Ka ‘Umeke

Courtney Young

I kekahi lā, loa‘a ka pā‘ina lā hānau nui i ko Leialoha ‘ohana no Tūtūkāne. He kupunakāne akamai ‘o Tūtūkāne, a he kanahikukūmālima ona makahiki i kēia lā. He kanaka pono ‘o ia. He kupunakāne ‘eleu loa ko Leialoha mā. No laila, makemake kona ‘ohana e loa‘a ka pā‘ina nui nona. E ho‘omākaukau ‘ia mai ana nā mea ‘ai a pau e ka ‘ohana, no ka mea maopopo ke kuke ‘ana iā lākou no ka po‘e he nui.

Ua pau nā mea ʻai i ka ʻohana. Akā, ʻano luhi ka ʻohana i ka hana. Aia ka pāʻina lā hānau i ka pā nui o ka ʻohana. Aia ka pā nui ma mua o ko ka ʻohana hale. A hiki mai nā malihini kipa i ka pāʻina, e hoʻokipa ʻo Pāpā mā iā lāua.

ʻŌlelo aku ʻo Pāpā, "Aloha e Lani, e komo mai! Pehea kāu mau keiki?"

"Aloha ʻauinalā e Pāpā. ʻŌmaʻimaʻi kaʻu mau keiki. A ʻaʻole maopopo kāna haʻawina i ka muli loa," pane aku ʻo Lani.

"Auē! Aloha ʻino. E mālama pono ʻoukou," ʻōlelo aku ʻo Pāpā.

Ua hiki mai nā malihini kipa ʻē aʻe. Ua hiki mai ʻo Pili kekahi. He kanaka kikoʻolā loa ʻo ia. ʻOi aku nō ke kikoʻolā o Pili ma mua o Tūtūkāne. ʻAʻole i makemake nā kānaka a pau e hiki mai ʻo Pili i ko Tūtūkāne pāʻina lā hānau. Akā, he ʻohana ʻo ia. No laila, ʻaʻole hiki i ka ʻohana ke hana ʻino iā Pili. Minamina.

Kū aʻe ʻo Pāpā ma ka pā a kāhea, "Hūi! Mahalo nui loa iā ʻoukou no ka hele ʻana mai i ka pāʻina lā hānau o Tūtūkāne. Maopopo iaʻu hauʻoli loa ʻo Tūtūkāne iā ʻoukou. E ʻoluʻolu ʻoukou, e ʻai a kamaʻilio i kēia lā. Mahalo hou iā ʻoukou."

"Aia ka mea ʻai ma mua o ke kumu lāʻau ʻulu," ʻōlelo ʻo Māmā. "Loaʻa ka poi ʻono iā kākou i ka ʻumeke koa ma laila. A mai poina e loaʻa nō hoʻi ka mea ʻono."

Kū aʻe ʻo Pili a lawe mai i ka mea ʻai he nui a kau i kāna pā. Ua loaʻa ka laiki a me ke kāmano lomi a me ka puaʻa kālua a me ka laulau a me ke kūlolo a me ka iʻa aku a me ka ʻahi poke a me ka poi. Ua ʻai koke iho ʻo Pili i ka mea ʻai a pau ma kāna pā.

Manaʻo ʻo Pili, "Makemake e loaʻa ka poi hou iaʻu!" A hele aku ʻo ia e kiʻi i ka mea ʻai hou.

Hele aku ʻo ia i ke pākaukau a noi iā Māmā, "Hiki ke loaʻa ka poi hou iaʻu ma luna o kaʻu pā?"

"ʻAe," pane ʻo Māmā.

"Mahalo," ʻōlelo ʻo ia.

ʻAhā, ʻalima kēia hana, a ʻaʻole i māʻona ʻo Pili. Ke ʻai nui iho nei ʻo Pili, a e lepo loa ana ka ʻumeke i ka poi. Ma hope, ua māʻona ʻo Pili a ua noho iho ʻo ia e lomi ana i kona ʻōpū. Ua waiho ʻo ia i ka ʻumeke lepo.

Ma hope o ke kamaʻilio ʻana me Pāpā, ʻōlelo ʻo Pili, "E hele aku ana au i ka lumi hoʻopau pilikia no ka mea loaʻa ka ʻōpū ʻeha iaʻu."

No laila, ʻōlelo ʻo Pāpā iā Māmā, "Pau ʻole nō ka ʻumeke i ke kahi, pau ʻole nō ka lemu i ka hāleu." (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 2615)

© Courtney Young, 2004