By Kaimana Barcarse (Kanaka Hawai’i, CS Board Member)
ʻO ka ʻaha FestPac, ʻo ia nō ka ʻAha Moʻomeheu a Pāheona, ka ʻaha Pākīpika nui loa hoʻi a puni ka honua. ʻO kēia makahiki ka pukana 13 o kēia hanana a ʻo ia ka manawa mua o ka mālama ʻia ma Hawaiʻi nei. Ua mālama ʻia mai ka lā 6 a i ka lā 16 o Iune ma ka mokupuni o Oʻahu. Ua hoʻomaka kūhelu ka ʻAha ma ka lā 5 me ka paena waʻa o nā ʻelele mai nā Lāhui Moananuiākea ma ke kahaone o Hakupuʻu me Kualoa, ke one hānau hoʻi o ko kākou waʻa kūpuna ʻo Hōkūleʻa. Ua kau waʻa nā ʻelele ma Mōkapu, kahi e noho nei ka pūʻalikoa ʻAmelika, a ua holo a hiki i ke kauhale waʻa ma Kualoa i mea e hoʻokipa kuʻuna ʻia e like me ka paena waʻa o ka wā kahiko. Ua hoʻomaka kēia ʻaha FestPac he ʻelima anahulu makahiki aku nei ma ka makahiki 1972, a mālama ʻia i kēlā me kēia makahiki ʻekolu ma nā ʻāina like ʻole o ka Moananui a hoʻokipa ʻia nā ʻelele e nā ʻōiwi o ua ʻāina lā. Ua hoʻomaha ka ʻaha no ka wā maʻi ʻahulau, eia naʻe ua hoʻomaka hou ʻia me ka ikaika ma Hawaiʻi nei. ʻO ka mākia o kēia makahiki, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Hoʻoulu Lāhui.
I loko nō o ke kapa ʻia o kēia ʻaha he ʻaha moʻomeheu a pāheona, ʻike leʻa ʻia ma o nā hanauna i komo a me nā hana i mālama ʻia, he wā kēia e hoʻoili ʻia ka ʻike i ka hanauna hou a e hoʻokuleana pū ʻia lākou e ʻauamo i nā kuleana i pono ai ko lākou ulu ʻana a lilo ʻo lākou nā alakaʻi i pono ai nā Lāhui. ʻAʻole i kapa ʻia kēia he “ʻoihana hoʻoili ʻike”, ʻoiai he manaʻo ia no waho mai. ʻO ko kākou kuanaʻike wale ia ke aʻo ʻana aku me ka hoʻokuleana pū ʻana i ka hanauna hou. Ua ʻahuwale ia he kahua i paʻa ma waena o nā Lāhui like ʻole. Penei e ola ai ka ʻike ma nā hanauna a hanauna aku.
Ma Hawaiʻi nei i lohe mau ʻia ka ʻōlelo noʻeau ʻo Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke. I mea e ʻoiaʻiʻo ai ua ʻōlelo lā, ʻo ke komo i ka hana kai pono. Pēlā e ʻike ka lima, e ʻike ka naʻau, a e ʻike ka ʻuhane i nā hiʻona like ʻole o ka hana. ʻAʻole o ko kākou moʻokiʻina aʻo he kuhi wale a hoʻokolohua. He aʻo ʻia mai kūpuna a e komo maoli i ka hana e paʻa ai ia ʻike. He kilipohe ke ʻano o ke aʻo ʻana i komo ka lawena, ka ʻike, ka ʻuhane a me nā hiʻona like ʻole a hoʻonui ʻia aku ma o ka hana. ʻOkoʻa nō ke ʻano o ke aʻo ʻana i kēia mau lā. ʻO ka loaʻa wikiwiki o ka ʻike mai ka punaewele kahi mea maʻamau o kēia mau lā. ʻAʻole naʻe ia he naʻau-ao, he naʻau-pō inā ʻaʻohe hana i hana ʻia ma ke aʻo ʻana. He ʻike pili, ʻaʻole naʻe he ʻike piha. Ua aʻo wau i kēia haʻawina iā mākou e hoʻomākaukau ana no kahi huakaʻi i Aotearoa. Ua hāpai kēia i ka manaʻo i koʻu kumu, e ʻoki wikiō wau i hiki ke hoʻouna ʻia i nā hoa huakaʻi like ʻole ma nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe i hiki iā lākou ke aʻo i ka hula. Hoʻopololei mai ke kumu iaʻu me ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana “ʻaʻole ʻo ka wikiō e aʻo, ʻaʻohe ona hā. Hiki ke hoʻomaʻamaʻa me ka wikiō ma hope o ke aʻo ʻia alo a he alo”, a hoʻokuleana ʻia wau e hele i nā mokupuni ʻē aʻe e aʻo i ka hula. He haʻawina nui ia noʻu, a ua ʻike wau i mau laʻana i pili ma kekahi ʻano i ua haʻawina lā ma ka ʻAha FestPac nei, e ʻoluʻolu e ʻae mai iaʻu e kaʻanalike me ʻoukou i kahi mau laʻana.
Ma luna o Makaliʻi ua ʻike ʻia ka hoʻoili ʻike mai ka makuakāne a i ke keiki ma ka lawe ʻia o ke keiki, he holokai hou loa, e kona pāpā he holokai i holo no nā makahiki he nui ma kēia holo ʻana. ʻO ka makua he kumu kula ʻo ia e aʻo ana i ka hoʻoulu ʻai, laʻa me ke kalo ʻoe, ka ʻuala ʻoe, ka maiʻa ʻoe, a pēlā aku no ka lawe ʻana i nā huakaʻi holo moana. Ma kēia holo ana ua ʻike ʻia ke aʻoaʻo ʻia mai e ka makua a me nā holokai ʻē aʻe i ʻauamo like i ke kuleana hānai ʻōpio. A ua ʻauamo ʻia nō. Ua lilo lāua ʻo lāua nā hoa hoʻomākaukau mea ʻai no ka waʻa, a na ka ʻōpio i komo i ka hana a ka makua, an nāna i hoʻomau i ia kuleana.
