“Ko Malulani Mo‘olelo”

‘Oiai “e kolo ana no ke ēwe i ke ēwe,” no ke aloha makuahine paha ko‘u kumu i

ho‘omaka ai i ka a‘o ‘ana i kō mākou ‘ōlelo makuahine. ‘O ko‘u māmā lāua ‘o tūtū

wahine nā mea i makemake mua i ko‘u a‘o ‘ana mai i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. E ‘ole o lāua,

lohe ai au i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ko‘u wā kamali‘i, no ka mea, na‘u i hānai ‘ia ma

Kaleponi. No kēlā mau lā, he ma‘amau e lohe ai nā hua ‘olelo Hawai‘i no nā

māmala‘ōlelo pili koke a, ua ki‘i ‘ia au e ko‘u makuahine i kona mau papa hula.

‘Ōlelo Pelekane, Kelemānia a me Hawai‘i ko‘u tūtū wahine ‘o Claire Maertens.

Ho‘ouna mai ‘o ia ia‘u i nā ha‘awina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i; he mea nui nō kona i ke a‘o ‘ōlelo

Hawai‘i ‘ana. ‘Oiai ua noho ‘o ia i Los Angeles ma ko‘u wā kamali‘i a, ‘oiai ‘a‘ohe keiki

pono‘ī kāna, aloha nui ‘o ia ia‘u a, hā‘awi mai i kona manawa ke hiki ‘ia. ‘O kona ‘ano

he Hawai‘i kahiko ia. Loa‘a ia‘u kona piano a me kona ka‘a kaupaku pelu āna i kapa ai ‘o

“Makamakanuinui;” he 1939 Mercury “Custom Deluxe” laha ‘ole ia!

Hiki mai ko‘u mau kūpuna mai nā lāhui like ‘ole akā, ma waena lākou ‘o Hawai‘i

ka lāhui wale e pipī ai. Eia kekahi, i ka lā i loa‘a ai ia‘u ko‘u inoa Hawai‘i mua ‘o

Malulani e ko‘u mau ‘anakē ko‘u lā i ho‘omaka ai i mea ho‘omalu i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Ma ua lā ma Pepeluali o ka makahiki 1997 ua loli ko‘u ‘ike e ho‘omaopopo ai. Ā hiki i

kēlā lā, ke ‘ike iho ana au e he kanaka “White,” e like me i kākau ‘ia ma ko‘u palapala

hānau. ‘Elua makahiki ma hope, i kipa mai ma Kaleponi ko‘u makua kāne ‘o

Kamehameha Maertens no ka Lā Kalikimaka, i lilo ko‘u mana Hawai‘i hou i kekahi

kuleana e mālama ai, no ka mea, i ka noi‘i ‘ana o ko‘u makuahine, ua hā‘awi mai ko‘u

kupuna kāne i kona inoa mua ki‘eki‘e.

 Ua ho‘omaka ko‘u huaka‘i ma ke a‘o ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘ana i loko o ka hālau ‘o

Michael Britto ma Anaheim i Kaleponi ma lalo o ke kumu ‘ōlelo ‘o Aaron Imaoka. Kū‘ai

mai i nā puke me lola ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i like ‘ole – “Hawaiian at Home,” “Instant Immersion

Hawaiian,” a pēlā aku. Kekahi mau mahina ma hope, hele akula i ka ‘Aha Ho‘oku‘ikahi

2005 o ka ‘Ahahui Kiwila Hawai‘i ma Kohala. Ho‘olauna iā Liko Puha lāua ‘o Kainani

Kahaunaele ma laila. Wahi a lāua, hiki ia‘u ke a‘o ‘ōlelo mai i ka punaewele! No laila,

komo koke maila ma ka papa Niuolahiki o ‘Aha Punana Leo ā i pa‘a iho ma laila au i he

