Shiroma, Edna Kealohapau‘ole Ho‘okano

Kapono Chang

‘O Edna Kealohapau‘ole Ho‘okano Shiroma ko ko‘u kupuna wahine inoa piha. ‘O "Ed" kona inoa kapakapa. No Kahalu‘u mai ‘o ia a noho ‘o ia ma Kāne‘ohe. He kanahiku ona makahiki. ‘O Kamiko Ho‘okano kona makua kāne a ‘o Matilda Yim-Yu kona makuahine, a ua noho pū lāua a hānau ‘ia ‘o Harold, ‘o Edgar, ‘o Matilda, ‘o Edna, a ‘o ‘Ala. ‘O ke kaikamahine ‘elua ‘o ia o nā kaikamahine ‘ekolu. ‘Ekolu ona kaikua‘ana. 

Ua ‘ōlelo ko‘u kupuna wahine, "I want my children, and my children’s children, to never be ashamed of being Hawaiian and to always mālama family first." ‘A‘ole i makemake ko ko‘u kupuna wahine mākua e a‘o aku i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ua maopopo iā ia he Hawaiʻi ‘o ia a ua like kona mana‘o me ka ‘ōlelo no‘eau ‘o "He Hawai‘i au mau a mau." A no laila, i kona wā makua a kupuna, makemake ‘o ia e a‘o mai i kāna mau keiki a mo‘opuna i nā waiwai Hawai’i. 

I kona wā li‘ili‘i, ua noho ‘o ia ma Kahalu‘u kokoke i ka hale pule ‘o St. John’s By the Sea. He ‘umi mau kaikua‘ana a kaikuahine ko kona kupuna kāne. ‘O Willie Ho‘okano kona kupuna kāne. A no laila, ua noho ko ko‘u kupuna wahine ‘ohana nui i kēlā kaona me he ‘āina pumehana lā. Ua loa‘a i kona ‘ohana ka ‘āina mai uka a i kai ma Kahalu‘u. 

Wahi a ko‘u kupuna wahine, "I kai e lawai‘a ai, no ke kāne wale no kēlā hana." Akā na‘e, i uka lākou i kanu ai a i ho‘oulu ai i ka mai‘a, ke kalo, ka ‘uala, a pēlā wale aku. Ma nā hopena pule a pau, i uka kona ‘ohana holo‘oko‘a i hele ai no ka ‘ohi‘ohi ‘ana i ka mea ‘ai a me ka ho‘oma‘ema‘e ‘ana i nā lo‘i a me kō lākou ‘āina. Ua ‘ōlelo ko‘u kupuna wahine, "I laila mākou i hana ai me ka laulima. I kēlā manawa au i ola ai i ke ‘ano Hawai‘i." Pono nō mākou e mālama i ka ‘ohana a e ho‘oikaika i ka ‘ohana i kēia manawa. 

Wahi a ko‘u kupunahine, ua ola lākou me ka ma‘alahi a ka maluhia i nā lā a pau. ‘A‘ole i ho‘opīhoihoi ka na‘au e pili ana i ka mea iki. Ua ‘ōlelo ko‘u kupuna wahine, "We must’ve been poor, but we lived the Hawaiian way with Hawaiian values, and that’s all that mattered." I nā Lāpule a pau lākou i hele ai i St. John’s By the Sea, he mau Episcopalian lākou nō ho‘i. Nāna i ho‘omana‘o ma hope o ka pau ‘ana o ka hai pule, ua hele ko ke kaona po‘e e ‘ākoakoa no ka ‘āina awakea nui, me he lū‘au lā. Ho‘omana‘o ‘o ia i ia mau manawa me ka ‘ohana. 

I kēia lā, noho ko‘u kupuna wahine ma Kāne‘ohe kokoke i ko‘u hale. A no laila, na‘u e hele i kona hale no ke kūkākūkā ‘ana me ia. Nāna i a‘o mai ia‘u e ola Hawai‘i no ka mea he Hawai‘i au mau a mau. Aloha wau iā ia me ke aloha nui a ho‘opōmaika‘i ‘ia ko mākou ‘ohana e ku‘u kupuna wahine. Nui ka mahalo no ko‘u kupuna wahine mau a mau.