Nahulu, Eli Kau‘i

Nahulu Maioho

In 2006, Kumu Kalehua Lima and her haumāna of Ka Papa Mō‘aukala 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

‘O Nahulu ke kāne noho pū ‘o ia me Pua‘aiki ka wahine,
Hānau mai ‘o John Eleakala Nahulu he kāne.
‘O John Eleakala Nahulu ke kāne noho pū ‘o ia me Kamakahukilani Nawahine ka wahine,
Hānau mai ‘o Elia Eleakala Nahulu he kāne.
‘O Elia Eleakala Nahulu ke kāne noho pū ‘o ia me
Magdalene Kanoeleilehuaopuakaleleonalani Kau‘i Nahola ka wahine,
Hānau mai ‘o Eli Eleakala Nahulu he kāne.
‘O Eli Eleakala Nahulu ke kāne noho pū ‘o ia me Genevieve Ho‘ola‘i Akana he wahine,
Hānau mai ‘o Eli Kauʻi Nahulu.
Eia ka mo‘okū‘auhau ‘o Eli Kau‘i Nahulu,
E ola mau ka hā o kona mau ‘ohā.

‘O Nahulu Maioho ko‘u inoa, ‘o Eli Kau‘i Nahulu ko‘u kupuna kāne. ‘O Michelle Ka‘iulani Nahulu kāna kaikamahine, ‘o ia ho‘i ko‘u makuahine. Kapa ‘ia mai au ‘o Nahulu e ko‘u makuahine i ola mau ka inoa Nahulu i ko‘u ‘ohana.

Ua hānau ‘ia ko‘u tūtū kāne ma ka lā 20 o ‘Ianuali, i ka makahiki 1937, ma Honolulu, O‘ahu. Hānai ‘ia a‘ela ko‘u tūtū ma O‘ahu ma ka ‘āina ho‘opulapula i kapa ‘ia ‘o Nānākuli. Wahi āna no Honoka‘a mai kona mau kūpuna. Ua ha‘i mai kona kupunakāne iā ia, no Hāna, Maui, ka ‘ohana Pahukoa a he ‘ohana lākou no ka ‘ohana Nahulu.

Wahi a ku‘u tūtū he ‘ohana mahi‘ai kona mau kūpuna. Ua hō‘ai ‘ē kona tūtūhine i nā ‘āina like ‘ole e la‘a me Hale‘iwa, Waiau, Waipahu, a me ka Rejunction no ka hana ‘ana i ka lo‘i. Ho‘omana‘o ‘o ia i ka hele mau ‘ana i ka lo‘i i kēlā me kēia Pō‘aono i kona wā e kamali‘i ana. Ua hele kona tūtūwahine, ‘o Magdalene, me kona mau ‘anakē me nā ‘anakala, a me kona mau hoahānau he nui e mahi i kahi lo‘i a i kahi lo‘i. Hele aku nō ho‘i kekahi o kona mau tita, nā pālala, a me ko lākou mau mākua e mahi ma ka lo‘i kalo. Huki a‘ela nā makuakāne i nā kalo, halihali nā ‘opio kāne i nā ‘ohana kalo ma ka ‘ao‘ao o ka lo‘i, a na nā makuahine me kona tūtūwahine i ‘oki i ka lū‘au a ho‘oka‘awale i nā huli mai ka hua, a huki nāhelehele nā kamali‘i.

