Synopsis: The way in which we refer to the coronavirus suggests that it is a living entity. Scientists generally consider it to be nonliving; somewhere between living and dead.

Aloha mai käkou. He au weliweli nö këia e laha aku nei kahi maæi e kaulana nei ma ka inoa COVID-19, i æö a i æaneæi o ka honua me ka pepehi i nä hoa kanaka he nui. Eia käkou ke paæa nei i loko o ka hale, ke nalu nui nei i nä æano kumuhana like æole e hialaæai ai ka manaæo. Noæu iho nei nö, no ka æupu wale mai o kuæu manaæo no ia mea he “virus”, noiæi noelo akula au i kona manaæo ma ka æölelo Hawaiæi. Eia kä, wahi a Pukui mä, he “mea hoæomaæi” ia. Ua launa nö ia manaæo. æO ka mea æäpiki naæe, he nui nö paha nä mea hoæomaæi like æole. æAæole paha he “virus” läkou a pau. Aia ka pono æo ka loaæa mai he mau hua æokoæa i mea e kuhikuhi aku ai i nä mea æino æë aæe, æaæole he “virus”, akä näna nö ka maæi.

I nalu iho ka hana, hele a uluhua ka manaæo i kahi nïnau wähi püniu, a hoæoholo ihola au, maikaæi paha ke kapa æana i ka “virus” he mea hoæomaæi kikoæï. Aia nö paha kekahi hua hou ma loko o Mämaka Kaiao. I nänä aku naæe ka hana, ua loaæa maila këia hua æölelo “mü hölapu”. æO ka mea æäpiki, he æano “virus” këlä e maæi ai ke kamepiula, æaæole ke kanaka! No laila, ua æimi noiæi ihola au i ka manaæo o “virus” ma ka æölelo haole. æEä, e ke hoa heluhelu, æaæohe wahi æano o ke akäka!

Ma waena mai o ka nui o nä æatikala aæu i heluhelu ai, e hoomaopopo mai ana nä mea käkau æaæole ia he mea ola, a eia hou, æaæole paha ia he mea ola æole. He aha lä naæe ke æano o kahi mea ola æole? æAæole paha ia i make. Aia paha kona külana ma waena o ke ola a me ka make. A ma laila i huikau ai ka noæonoæo o kä æoukou wahi mea käkau nei. Eia hou, æaæole like ke ola me ka “living”. Wahi a ka poæe æepekema haole, æaæole nö ka “rock” he mea “living”. Ma ka manaæo Hawaiæi naæe, he mana ko ka pöhaku, a no laila, he mea ola nö ia! æO ua mea nei he “mü”, he mea mana nö ia, a no laila, he mea ola hoæi.

Maliæa, ma ka manaæo Hawaiæi, he mea mana nä mea hoæomaæi a pau, a no laila, he ola ko ua mea lä e kapa æia nei i ka “virus” ma ka namu haole. A ua æike æia kekahi mau æölelo æana ma ka namu näna e höæike ka manaæo o ka poæe haole he mea ola ia. æO ia hoæi, nui nä hana a ka “virus” e hana pü æia e nä mea ola haole. æO ia hoæi, he hele ia i æö a i æaneæi. He haæalele iä Kina, kau i ka mokulele, a lele aku nö i nä æäina æë. He hoæomaæi nö hoæi æo ia i käna mau luaahi. æAæohe ona nänä inä he käne a he wahine, he Hawaiæi a he haole, he æelemakule a he keiki, æo ia lele aku nö ma luna o ka luaahi. æAæole lä e lawelawe æia ua mau hana nei e ka mea ola æole.

No laila, no ka nïnau no ke ola a me ke ola æole, me he mea lä, na ka poæe æepekema haole wale nö ka höæole æana i ke ola o ia mea he “virus”. æO ka lehulehu o ke ao haole, a pau pü me ke ao Hawaiæi, ke æike nei i ka æino o ia mea, a me ka hopena o käna hana. He mea nö ia nona ka mana e lawelawe ai i këlä mau hana i helu æia maila ma luna aæe nei, a me nä hana hou aku he nui hewahewa. Pehea lä hoæi e manaæo æia ai æaæohe ona mana, a no laila, æaæole ia he mea ola? He ola nö kona, a he make nö käna!

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.