Synopsis: As one of a handful of Hawaiian national symbols, and Hawaiian identity markers in general that have inherited with it an accompanying conduct, the author questions the propriety of wearing the Hawaiian flag on one’s feet.
E ka ‘ili uliuli, e ka ‘ili ‘ula‘ula, e ka ‘ili kea ho‘i o ka welo ho‘okahi o ka Hawai‘i ‘ana, ‘ano‘ai ke aloha iā ‘oukou. E like nō ho‘i me ka nui o nā waiho‘olu‘u e waiho mau loa aku ana ma ka lepa la‘ahia a ou po‘e mua, ma ka Hae Hawai‘i nō ho‘i, pēlā nō a nui hou aku paha nā waiho‘olu‘u e ‘ike ‘ia nei i ka ‘ili lā o kēlā a me kēia Hawai‘i maoli o ke au nei. A lele mai he haole no ka ‘āina ‘ē mai, a kūmaka honua maila ko ia nei ‘ikena i kauwahi Hawai‘i maoli, ‘o ke aha lā kona mea e ‘ike ai iā lākou, he Hawai‘i lākou no ka lāhui ho‘okahi? Eia ka pane a kekahi pō‘ai, penei: “I ikeia no ke kanaka no kekahi lahui ma kana olelo. Ina e nalowale ana ka olelo makuahine o kekahi lahui, e nalo hia aku ana no ia lahui.” He ‘oia‘i‘o ko kēia ‘ōlelo nei, a he pololei nō paha. Inā nō na‘e ia ‘o ka mea e lāhui ai ka lāhui Hawai‘i ‘ānō—‘o ka ‘ōlelo wale nō—a laila, hapa maila nā kānaka o ua lāhui aloha nei, ‘o ka hapa ‘u‘uku loa kai koe.
Eia hou aku kekahi pane i ua nīnau lā, ‘o ka hi‘ohi‘ona ho‘i o ka maka. Ua kaulana nō na‘e ka Hawai‘i i ke aloha palena ‘ole, a na ia aloha i ‘ume‘ume aku iā ia i nā ipo no Kahiki mai. No ia mea, ke mau nei nō ka helehelena Hawai‘i iō kākou nei, he helehelena nō na‘e ia i ‘āwili hemo ‘ole ‘ia me ko Kina, ko Iāpana, ko Pokukala, ko ‘Enelani, a me ko hea lā ho‘i. ‘O ka hopena, he like ‘ole nō ho‘i ka nānā ‘ana o kēlā me keia Hawai‘i maoli, ‘a‘ohe kūlike iki. Pehea ke kulāiwi? Ka ‘āina hānau no laila mai nā mamo a Hāloa? ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ‘o ka hapa nui o nā mea koko Hawai‘i o ke ao nei, ma waho lākou o ka ‘āina mole kumu o nēia lāhui kanaka.
Ma luna a‘e o nā mea a pau i helu papa ‘ia a‘e nei—ma luna a‘e o ka ‘ōlelo, a me ka hi‘ohi‘ona o ka maka, a me ke one i hānau ai—Ma luna lilo o lākou a pau e welo mau ana ka Hae Hawai‘i, he kia ho‘omana‘o a hō‘ailona ho‘i e ‘ike maopopo le‘a ai me ke kānalua ‘ole o ka mana‘o, ‘o ka Hae a me ke kupa nona ke kino e ‘a‘ahu nei i ua Hae ha‘aheo iā, he ‘āina like ko lāua; he lāhui like nō ho‘i ko lāua. A ‘o nā kupa a pau e minamina nei i ka Hae, a e ‘a‘ahu nei nō ho‘i i ua Hae lā, e ‘ike ‘emo ‘ole kekahi i kekahi, he hoa like nō.
I hō‘ailona no ka lāhui Hawai‘i nei, a i ho‘oilina aloha mai nā ali‘i mai, a mai nā kūpuna mai nō ho‘i, he ahona ke kau mau ‘ana o ua Hae lā i kahi o ka hanohano, i kahi ma‘a mau iā ia: i luna. Pēia kona mililani ‘ia i ke au o ke Aupuni Mō‘ī. I ke au nō na‘e o ka manawa, a i ka hō‘amelika ‘ia mai e ke aupuni noho hewa o nā Moku‘āina Huia, ua ho‘opoina kākou, nā Hawai‘i, i kahi kūpono o ua Hae lā, ua hā‘ule ihola ‘O ia mai kona kūlana ki‘eki‘e iho a lilo he wehi no ka pola, ka ihu mua, a me ke ka‘ele o nā wa‘a kaulua; ‘o ia ho‘i, ‘o ka Hae Hawai‘i, pa‘i mau ‘ia kona nui kino i mea ho‘onaninani i ka wāwae o ke kanaka, ma nā kākini a me nā kāma‘a o nā kānaka nāna e kū‘ai mai ana.
Eia hou aku, ‘o nā ‘ona pā ‘oihana nāna e kū‘ai aku ana i ua mau kākini a kāma‘a lā, he Hawai‘i nō. ‘O ia mea ‘o ka hō‘ihi a me ka ho‘ohanohano ma ke ‘ano Hawai‘i, he mea pōhihihi wale ka ho‘omaopopo ‘ana iho. I hewa nō ka ho‘opoina ‘ana i ka mea nāna i ho‘opoina mai. A eia mai ku‘u wahi nīnau i ka mea heluhelu: He kūpono ka waiho ‘ana mai o ka Hae Hawai‘i i ka wāwae o ke kanaka?
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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:
>> 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 Mānoa.
