Digital Collections
Celebrating the breadth and depth of Hawaiian knowledge. Amplifying Pacific voices of resiliency and hope. Recording the wisdom of past and present to help shape our future.
Heather Liu
I kēlā kau i hala iho nei, ua mālama ‘ia kekahi papa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ke kulanui i Mānoa. ‘O ka makahiki mua ia, kau ‘elua. No kahi ha‘awina kākau, koi ‘ia ka ‘imi ‘ana i ‘ōlelo no‘eau i ho‘opa‘a ‘ia ma ka puke ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, he ‘ōlelo ia i hoihoi i ka haumāna nāna e noi‘i aku. A laila, haku ‘ia he mo‘olelo hou i mea e wehewehe ai i ka ‘ōlelo i koho ‘ia, me ka ‘ī ‘ana nō ho‘i i ua ‘ōlelo ho‘okahi ala. Eia mai ‘elima mo‘olelo po‘okela i loa‘a mai. Pili ‘ekolu mo‘olelo i ke ‘ano o ko kākou nohona i kēia au; hō‘ike mai nā mo‘olelo i koe i ka mo‘olelo ka‘ao ‘ana o kekahi wā. Ma ka ‘ōlelo no‘eau a me ka ‘ōlelo makuahine nō na‘e e pili mau ai nā au ‘oko‘a.
I kekahi manawa, ua noho aku ka wahine i Kahului me kona mau mākua. ‘O Leialoha kona inoa. He wahine u‘i loa ‘o ia. ‘Oi aku ka nani o Leialoha ma mua o nā wāhine ‘ē a‘e. No laila, ua hā‘awi ‘ia aku nā mea a pau iā Leialoha e nā kānaka a pau. Ua aloha nā kāne iā ia a ua makahehi aku nā wāhine iā ia. Akā, ‘a‘ole ‘o Leialoha ‘olu‘olu. Moloā a mākonā ‘o ia.
I nā hopena pule, ua hele aku ‘o Leialoha i ka hale o kona kupuna wahine. He hoa noho maika‘i ko kona tūtū. Ua noho aku ke kāne lokomaika‘i i ka hale o ka ‘ao‘ao hema o ko kona tūtū hale. ‘O Kalei kona inoa. Ua makemake ‘o ia iā Leialoha no ka mea u‘i loa ‘o Leialoha.
Ua ‘ike ‘o Leialoha. No laila, hana ‘ino ‘o ia iā Kalei. Ua ‘ōlelo aku ka wahine moloā, “E Kalei, hiki iā ‘oe ke ho‘oponopono i ka hale ka‘a?” Ua ‘ōlelo mai ‘o Kalei, “Hiki nō.” A ua ho‘oponopono ‘o ia i ka hale ka‘a o ko Leialoha tūtū. Ua ‘ōlelo aku ‘o Leialoha, “E Kalei, hiki iā ‘oe ke kuke i ka ‘aina ahiahi na‘u?” Ua ‘ōlelo mai ‘o Kalei, “Hiki nō.” A ua kuke ‘o ia i ka mea ‘ai ‘ono nāna. Hū, ka moloā o Leialoha!
I kekahi lā, ua ‘ike ‘ia aku kekahi kāne u‘i e Leialoha i ke kula. He papa kā Leialoha me ke kāne u‘i. I ko Leialoha manawa i ‘ike iā ia, ua mana‘o ‘o Leialoha, “Hū, ka u‘i o ke kāne! Makemake au iā ia! Makemake au e hui i kēlā kāne.” Akā, ‘a‘ole ‘o ia i ‘ōlelo iā ia. He mana‘o ko Leialoha.
I ka hopena pule, ua hele aku ‘o Leialoha i ka hale o kona tūtū. Ua ‘ike ‘ia aku ‘o Kalei e ia. Ua ‘ōlelo aku ‘o Leialoha, “E Kalei, hiki iā ‘oe ke kākau i ka mo‘olelo no ka‘u papa?” Akamai loa ‘o Kalei; he haumāna maika‘i ‘o ia. Ua ‘ōlelo mai ‘o Kalei, “‘A‘ole hiki. Hewa kēlā.” Huhū ‘o Leialoha. ‘Ōlelo aku ‘o ia, “Mai wahapa‘a mai ‘oe ia‘u! E kākau ‘oe i ka‘u mo‘olelo! E hele aku ‘oe i kahi ‘ē!” Ua mana‘o ‘o Kalei, “Auē nō ho‘i ē! Moloā loa a mākonā loa kēia wahine! Inā pēlā, e a‘o aku au iā ia he ha‘awina.” No laila, ua ‘ōlelo aku ‘o Kalei, “Hiki nō. E lawe aku au i ka mo‘olelo i ke kula i ka lā ‘āpōpō.”
I ia lā a‘e, ua hā‘awi aku ‘o Kalei i ka mo‘olelo iā Leialoha. Ua hau‘oli ‘o Leialoha a ua hele aku ‘o ia i ka papa. ‘A‘ole ‘o ia i mahalo iā Kalei. Mākonā, ‘eā? I ka papa, ua makemake ‘o Leialoha e heluhelu i ka mo‘olelo i ke kāne u‘i. Ua mana‘o ‘o ia, “Inā ho‘olohe ke kāne i ka‘u mo‘olelo, e mana‘o ana ‘o ia akamai au.” No laila, ua hele wāwae ‘o Leialoha ma mua o ka papa a ua heluhelu i ka mo‘olelo. Ua ho‘omaopopo aku ‘o ia, he ‘ōpala ka mo‘olelo! Ua nānā wale aku nā haumāna iā Leialoha. Ma hope iho, ua ‘aka‘aka a ho‘ohenehene aku nā haumāna iā Leialoha. Ua ‘ōlelo aku ke kāne u‘i, “Hūpō kēlā wahine. ‘Oi aku ka hūpō ona ma mua o nā wāhine ‘ē a‘e!”
Huhū nō ‘o Leialoha. Ua ‘imi aku ka wahine moloā iā Kalei. Aia ‘o Kalei i loko o kona hale. Ua ‘uā ‘o Leialoha iā ia, “E aha ana ‘oe? He aha kou pilikia?” Ua ‘aka‘aka wale ‘o Kalei a ‘ōlelo mai ‘o ia, “He u‘i lolena kū i ki‘ona!”
© Heather Liu, 2003.
He u‘i lolena kū i ki‘ona. A lazy beauty is fit for the dung hill. Said of a beautiful person who is worth nothing. —Mary Kawena Pūku‘i, ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, 649