Na Noah Gomes
He 26 wale nō mau lāhulu manu Hawaiʻi ʻāpaʻakuma e koe nei i ke ao, mai loko mai o ka huina nui he 152. He 16 mau manu ʻane halapohe ma loko o ia mau mea e koe nei. Kaulana ʻo Hawaiʻi a puni ka honua i ke kūkanono o nā mea ola halapohe a ʻane halapohe paha. Ua kuhi ʻia ka halapohe o ʻehā mau manu koe ma loko o ka ʻumi makahiki, a ua ʻoi nui hou aku nā lāhulu manu e make loa ma loko o 50 makahiki. Ma kaʻu kōlamulamu ʻōlelo Haole, ua wehewehe au i wahi manaʻo no ka pono e mālama i nā manu Hawaiʻi. Ma ʻaneʻi au e kaʻana ai me kuʻu mau hoa ʻōlelo makuahine i nā wahi hunahuna ʻike i loaʻa mai no ka pili o kekahi o kēia mau manu ma loko o ka moʻolelo o ke au i hala.
Wahi a kahiko, ʻo ʻĀkohe (ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo ʻĀkohekohe), he manu pūnana ma nā lālā kiʻekiʻe o ka ʻōhia. Nāwaliwali naʻe ia mau lālā ʻōhiʻa, a hāʻule mau nā pūnana o ʻĀkohe i luna o ke poʻo o kona hoa, ʻo Poʻopāpale (ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo ʻŌʻūpoʻopāpale). No ko Poʻopāpale ukiuki loa i kēia hoʻoluhi mau, hoʻomaka ʻo ia e hakihaki i nā lālā o ka ʻōhiʻa i mea ʻole. I ia wā, uē aʻela ʻo Kalehua (ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻōhiʻa), no kona ʻeha nui. No laila, ʻōlelo mai ʻo Poʻopāpale iā Kalehua, “He kanaka nō kā hoʻi ʻoe lā! Hoʻoluhi ʻoe iaʻu e hoʻoluhi ai.” ʻŌlelo aʻe ʻo Kalehua, “E ola au!” ʻŌlelo mai ia, “He aha kāu waiwai e ola ai ʻoe iaʻu?” Pane ʻo Kalehua, “Inā e ola ana au iā ʻoe, a laila, loaʻa kou pōmaikaʻi.” “He aha ka pōmaikaʻi?” “He ʻai kā iaʻu a me ka wai, a laila, ola kā hoʻi ana a me kou mau hoa.” A no laila ola ua ʻōhiʻa nei iā Poʻopāpale, a ua pōmaikaʻi nā hoa a pau ona no nā kau a kau, ʻo ia hoʻi ka nui manu. ʻAʻole nui ko ʻĀkohe hana ma ia moʻolelo, akā he waiwai ka ʻike ʻana i kona komo ma kēia kaʻao kūmole no ka pilina o nā manu Hawaiʻi a me ka ʻōhiʻa. Eia ke ʻano o ka inoa o ka ʻākohekohe: “ʻĀ,” ʻo ia hoʻi ka nuku o ka manu. “Kohekohe,” ʻo ia hoʻi kahi pūpū hulu ma luna o ka nuku, ua like ka nānā ʻana me ka mauʻu kohekohe. No laila, ʻo ka manaʻo, he mauʻu kohekohe ma ka nuku, he ʻākohekohe.
Eia kekahi mea, ʻo ka ʻakikiki, ʻo ia nō paha ka manu i komo ma ke Kumulipo ma ka inoa ʻo “Kikiki” i loko o ka Wā ʻEkolu, “Hānau ke kikiki ka makua, puka kāna keiki he ʻūkihi, lele.” Aloha nō ka maopopo ʻole o ke ʻano o ia manu he ʻūkihi. Eia ke ʻano o ka inoa o ka ʻakikiki: “ʻā,” ʻo ia hoʻi ka nuku o ka manu. “Kikiki,” he liʻiliʻi ke ʻano. He wahi manu nuku liʻiliʻi ka ʻakikiki. Maliʻa paha ʻo ka ʻūkihi he manu nuku loa, ʻaʻole paha.
ʻO ka ʻakekeʻe, eia kona ʻano: “Ā,” ʻo ka nuku ia. “Kekeʻe,” ʻo ia ke kepa ʻē o ke ʻā lalo o ka nuku. No laila, ʻo ka manaʻo o kona inoa, ua pili i ke ʻano ʻē iki o kona nuku. He inoa hou aʻe ko kēia manu, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo “ʻōʻūholowai.” Ua like ia inoa me ka inoa o ke kapa ʻōʻūholowai o ʻŌlaʻa. ʻAʻole au i ʻike maka i ia ʻano kapa, no laila ʻaʻole au ʻike i ke ʻano o ka pilina me ka manu ʻōʻūholowai.
ʻO ka inoa kiwikiu, he inoa hou ia. E aho paha nā mea nāna i haku e wehewehe i ke ʻano o ia inoa. Ua lohe au he nani ka manaʻo o ia inoa. ʻOiai naʻe ʻaʻole i ʻike ʻia ka inoa kahiko o ia manu, ʻaʻole au ʻike i ke ʻano o kona komo ma ka moʻolelo Hawaiʻi.
E hoʻomaluō kākou i kēia poʻe manu ʻāpaʻakuma, he mau mea lākou e ola ai ka mauli Hawaiʻi. Lohe pinepine au i ka nīnau, he aha ia mea he Hawaiʻi? Nui nō nā hāʻina e hāpai ʻia mai ʻō a ʻō. Ma ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, aia paha ia i ke kuanaʻike o ke kanaka. I kuʻu wahi manaʻo nō naʻe, he mau kānaka Hawaiʻi kākou ma muli o ka pae ʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi nei. ʻO ia hoʻi, he mau kānaka Hawaiʻi kākou ma muli o ka noho papa o ko kākou mau kūpuna ma kēia paeʻāina no nā hanauna he nui mai kikilo. He poʻe ʻokoʻa kākou ma mua o ke komoneʻe mai i kēia ʻāina, a inā paha e noho papa kākou ma kekahi ʻāina ʻē aku, e lilo hou auaneʻi i lāhui hou ma ka hala ʻana o nā kenekulia.
No laila, ke lilo nā hiʻohiʻona o ka pae ʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi i mau mea hou, ʻo kākou hoʻi ke lilo pū. He ʻokoʻa loa nā hiʻohiʻona o ka pae ʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi mai ka wā kahiko. ʻAʻole ʻike nui ʻia nā mea ulu, kolo, lele, a pēlā wale aku o ke au o ko kākou mau kūpuna. Ke hulihia nei kēia ʻāina. Inā paha kākou e makeʻe i ka moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi kahiko, e makeʻe pū ʻia nā mea ola o ka ʻāina. ʻO nā manu hoʻi. Ke ʻole ia, he aha ana kā kākou mau moʻopuna i kēia mua aku? He aha ana ka Hawaiʻi i ka wā ma hope mai?
He kamaʻāina ʻo Noah Gomes no Wahiawā, Oʻahu. Ua kula ʻia ʻo ia ma Hilo, Hawaiʻi, kahi āna e noho mau nei. He puni manu Hawaiʻi ʻo ia mai ka wā ʻōpio me ka puoko pio ʻole o ka naʻau.
