Kā Molokaʻi Makahiki
Photo by courtesy of Kumu Kehau Lucas
Ua hōʻea mai nā haumāna ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi a Hoʻokele i Nāʻiwa i nā lole kahiko no ka hana hoʻohanohano iā Lonoikamakahiki.
Ma ka lā 25 o Ianuali i hele aku ai iwakālua mau haumāna no ke kula kiʻekiʻe ʻo Kamehameha Maui mai ka papa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi makahiki ʻehā me ʻelima a me kekahi papa hou loa, ʻo ka papa hoʻokele, i Molokaʻi no ka ʻaha pāʻani makahiki ʻo Kā Molokaʻi Makahiki. Hele pū nō hoʻi ʻo Poʻokumu Kaʻawa, Kumu Kalei, kāna kāne ʻo ʻAnakala Mark, Kumu Henohea, a me Kumu Kēhau. No nā haumāna i ka papa hoʻokele, ua hālāwai lākou i ke awa ʻo Maʻalaea i ka hola ʻeono o ke kakahiaka. Me ke kōkua ʻana aku o Kāpena Timmy, Maleko Lorenzo, Kalā Tanaka, a me Kaipo Kīʻaha, ua holo waʻa ʻeiwa mau haumāna (hoʻokahi mai ka Papa ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, ʻelima mai ka Papa Lama, a ʻekolu mai ka Papa ʻAʻaliʻi) i ka waʻa ʻo Moʻokiha. A no nā haumāna ʻē aʻe, kau aʻela lākou i ka mokulele ʻo Makani Kai.
I ko lākou hōʻea ʻana aku i Molokaʻi, na ka ʻohana o Poʻokumu Kaʻawa i hoʻokipa aku iā lākou. Noho lākou i ka hale o kona kaikuaʻana, a hānai maikaʻi ʻia lākou i ka ʻaina ahiahi e kona mau mākua a me nā ʻohana o kekahi mau haumāna o ke kula kaiapuni. Hō ka ʻono o ka meaʻai! Loaʻa nō ka laiki, ka lau ʻai, ka ʻiʻo kia, ka pipi kū, ka ʻulu me ka wai niu, a me nā mea ʻai ʻono loa ʻē aʻe.
I ka lā aʻe, ala aʻe lākou i ke kakahiaka nui a hele i Hālawa no ke kūkulu ʻana i kekahi pā pōhaku i ke kahawai. ʻAno mamao ke kalaiwa ʻana, aneane ʻelua mau hola o ke kalaiwa ʻana. Ma hope iho, hoʻi aʻela lākou i ka pāka ʻo Kaunakakai no ka lā mua o Kā Molokaʻi Makahiki. I ia lā, hana ʻia nā pāʻani hoʻohui a me nā pāʻani ʻauʻau. Mai ke kula ʻo Kamehameha Maui, ua lanakila ʻo Nohealani Pedroza-Kanemitsu i ka pāʻani ʻo lele pahū!
I ke kakahiaka aʻe, kalaiwa akula lākou i Nāʻiwa, kahi i mālama ʻia ai nā pāʻani Makahiki. Komo nō hoʻi nā haumāna i ka lole kuʻuna ʻulaʻula. Na nā wāhine i komo i nā kīkepa, a na nā kāne i komo i nā malo. Mālama ʻia nā hoʻokupu, ʻo ke kalo, ka niu, a me ka lei kukui i loko o kekahi hīnaʻi lau niu i hana ʻia e Līlia Nitta, Na Keʻala Cabanilla a me Kaʻiulani Kanīʻaupiʻo i hoʻomākaukau i ia mau mea no ka hoʻokupu. A ma hope aku, hoʻomaka nā pāʻani. I ia lā ua lanakila ʻo Kēhau Hottendorf i nā pāʻani ʻo heihei wāwae, kūkini, a me ʻōʻō ihe; na Kepa Revelle i lanakila i nā pāʻani ʻo pōhaku hoʻoikaika a me uma, a Loaʻa akula nō ka lei o ka lanakila iā Nalu Santiago no ka hoʻokūkū o ke ʻAno Koa! Hulō e nā pua a Pauahi!
No Molokaʻi mai ʻo Nalu Santiago, akā ua hele ʻo ia i ke kula ʻo Kamehameha Maui ma ka papa ʻeono, a hauʻoli nō ʻo ia e hoʻi i kona kulāiwi. Nāna i ʻōlelo, “ʻAʻole i hiki iaʻu ke hoʻokō i kekahi mea me ke kākoʻo ʻole ʻana o koʻu ʻohana i laila.”
I ka hopena o ia lā kūikawā, Na ko Nalu ʻohana i hoʻomākaukau i ka ʻaina ahiahi ʻono loa. A pau ka ʻai ʻana, hele akula lākou i ka pāʻani pōhīnaʻi o nā wāhine e kākoʻo i ke kula kiʻekiʻe ʻo Molokaʻi.
He huakaʻi maikaʻi a leʻaleʻa kēia no nā kānaka a pau i hele. Nui nā mea a lākou i aʻo ai, a me nā hoaaloha hou he nui a lākou i launa ai. He mau haliʻa aloha no nā kau a kau.
