Wong, Wallace Fook

Kamauoha Smith

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

"Ehh!!! Get over here and help me clean this fish." ‘O kēia ka mo‘olelo e pili ana i ko‘u kupuna kāne. ‘O Wallace Fook Wong kona inoa. Kapa ‘ia ‘o ia ‘o Wally e kona mau hoa. Kahea wau iā ia ‘o Papa. Ua hānau ‘ia ‘o ia ma ka lā ‘ewalu, ma ka mahina ‘o Iulai ma Lā‘ie. ‘O William Wong lāua ‘o Sarah Keawemauhili kona mau mākua. ‘O Junior ka hiapo, a ‘o Walter lāua ‘o Wilfred nā keiki waena. ‘O ko‘u kupuna kāne ka muli loa. He kaikaina hapalua nō ho‘i kona ma ka ‘ao‘ao o kona makua kāne. He piha Hawaiʻi kona makuahine, a he piha Pākē kona makua kāne. Ua hānau ‘ia kona pāpā ma Kohala, Hawai‘i. He hapa Hawai‘i lākou ma kona ‘ohana, akā ma Lā‘ie, he mau kānaka Tonga, Samoa, a pēlā wale aku ka hapanui o nā po‘e kānaka ma laila.

Ua ‘ōko‘a lākou. Wahi a ko‘u māmā, ke hele akula lākou i ke kula, ua alualu nā haumāna iā lākou, a holo aku ko‘u kupuna kāne lāua ‘o kona mau palala, no ka mea ua māka‘u lākou! Ua makemake nā haumāna ‘ē a‘e e ku‘i aku iā lākou. I kekahi manawa, aia ko‘u kupuna kāne e holo aku ana mai nā haumāna ‘ē a‘e, a ua hele a māluhiluhi ‘o ia i ka holo ‘ana aku. Huli akula ‘o ia a ua hākākā nō! Mai ia hope aku, ua hō‘ihi nā po‘e ‘ē a‘e i koʻu kupuna kāne lāua ‘o kona mau palāla. Mea mai koʻu kupuna kāne, "Pono ‘oe e mālama i kou ‘ohana a iā ‘oe iho, a ma ia manawa, ua pono ka hākākā ‘ana."

Ua hana ‘o ia ma ke ‘ano he limahana kūkulu hale. Inā ‘a‘ohe hale e kūkulu ‘ia ai, ‘a‘ole loa‘a ka hana! Inā ‘a‘ole i loaʻa ka hana, ua lawai‘a ‘o ia. ‘O ka lawai‘a kāna hana le‘ale‘a, a ua hiki iā ia ke hānai i kona ‘ohana ma o ka lawai‘a ‘ana. Ke hele mākou e kipa iā ia, me he i‘a lā ‘o ia ke honi aku, no ka mea lawai‘a nui ‘o ia a pono e ho‘omākuakau ‘ia ka i‘a. Ma hope o kāna hana me ke ‘ano he limahana, ua hana ‘o ia ma nā ki‘i ‘oni‘oni. Ma ke polokalamu kīwī ‘o Magnum P.I., pono ‘o ia e lawe mai i nā kumu lā‘au no ka hope o nā ki‘i.

‘A‘ole ‘o ia i puka mai ke kula ki‘eki‘e, ua komo nō na‘e ‘o ia i ka pū‘ali koa malina. Ua kapa nā po‘e ‘ē a‘e iā ia ‘o "Pineapple Head," no laila ua hākākā nui ‘o ia me nā koa ‘ē a‘e. Ma muli o kona hākākā pinepine ‘ana, ua lilo ‘o ia i kanaka mokomoko no nā po‘e koa malina a hiki iā ia ke ka‘ahele no ka mokomoko ‘ana. I kekahi mau makahiki i hala aku ai, ua male ‘o ia i ku‘u kupuna wahine ‘o Kaipo Cunha. Ua loa‘a iā lāua he ‘eono mau keiki, ‘ekolu kāne, a ‘ekolu wahine. Akā, ua ‘oki ‘ia ka pilina a loa‘a i koʻu kupuna kāne he wahine hou, ‘o ‘Anakē Jacky.

I kēia manawa, noho ‘o ia ma Punalu‘u. ‘Ano moloā ‘o ia, akā i loko nō o kēlā, hana nui ‘o ia ma kona hale. Lāwai‘a ‘o ia, hiamoe ‘o ia, a inu ihola i ka pia i kēia mau lā. Hiki iā mākou ke kipa iā ia no ka wā pōkole wale nō no ka mea noho mākou ma ka mokupuni ‘o Kaua‘i. "He ola na ka ‘ōiwi, lawe a‘e no a ‘ai ha‘aheo." (When one has earned his own livelihood he can take his food and eat it with pride.) ‘O kēlā ka ‘ōlelo nō‘eau e pili ana i ko‘u kupuna kāne no ka mea i kona wā ‘ōpio, ua pono ‘o ia e lilo i kanaka maka‘u ‘ole a he kanaka ha‘aheo loa. He kanaka ‘olu‘olu ‘o ia. Ua le‘ale‘a ka manawa me ia a aloha nui wau iā ia.