‘elua keu. Ho‘omaka au me ke kumu ‘ōlelo maika‘i loa ‘o ‘Alika McNickol. A laila, ua

ho‘opo‘o au i ke Komike ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i no ka Hui Kiwila ‘o ‘Āinahau o Kaleponi, a

hō‘ike maila mākou i ka nele ‘ana i nā manawa i a‘o ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i mai ai ma Orange

County. A laila, i ka makahiki 2007, i ka lilo ‘ana aku o ko‘u ‘oihana ho‘olālā kaiāulu i

ke au emi no ka ‘oi‘enehana kūkulu hale, i koho akula au e ho‘oalaka‘i ā e hiu i ko‘u

pahuhopu hāiki no ka poeko ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i hiki ia‘u ke a‘o aku papa. I ho‘olimalima

akula au i ko‘u hale ā hele akula i ke Kulanui o Hawai‘i ma Mānoa a, loa‘a ka palapala

‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i ia‘u ma ke Kekemapa 2008. ‘A‘ole i kana mai ka maika‘i o nā kumu

‘ōlelo ma Mānoa, akā, ‘o ko‘u mau mea punahele ‘o Kekeha Solis, ‘o Kawehi Lucas, a ‘o

Kaliko Baker. ‘Oi aku kō lākou ‘olu‘olu ma mua o kō ka ‘olu‘olu o nā kumu ‘ē a‘e.

I kekahi pule ma hope o ko‘u ho‘omaka ‘ana papa ma UH, ua kipa au i ke Kula

Kaiāulu ‘o Ānuenue, ā ninau maila lākou inā makemake au e kōkua. I ‘ae koke au, no

ko‘u makemake e ho‘ohikiwawe i ko‘u a‘o ‘ana mai. A laila, i ho‘omaka e ‘a‘a he ‘umi

hola no kēlā me kēia pule i ka papa makahiki ‘elua ma laila. Ua hā‘awi ke kumu iā‘u nō

ho‘i i ka manāwa kūpono e a‘o aku i kekahi seminā no ka ho‘olālā kaiāulu ‘ana me nā

keiki! A‘o akula iā lākou e ho‘olālā i kahi palekana no nā keiki i pā‘ani ai. No laila, ‘o ke
kumu a‘u e ho‘omau nei a hiki i ka makahiki ‘ehā ka ho‘oikaika ko‘u ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i

‘ana.

I kekahi mau mahina ma mua o ko‘u puka ‘ana aku, ho‘olele iā Hawai‘i Bilingual

/ Hawai‘i ‘Ōlelo Pālua (“H2‘Ō”), he hui politika ia e kāko‘o ana i ka pono kiwila i loa‘a

nā lawelawe lehulehu i ka mea noho ma Hawai‘i ma ka ‘ōlelo kūhelu āna e koho ai: ‘o ia

ka ‘ōlelo Pelekāne a i ‘ole ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. No kēia pahuhopu, hō‘ike mākou iā Ilina

Wai, “He Wilikia Pili ‘Uhane a me No‘eau e Ho‘opau i ka Pepehi ‘ana i ka Mo‘omeheu

Hawai‘i.” ‘O kekahi lālā nui o kā H2‘Ō hana ka ‘Oihana Haipule ‘Uao e Ho‘opau i ka

Pepehi ‘ana i ka Mo‘omeheu Hawai‘i e pule ‘ia ma ka lā 30 o ‘Apelila i ka MH 2009 ma

Mauna ‘Ala, ā ma nā lā hope loa o kēlā me kēia mahina ā hiki i ka ho‘oholo ‘ia ‘ana i

“Ke Kānāwai ‘Ōlelo Kūhelu” e ka ‘Aha‘ōlelo Moku‘āina o Hawai‘i. E ho‘omau ‘ia ua

‘oihana haipule ‘uao i kā ko Mō‘ī Lunalilo ilina. Hō‘ike mākou nō ho‘i i “Pō Ilina Wai,”

he hō‘ike mele pūkanipila ke‘ena ‘ōlelo pālua ia i kūkulu hūlili ai ma waena o nā mea

no‘eau like ‘ole no ko mākou pahuhopu.