Iā lākou e hana ana, ua ho‘ā ‘ia ka lekiō a ho‘olohe ‘ia ka pā‘ani pōpeku. Ha‘i mai ko‘u tūtū ia‘u i ka loa‘a ‘ole o ke kīwī i kēlā mau lā—ho‘olohe lekiō wale nō lākou! Wahi āna, le‘ale‘a ka hana ma ka lo‘i, ‘a‘ole i manakā a i ‘ole pa‘akīkī. ‘O kekahi kumu no kēia le‘ale‘a, ‘o ia no ka ‘olu‘olu o ka ‘ohana iā lākou e hana ana. Ma hope o ka huki ‘ana i ke kalo, lawe ‘ia akula nā huli no ke kanu ‘ana. Ma hope ala, ‘ohi‘ohi ka ‘ohana i ka mau‘u honohono no ka hānai pua‘a. Ho‘okau ‘ia ihola ka hua kalo ma luna o ke kalaka, waiho ‘ia ka lū‘au ma luna o ka hua, a ho‘okau ‘ia ka mau‘u honohono ma luna a‘e o kēlā. A laila lele a‘ela ko‘u tūtū me kona palala, ‘o Kahimoku, ma luna o ka mau‘u a ho‘i i ka hale. Ma ka hale o kona tūtūkāne, ‘o Elia, ma Nānākuli lākou i ho‘omo‘a ai i ke kalo. Ma hope nei kōkua hou ka ‘ohana e ho‘oma‘ema‘e i ke kalo, ku‘i ‘ia, a ho‘owali i ka poi. Ho‘omākaukau ‘ia ka ‘ai ma ke ‘ano he pūkele ‘ai. Kau ko‘u tūtū lāua ‘o kona kaikaina ma luna a‘e o ke kalaka e hā‘awi aku i ka poi i nā ‘ohana mai ‘ō a ‘ō ma Nānākuli a me Wai‘anae. Kalaiwa kona mau tūtū i ke kalaka a kuhikuhi aku i nā hale i pono ai ka poi me ka ha‘i pū ‘ana ‘ehia poi e hā‘awi aku ai. Ma kekahi ‘ano, ua like kā lākou hana me ka hā‘awi ‘ana aku i ka waiū—lawe aku i nā hale a ki‘i mai i ka ‘eke pāmia.

Ua hana lākou i ia mau hana i kēlā me kēia hopena pule o kona wā keiki. Ma o ke kū‘ai ‘ana aku i ka poi i loa‘a ai ke kālā i ka ‘ohana. Mahi ‘ia ka mau‘u honohono a kuke pū ‘ia me ke koena o ka mea ‘ai no ka hānai pua‘a. I ka manawa e pepehi pua‘a, na nā makuakāne i ‘ōlelo aku i nā ‘ōpio kāne i kēlā mea kēia mea ā lākou e hana ai. Pono ka ‘ōpio e hopu i ka pua‘a ma loko o ka pā pua‘a me ka lālau ‘ana aku i nā wāwae a ho‘ohuli i ka pua‘a ma kona kua. Na ka ‘ōpio e hou pahi i ka pu‘uwai o ka pua‘a a make. I ka hemo ‘ana i ka na‘au o ia pua‘a, nānā nā mākua i ka pu‘uwai o ka pua‘a e ‘ike inā ua ‘ō ‘ia. Inā ‘a‘ohe puka ua maopopo iā lākou he ‘eha nō ko ka pua‘a hala ‘ana a ho‘ohenehene ‘ia ka ‘ōpio nāna i pepehi ka pua‘a a make. ‘A‘ole i ho‘opau wale ‘ia ka na‘au o ka pua‘a, ‘o ka hōloi nō ia a kuke ‘ia ka na‘au pua‘a e ko ko‘u tūtū tūtūwahine.

Ua hānai ka ‘ohana i ka pipi kekahi. Wahi a ko‘u tūtū, "Ua hana nā wāhine a me nā kāne, ‘a‘ole i moloā iki kekahi ma ka ‘ohana." Penei kekahi o nā hana ‘o ka ‘ohana Nahulu. Nui ‘ino nā mo‘olelo i ha‘i ‘ia mai ia‘u e ku‘u tūtū, ua lawa paha e kākau i puke li‘ili‘i! ‘O kekahi mea i ‘ōlelo mau ‘ia e ko‘u tūtū, ‘o ia nō ke aloha nui o kona tūtūhine no nā kānaka a pau. Ua ‘ike ‘ia kēia ma o kona hānai ‘ana he ‘iwakāluakūmāhā keiki mai Waimanu Home, ma loko nō o kona hānau ‘ana aku he ‘umikāmāhiku keiki nona iho! He pale keiki kēia wahine, na kēia tūtū i ho‘ohānau i nā pēpē o nā wahine like ‘ole ma Nānākuli a inā hele a ‘ōma‘ima‘i ka makuahine, hānai like ‘o ia i nā keiki.

Eia nā mea nui e a‘o mai ai mai ia mo‘olelo, ‘o ka le‘ale‘a o ka hana ke laulima ka ‘ohana, a ‘o ka waiwai o ke aloha ma ka ‘ohana i hiki ka ‘ohana ke ho‘opili a hana pū me ka lōkahi, ‘o ka laulima ho‘i. He ha‘awina ka ho‘opōhō ‘ole ‘ana, a me ka waiwai o ka pilina a me ke aloha o nā kūpuna no kā lākou mau mo‘opuna.