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Synopsis: An origin story of a name for ‘Ewa.
He hana nui ka hana kapa. I ka wā kahiko, mahalo nui a aloha nui ‘ia nā wāhine i luhi i ua hana no’eau. Na nā kūpuna wahine a me nā mākuahine i a’o aku i kā lākou mau kaikamāhine a me kā lākou mau mo’opuna i ka hana kapa. He mau mea hiwahiwa nā mea hana i mea e hana kapa: nā kua kūkū, nā pāhoa, nā ‘i’e kūkū, nā ‘ohe kāpala a pēlā aku. I ho’oili ia mau mea mai hanauna mua aku i hanauna hope. Nui ka mana i loko o ua mau mea i hana ‘ia e nā kūpunahine i nā lā he kini ka nui.
I ka wā ua hala loa, ua noho kekahi wahine i Kahuku ma Ko’olau Loa i ke alo o nā pali ki’eki’e i O’ahu. Kaulana ‘o Kahuku i ka ulu hala i kēlā mau lā kahiko. I kekahi lā, ua noho ua wahine la i ka ‘olu o ka ulu hala i ke ani mālie ā ka makani kama’āina. Ua noho a ku’i ‘o ia i ke kapa ma’ū i ke kua kūkū. Iā ia e ku’i ana i ke kapa, pāhe’e a pakele aku ka ‘i’e kūkū mai kona lima aku i ke kahawai kokoke ona. Ua kū ka wahine e ki’i i ka ‘i’e kūkū. Ua lilo ia i ke ‘au miki o ka wai. Holo wawe loa ka ‘i’e kūkū i loko o ka wai. Mā’alo ka wahine i ke kahawai. Uhai ā holo ka wahine i ka ‘i’e kūkū akā na’e, ‘a’ole hiki iā ia ke hopu.
Hiki ka wahine i Kualoa. Aia ma Kualoa hele ka wai ma lalo o ka honua. Kuhi ka mana’o o ua wahine la ua lilo loa ka ‘i’e kūkū. No’ono’o ka wahine he pono ke hele wāwae a ‘imi i ua ‘i’e kūkū. ‘A’ole ‘o ia i hā’awipio. Hele mau ka wahine i nā lā he nui. Hele wāwae ka wahine i nā ‘āina ‘o nā Ko’olau Loa, ‘o nā Ko’olau Poko, a ‘o nā Kona. Komo ‘o ia i ‘Ewa a mā’alo ka wahine i ka holo ā ka wai. Ā hiki ‘o ia i Waikele, ua lohe ka wahine i ka leo māpuna o ke ku’i honehone kama’āina i kona pepeiao. Ua kū ka wahine a ho’olono i ke kani lua ‘ole o kāna ‘i’e kūkū. Huli ka wahine i ua kani la. Hahai ka wahine i ka leo ‘olu. Hele iho ‘o ia a kokoke i kahi punawai. Ma laila iho, ‘ike ka wahine i kekahi wahine e ku’i ana i ke kapa. Hui ‘ia ua mau wāhine ‘elua a ho’olauna kekahi i kekahi. Nīnau ka wahine mai Kahuku i ka wahine o Waikele i nīnau e pili ana i ka ‘i’e kūkū. Ua wehewehe ko Waikele wahine ua puka mai ka ‘i’e kūkū mai lalo o ka wai hu’ihu’i o ka punawai ‘o Waipahu i luna o ka pu’u iki. Ha’i akula ka wahine mai Kahuku i ka lilo ‘ana o kāna ‘i’e kūkū. Ua ‘ōlelo ‘o ia i kāna hele wāwae ‘ana i ka laulā a me ka loa a puni O’ahu, nā pi’ina a me nā ‘alu a me nā wahi he nui āna i hele mai nei. Hū ke aloha o ko Waikele wahine i ka wahine no Kahuku. Ho’iho’i ka wahine o Waikele i ka ‘i’e kūkū i ka wahine i hele loa mai nei. Ua lilo lāua i hoa aloha kekahi i kekahi. Alaka’i ka wahine o Waikele i kona hoa aloha hou i ke ala i luna o ka hene o ka pu’u. Ua kui lima lāua—-ku’eku’e lima a ku’eku’e lima i pa’a—i ke ala. Ā hiki lāua i ke alahele. Pi’i a’ela nā hoa aloha i ka pu’u. Mā’alo lāua i ka punawai ‘o Waipahu. Ua aloha aku kekahi i kekahi a ho’i ka wahine no Kahuku i kauhale i Kahuku me ka ‘i’e kūkū pa’a i kona lima. Kapa ‘ia kēia wahi ā nā wāhine i hele wāwae ai ā hiki i kēia lā ‘o “Ke one kuilima laulā o ‘Ewa.” Aia ua wahi nei e waiho ana i ke kū kilakila o ka hale wilikō i Waipahu. Ua haku ka haku mele aloha ‘o Ivy Hanakahi Woo i kēia mau lalani mele nani:
He wahine no Kahuku la
Ka’apuni no ‘o ia la
Loa’a nei i ka pono, e ō
Ke one kuilima laulā o ‘Ewa.
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.