Ha‘i ‘ōlelo aku au no ka pepehi ‘ana i ka mo‘omeheu Hawai‘i i mua o nā ‘ahahui

kaiāulu me kiwila, nā kalapu lawelawe, nā hui ‘ea Hawai‘i a me nā haumana. Pono kākou

e pūpūkahi me nā kānaka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a me ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘ole e kāko‘o nei i nā pono

kiwila ‘oiwi. I ko‘u wahi mana‘o, ‘oi aku ka ‘akamai o kēia ka‘akalai ma mua o kā ko

lākou e ho‘omau ai ka ho‘oka‘awale ‘ana.

I kēia manawa nei a‘o au i he ‘elua papa ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ka‘awale nō ho‘i; loa‘a he

‘iwakālua haumāna ia‘u. No laila, ‘o ko‘u mau pahuhopu ma ka ‘ōlelo a me ko‘u mau

pahuhopu nui o ke ao nei ka ho‘olālā kaiāulu ‘ana ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i‘ole ke a‘o ‘ana

aku i ia i nā haumana. “ ‘O ka ho‘olālā kaiāulu Hawai‘i ka ho‘okō ‘ana o nā hopena

ho‘ona‘auao kaiāpuni,” wahi a ‘o Colin Kippen, po‘o kuhikuhi o ka Native Hawaiian

Education Council i Honolulu. Ho‘ohana ‘ana i ka hō‘ike honua, ka mō‘aukala, nā

‘epekema a makemakika, nā huli kāknaka a kānāwai, a me hana no‘eau, ‘oia ‘i‘o nō, e

ho‘ohana ‘ia pū me ka ho‘olālā ‘ana kaiāulu i ka nui o nā māhele ho‘ona‘auao. ‘Oiai,

makemake ka hapanui o ko Hawai‘i e noho i loko o ke kūlanakauhale, no laila, pono

mākou e maopopo i ka pilina ma waena o ke au lehulehu a me ke au pono‘ī. Makemake

au e ho‘oulu aku i ko Hawai‘i ‘ōpio e ho‘olālā a mana‘opa‘a i ko kākou ‘āina, me nā

kaiāulu i loko, ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i ho‘onui i ka makemake ‘ia a me nā mākeke no‘eau

ho‘okele waiwai no nā ‘oihana hana ‘ia ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Eia na‘e, pono kākou e huli i kekahi mau kānāwai ‘aupuni o Hawai‘i, ‘o ia nō nā

kānāwai mo‘omeheu pākahi ma ka Paukū 15 o ke Kumukānāwai o Hawai‘i a me nā

kānāwai ‘Ōlelo Komo ‘Ana (Po‘o Kānāwai 21 o nā Pilina Limahana a me ‘Oi‘enehana

Mokuna 371, Māhele 2). No ka mālama ‘ole i ka pono kiwila e ho‘ohana i ka ‘ōlelo

Hawai‘i i nā au lehulehu a pau, e ho‘omau ‘ia nei ko ka ‘uhane Hawai‘i ‘eha.

Ho‘okonukonu ‘ia nā hana a pau i loko o kēia kūlanakauhale a, pono kākou e hana i nā

mānawa e ho‘ohana i ko mākou ‘olelo ‘oiwi me nā kānāwai kūpono. ‘A‘ole lawa ka

‘ōlelo Hawai ‘i ‘ana i loko o ka hale wale nō. No laila, i lawa nō a ‘āpono ‘ia ke Kānāwai

‘Ōlelo Kūhelu o Hawai‘i e like me kā ko Kanakā lāua ‘o ‘Ilelani, a laila e pono iho ko

Hawai‘i a mau loa aku. ‘O kēia pahuhopu nui loa paha ka mea e pono ai ka ho‘olālā

kaiāulu ‘ana a me ka ‘ea ‘i‘o o ka ‘āina. Inā ‘a‘ohe kānāwai e mālama ai i ko mākou pono

kiwila me ‘oiwi, inā ‘a‘ole mākou e ola.