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Nalukea Cole-Conner
I kekahi manawa, i ka mokupuni u‘i loa ‘o Kaua‘i, ua loa‘a ‘elua kānaka i ke aloha. ‘O Keoni lāua ‘o Nalukea ko lāua mau inoa. ‘A‘ole lāua e ‘imi ana i ke aloha. He mau hoaaloha lāua ma mua, he mau ipo lāua ma hope. ‘Ano kalakala ko lāua pili mua ‘ana. Nui ko lāua mau hukihuki. Luhi loa lāua i ka hukihuki ‘ana. Akā, ‘a‘ole i hiki iā lāua ke ha‘alele, no ka mea ikaika ko lāua aloha. I kekahi lā, he hukihuki nui ko lāua.
He moeʻuhane ko Nalukea i kēlā pō. Kaʻahele ʻo ia i Polihale e noʻonoʻo. Nanea nō ʻo ia i ko Polihale maluhia. Ua nānā ʻia ka moa uā e ia. Maopopo ka ʻōlelo moa iā ia. No laila, haʻi aku ʻo ia i ka moa i kona kūlana pōpilikia. ʻO kā ka moa haʻina, "Welawela ke kai o ka moa" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 2931).
I kona moeʻuhane, hoe aku ʻo ia i ka waʻa i ke kahakai ʻo Miloliʻi. Hiki iā ia ke hoe me ka ʻāwīwī. Ua nānā ʻia ka honu hoʻālohaloha e holo ana i loko o ke kai e ia. Ua hiki iā Nalukea ke ʻauʻau me ka honu, no ka mea, he mau hoaaloha lāua. Maopopo ka ʻōlelo honu iā Nalukea. No laila, haʻi aku ʻo ia i ka honu i kona ola aloha. ʻO kā ka honu haʻina, "Pili kau, pili hoʻoilo" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 2649).
Ua loaʻa iā ia nā ʻopihi nui i luna o nā pōhaku ʻeleʻele. He mea ʻai maʻa mau kēia ma Kauaʻi. Ua ʻai ʻo ia i ka ʻaina awakea me ka honu i kahakai. ʻOi aku ka ʻopihi kuke ʻia ma mua o ka ʻopihi maka. ʻAʻohe koiū a Nalukea no nā ʻopihi. Auē!
Ma hope, hoe aku ʻo ia i ka waʻa i Nuʻalolo Kai. ʻO Nuʻalolo kona wahi punahele. ʻIke ʻo ia i ko Nuʻalolo kai nani. Hauʻoli loa ʻo Nalukea i ka hoʻomanaʻo ʻana i ke kahua o kona aloha. Ua kipa ʻia ʻo ia e ko Nuʻalolo manō. Inu pū iho lāua i ka ʻawa. Maopopo ka ʻōlelo manō iā Nalukea. No laila, haʻi aku ʻo ia i ka manō makewai i kona kūlana pōpilikia. ʻO kā ka manō haʻina, "Hiu a wela, lawe a lilo" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 1012).
Lohe koke ʻo Nalukea i ka leo o ka pahu hula, akā naʻe, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i ʻike i ka pahu, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i ʻike i ke kanaka. No laila, ua hele wāwae ʻo ia i ke ala ʻololī. Aia ke ala ʻololī ma waena o ke kai a me nā kuahiwi. Ua maopopo ka leo iā ia, ʻo ia kāna kumu hula. Nani nō ka leo o kēlā pahu; a uʻi nō hoʻi ka leo oli o kāna kumu. Ua hiki iā Nalukea ke lohe, "He kēhau hoʻomaʻemaʻe ke aloha," a "Pūʻolo waimaka a ke aloha" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 683, 2750).
Ua piʻi aʻe ʻo Nalukea i ke kuahiwi. Ua hele ʻo ia mai Nuʻalolo Kai aku a i luna o ka ʻāina ʻo Nuʻalolo. Ikaika loa ʻo ia i ko kāna kumu mau hua ʻōlelo. ʻAʻole i hiki iā Nalukea ke hīmeni me ka maikaʻi. Akā, ua hīmeni naʻe ʻo ia. Ua lohe ʻia ko Nalukea leo e ka manu ʻōʻō. Maopopo ka ʻōlelo ʻōʻō iā Nalukea. No laila, haʻi aku ʻo ia i ka manu ʻōʻō i kona kūlana pōpilikia. ʻO kā ka ʻōʻō haʻina, "Ka nīoi aki ia e welawela ai ko nuku" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 1500).
Ua hele wāwae mamao ʻo ia i loko o ke awāwa ʻo ʻAwaʻawapuhi. Ua loaʻa ka ʻawapuhi iā ia a ua ʻauʻau ʻo ia. ʻOi aku ka ʻawapuhi ma mua o ka wai holoi lauoho. No laila, ʻauʻau ʻo ia i ka wailele. Kupaianaha ʻo Nalukea i ka wai anu. Ua kipa ʻia ʻo ia e ka menehune wahine makamae. Ua maopopo ka ʻōlelo menehune wahine iā ia. No laila, haʻi aku ʻo ia i ka menehune wahine i kona ola aloha. ʻO kā ka menehune wahine haʻina, "ʻO ka mea ua hala, ua hala ia" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 2428).
