Estrella, Isabelle "Sweetheart" Alapa‘i Ha‘upu

Kanoe Malani

Kumu Kalehua Lima and her haumāna of Ka Papa Mō‘aukala have again compiled a priceless collection of mo‘olelo hulu kūpuna and shared them with Ka‘iwakīloumoku. Ka Papa Mō‘aukala is unique in that it is a Hawaiian History class taught entirely in Hawaiian language—the mo‘olelo shared by these haumāna preserve not only the hali‘a aloha of their own kūpuna, but the ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o ka pae ‘āina nei. E ho‘onanea mai . . .

Welina mai kakou e ka poe oiwi o ka pae aina nei mai ka aina o ka ua Kanilehua a hiki loa aku i ka la welo iho i ka mole olu o Lehua. Ua mohala aela na liko o ka wahine hele la o Kaiona. Me ka haaheo a me ka haahaa no makou i lilo ai i poe kakau moolelo kupuna. Lana ko makou manao i ka hoohanohano ana i na hulu kupuna na lakou i hele mua no laila he wahi leo mahalo piha keia. Nenee mai a hoonanea no hoi kou heluhelu ana i na moolelo kupuna i kakau ia nei. O au no me na haumana i ao maikai ia e na Kumu ike Hawaii o Kapalama nei, ka papa Moaukala Hawaii, Haule Lau 2006.
—Kalehua Lima

"Ē, mai ‘oe e ‘ai a pā‘ina. ‘O ia nō ka le‘ale‘a maoli o ke ola." ‘O kēia kekahi ‘ōlelo i ‘ōlelo pinepine ‘ia e ko‘u kupunawahine. Eia ku‘u kupuna wahine, ‘o Isabelle "Sweetheart" Alapaʻi Ha‘upu Estrella kona inoa. Kapa ‘ia ‘o ia ‘o "Grandma Sweetheart" e ka ‘ohana wale nō. Kapa ‘ia ‘o ia ‘o Isabelle e kona mau hoapili. Ua hānau ‘ia ku‘u kupunawahine ma ka lā 13 o Malaki i ka makahiki 1936. Ma ka ‘āina u‘i palena ‘ole ‘o Hāmoa ma ka mokupuni ‘o Maui ‘o ia i noho ai no ka hapanui o kona ola. Ma laila nō ‘o ia i pili ai me kāna kāne, ‘o Herman Joseph Estrella a i ia manawa, no Hāna, Maui mai ‘o ia. I ko lāua ho‘oholo ‘ana e ne‘e i kahi a‘e, ua kupu a‘ela ka mana‘o e ne‘e i Wai‘anae ma ka mokupuni ‘o O‘ahu nei. Ma hope maila, ‘o ka ha‘alele nō ia o ku‘u mau kūpuna lā a ne‘e i O‘ahu. I ka makahiki 1996, ua hala aku kāna kāne i ka ma‘i ‘a‘ai koko, ‘o ia nō ‘o Leukemia. Mea mai ‘o Grandma Sweetheart, ‘o ia ke kāne ho‘okahi i lilo ai kona aloha. I kēia manawa, noho pū ‘o ia ma Wai‘anae me kāna kaikamahine hānai, ‘o ia nō ‘o Aisha.

Hana ‘ia he mau mea ko‘iko‘i e Grandma Sweetheart e la‘a me ke kanipila, ke kanu ‘ana i nā pua, ka ho‘oma‘ema‘e ‘ana i ka hale, a me nā mea kolohe nō ho‘i, e la‘a me ka inu pia ‘ana a me ka puhi paka ‘ana. I kēlā me kēia hōpena pule, hō‘ea akula ‘o ia i ka Wai‘anae Rest Camp e kanikapila me kona mau hoa o ka "B. S. Quartet" (Beachside Serenaders). ‘Ike mau ‘ia ‘o ia i ka ho‘oma‘ema‘e ‘ana i kona wahi e noho ai, a e kanu ana i nā ‘ano pua like ‘ole ma kona pā hale.

Mai kuhihewa mai ‘oe, ‘a‘ole ‘o Grandma Sweetheart he wahine mālie me ka leo li‘ili‘i! Kaulana ‘o ia mai kahi kapa a kahi kapa aku i kona ‘ano keu a ke kolohe—he "holoholona pā‘ina" nō ‘o ia. Iā ia e pā‘ina ‘ana, makemake ‘o ia e inu pia a puhi paka. Wahi āna, "Mai hopohopo, e hau‘oli ‘oe." He aha ia mea he ola maika‘i? Mana‘o ihola ‘o ia he mea ko‘iko‘i ke ola a pono nō ‘oe e ola me ka le‘ale‘a loa. I ke kāhea ‘ana o kāna hoapili iā ia, ‘o kona ha‘alele ‘ana nō ia a hui pū me kāna hoa ma ka wahi inu lama, e pā‘ina a hulahula. Loa‘a ke ola i Hālau-A-Ola. He kanahiku ona makahiki a ‘o ke ola le‘ale‘a ka mea ho‘okahi āna e makemake ai.