Synopsis: While watching “Wandavision,” Vision’s interest is piqued when asked about Theseus’ Paradox. It goes: If each individual ship component was replaced throughout the years, one at a time, and then eventually the entire ship was made of replaced parts, is it still the same ship? It made me think about how cultural practices change over time. Is it still a Hawaiian practice despite changes in medium or process? Who gets to have a say on what is and isn’t right for the culture?

E oæu poæe hoa heluhelu o këia wahi kolamu nei, aloha nui æoukou. He manaæo koæu e hoæonoæonoæo ai iä æoukou. Ua pili ia i ka moku kaulana i ka Helene, i Ka Sipi o Theseus hoæi. He mea ia e kualena ai i ka noæonoæo, æo ia hoæi, inä ua hemo nä läæau o ka moku ma muli o ka popopo, a pani æia kona hakahaka, mau nö ka moku kahiko? A i æole ia, he moku hou? E æole e nänä iä Wandavision, kau ai ka manaæo oæu i ua mea nei. æO ka manaæo ia näna i hoæopïhoihoi aku iä Vision, a kü nö hoæi i koæu manaæo.

I ka lohe æana oæu i ua mea nei, kau akula koæu manaæo i ka loina Hawaiæi, ka like a æokoæa paha o kä käkou hoæomau æana i ka hana a küpuna mä. Eia mai kekahi laæana. Pehea ko æoukou manaæo? He käkau Hawaiæi ka mea i hana æia ma o ka mïkini käkau? Pehea kona æano inä ua like ke ana a me ke kaæina hana hoæi me kä ka poæe kahiko? Aia paha ke æano Hawaiæi o ke käkau æana i ia mea æo ka mölï? Eia hou aku, he lawaiæa Hawaiæi ka poæe näna e hoæokele ana i ka moana ma ka moku æenekini? Ma këia mau laæana i æike æia ai ka manaæo o këia wahi nane, a i mea këia e kualena ai i ka noæonoæo. Inä ua æano like ke kaæina hana a nä Hawaiæi o këia au me kä küpuna mä ke hana aku i nä mea Hawaiæi, akä, ua æokoæa iki ma kekahi æano, mau nö anei kona külana he mea Hawaiæi?

E häpai ana wau i këia manaæo, no ka mea, æaæohe mea a ke au o ka manawa e kakali iho ai, he holo wale aku nö æo ia. Wahi a ka manu, “He pono ka loli no ka holomua o ka lähui.” Eia naæe, aia iä wai ke kuhi æana i nä mea e hoæololi ai, a he küpono anei ia loli æana? Aia i këlä me këia kanaka ke küpono a me ka æole o ka hoæololi æia æana o kekahi mea. No laila, eia ihola koæu manaæo. Ma ka paæa æana o ke kahua e æike æia ai ka maikaæi o ke kükulu, e like me ka æölelo noæeau. Ke külanalana mai ke kahua, æaæole paha e æike æia ka pilikia o ia loli æana. Penei hoæi, no ka poæe æike æole i ka hula, a ua häwäwä paha, pehea ana lä ko läkou manaæo no ka hula? Pehea hoæi ka manaæo o nä kumu hula i paæa iä läkou nä loina hula? æAæole nö e like ana. No laila, no wai lä ia kuleana æo ka hoæololi æana? Pëia hoæi koæu manaæo no ka æölelo Hawaiæi. Inä æaæohe wahi æike o kekahi kaæaka, he manaæo wale nö paha kona, akä, æo kona kuleana anei ia, æo ka hoæololi æana i ia æölelo?

Eia hou hoæi, mai nö a lawelawe wale aku i kekahi hana me ka æike æole i ke æano o ia hana. I æike käkou, æo ka noho æana a kupa i ke alo, æo ke ala nö ia e aæo ai i nä æike Hawaiæi. A ma loko hoæi o ua mau æike lä e loaæa ai ke akamai, a ma laila aku ka hana. Pëlä pü kaæu hana. He haumäna aæo æölelo Hawaiæi wau, æaæole naæe wau e kuhi wale aku i ke küpono a küpono æole paha o kona hoæololi æia æana. No laila, eia nö wau ke paipai nei iä æoukou, e nä Hawaiæi, e hoæopaæa mua i ke kahua, a laila nö ke kükulu.

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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:

>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)

>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)

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