Ma hope, ua hōʻeo ʻo ia i Honopū. Ua kaulana ʻo Honopū i ke ana. Ua loaʻa nā pūpū Niʻihau iā Nalukea. Hiki nō iā ia ke kui i ka lei pūpū. Ua ʻike ʻo ia i kāna kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻo Kahikina, i uka o ke kahakai. Na Kahikina ka lei pūpū. Ua maopopo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi iā Nalukea. No laila, haʻi aku ʻo ia i kāna kumu i kona kūlana pōpilikia. ʻO kā kāna kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi haʻina, "Ka limu kā kanaka o Manuʻakepa" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 1442).
I kēia manawa, ua ʻau ʻo Nalukea i Kalalau. Aia ʻo Kalalau i hope o Honopū. Nani loa ʻo Kalalau i ke awāwa nui ʻino. Ua inu iho ʻo ia i ka wai anu mai ka wailele. Ua ʻai ʻo ia i ka maiʻa. Wela loa ʻo ia i ka lā ʻalohi. No laila, ua pāʻani ʻo ia i ke kai mālie me nā naiʻa. Ua maopopo ka ʻōlelo naiʻa. Ua haʻi aku ʻo ia i nā naiʻa i kona ola aloha. ʻO kā nā naiʻa haʻina, "I nanea nō ka holo o ka waʻa i ke akamai o ke kū hoe" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 1240). Ua ʻakaʻaka lākou.
ʻAʻole ʻo ia māluhiluhi. No laila, kaʻahele aku ʻo ia i Hanakapīʻai. Ua hele pū mai ʻo Keoni lāua ʻo Nalukea i kēia wahi kūikawā. Manaʻo ʻo ia, ʻoi aku ka hoʻoipoipo ʻana ma mua o ka hakakā ʻana. Nui ko lāua hoʻomanaʻo pū ʻana. Ua loaʻa kāna ipo iā ia, akā ʻaʻole maopopo iā ia ke aloha. Ua kaʻa kāna huakaʻi ma hope, a ua noho ʻo ia i luna o ka pōhaku nui. Manaʻo hou ʻo Nalukea, "He ʻai kuli ke aloha mai nā kūpuna mai" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 517). ʻO kāna haʻina, "Wae aku i ka lani" (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, 2894).
Wahi a ka haku moʻolelo i hikapiliolana ai: Aloha mai kākou. ʻO Nalukea Cole-Conner koʻu inoa. No Kalāheo mai au i ka mokupuni o Kauaʻi. Hele au i ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi i Mānoa. E noho ana au i ka hale noho haumāna ʻo Hale Kahawai. Pili kēia moʻolelo pōkole i koʻu wahi punahele, ʻo Nā Pali i ka mokupuni o Kauaʻi. Nanea ʻo Nā Pali i ka ʻikena nani loa. ʻOi aku ka ʻāina o Nā Pali ma mua o nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe. ʻO Keoni kuʻu ipo. He kanaka kinai ahi ʻo ia i PMRF i Mānā. Ua lawe mua ʻia au e kuʻu ipo i Nā Pali. Maikaʻi loa māua i ke aloha!
photo credit: Forest & Kim Starr
Polihale, Kauaʻi
Welawela ke kai o ka moa. Hot is the broth of the chicken. Said of a person who is potent in love. He is like hot chicken broth—very tasty, but not to be gulped too quickly. There is always a desire for more (2931); Pili kau, pili hoʻoilo. Together in the dry season, together in the wet season. Said of loving companionship (2649). Hiu a wela, lawe a lilo! Strike while hot, and take it away! Make passionate love and take possession. Win the game and take the prize (1012); He kēhau hoʻomaʻemaʻe ke aloha. Love is like cleansing dew. Love removes hurt (683); Pū‘olo waimaka a ke aloha. Tears [are] bundles of love. Love brings tears to the eyes (2750); Ka nīoi aki ia e welawela ai ko nuku. That is the chili pepper that will burn our lips. Said of one whose lovemaking is like the fiery taste of peppers. It’s long remembered (1500); ‘O ka mea ua hala, ua hala ia. What is gone is gone. There is no use in recalling hurts of the past (2428); I nanea nō ka holo o ka waʻa i ke akamai o ke kū hoe. One can enjoy a canoe ride when the paddler is skilled. A sexual union is successful when the man knows how it is done (1240); He ʻai kuli ke aloha mai nā kūpuna mai. Love has had a deaf way of its own since the days of the ancestors. A person who is very much in love often does not heed counsel (517); Wae aku i ka lani. Let the selecting be done in heaven. Take life as it comes (2894). —Mary Kawena Pukui, ʻŌlelo Noʻeau.