona ke æano, e like me ka naæaukake a me ka pai æäpala. Nui ke “love” o ka poæe æAmelika i ia mau mea.
E hoæomau æia ana paha këia kamaæilio æana no nä hua æo aloha a me poke i këia pule aæe.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ä leka iä mäua, ‘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 Mänoa.
