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Ka Pōpoki Māka‘ika‘i

Leolani Nagano

I kekahi lā, aia ka pōpoki li‘ili‘i ‘o ‘Anini mai Kona i ka mokupuni ‘o Hawai‘i. Ua makemake ‘o ia i nā hana ho‘opīhoihoi a me nā mea hou a le‘ale‘a. Ua noho wale nō kona ‘ohana i ka moku ‘o Kona a ‘a‘ole lākou i huaka‘i i ka mokupuni a pau. No laila, ho‘olālā ‘o ‘Anini e huaka‘i i ka mokupuni a pau. Ma hope o ‘elua makahiki, hiki iā ia ke ha‘alele i kona home. Ma mua o ka ha‘alele ‘ana, ua hā‘awi ‘o ia i kona aloha i kona ‘ohana.

Ua hoʻomaka ka pōpoki e hele i ka moku ʻo Kaʻū. Ma hope o ka hele wāwae ʻana no ka manawa lōʻihi, ʻimi ʻo ia i ka wai. Akā ʻaʻole lawa ka wai i Kaʻū. Makewai ʻo ʻAnini i ka wai ʻole. Manaʻo iho ʻo ia, ʻoi aku ka pulu o Kona ma mua o Kaʻū! ʻĀpaʻa loa nō ʻo Kaʻū!

ʻEmoʻole, ua lohe ʻo ʻAnini i kekahi leo. "Aloha! ʻO Pūlolo koʻu inoa. Pehea ʻoe?"

Ua nānā aʻe ka pōpoki a ʻike i ka ʻīlio nui keʻokeʻo. "Aloha, ʻo ʻAnini koʻu inoa. Māluhiluhi a makewai loa au! ʻAʻole loaʻa ka wai iaʻu."

"Aloha ʻino! Kōkua au iā ʻoe. E lele ʻoe ma luna o koʻu kua a e hāpai ana au iā ʻoe i koʻu home."

"Mahalo nui loa e Pūlolo." Ua lele ka pōpoki ma luna o ke kua o ka ʻīlio.

Ma hope iho, ua hiki lāua i ko ka ʻīlio hale. ʻAʻole nui nā kumu lāʻau a me nā mea kanu ona. ʻEleʻele ʻo Kaʻū i nā ʻaʻā nui. I kēlā pō, ua ʻai lāua i ka pipi kaula a inu iho i ka wai. Ua hiamoe ʻo ʻAnini ma luna o na ʻaʻā ʻoluʻolu ʻole.

I ia lā aʻe, ua hele ka pōpoki i ka moku ʻo Hilo. Ua hoʻomaka ka ua hoʻokina. Ua ʻike ʻo ia e hiki ana ʻo ia i Hilo, no ka mea ʻike i nā kumu lāʻau uluwehi a me ka ua. Ua ʻike ka pōpoki i ka moa e ʻai ana ma lalo o ka lāʻau nui.

"Aloha! ʻO ʻAnini koʻu inoa. Hiki iaʻu ke ʻai i kekahi mau mea ʻai?" noi ka pōpoki.

"Aloha. ʻO Makamaka koʻu inoa. Mai e ʻai! Lawa kaʻu mea ʻai no kāua."

Ua ʻai pū ʻia ka manakō a me nā hua makekemia e nā holoholona. I kēlā pō, ua manaʻo ʻo ʻAnini, "ʻOi aku ka nui o ka ua o Hilo ma mua o ka ua o Kona." He huluhulu pulu kona a hiamoe ʻo ia ma luna o ke kelekele.

Ma hope o ka ua ʻana, ua hele aku ʻo ʻAnini i ka moku ʻo Kohala. Ua hoʻomaka ka pōpoki liʻiliʻi maʻū e haʻukeke no ka mea anuanu loa ʻo ia. Ua ʻike ka pōpoki i ka puaʻa e ʻeli ana i ka lepo.

"Aloha! ʻO ʻAnini koʻu inoa. E aha ana ʻoe?" nīnau ka pōpoki.

"ʻO Kāneki koʻu inoa. E ʻeli ana au," pane ka puaʻa.

ʻAkaʻaka ʻo ʻAnini. "Maopopo iaʻu. Akā, e ʻeli ana ʻoe i ke aha?"

"Iā ʻoe ia wahi! Hele ma kahi ʻē!"

Makaʻu ka pōpoki i ka puaʻa. Haʻalele ʻāwīwī ʻo ia. Ua loaʻa iā ia ka lāʻau no ka hiamoe ʻana a me nā hua ʻai e ʻai. Ua anuanu nō naʻe ka pōpoki no ka mea ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke hana i ke ahi. ʻAʻole maopopo iā ia. ʻAʻole hiki iā ia ke hiamoe. No laila, hoʻomaka ʻo ia e hoʻi i kona moku ʻo Kona.

I ka manawa ona i hiki ai i Kona, hauʻoli loa ʻo ia. Hemolele ke anilā o Kona. ʻAʻole ʻāpaʻa loa a i ʻole pulu loa a i ʻole anuanu loa, hemolele nō! Nui nā moʻolelo āna mai kāna huakaʻi no kona ʻohana. Ua lohe lākou i kāna moʻolelo e pili ana i ka hui ʻana me Pūlolo a me Makamaka a me Kāneki. Manaʻo iho lākou, hoihoi loa nā moʻolelo.

Ua haʻi aku ʻo ʻAnini, "ʻAno leʻaleʻa ka huakaʻi, akā hauʻoli loa au e noho i koʻu home."

Pane ka makuahine o ka pōpoki liʻiliʻi, "ʻAʻole nō i ʻike ke kanaka i nā nani o kona wahi i hānau ʻia ai." (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 230)

© Leolani Nagano, 2004

‘A‘ole nō i ‘ike ke kanaka i nā nani o kona wahi i hānau ‘ia ai. A person doesn’t see all the beauties of his birthplace. One doesn’t see how beautiful his birthplace is until he goes away from home. —Mary Kawena Pukui, ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, 230

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