Ua kaʻanalike mai nā ʻōiwi Pinuyamayan o ka ʻiwi Kasavakan o Taiwan i ko lākou ala hoʻōla ʻike ma o ka hīmeni a hulahula ʻana iā lākou e kipa ana i ka waʻa kaulua ʻo Moʻokiha-o-Piʻilani. Ma laila i aʻo ai lākou no nā loina holokai i paʻa ma nā mele a hula kekahi, a ua like nō ia me ko lākou pāhana Apuy (He leo noi i ke ahi hoʻomehana a alakaʻi) i hoʻolaha ʻia. Ua nui nō nā like, mai na huaʻōlelo o mata/maka a me rima/lima me ka wehewehena like a i nā loina o ko lākou Palakuwan i like me ko mākou Hale Mua. Ua nani nō, a he ʻohana ēwe hoʻokahi mākou.
Ma ke awa ʻo Kāneʻohe ua ʻike pū ʻia ka hoʻoili ʻike a kuleana i ka hoʻokuleana ʻia o ke keikikāne he ʻeiwa wale ona makahiki e kapena i ka waʻakaulua holomoku o kona makuakāne ma kēia kai kamaʻāina ʻole no ka lawe ʻana i nā ʻōhua mai kahi ʻaoʻao a kahi ʻaoʻao o ke awa no ka ʻaha hoʻokipa.
No ka waʻakaulua holomoana kai hohonu ʻo Faafaite, ua holo loa lākou mai Tahiti e komo ai i kēia ʻana. Ua lako ka waʻa i nā holokai mai ka pae ʻōpio a i ka pae kūpuna a ʻo ka nani, o nā holokai, ʻo ke kapena a me ka hoʻokele, he mau holokai ʻōpio lāua ma ka hōea mua o Faafaite i Hawaiʻi ma ka makahiki 2012 ma ka holo i kapa ʻia ʻo Te Mana O Te Moana. A ua hoʻi kā lāua ʻo lāua nō nā alakaʻi e hoʻomākaukau nei i ka hanauna hou no ko lākou waʻa aloha. Ma kahi pāʻina e hoʻohanohano ana iā lākou ua kaʻanalike ʻia mai nā moʻolelo kūpaianaha o ka holo ʻana i Hawaiʻi a ua pā ka naʻau i ka lawe ʻia o kekahi mau Hawaiʻi e holo pū me lākou i ka hoʻi ʻana i Tahiti.
Ma ka ʻāina ma ke kauhale waʻa ma Kualoa ua ʻike ʻia nā loea ualana lauhala mai nā Lāhui like ʻole e aʻoaʻo ana i ka hana i nā ʻōpio ma o ka ulana ʻana i peʻa no ka waʻa. Ua ʻike ʻia nō ka hoihoi loa o nā lima ʻōpio ma ke komo ʻana i ka hana me nā loea.
Iaʻu, ʻo ka laʻana nani loa o ka hoʻoili ʻike hanauna ʻo ia hoʻi ka hōʻea aku o nā waʻa ʻo Mauloa a me Makaliʻi ma ka ʻaha FestPac. I ka wā i ʻiʻini ai nā holokai e kāpili i ka waʻa ʻo Makaliʻi he waʻakaulua holo kai hohonu, ua kuhi mua nā kūpuna iā lākou e kālai mua ʻia he waʻa ma o nā loina a me nā ʻaha kuʻuna. Ua alakaʻi nō nā kūpuna a ua kākoʻo mai ke kaiaulu a ua hānau ʻia nō ka waʻa ʻo Mauloa a ua hoʻokohu ʻia nā holokai ʻo ia ʻo “Nā Kālai Waʻa”, a ua ʻae ʻia ke kāpili ʻana i ka waʻa nui ʻo Makaliʻi. A he kūpono loa ka hōʻea ʻo Mauloa ma ka hale hōʻikeʻike, ʻo ka ka mea mua e ʻike ʻia e ka lehulehu iā lākou e komo ʻana i ka hale, a na ka pōkiʻi ʻo Makaliʻi i komo ma ka halihali ʻōhua Lāhui ma ka wehena o ka ʻaha. He pilina pilikana he makua a ʻōpio ke ʻano. ʻAʻole nō i pau ke kuleana o Nā Kālai Waʻa ma ke kāpili waʻa. Ua kāpili ʻia ka waʻa ʻo Alingano Maisu no ko mākou loea, ko mākou kumu, ko mākou papa ʻo “Papa Mau “ Piailug a me kona poʻe o Satawal.
Ua kū nō nā hana ma kēia ʻAha FestPac i ka ʻōlelo noʻeau ʻo He Waʻa He Moku, He Moku He Waʻa. He kuleana ko kēlā holokai kēia holokai no ka pono a me ka lanakila o ka nui. He pilina ia a he kuleana nō. Inā ʻauamo ʻia kēia kuleana like ma ka moku e ola ana ka moku, inā ʻauamo ʻia kēia kuleana like ma nā aupuni e ola ana nā aupuni, inā ʻauamo ʻia kēia kuleana like ma ka honua a puni e ola ana kākou a pau ma kēia mokupuni nui i kapa ʻia o ka honua a puni.