Kanuha, Joseph Kawai‘elelani "Big Joe" Sr.

Kaho‘okahi Kanuha

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

Wahi a kuʻu kupuna wahine, "He kanaka kuikawā loa kou kupuna kāne. He mea ‘ōkoʻa nō hoʻi ‘o ia." ‘O Clement Kahikina Kanuha lāua ‘o Rose Kumuhone (Kanuha) nā mākua o "Big Joe." Ua hānau ‘ia ‘o ia i ka lā 23 o Kēkēmapa i ka makahiki 1924 ma Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi. Ua male ‘o ia iā Henrietta Soares a ua noho pū lāua a hānau ‘ia maila ‘o Joseph Kawaiʻelelani "Baby Joe" Kanuha lāua ‘o Jolyne Kehaulani Kanuha (Carvalho).

Ua hana ‘o Big Joe no ka hui mokulele ‘o Aloha Airlines. I nā lā a pau, ma kona wā hoʻomaha awakea, hele ‘o ia i kahakai a luʻu no ka iʻa. Ua hoʻopūʻiwa ‘o ia i kona poʻe hoa i nā lā a pau no ka mea, hala ka hapalua hola wale nō a ua loaʻa iā ia nā iʻa he nui, ‘elua a i ‘ole ‘ekolu stringer. A ‘o ka mea kūikawā o kona luʻu ‘ana i kai, ua kāpili ‘o ia i kona makaaniani luʻu kai ponoʻī. ‘Aʻole ‘o ia i kūʻai mai ka hale kūʻai mai. ‘O ka ‘ohe me ka laho lio nā mea i hana ‘ia ai no kona makaaniani luʻu kai. ‘Aʻole ‘o ia i hoʻohana i ka paipu hanu, a ‘aʻole ‘o ia i hoʻohana i ka ‘ōkoholua niho ‘ekolu, akā ua hoʻohana ‘o ia i ka mea i loa‘a i ka poʻe Hawaiʻi. Ua akamai loa ‘o ia i nā ‘ano hana like ‘ole o ka lawaiʻa. Wahi a kāna keiki hanauna, ‘o Jerome Kanuha, "He keu nō ‘o ia a ke kanaka lawai‘a ma ka ‘ohana Kanuha." A wahi a Pocho Kanuha,"ʻAʻole i loaʻa iā mākou ke kālā he nui, akā ‘aʻole ia he mea koʻikoʻi i kēlā manawa, no ka mea, ua hoʻi mai ‘o Big Joe i kēlā me kēia pō me ka iʻa i lawa pono ka ‘ai ‘ana a kona ‘ohana holoʻokoʻa, ma kahi o nā kānaka he 30."

Ua aloha koʻu kupuna kāne i ka hoʻokani kīkā ‘ana, akā ua makemake ‘o ia e hoʻonui i ka leo o kona kīkā. No laila, kiʻi akula ‘o ia i kaula, e like me ke kaula no ka lawaiʻa ‘ana, a ua nākiʻi ‘o ia i kekahi po‘o o ke kaula i kona kīkā. Ma hope iho, kiʻi ‘o ia i ka po‘o ‘ē aʻe o ke kaula a nākiʻi i kekahi kini Vienna sausage. Ma muli o kēia hana, ua hoʻonui ‘ia ke kani ‘ana o ke kīkā, me he pahu hoʻonui leo lā! Na koʻu papa i haʻi mai iaʻu i kēia moʻolelo, a hiki iaʻu ke kuhi i ke akamai o kuʻu kupuna kāne. Ua no‘eau loa nō hoʻi ‘o ia. 

‘Aʻole au i ‘ike maka i kuʻu kupunakāne, no ka mea ua hala ‘o ia i ka lā 26 ‘o Nowemapa i ka makahiki 1971. ‘O ia ka Lā Hoʻomaikaʻi, ua hala ‘o ia i kekahi ulia kaʻa i kona hoʻi ‘ana i ka hale ma hope o kekahi pāʻina ‘ohana. I ia manawa, he keiki wale nō ko‘u pāpā, piha iā ia nā makahiki he 13. Makemake nui au e ‘ike a launa pū i koʻu kupuna kāne, akā no kēia manawa, pono au e hoʻolohe wale i nā moʻolelo e pili ana iā ia, a pono au e kali no ka manawa pono o ko kāua hui ‘ana.